Wattpad for Atwood, Wattpad for Me

If Wattpad, “the world's largest community for discovering and sharing stories,” is good enough for Margaret Atwood, then it’s good enough for me. So, I’m giving it a whirl, beginning with three pieces that are either no longer available online or never were online in the first place.

Here’s a link and a synopsis for all three:

• “All the Roads, Well Traveled or Not.” Michael Silver and his girlfriend Jenna Worthing are on the way back from a camping trip in New Hampshire when it strikes him that this, right here, is the moment he’s been waiting for. But which of the couples he’s thinking of right now will they turn out like? Which path will they choose as their own?
• “Too Much Fabric, Too Much Color.” Rory’s father sits in her old room, contemplating a bikini bottom he’s found and wondering if it belonged to Rory or one of the dozens of girlfriends she brought up there over the years. What he does with it next will depend on the answer.
• “How to Make the Pieces Fit.” A man on a subway train in Boston, Massachusetts is dreaming the dreams of others, the words “mentally emaciated” repeating in his head as he watches a conversation between a dentist and a girl who may or may not be lovers.

I am fully aware that Wattpad is probably not meant for someone my age writing the stuff that I’m writing, but it looks interesting and these orphaned stories need a home. So, why not?

Elizabeth Locke Joins THE TEMPTRESSES

I am pleased to announce that Elizabeth Locke has joined the cast of The Players’ Ring production of my play The Temptresses. She will be reprising the role of Veronica Silver, which she first played during the Ring’s 2012 production of Crossroads (or The Piano of Death).

Liz was part of the Spotlight Award-winning ensemble cast of Biloxi Blues (Seacoast Spotlight Awards 2012). She also starred alongside yours truly in At My Window, scared the shit out of people as part of An Evening of Grand Guignol: Theatre of Terror, and has played memorable roles in The Lobby, Elephant Hunt, and The Odd Couple, to name just a few. I can’t imagine doing a play without her, and I’m thrilled she’s rejoining me for The Temptresses.

But you’re wondering: what does it mean that her character from one play is now part of a second play? Stay tuned, and you’ll find out.

Geek Force Five: Multimedia Anthology for iBooks

Over the past month, I’ve been raising money to launch a new multimedia literary anthology called Geek Force Five. The idea is that the anthology will include a combination of fiction, photography, film, music, and more. I even put together a free proof-of-concept issue to show everyone what I’m aiming to do.

As of this writing, I’ve raised just about half of the $500 I need to launch the first volume. Kickstarter, the fundraising site I’m using for the project, is an all or nothing proposition, if you didn’t know. And there are only four days left to raise the other half!

So, if you’ve got an iPad and $2 to spare (or more) and this sounds at all interesting, please do pledge. You can contribute right here

Revisiting the Script

Looking at the script again, after a couple months away.

It’s been a couple of months since I looked at the script to The Temptresses—I probably haven’t touched it since I pitched it to the Players’ Ring back in February—but I opened it up today so I could send a copy off to an actor for consideration. It’s always a dangerous thing for a writer to return to something after so long, but I think I still like it.

This also gives me the opportunity to say that I’m back on Instagram after a long absence. Hey, it’s where all the kids are sharing their photos now, so why not?

THE TEMPTRESSES Coming... to the Ring

Last summer, in the midst of the craziness and fun of our late night production of Crossroads (or The Piano of Death), I was told more than once that I should write a full-length play. So, that’s what I did. And I’m psyched to announce that The Players’ Ring in Portsmouth has decided to include that new full-length, The Temptresses, in their 22nd season.

It premieres on January 24, 2014. Here’s a tease of what’s in store.

Tracy Silver leads an idyllic life on Cape Cod with her two moms. She is about to be named valedictorian of her class and spends her weekends helping to run a community theater out of her family’s old barn. But she’s troubled by the message of their latest production, a play about their family’s history which only she seems to truly understand.

And then, her uncle shows up. He’s the closest thing she’s ever had to a father, but she’s learned something about him that she can’t unlearn. And now, now she’s going to use their stage and the magic at her disposal to put her uncle on trial for his crimes against femininity.

It’s going to be a blast. I’ll be casting the five women and one man I need soon and I’ll share news about those developments as soon as they develop.

Fresh

I don’t crave having that site be the forum for where I put my thoughts. Here’s a funny trick for finding where people want to do stuff: it’s where they’re doing it.

—Merlin Mann, “Beagle Removal Service.”

I used to have this line in my bio that I was really proud of, something about how I’ve been blogging since 1999. But here’s the thing: who gives a shit?

I haven’t enjoyed blogging in a good goddamned while, and you could tell, couldn’t you? If you really wanted me—the real me, not some manufactured personal brand I was wearing like a cheap Halloween mask—you found it on Twitter or Facebook or maybe even Tumblr.

So, frak my mission to bring back online all of my blogs of the past. And to hell with this “voice” I’ve been trying to develop here. I’m taking advantage of how easy Squarespace makes it to start over and I’m beginning anew.

Let’s have some fun, huh?