The Writer's Life 8/14 - Words & Pics

In an article in today's NY Post, Christopher Farnsworth details his love of pulp fiction. After trying his hand at literary novels and working as a reporter, he turned to his true love. He offers this advice: "Five books in, this is the one lesson I can say I’ve learned, the one thing I can tell any aspiring writer: Write what you want. Even if it includes lizard people or Atlantis. If people don’t like what you like, write it again, and make it better until they do. But never be ashamed of your enthusiasms. We’re all living in a pulp-fiction world now. And we’ll all need better stories to make sense of it." Here's the cover of his latest:

I've read only one graphic novel, borrowed from a friend. It was, in effect, a long Superman comic. In another article in the Post, Michael Cavna writes about one of the most influential books of the form, which tomorrow will mark the 30th anniversary of its publication. Art Spiegelman's Maus, a Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History, took 13 years from conception to completion. In it, the Nazis are depicted as rats, the Jews as mice. The graphic memoir is now considered a landmark project that led the American public, including many literary critics, to seeing comics as a serious art form. Maus, the second part, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. “Some people want a Maus 3, 4 or 5,” says Spiegelman, laughing. “But that’s it.” Here's a picture of the cover of the first volume:

Last night Decades TV, 112 on Cablevision in NYC, ran a marathon of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour. I watched House Guest from Season One. I was completely familiar with the males in the cast: Robert Sterling, Macdonald Carey, Karl Swenson and Robert Armstrong, but completely unfamiliar with the females, despite the significant track records of two. Peggy McCay is still going strong at 85. She is a regular on Days of Our Lives, where she has logged 686 appearances. She appeared on General Hospital from 1967-'70, and in numerous other TV shows and in film. The late Adele Mara has 98 credits listed under her name at IMDb. At 15 she was singing with Xavier Cugat's band, where she was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout. Wanda Rand has only nine credits, but three were Elvis films. Unfortunately, I was unable to pinpoint any pics of her. Here are McCay and Mara:

I scored a favorable parking spot today, which allowed me to open the floating book shop. The heat wasn't oppressive under the tree in front of Chase, especially with an occasional breeze whipping by and some cloud cover. My thanks to the young man who purchased the last of the Harry Potter inventory. The temperature is supposed to start moderating tomorrow, when it will be "only" in the low 90's.

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/

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