On Writing Opinions and the killing of Children(?)

Being a writer in the age of information overload is an interesting thing. People feel comfortable saying or writing whatever they want to us, partially I think because writing is no longer viewed as something that requires actual skill and training. Since anyone can do it online, what's so dad-gum special about it? I am reminded of the time Roger Ebert endured horrible insults regarding his cancer because he dared to write an article decrying the "Jackass" phenomenon and one of its stars.

For about a year, I wrote a Yahoo Voices column just for the hell of it and for the extra income, which was not bad, actually. During that time, I wrote a lot of opinion pieces, some of which still garner the occasional response. And while I didn't ever receive anywhere near the level of Ebert's diatribes, I do occasionally get a response of a negative nature.

This time, it was an article I'd written on celebrities I used to like until I found out that were right wing whack jobs. You can read the article here.

In case you don't feel like reading the article, and I wouldn't blame you as it isn't one of my best, below is the comment from the reader and my response. I have since invited him to continue the conversation on my blog:

Richard D 5/21/2013

Thank you for this list. I know now to add these celebs to my cool list. You, my friend, are a left-wing, baby-killing moron who is on my loser list.

 

Christopher Nadeau 5/22/2013Delete

Richard,

Thanks for the validation. The fact that you felt compelled to comment on a two-year old article I didn't even remember writing fills my heart with joy. I'd love to see your list sometime. if I'm on it, that serves as further validation that I was correct. Thanks for commenting

 

Now, "loser" and "moron" I can handle--they might even be true--but BABY KILLER??? Where on Earth could he have drawn such a conclusion outside of his own internal voices? I'd love it if he came over and elucidated...

Surprise Praise From a Possible Relative.

It always amazes me when someone not only finds one of my more obscure stories but also finds me and lets me know what they thought of it. In this instance, the person might actually be a previously unknown relative on my dad's side, which means basically anyone with my last name. Below is the email I received out of nowhere and my response to it.

To quote Andy Sandberg quoting Nicholas Cage: "That's kind praaaaiiiiseeee."

See below:

Christopher,

 

 I recently joined GLAHW (Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers) and picked up a copy of  Ghostlight Magazine which featured your story, "The Cubicle Dwellers" which I really enjoyed.  I admit I was thrown off a bit by the asylum part at the beginning, but the character's initial acceptance and integration into the job he previously detested and the "Lovecraftian" twist in the lunchroom were very cool because I assumed that they were just going to eat him.  It reminded me of a story called, "Don't Walk" by Chan McConnell that was part of the "Still Dead" anthology by Skipp and Spector.  I was also curious as to if you were by chance related to a [Names Deleted by request]Nadeau?  They are my uncle and aunt that used to live in Michigan.

Thank you,

Mary

 

Hi, Mary!

 

Thanks so much for the kind words regarding my story. I tried to do something I don't see being done with zombie fiction, as it is not my favorite sub-genre. Nice to see I succeeded with at least one reader!
I've never actually heard of [Names Deleted by request]Nadeau, but considering how rare the last name is, I'm willing to bet I'm related to you LOL

 

-CN

 

So, who knows? A relative with similar interests might have found me through a short story about how cubicle existence is not all that indistinguishable from zombies...

 

EXCITING NEWS!

While some have accused me of screwing around on Facebook too much lately instead of slaving away at my fiction writing, I've actually been holding onto my upcoming projects so I could unveil them all at once. If 2011 was the year of Getting Published and 2012 was the year of Great Introspection, 2013 is shaping up to be the year of Great Diversity.

In May and June, I will have, at last count, six short stories published. Two of them are reissues of my first monster hunter stories which originally appeared in the "Leather, Denim & Silver" anthologies by the tragically defunct Pill Hill Press. Editor  Miles Boothe formed his own publishing company out of the shimmering embers of Pill Hill, known as Emby Press.  Also from Boothe's press comes my latest monster hunter tale, "Emergence."

In addition, the long-awaited next Best of the Horror Zine anthology is coming out, this time with all original stories including my own "Willard Junction". This is perhaps my most anticipated release.

My Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers  colleague Trico Lutkins also has a publishing company, Source Point Press which is currently getting ready to publish my super-hero homage "Sergeant Freedom's Never-ending Crusade" in the Alter Egos vol. one anthology.  As if that weren't enough, Master Lutkins has commissioned me to write a comic script adaptation of that very same story which is currently in the works.

Then there's Mark Turner's Voluted Tales Magazine. Not only did he accept my short story "Fly Wielder" for the June issue, but he also found me interesting enough to be interviewed for an upcoming volume. But that's not all...

Mark has also asked me to be a guest editor of my own special issue! Soon I shall go mad. MAD WITH POWER!!!

MUAAAA HAAAA HAAAA!!!!

Oh, and the film adaptation of "Floorboards" is still in the works...Told ya it was exciting! Shut up if you don't think so!

Quote O' the Week.

"Comic stores have become overrun with creepy Libertarian loners and chicks who think real human beings can look good dressed like wide-eyed pre-pubescent anime characters."

-Melissa Weaver, Facebook bud

Thoughts on the First Hour of "The Hobbit"

When Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” was released in December of 2012, I should have wanted to see it. I enjoyed the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy immensely, no small feat for someone who has always found Tolkien’s storybook prose mostly unreadable. Still, the ideas he conjured were wondrous and, in the hands of a gifted filmmaker hungry to do something epic, made for great trips to the movies.

Flash forward roughly a decade and the Emperor suddenly has holes in his underwear. Having spent the better part of those ten years in so-called development hell, Jackson returned to the franchise what made him and decided to once again take the reins in a two-film opus that told the story of Bilbo Baggins and his early adventures.  Then it became three films…based on a single novel that isn’t even very long. That was already a red flag for me, then that pesky Quentin Tarantino went and released a movie I actually cared about.

It wasn’t difficult to prioritize “Django Unchained” over Jackson’s film. Not only had I been looking forward to QT’s “southern” for well over a year, but I’m not exactly the biggest fan of traditional fantasy.

So, I went and saw “Django” twice, a friend and I reasoning that “The Hobbit’s” massive box office success precluded any need for us to contribute our funds to the effort. We didn’t know “Django” would also be huge. Not that huge, anyway.

Finally, I sat down at home with a DVD copy of “The Hobbit” and prepared to be at least somewhat as enchanted as I had been a decade before. And I waited…and waited…and moaned…and yawned…and laughed once…and finally at the one hour mark said, “Okay, this is where I officially check out.”

The scene in question featured some comedy relief slapstick bullshit characters with hideous appearances and goofy personalities whacking each other in the heads with spoons. Suddenly, I understood all too well.

The first three films, which actually take place sixty years later than the events in this new ones, were films about something more than a boring quest to save a city. They were about epic, sweeping change and the large and small characters swept up in that change. The humor flowed from the situations and never brought the story to a screeching halt.

By contrast, “The Hobbit” feels like a child’s movie with loud, obnoxious characters each displaying shtick before moving to the next set piece.  New characters are dull and uninteresting and characters we thought we knew are practically unrecognizable. Young Bilbo is a colossal bore with none of the emotional resonance of Frodo who, by the way, seems rather stoic and mature in his flashback sequences with older Bilbo. Gandalf seems centuries older and weaker than in the films taking place six decades later.

After a solid hour of tortoise-like pacing and nothing and no one to care about, at least the effects work should be top-notch, right? No. In fact, it’s terrible. I fail to understand how the CGI looks cheaper and less believable than in a film ten years older. The Orcs are laughably fake looking.

My first instinct was correct. Something about the trailer assured me I would be disappointed and I am. Just like the second Nolan Batman or the original Matrix, this film has insured I won’t be seeing the sequel. Hell, I couldn’t even watch the remaining two hours for fear of losing precious lifespan time! It's possible I've "outgrown" films like this, but I like to think even my waning interest in genre could have been pushed aside for another great Jackson film, which this most certainly is not.

 

 

 

Voluted Tales: A Study in Consummate Professionalism

A few months ago, when Mark Turner, EIC and publisher of Voluted Tales announced the online magazine's relaunch, I was apparently one of the first to submit a short story for their consideration. Somewhere along the way, the story got lost. At least, that's Mark's story, and he's sticking to it. I like to think its brilliance was so stunning, it caused temporary memory loss and hysterical blindness.

Mark wrote, "I'm not sure who did it, but the content panel of the submission has been wiped accidentally by one of the staffers and we don't have a back up." He asked if I wouldn't mind resubmitting it directly to him. Since it had been a while, he wanted to read the story personally. He also did something that impressed me no end: He vowed to get back to me the following morning. Then he did something even more bizarre: HE KEPT HIS WORD!

As if that wasn't satisfactory, he also accepted the story for publication. Below is what he sent me regarding the story. Keep in mind that whenever someone from the UK uses the phrase "Go down," I titter like a schoolgirl because its meaning on this side of the pool is rather...different.

Morning Christopher,
At least I think it's still morning over there, I'm running a little late.
I think Fly Wielder will do just fine. Clean, well-told and an original idea. It'll go down a treat.

Hee-hee!!!

Anyway, the story will see publication sometime around the fifteenth of May. This is a story I've been struggling with for years and I'd finally done a massive edit/rewrite thanks to the suggestions of someone on another online magazine's message board. This is why listening is good. .

I'll pass the soapbox to someone else now. Mark Turner and Voluted Tales is a class act and I am beyond pleased to be welcomed aboard by them~

Latest Upcoming Short Story.

Author/Publisher Trico Lutkins, my latest literary homey, has accepted my decade-old, previously unpublished tale of a patriotic superhero trying to remain relevant in a cynical world for the "Alter Egos Volume One" anthology. It's being published through Source Point Press, his publishing company.

Below is an image of the upcoming book. I simply adore the cover, dahlink!

Trico's having each story presented with its own illustrated cover, which is a great idea. Can't wait to see what mine looks like! I'm also happy this story has finally been completed and accepted. It's always been near and dear, based mainly on the fact that it's an affectionate homage to the genre that made me want to write in the first place.

More to come~

Quote of the Week.

“And one day, you realize that your copy of Atlas Shrugged belongs in the same milk crate as your beer helmet and the t-shirt that looks like a tuxedo, and you move on. Unless you’re Paul Ryan or Rand Paul.”
-Bill Maher

Am I the Crazy One???

The above question/title is one I've asked myself for decades and, in some cases, have come back with a positive response. Not this time! What began as a silly, lighthearted post on a Facebook friend's page quickly mutated into a bizarre exchange where I realized I wasn't being spoken to, I was being lectured by a lunatic. Thanks to another friend, I have the entire thread even after the inevitable blocking of me. 

Here's the image that prompted the discussion:

And here's the thread:

 

Chris Norton Because each new gen are made up of 3-kinds of peeps; the ones who wish they were in the past, the ones who define themselves as not dif from their parent's gen, and those who do live in their own time, the 2nd need to put that stuff down to make themselves feel better & b/c they've a weak sense of self & feel that's the only way to break away from being defined by their parents

15 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton But what I remember from the 80's was bad stuff: Reaganomics, bomb shelters, nuke bomb drills, and the 1st Gulf war

13 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau The first Gulf War was in 1991.
For me, one glance at that prune drinking a martini is enough to say much of the 80s sucked.

12 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton But what I remember from the 70's was high gas prices, the Viet war; but also disco and hippies and feminism

12 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton well I stand corrected by 2-years then

12 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Disco is not a compelling argument for LOL

11 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Not saying it was

11 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton but you also cannot just an entire generation of people

11 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton let alone as bad, to do so suggests you also judge entire countries, races and religions as bad to

10 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau I think there was a word missing there.

10 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Or an incorrect one. Did you mean "judge?"

9 minutes ago · Like

David Garlow Chris thinks the 90's were cool, nuff said

9 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau The 90s weren't cool.

9 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Especially when your willing to go on such little info from a characterization rather than reality, to take a microcosm of a situation and blow it up and say that represents the whole

9 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Chris Norton, you keep making these odd comments that bear no connection to what I wrote and I'm still not even sure what your original point was.

8 minutes ago · Edited · Like

David Garlow He also liked the boy bands, he lip-synchs to them to this very day

8 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton b/c that's how propaganda vs. other races, countries and religions work, so if you're willing to do so yourself without being targeted for propaganda, what chance do you have of not going with that propaganda when its specifically intended to get you to...

7 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Done with the speech? How about we go back to the post with the missing and/or incorrect word so I can get a little perspective and context?

7 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton do exactly what you're doing here (making yourself feel better than others by saying a group you belong to is better than another group)

7 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton by the exact means by which they would try to get you to do so

6 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton I am trying to give you a larger sociological perspective

6 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Are you gonna pass the bong down because nothing you're saying has anything to do with what I wrote. In fact, you just judged me based on nothing the same way you apparently think I judged others, which I never did.

6 minutes ago · Like · 1

David Garlow man, can't we all just chill and laugh at a stupid cartoon poster without it being a debate on world politics, music, race...humor...what ever happened to humor? and 'kaff' what Nadeau?

5 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton you do understand that by taking a small thing and saying that justifies your thinking you and your people are better than another group of people, is by definition bigotry, making U a bigot

5 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Thanks, I don't require a larger sociological perspective, I already have one. However, since I was only speaking for Reagen being the reason I felt the Eighties sucked in some way, I'm not sure why the stump speech was necessary?

5 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton and you are also aware that every country in the world has propaganda, and that the exact means they use for propaganda are the way you use to justify stuff anyway, so that you're especailly susceptible to it

4 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Yes you do need it, you are in desperate need of it

4 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Okay, at this point you're obviously just engaging in online masturbation. Enjoy the one-sided conversation.

3 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton not just for you, but because of the fact these attitudes of yours will be used by others to make it easier for them to hurt others

3 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau LOL! And then he went and blocked me!

Melissa Weaver WHAT!? Chris Norton, Nadeau never said anything about any group of people. Reread the thread, man!

17 minutes ago · Like

Derek Foster you can't already have something "larger", larger refers to more/ bigger than what you have

15 minutes ago · Like

Evalyn Crooks cuz they forgot how to dress them selves.....

15 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau No, in this case "larger" refers to something bigger than what others he's referring to have.

13 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Evalyn Crooks You as opposed to African Americans with nearly their whole boxers showing, and 14 year olds with midriffs like they were a college girl trying to get laid?

11 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Evalyn Crooks All cultures are approximately equal; good <==> bad they all tend to even out in the end

10 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Evalyn Crooks the only thing you can be sure of is the closer something is to your own culture the more likely it is part of your unquestioned assumptions, or as they say "1's too close to it to judge"

9 minutes ago · Like

Chris Topher-thomas Perguidi no one ever says the 80s sucked its the 90s sucked

8 minutes ago · Like

Christopher Nadeau Uh-oh! Get ready for another sociological perspective speech!

7 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Evalyn Crooks causing ppl to criticize others (who they cannot force to change without it becoming abuse or worse) but not changing themselves, which they can do most easily- so if you're asking the question of whether a gen sucked or not, you're already wrong-minded

6 minutes ago · Like

Evalyn Crooks more like offended.... and any day you can get up and enjoy your day is a good doesn't matter if its the 60's , 70's , 80's , 90's or the 00's

6 minutes ago · Like · 1

Christopher Nadeau Every decade has its traits but unless it was nothing but war and disease, I don't think any one decade sucked.

5 minutes ago · Unlike · 1

Evalyn Crooks why did you attack just made a statement about the fashion that is what most women complain about in the 80's

4 minutes ago · Unlike · 1

Chris Norton Evalyn Crooks not being offended is an overly valued commodity, those who are the most offended are usually the ones benefiting the most from offensive things (e.g. ppl in the burbs, whose whole lifestyle depends upon ghettos & the oppression of the developing & 3rd world)

3 minutes ago · Like

Melissa Weaver He seems to do that to anyone with an opinion. he's like a robot that was programmed to annoy people and then got struck by lightning and couldn't stop.

3 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Evalyn Crooks fashion is an easy target, they also attack fashion in the 70's, 60's 50's (e.g. the beatniks);& if someone's complaining more about fashion that the wars in central america and giving weapons to both Iran and Iraq, their values are out of wack.

Melissa Weaver Chris Norton, are you a first year sociology student who can't handle all the theories and "really makes ya think" concepts?

8 minutes ago · Like

Melissa Weaver Chris Norton, are you a first year sociology student who can't handle all the theories and "really makes ya think" concepts?

Chris Norton I like make you think concepts

7 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Melissa Weaver but you have to realize that the point of them is to have a discussion about the subject, and if everyone is on the same side; well that's not accomplishing much, and if its criticizing another group of people and everyone's in agreement about doing so that's dangerous

6 minutes ago · Like

Melissa Weaver So you basically have no sense of humor or irony?

5 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton Melissa Weaver I didn't say that

4 minutes ago · Like

Melissa Weaver You didn't have to. You've demonstrated it by totaling missing the point of this silly image and turning the thread into a diatribe on your views on having views.

3 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton I enjoyed the clip and was gonna juz comment upon that clip, after answering the question; but when seeing people who are criticizing large groups of others,

3 minutes ago · Like

Chris Norton well that is very close to bigotry and that behavior is the exact opposite that one should have

3 minutes ago · Like

Melissa Weaver Nobody criticized any groups, Chris. I think you go through life hoping for that so you can make your comments.

about a minute ago · Like

Chris Norton If one cannot look at one's own culture only 25 years before without feeling a need to say that is not me and I am better than that; than how can they (without changing that mindset) be excepted to nor view people in or from other countries with completely dif cultures as infinitely worse than you are essentially judging yourselves

about a minute ago · Like

Chris Norton Melissa Weaver A generation is a group

a few seconds ago · Like

Chris Norton Melissa Weaver as is the GROUP of people in any time

a few seconds ago · Like

Melissa Weaver I realize that, my friend, but no one criticized a group. You started up before anybody had even responded to the image.

a few seconds ago · Like

Chris Norton Melissa Weaver and as stated I'm not concerned about how that would effect people who were that way in the 80's but about how that same attitude is an indicator of bigotry against others

a few seconds ago · Like

Chris Norton Melissa Weaver and as stated I'm not concerned about how that would effect people who were that way in the 80's but about how that same attitude is an indicator of bigotry against others

a few seconds ago · Like

Melissa Weaver That's a real stretch.

So, you be the judge of who was the crazy f**** here. I actually thought he was being humorous in the beginning!

 

 

 

 

　

　

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nadeau on Stage.

A few months ago, I was virtually approached by my favorite expatriate Rick Barry, whose acquaintance I originally made around 2005 on this very blogger website, with an interesting request. He asked me if I knew of anyone who'd written any short one or two act plays they were interested in having produced. I told him not only did I know someone, but that person looked just like me.

"Well, as long as he looks like you, I'd love to take a look," Rick replied.

Since I'd had a science fiction play outlined for years that I'd never been motivated to complete, I knew what I was going to be sending him. You see, Rick performs in a play troupe in Australia, his adopted homeland, and the adventuresome group of thespians was looking to create a night of short plays.

So, I went to work on mine, titled "A Flash of White," centering around seven very different individuals in a grocery store who, following a sudden flash of white light, are rendered momentarily unconscious. When they awake, they find themselves developing bizarre abilities based on their life choices and personalities with no ability to leave the grocery store. It was a story I'd always wanted to write in play form, so it was surprisingly easy to accomplish in the few weeks Rick gave me.

Then, the waiting game. Based on what he'd told me, I figured I wouldn't hear anything in regards to whether or not the play was going into production until possibly December of this year. Writers are a superstitious lot; any writer who tells you otherwise is either in denial or trying to make themselves appear cool. Not wanting to jinx it, I mentioned nothing of this online. Now, I'm, happy to say, I can do the very opposite. Yesterday, I received the following email:

Hey Chris,

My names Sam. I'm mate's with Rick who you sent your script for 'A Flash of White' through to. I enjoyed reading it and I'd like to include it as part of a short play script reading evening I'm hosting on the 8th April on Monday night at The Portable next to St Ambrose Hall (2-4 Dawson Street, Brunswick). If you are available and would like to come along and hear some actors read your script and have a bit of a discussion about it you would be most welcome.

Let me know.

Cheers: Sam B

Needless to say, I was pleased as spiked punch. I was also amused that Sam thought I would be able to attend the performance. I sent the following reply:

 

Hi, Sam!

Thanks so much for accepting the play. Rick mentioned it might not be performed until the end of the year, if at all, so it's wonderful to hear that it's being read so soon. Thanks also for the kind invitation. Sadly, I am stuck living in Middle America, so Oz would be a bit of a hike for me. However, if you're planning to record it, I'd love the chance to watch. Regardless, I am still pleased the play is going forward.

 

Regards,

Chris Nadeau

 

So, there you have it. "A Flash of White" shall be performed live on a stage in Oz. I'm worldwide, beeches!!!

 

An Unexpected Review.

As I've often written, it's the stories I consider throwaways that often grarner the most unexpected praise. In this case, my Halloween-themed "Always Say Treat," available to be absorbed and dissected in the A Feast of Frights anthology. Black Static Magazine wrote the following in its review:

'Always Say Treat’ by Christopher Nadeau crosses Halloween with Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’ to give a

hellish version of every horror fan’s favourite festival, one made all the more minatory and disturbing

by what is not said or revealed.