Even Lee Child Messes Up Occasionally

One of the more difficult things about writing fiction is making sure that the settings you write about seem real to those who’ve been to the places you’re writing about. For example, if your book takes place in Los Angeles and your character lives on the city, you need to make sure readers who are familiar with the city feel like your charter lives in L.A. too. That means he/she needs to know the best way to get around the city and what different places look like. This can be tricky to pull off if you’ve never been to the places you’re writing about.

Over the weekend I was reading Lee Child’s Without Fail. Near the end of the novel the protagonist, Jack Reacher and a colleague Frances Neagley, are on his way to the fictional town of Grace, Wyoming which is a couple hours north of Casper – a town I lived in for two years. Reacher and Neagley take a plane to Denver and decide to drive to Grace.

Child describes the drive as thus:

They entered Wyoming after dark, driving north on I-25. They turned left on Cheyenne and picked up I-80. They rolled west to Laramie and headed north. The town called Grace was still five hours away, well beyond Casper. The map showed it nestled in the middle of nowhere between towering mountains on one side and infinite grasslands on the other.

“We’ll stop in Medicine Bow,” Reacher said. “Sounds like a cool place. We’ll aim to get to Grace at dawn tomorrow.”

Here’s the problem with the above section. I’ve done the drive from Denver to Casper dozens of times. There is no logical reason to take that route. The fastest way to Casper and areas north is to stay on I-25. Any map as well as all freeway signs will bear that out. There are plenty of small towns along I-25 that Reacher could have stopped at if he was too tired to make it to Casper. And the next day Reacher and Neagley drive thought Casper and get back on I-25 anyway. And it wasn’t like the page or two of text about their stay in Medicine Bow was vital to the story. It could have just as easily taken place in Wheatland, Douglas, or any of the other small towns along I-25.

I don’t know what Child was trying to accomplish with this but that above section really ruined the last 60 or so pages what was a very exciting novel. All I could think about was that if he didn’t know the fastest way from Denver to Casper, what else in the book did he not adequately research?

Don't get me wrong. I love Child's books. This error just really bugged me.

Utah's Gary Coleman Obsession II

The Utah media's morbid fixation with with Gary Colman continues.

This guy sneezes and the local media runs 2 minute news clips and front page stories about the guy. Maybe if they stop giving him attention, he'll move to another celebrity-deprived state like Iowa and start torturing the people there with his antics.

Video deposition of Gary Coleman will not be released by Janice Peterson - Daily Herald

A judge ruled Tuesday that the videotaped deposition of Gary Coleman will not be released to the public until a personal injury lawsuit against him has been settled.

Coleman's attorney, Terry Plant, argued that if the video is released, it could quickly get onto Web sites like YouTube and destroy Coleman. Judge Samuel McVey agreed that releasing the video could be harmful, but he said he worried about the likelihood of a fair trial if people in the jury pool see the deposition.

"I do not want to come in here and have the whole jury challenged off," he said.

The attorney for plaintiff Colt Rushton, Dustin Lance, objected to keeping the deposition sealed, saying the likelihood of a fair trial is the same whether the video is released or not. Many people around the county already know all about the case from media reports, and Coleman is just asking for special privileges, he said.

"We've got an uphill battle," Lance said. "This case has already been tried in the media."

Read the rest of the article here.

A Street Fighter Named Abel

See the above picture?

That’s me.

Well, not the real me. It a new character in Street Fighter IV named Abel.

Wikipedia describes Abel as “a French mixed martial artist. He is described as an amnesiac, a "man with no past" looking to defeat surviving members of Shadaloo.”

So it’s not exactly me.

I’m not French. I don’t have blonde hair.

But he’s built like me. And he has all my trademark fighting moves.

So it’s close enough.

Watch me take out Gouki in the video below.

Why Gran Torino is the Best Movie of the Year

Note: Thanks to Sylvia for reminding me I need to write this.

When I posted my Best of 2008 list I got a few emails from readers who were surprised that I picked Gran Torino as the best move of the year over The Dark Knight since they knew what a big Batman fan I am and how much I raved about the movie.

Yes, I loved The Dark Knight. It had everything you want as far as good writing, great special effects, wonderful acting, and a wicked plot. However, it lacked the personal intimacy of Grand Torino. And though both movies had themes of redemption, atonement, and salvation, Gran Torino did it on a more personal and, therefore, more powerful way.

In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood starts as a grumpy, racist, Korean War vet named Walt. The Detroit neighborhood he lives in is falling apart, controlled by gangs, and inhabited by Asian people who Walt despises. To top it off, he has a strained relationship with his two sons, a catholic priest, and has a bunch of spoiled grandkids.

The movie revolves around Walt’s relationship with the Lors – a Hmong family that lives next door. As part of his initiation into a Hmong gang, the neighbor kid named Thao (Bee Vang) breaks into Walts’s garage to steal his vintage Gran Torino. As a result he inadvertently ends up getting involved in the lives of Thoa and his older sister Sue (Ahney Her) and defending them against violent intimidation.

Slowly we see Walt’s toughness melt away as the kindness from the Lors makes him realize that they’re just like anyone else. This is where the movie could have run down the path of being your typical Can’t-We-Just-All-Get-Along movie. But the movie doesn’t focus on Walt’s acceptance of the Lors (thought that happens). Instead it focuses on Walt and what’s makes him one of the most complex characters in recent cinema history.

What really makes the movie, however, is the ending. No, I’m not going to spoil it for you, but it’s an extremely moving ending that has surprised everyone that’s seen it. It makes the movie and gives the movie a deeply satisfying conclusion.

Gran Torino isn’t a perfect movie. Some of the acting from Vang and Her is far from perfect. But the best movies are the ones with the best special effects and well-known actors. Instead they’re the ones that show real, complex characters trying to make the best in the world we live in.

Grand Torino wasn’t a movie I expected to like. I have a love hate relationship with Clint Eastwood movies. Some have been great while others have been plain awful. I’ve never really forgiven Eastwood for royally screwing up Mystic River. Eastwood, however, redeemed himself with a realistic movie that shows the audience that not one is beyond redemption. Best of all, the film reminds us what the true definition if love really is.

One word of warning. Gran Torino contains a lot of foul and racist language. If you’re uncomfortable with that, don’t see it. But if you can look past that, you’ll see a moving story of atonement and salvation that makes it the best film I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Gran Torino **** stars (out of 4).

Looking for that Perfect Christmas Compilation CD

I’m not much of a music person.

I own a total of two CDs. I rarely listen to either.

I don’t own an iPod or any other MP3 player. If I did, I’d fill it with books on tape (or books on MP3), not music.

But our kids love music. (They get it from Marathon Girl.) Lately I call home to chat with Marathon Girl from work I hear Christmas music from the radio in the background and hear the excited laughs of my kids as they dance to it.

So while doing some Christmas shopping for Marathon Girl the other night I decided to swing by the music section and see if I could find a CD that had a good compilation of holiday music by various artists that the kids could dance to.

Much to my surprise, there wants’ a single compilation CD to be found. There were lots of holiday CDs by every musician under the sun. But no compliations.

I guess the easiest way to do it would be to find the songs on iTunes or Amazon, buy them, then burn them to CD. But since my musical knowledge is limited, I’d have no idea which songs are good and bad and I don’t have time to figure it out.

In the meantime, my kids don’t seem to mind listening to the radio and the one Christmas CD we have though I think Marathon Girl would appreciate something new. If anyone has any suggestions, give me a shout out below. There’s still six shopping days ‘till Christmas.

McDonalds: Four Bucks is Dumb

Whoever came up with McDonalds latest ad campaigns was a genius.

The message is perfect for these challenging economic times and by launching it in Starbucks’ home turf, it has generated the right kind of controversy.

And all the free press their ads are generating has just taken their campaign national at no cost to them.

Way to go!

Update: One of my readers asked for more details on why I like the ad campaing so much. Here's why.

First it drives home a message of getting the same or better product for less money – perfect for these challenging economic times we find ourselves in. McDonald’s isn’t saying do without, they’re simply saying pay less for it.

Second, it’s the perfect billboard message. When you have about three seconds to capture someone’s attention while they’re driving, McDonalds got their message across and leaves the reader a little bit more to chew on as the drive down the road.

Third, the ads are so good, they’re getting national publicity and driving home McDonald’s message beyond western Washington.

A Writer's Worst Nightmare

Strange story from the Chicago Sun-Times. It's a writer's worst nightmare.

Crime novelist attacked while jogging, in scene similar to book

Life was imitating art when crime novelist Laura Caldwell lay face down on a Lincoln Park street holding pieces of her shattered teeth in her bloody palm.

Her upcoming book, Red Hot Lies, portrays a red-headed female lawyer walking at night through the Old Town neighborhood, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as she realizes she is being followed.

On Thursday, Caldwell, a red-headed attorney who in 2005 successfully defended a man who spent five years in jail awaiting trial for murder, was jogging at Seminary and Altgeld in Lincoln Park when she saw two men -- one with a hood pulled over his cap and the other who was lifting his jacket over his head.

Nervous, Caldwell felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. Suddenly, one of the men kicked her from behind, and she fell onto the street.

"They smashed my mouth into the pavement and kicked me a few times," she said. "They screamed about money, but I said, 'Guys, I am jogging and I don't have any money.' They took my iPod and ran off."

The book hasn't been published yet but accoring to this blog it features "a sassy, redheaded trial lawyer who turns to sleuthing when her fiance disappears on the same day her big client is killed."

For Caldwell's sake, let's hope the similarities between her and the character in her book end at the mugging.

Randy Pausch 1960-2008

Randy Pausch died this morning after a heroic battle with cancer. If you haven't seen his last lecture, you can watch it below. I'm currenly reading his book.

Make Cake Not War: The Songs of Sean Keogh

For those in (or who will be in) the New York City area, my brother's songs will be preformed by cast members from Cry-baby, Wicked, and Saved June 29. Information below is an article from Playbill News. Make Cake Not War: The Songs of Sean Keogh June 29

By Adam Hetrick June 24, 2008

Cast members from Cry-Baby, Wicked and Saved will take part in Make Cake Not War: The Songs of Sean Keogh at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on June 29.

Keogh, who has penned the musicals Rainy Day People, Be Like Joe, and Playtime, is the inaugural recipient of Vermont's Weston Playhouse New Musical Award.

Announced to perform in the 7:30 PM concert are James Snyder (Cry-Baby), Matt Castle (Company), Ben Liebert (Wicked), Britta Ollmann (A Catered Affair), Alex Brightman (Glory Days), Robin Lee Gallo (Spelling Bee), Douglas Ullman, Jr. (The Fantasticks), Jason Michael Snow (Saved), Jessica Burrows (Dr. Zhivago), Julia Burrows (Happy Days), as well as Kelli Bartlett, Michael Maricondi, Jill Kerley, and Ryan Speakman.

Christopher D. Littlefield is the musical director for the evening of songs exploring "single mothers, cookies, antidepressants, cake, rock stars, Barbies, and love," according to press notes.

Make Cake Not War features additional lyrics by Kyoung-Ae Kang and Heidi Heilig, as well as additional music by Erato Kremmyda.

There is a $10 cover and $15 food/drink minimum for Make Cake Not War. Reservations are available by e-mailing musicofseankeogh@gmail.com.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located within The West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street.

You Love Me! You Really, Really Love Me!

Both Ali and Lisa gave me the Arte y Pico award – an award for creativity, interesting material, contributions to the blogging community, and killer biceps. (Okay, I made the last one up even though I do have them.) Both nominations took me by complete surprise so I didn’t have time to prepare an acceptance speech where I thank my agent (don’t have one – yet), webmaster (that would be me), editor (uh.....), publicist (I'm taking applications), and my wife (the lovely Marathon Girl).

Anyway, upon acceptance of this award, apparently I’m supposed to nominate five other people I think deserve it, post some rules, and other things. (This reminds me of some great viral marketing. I think I’ll have to come up with a Keogh award and start giving it out – just to see what happens!)

Here are my five nominations. (What? Only five? And Ali and Lisa, you would have been included on this list but since you already have one….)

• Land of Lauralot. Laura only posts about once a week but her posts are funny, insightful and always worth reading. I think she works for the Utah Arts Council. • Fresnel Media – Ember is a tenacious reporter and always works to get the best story. If I ever have another radio show, I want her to produce it for me or, at the very least, do a lot of investigative reporting for the show. • Jon – He’s a creative geek. Check out his movie commentary podcasts. They’re great. • Sean Keogh – my brother who’s hard at work composing musicals in New York City. I expect to see at least one of them on Broadway one day. • Chicago Jo – Always worth reading about her busy life. She’s a great writer too. Her latest post on wedding rings is great.

So there you have it.