Follow
Books by D.J. Butler
Monthly Archives: September 2011
What Is Steampunk? (City of the Saints: Sam Clemens)
As of today, I am 65% through the first draft of City of the Saints, my gonzo steampunk action romp set in the year 1859 in the Kingdom of Deseret. My tentative plan, though things may change, is to publish … Continue reading
The Adults Problem: P.S. Treasure Island
I read Treasure Island over the weekend, too, and it’s worth mentioning as a thought exercise in terms of the Adults Problem. Set aside, for the moment, the various deus ex machina issues, which may have been less problematic for … Continue reading
Posted in How to Write
Tagged Robert Louis Stevenson, The Adults Problem, Treasure Island
Leave a comment
The Adults Problem: A Tale of Two Monster Hunters
I finished Rick Yancey’s The Monstrumologist this weekend. It’s a fine book, for older middle grade readers or young adults who are not averse to gore and horror (the book’s jacket markets it for readers aged fourteen and older; the … Continue reading
Posted in How to Write
Tagged E.J. Patten, Return to Exile, Rick Yancey, The Adults Problem, The Monstrumologist
Leave a comment
I Was Raised in Missouri
“He sent you to kill Brigham Young, and you double-crossed him.” Poe saw truth-induced hesitation in the other man’s face, so he kept going. “You were supposed to kill Clemens, too, or at least capture him, but Rockwell and the … Continue reading
Dave Alvin
Here’s another great Californian, songwriter and guitarist. Here is with “Downey Girl”, backed by the Guilty Women. The Downey girl of the title, by the way, is Karen Carpenter.
Tom Russell
I’ll salute California this weekend. Here is a great Californian songwriter, Tom Russell, with one of the great tracks off his recent Blood and Candle Smoke. This is “East of Woodstock, West of Vietnam”.
Taffy Was a Welshman
Captain Jones stomped through the creek, righteous rage playing across his square face. “It was you, wasn’t it, boyo?” he demanded, staring hard at O’Shaughnessy. The Irishman sneered. “Taffy was a Welshman,” he chanted, “Taffy was a thief—”Crunch! Jones pistol-whipped … Continue reading
What Is Steampunk? (Terry Gilliam)
Promo trailer for an upcoming Terry Gilliam piece that looks steampunktastic. Enjoy.
Serials
I’ve recently read two great novels that were written as serials, Michael Chabon’s Gentlemen of the Road and Charles Portis’s True Grit. Of course, lots of classic novels have been written this way. Dickens, for instance, wrote serials. I’m writing … Continue reading
Writing to the Punchline: True Grit
I’m reading True Grit now, and it’s fantastic. If you saw both movies and wondered, the Coen Brothers and Jeff Bridges hit it closer to the mark. Here’s a short excerpt from early in the book. I share it because … Continue reading
