Another Week of Joy Commences Today

I've done this before.  Last night, I declared Friday the beginning of another Week of Joy, in which I will only discuss or talk about happy things, like books, movies, spaceships, magic wizard monkeys, and anything that should be, in principle, producers of happiness.

You are free to join me in whatever way appeals to you.

Week of Joy (Day Seven): "The Wonders of Whimsy" by Adam Callaway

Whimsy is important to me. Most everything I love about art -- music, movies, books -- comes down to one aspect:  whimsy. I appreciate technical masterpieces like a Rachmaninoff concerto or a Joycean short story. I enjoy gritty realism like Law and Order or Lord of the Flies. However, my love lies with those pieces that make you wonder and smile, that turns the mundane into the fantastic with a turn of phrase or a splash of color.

Whimsy is one of the most difficult aspects of art to quantify. It's one of those "you know it when

Week of Joy (Day Seven): "The Genre Books That Influenced & Inspired Me to Read & Write" by Stina Leicht

It's funny. While I've always loved books, I don't remember the moment when I decided I wanted to be a writer -- not any longer. You see, originally I wanted to be an artist, but during seventh grade I decided that writing was what I wanted to do more than anything else. From the moment I forced myself through the process of learning to read[1] I loved books. Books were safe. Books were also adventure. So, I quickly found favorites. Zilpha Keatley Snyder was the first author that I actively tracked down in my local library. I read everything I could find: The Changeling, Season of Ponies, The Witches of Worm, The Headless Cupid, The Velvet Room, The Eyes in the Fishbowl -- most are out of print now. Some were Newbery Honor Winners. I think she was the author

Week of Joy (Day Six): Heart of Fire by J. Damask (A Mini Interview)

J. Damask (a.k.a. Joyce Chng) was kind enough to answer a few questions about her new book, Heart of Fire, which hits digital shelves in September.  The book comes from Masque Books, a digital-only division of Prime Books, a notable small press genre publisher (notable most recently for releasing the absolutely amazing Yoon Ha Lee collection, Conservation of Shadows -- check out the Skiffy and Fanty interview here).  In other words, Heart of Fire is sure to be damned good!  Though you'll have to wait for a little while, you should bookmark this page and remember to buy it in a couple months!

Now for the mini interview:

Week of Joy (Day Five): Neil Clarke and Upgraded: A Cyborg Anthology (Mini Interview) @kickstarter

Neil Clarke, editor-in-chief at Clarkesworld, is currently running a wonderful Kickstarter campaign for an anthology called Upgraded.  Folks like Yoon Ha Lee, Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and so on will contribute stories to the collection, and there will be an call for submissions to fill the remaining slots.  In short, this anthology will be wicked awesome!  Support the campaign if you can (stretch goals = awesome).

I asked Neil if he would be so kind as to answer a few questions about the anthology, science fiction, and other related topics.  He was kind enough to oblige.  Here is my mini interview with him:

Week of Joy (Day Two): Rainbow Lights by Polenth Blake (A Mini Interview)

The lovely Polenth Blake was kind enough to join me during this Week of Joy to briefly talk about her writing and her collection, Rainbow Lights.

Synopsis:

A deep-sea robot tells stories in every colour, but no shade can describe meeting a giant squid. 

Rainbow Lights is the first collection by science fiction and fantasy author Polenth Blake. Alien scorpions, vampire ice cream sellers and clockwork flies, try to find their place in worlds where being human is optional. These thirty-five stories and poems are a mixture of new pieces and work published in venues like Nature, Strange Horizons and ChiZine.

What first inspired you to write genre fiction?  And why do you think genre fiction is such a potent form for storytelling?

I grew up in a family of geeks, so science fiction and fantasy were my bedtime stories. Reality is

Week of Joy (Day Three): "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey (Myan and Shane52 Remix)

I've been jamming to this tune something fierce.  It has a really simple melodic background, but there's something that just feels so good about it.  And now I'm sharing it with you!

It Happened (or, Yeah, I've Given Up My Life to the Joy of Comic Books) #WeekofJoy

I officially have a pull list with my local comic book retailer.  Stranger yet:  the guy who owns the place now recognizes me when I walk through the door.  Clearly I buy a lot of comics...  And, well, this is actually kind of awesome.  Most of my comics are coming from a local place called All Star Sportscards & Comics.  It's probably the best place in Gainesville to get comic books.  Though it's not as big as the other major comic shop in town -- MegaComics -- the prices are better, the staff seems friendlier and more helpful, and every time I go there, I spend money (which is great for the owner, but not always so good for my bank account -- oh, hell, who am I kidding?  I love comics).

In a way, I'm fortunate to live in a town that even has a comic book shop.  Short of buying hardback or trade paperback collections, without a shop, I'd have almost no way to rebirth my interest in the form.  And that, I think, would be a horrible thing for me, as one of the things sustaining me through what is one of the toughest years I've had in a while (in terms of work and intellectual requirement) is this rediscovered passion for comics.  I'm having those little kid moments again.  You know the sort.  You open a book, movie, comic, or pack of collectible cards and you experience some variation of the following:  tingling skin, goose bumps, elevated heart rate, an uncontrollable desire to smile or jump up and down, and just an overall feeling of excited euphoria.  I had those moments when I was a kid only a few times, really.  Video games and movies were part of what helped me survive what I would describe as a relatively shitty

Week of Joy (Day One; Part One): An Introduction

If you don't follow me on Twitter, then you have no idea what this is all about.  Basically, with all the nasty crap going on in the world right now, not to mention in the science fiction and fantasy community, I have decided to take one whole week off from depressing things and only write about things that bring me or others some sense of joy.  I won't go completely off the trail, of course, but I think a little detox will do me (and maybe others) some good.  So, for the next seven days, you can expect lots of talk about books (releases, books I like, etc.), comics (ditto), movies (ditto), and anything else I feel like babbling about (SF/F-related or otherwise).

Of course, I don't have to do this alone.  If you want to join in, feel free to do so!  All you have to do is spend the next week blogging or tweeting about things that make you happy.  That's the only rule.  And if you do join in, let me know where you're going to do it so I can link everyone who reads my blog to your stuff!

And so you should all prepare yourselves, for the Week of Joy has BEGUN!