A Frosty Reception Upon Finishing a Manuscript

Jeff—Saturday

Yesterday proved to be my lucky day. I've been working for a year to complete the manuscript for Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel #14 by February, and yesterday I did just that!!!! 

 

One of the reasons I've been so desperate to finish #14 is because the release date for #13, AT ANY COST, is February 6th, by when I must be on the road for my first all live book tour since pre-Covid days. 

 

Some might say that falls into the category of no rest for the wicked--or at least none for those who labor to create wicked characters.  But I got lucky in coming across this parody of Robert Frost’s great poem, “After Apple-Picking,” that I'd written a few years back under similar circumstances.

I wrote this little ditty in the throes of having finished a new book after more than a year in the making. My intention was to give the curious among you a window on how at least this writer feels at such a moment.  The feeling hasn't changed, nor has the fact that the writing doesn't become any easier.

Here goes…

After Prose-Picking

My long, two-sided draft is staring up at me, 

A heavenly thrill. 

Though there's a plot line that I didn't fill. 

What of it? And there may be two or three 

Characters left out hanging on some bough. 

But I am done with story telling now. 

A sense of something missed is not a fright, 

The grip of slumber has me drowsing off. 

Yet, I still see my laptop screen in sight, 

It’s as if I’m caught in an endless class, 

Filled only with words and no time for sloth.

Held captive to words like whorey and crass. 

My laptop crashed, though my draft got a break. 

And I was well 

For I’d backed up before the curse befell. 

Now I could tell 

What form my dreaming was about to take. 

Manuscript pages appear and disappear, 

From front to blessed end, 

And every speck of my thoughts showing clear. 

This author surely wants to see a break, 

But feels the pressure of another round. 

That will soon come from my publisher’s end, 

Of comments based on where my seller’s been.

Plus then a mound 

Of load on load of edits coming in. 

But I have had too much 

Of manuscripting: Now I’m overtired 

From the great harvest I myself desired. 

There were one hundred thousand words to touch, 

Cherish in hand, to sound, to let some fall. 

But all 

Those struck with worth, 

No matter if part used or spiked with stubble, 

I sent straight on to my word-mulching heap, 

For in such earth, 

One will find help with trouble. 

Such when thoughts seem asleep, if sleep it is. 

And words are gone. 

I don’t turn to the Bard for words of his.

I search through my mulch, for what lies thereon.

Frost covered and deep. 

—Jeff

Jeff’s Upcoming Events

My thirteenth Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel, AT ANY COST, publishes by SEVERN HOUSE on February 6, 2024 and here is the first stage of my book tour:

 

2024

All Live Events

Thursday, February 8, 7:00 p.m. MT
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
Author Speaking and Signing
Scottsdale, AZ

Saturday, February 10, 2:00 p.m. PT
Book Carnival
Author Speaking and Signing
Orange, CA

Thursday, February 15, 7:00 p.m. PT
Third Place Books
Author Speaking and Signing
Lake Forest Park, WA

Saturday, February 17, 2:00 p.m. CT
Hellenic American Women’s Council
Lincolnwood Public Library
Author Speaking and Signing
4000 Pratt Avenue
Lincolnwood, IL

Wednesday, February 21, 6:00 p.m. ET
Mysterious Bookshop
Author Speaking and Signing
New York, NY

Friday, February 23, 7:00 p.m. ET
Mystery Lovers Bookshop
Author Speaking and Signing
Pittsburgh, PA

Thursday, February 29, 7:00 p.m. PT
Vroman’s Bookstore
Author Speaking and Signing
Pasadena, CA

 

Third degree Burns... again!

 This is a reposting of a blog that has been reposted.

Robbie as he may have looked like

Is that a record of some sorts?

And part of it is rebooted from my very first month of blogging on this site, when Jeff was a boy, we were writing in Latin and zoom meant to go fast.

It was all about Burns night and the reply for the the lassies. 

"I wonder how the reply for the lassies goes now- does it steer clear for political correctness? Or go for the testosterone jugular. I hope you enjoy it second / third time around.

Warning: This blog contains extremely sexist material. It is supposed to.

Burns; a man who live for writing and women

It was my great honour (translate that as terrified!) to give the Reply for the Lassies at a very prestigious Burns Supper last Friday. I had been asked as a crime writing female, not as a Burns aficionado but they have very high standards and expectations. When I say I was at the top table sitting next to the President of the World Burns Federation, you can gauge the magnitude of the gig. And my trepidation.

The Immortal Memory is the serious bit. The Toast to the Lassies is a speech by a man with a  humorous take on womankind and all its marvellousness. Which as I said in my speech is easy as there is lots about woman that is marvellous.

 

I then get on my feet to reply, for 12 ½ minutes. The Reply for the Lassies is generally by a female, trying to find some thing nice to say about men.

Nowadays, it is good natured sexism with a little booing (against), table thumping (for). I must add, many drinki poohs had been consumed by this point.

Both the minister and myself got standing ovations, but I, as woman tend to do, got the last word.

                                                    

                                                            As you know by now this is a Benbecula haggis, farmed.

                                                            All the legs are the same length!

 So I went  back to the original  inspiration- the man himself.

 Robert Burns had taste, he loved women.  In fact, without us, he would not have written a single word.  He said, “I never had the least thought nor inclination of turning poet until I got heartily in love then rhyme and song became the spontaneous language of my heart.” Which is interesting because I never had the least thought nor inclination of turning crime writer until I got heartily in love then murder and bloodshed  became the spontaneous language of my heart.

             

My joke =                                      

Looking round my friend's path lab, I commented on the difference between two brains in specimen jars. One was large and healthy looking, one small and shrivelled. The notation showed they were the same age. The pathologist explained that the male brain was the bigger. It looked that good because it had never been used. And Burns agreed  “Mither nature…her prentice hand she tried on man and then she made the lasses, O’”.

                                             

 

Burns, as you know is held by most sociologists as a huge believer in womens' rights. You can take that with a pinch of salt as a sociologist is a man who goes to a strip joint and watches the audience.  But there are some famous words that show what Burns felt about the rights of the fairer sex -

 

While Europe’s eye is fix’d on mighty things,

The fate of Empires and the fall of Kings;

While quacks of State must each produce his plan,

And even children lisp the Rights of Man;

Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention,

The Rights of Woman merit some attention..

And then of course is the Selkirk Grace and the eating of the haggis - vegans and veggies were catered for.

Selkirk Grace

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be thankitt

The meal consists of cock a leekie soup, haggis, (it was traditional to pour whisky over it but now it comes in a whisky sauce), neeps (turnips all mashed up), tatties, (potatoes all mashed up),  steak pie and cranachan for dessert. (See killer cookbook  recipe!!)

There are weird folk who say that the haggis derives from those Vikings again, on a long boat, killing beasties and shoving their waste entrails in the stomach of another dead beast to eat later. These people are obviously English. And should be ignored!

If I can get all David Attenborough for a minute, the haggis eaten at Burns suppers is now farmed.  The wild haggis (Haggis Scoticis) is still found in the Highlands, usually well above the treeline. It has been well recorded by Darwin among others that it has legs on one side of the body longer than those on the other, so that it can run around the bens without falling over. The Hebridean Haggis has been tracked by its DNA to be the oldest species.  The Benbeculan Haggis is the breed that the haggis farms use as it has legs all the same length.  This is because Benbecula is as flat as a billiard table."

Have a great weekend folks!

Cheers

Caro

#Pals

 Wendall -- every other Thursday

 

This is the unlikely story of how I wound up being part of the “Special Features” on the 35th anniversary DVD re-release of what many call the “brat pack” western—Young Guns.

 

Imagine my surprise when my name turned up in a review of this re-release!

 

It was the 1980s. I’d been in Los Angeles about a year when I got a job as an assistant to Penny Perry, the legendary former head of casting for 20th Century Fox. By that time she’d cast a long list of films, including Ordinary People, All of Me, Cocoon, The Star Chamber, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, The Jerk, and The NeverEnding Story, among others.

 

The late Gregory Hines was the loveliest.

 

I worked with her on two films: Tap, where I got to meet Gregory Hines and the Nicholas Brothers, and where the auditions took place in a dance studio (sigh!), and then on the film that every actor between the ages of 17 and 35 wanted to audition for—Young Guns. 

 

A drawing of Billy the Kid in the New Mexico History Museum

 

On my first day working on this retelling of the Billy the Kid story, I arrived at the casting office to find hundreds of headshots of every heartthrob of the 80s littered across the floor of two whole rooms. It was enough to give anyone a nosebleed.  

 

 

At that time, the film’s producers had an offer out to Sean Penn to play Billy, but it turned out he was in jail, so they moved to Emilio Estevez, who accepted. Most of the other “young guns” in the film were cast the old-fashioned way, through in-person meetings and auditions.

 

So, I embarked on this strange job where I would organize the headshots and discuss them with Penny, then set up the appointments. When the actors arrived, Penny, the director—Christopher Cain— and I would sit in a room and either Penny or I would read the “sides” with the actors. 

 

 

Neither Penny nor I had any dramatic skills, so I really felt for the performers, having to emote with us. Actors from Rob Lowe to Matthew Broderick, to Eric Stoltz, to Judd Nelson came and went, and eventually we had Billy the Kid's gang and the other parts cast, with actors including Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Geoffrey Blake, Terence Stamp, Jack Palance, and Brian Keith.

 

Scan of a Polaroid taken to check costumes

 

 

I, of course, was most excited about Terence Stamp. Here he is in the film.

 

At this point, Chris Cain asked Penny if he could steal me to be his assistant on the movie. She kindly agreed ,and so I headed off to New Mexico, driving one of the Ford Aerostar production vans, to spend the next five snowy months living (with my half-feral cat) in a hotel in Santa Fe. 

 

It was the Sheraton when we were there. Now it's "The Lodge"

 

Chris Cain kindly arranged for me to have my own director's chair!

It was really difficult to explain the job to my parents, since it involved such a strange mixture of duties. It ranged from taking notes during the initial location scouting with Chris, producer Joe Roth, writer John Fusco, and cinematographer Dean Semler, to keeping everyone abreast of script changes, to fielding and prioritizing questions for Chris from the crew, to ferrying him back and forth to the set, and, whenever I had a minute, to reading all the scripts his agent was sending for his next possible project. 

 

The production chose the small town of Los Cerrillos, NM for much of the shoot.

 

It also occasionally involved a bit of “actor wrangling.” Emilio was famous for occasionally getting a bit too enthusiastic with his on-set pranks, and Charlie Sheen once accidentally double-booked his female visitors and wound up on the balcony of my room, begging me to hide him for a few minutes. I also assisted when Tom Cruise visited the set, arranging for the Costume and Make-up Departments to disguise him, so he could be an extra in one of the shoot-out scenes.

Sometimes, I had to locate Kiefer Sutherland...

 

  With the exception of one of the leads, all of the cast and crew lived together in the same hotel. Many of the actors, even ones who’ve worked nonstop since— still remember that film set and the experience as a singular one. With the star power in the cast, there could have been conflicts and egos, but instead, there was an unusual sense of equality and camaraderie.

It might be hard for some of you to imagine what it was like in 1988, when the internet and cell phone cameras were not around, and no one was trying to get selfies with the actors or to upload something scandalous to TMZ. And because Santa Fe was a small place with a population used to film shoots, the actors were also able to be out and about, and be themselves, in a way that would be impossible now.

 

Pizza Night

 

I was lucky enough to go out to dinner often with the cast and with other crew members. There were also games and pizzas, and everyone wound up in the hotel bar at the end of the night, occasionally playing music. Hence the embarrassing pictures below. Ah, the 80s...

 

 

I was on the set for every single day and night of shooting, and the atmosphere was just as collegial there, with lots of laughs and spirited discussions, often while we were waiting for the "non-period" airplane con trails to dissipate.

 

Lou, John Fusco, and Emilio, hanging out

A gift from the production, still on our wall.

  

The upshot of all this was that I came home with Kiefer's coat, a movie poster, a lifelong passion for Santa Fe, and a handful of close friends, many that I still love and see today. Just last year, I participated in a Young Guns reunion fundraiser with Lou, Dermot, Geoffrey, and John. Lou, who is now also a director and novelist, contributed a blurb for Cheap Trills, and has been actively supportive of the Cyd Redondo books.

 

LDP, generous then, generous now.

When Lionsgate decided to include a documentary for the reissue, several of the actors suggested they bring me in to tell some of those behind the scenes stories. I balked at the idea at first, and certainly never dreamed they would actually use any of my interview but, hilariously, they did.

 

There’s a running bit in Young Guns about “Pals,” about how sharing an experience makes people stick together over time.

 

I’m grateful I still have a few of my pals, all these years later.

 

If you’d like to see the trailer for the 4K Young Guns re-release, you can watch it here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OAF9_lUryk

Caravaggio: the Other Michelangelo

Annamaria on Monday

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was the most famous painter in Rome at the dawn of the 17th century. He achieved this fame with his radical technique called chiaroscuro, the abrupt juxtaposition of light and dark. But more important were the scenes he chose to paint: crucial moments in life or in biblical times, almost always when the people featured were violently struggling - physically or emotionally. In retrospect, it is easy to see how beautifully the abrupt switch from light to dark goes with the subject matter.  But, in fact, Caravaggio was the first ever to paint in exactly that way.

His way of composing his paintings shaped the then emerging style of the Baroque and influenced the work of Peter Paul Rubens and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  And it also spawned ranks of other followers, none of whom in my opinion made pictures that are even a patch on Caravaggio's.  Some scholars say that he was the first modern artist. His work was that revolutionary!

Regular readers of MIE may recall a blog I posted about how Bernini, in his unsurpassed masterpieces, turned stone into incredibly dramatic moments. It occurred to me today that the young Bernini might very well have gotten that propensity of dramatic moments from the work of Caravaggio who was the most famous painter in Rome at the time that the child Bernini arrived there.

I have previously preached in these precincts on my deep-seated prejudice against rejecting an artist's work because one disapproves of how he behaved in his private life.  The personal behaviors of Caravaggio present another case in point.  He was hot tempered and a street brawler who once had to escape Rome to avoid execution after he killed a man.  Biographers of Caravaggio often devote themselves to speculations about his mental health and his sexual proclivities.  Fascinating as it may be for some to dwell at length about his lifestyle, what matters to me is that he, though he lived only 38 years, gave us these and many, many others.

 

The Musicians

The Conversion of St. Paul

Judith and Head of Holofernes 

David with the Head of Goliath

Amor Vincit Omnia

Italians put names of artists on their streets and on their money.  Evidently they agree with me, that it is the quality of the art that counts, not the personal story of the artist.  Here is the consummate artist, cum street brawler on the !00 thousand lira note!

Winter Festivals in Ancient Greece

 

Devotees of Dionysus: "The Women of Amphissa" by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1887).

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Jeff––Saturday

 I was searching through back issues of GREECE IS as research for Kaldis #14, when I came across this wonderful article by  Duncan Howitt-Marshall exploring the hedonistic world of ancient Greece in the wintertime -- its ancient summertime rituals are likely well represented in modern day comings and goings, at least on Mykonos.  So here is Mr. Howitt-Marshall's wonderful article. Thank you, GreeceIS.

In the run-up to Christmas, we look at the hedonistic world of wintertime festivals in ancient Greece. What did these celebrations involve? And who took part?

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The ancient Greeks were a deeply religious and superstitious lot. Polytheistic in nature, they worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses residing on Mount Olympus (aka the “Olympians”), each associated with different domains of life. If you were an expectant mother, for example, you would pray to Hera, goddess of marriage, women, and family, for protection. If, on the other hand, you were preparing to go to sea, you would invoke her mercurial brother, the sea god Poseidon.  

In ancient Greek religion, rituals, festivals, and sacrifices were central to expressing devotion and strengthening the bond between the divine and mortal realms. Festivals were also crucial for fostering a sense of community and shared cultural identity, bringing people together and reinforcing their connections as members of a particular tribe, city-state (“polis”), or region.

 

Perhaps the most famous festival to cement civic pride in ancient Greece was the Panathenaia, held annually in Athens in honor of the patron goddess Athena. This multi-day, midsummer festival, depicted in sculptural relief in the Parthenon frieze, brought together Athenians from all walks of life, actively reinforcing the democratic principles of the city.

Ancient Greek festivals like the Panathenaic Procession, as depicted on the Parthenon frieze, fostered civic pride and helped to reinforce strong communal bonds.

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As the Christmas season is now in full swing, with homes and high streets up and down the country twinkle with bright festive lights and the sweet aroma of freshly baked melamakarona and kourabiedes (Greek Christmas cookies) fills the air, we thought it would be fun to travel back in time to explore some of the principal ancient Greek festivals that took place at this time of year.

We know from contemporary sources that the Greeks celebrated some of their biggest and most important festivals around the time of the mid-winter solstice, December 21, integrating religious rituals, theatrical performances, and communal feasting. For the ancient Athenians, who used their own lunar calendar (the Attica Calendar), these festivals took place in the months of Poseideōn (December/January) and Gamēliōn (January/February). It was also a time when cheeky and mischievous goblins (“kallikantzaroi”) would emerge from their underground burrows and play tricks on people.

Courtesans ("hetairai") dancing around a giant phallus at a Haloa festival (Oedipus Painter, 480 BC).

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HALOA – NO MEN ALLOWED!

Dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, and her daughter Persephone, the festival of Haloa was primarily celebrated at Eleusis in Attica during the month of Poseideōn. It held great significance in the agricultural calendar as it marked the end of the sowing season and the beginning of winter.

The central theme of the Haloa was fertility and the cycle of life. It celebrated the earth’s fertility and the promise of a bountiful harvest to come. The festival’s name, derived from the Greek word “halos,” meaning threshing floor, clearly reflected its agricultural connections, but, interestingly, men were almost always excluded from partaking in the Haloa. Furthermore, as head of the household, men had a legal and moral obligation to pay for their wives’ expenses to attend the festivities.

 

Another unique and notable aspect of the Haloa was its explicit connection to sexuality and fertility. The festival included a mysterious and explicit ritual, during which women engaged in sexual banter, raucous jokes, and displayed phallic symbols. This open expression of sexuality was believed to invoke Demeter’s fertility and ensure the fertility of the land. The festival also included a feast, where participants shared food and wine, fostering a sense of communal celebration. The feast included little or no meat. Instead, cereal and vegetable-based dishes were served, followed by phallic- and vulva-shaped cakes.

A Classical bronze statue of Poseidon/Zeus (c. 460 BC), on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

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POSEIDONIA – CELEBRATING THE LORD OF THE SEA

The festival dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, was known as the Poseidonia. Celebrated primarily in coastal regions, where Poseidon’s influence was most pronounced, this festival was especially popular on the Saronic island of Aegina, one of Athens’ main rivals in the 6th and early 5th centuries BC. It took place sometime around the mid-winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.

The Poseidonia was a multifaceted celebration that served to honor and appease Poseidon, seeking his favor for safe maritime activities and protection from the unpredictable forces of the sea. The festival was particularly crucial for seafaring communities heavily dependent on fishing, trade, and naval endeavors.

 

Not much is known about the specific celebrations but scholars have speculated that they may have involved a combination of religious rituals, processions, and even athletic competitions. A passage in Homer’s “Odyssey” (Book III) describes a large gathering on the shore of Pylos, where attendees are described “sacrificing sleek-black bulls to Poseidon, god of the sea-blue mane who shakes the earth.” After the sacrifice, they “tasted the innards [and] burned the thighbones for the god,” and consumed vast amounts of wine.

It is interesting to note that most Christians around the world today celebrate Christmas on December 25th, four days after the mid-winter solstice. Seeing as the Hellenic world of the eastern Mediterranean was an early center for the spread of Christianity, it’s tempting to speculate how pagan festivals such as the Poseidonia, with its feasting and revelry, paved the way for the Christian tradition of feasting at Christmas. After all, the sea god Poseidon was also venerated as a “savior” of sorts, protecting sailors, fishermen, and those engaged in maritime activities, the lifeblood of the ancient Greek economy.

"The Triumph of Bacchus," by Diego Velázquez (1628-1629)

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THE RURAL DIONYSIA

Also held in the month of Poseideōn, straddling the mid-winter solstice, was the Rural Dionysia, dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine, ecstasy, and theater. Unlike its urban counterpart, the City Dionysia, which took place in Athens in the month of Elaphēboliōn (March-April), the Rural Dionysia was celebrated in the countryside, emphasizing the agricultural aspects of the god, his association with vineyards, and highlighting the connection between fertility and the land.

Central to the Rural Dionysia were processions, often featuring local farmers, winegrowers, and other rural inhabitants. Participants carried representations of Dionysus, such as statues or large phalluses, as they moved through the countryside, visiting vineyards and key agricultural sites. Young maidens and other festival goers carried baskets of bread, grapes, and other produce, as well as large jars of wine. These processions were likely accompanied by chants, hymns, and ritualistic dances, invoking the blessings of Dionysus for a successful growing season.

 

While the Rural Dionysia did not include the elaborate theatrical performances of the City Dionysia, it likely featured local entertainment, music, and rustic performances that reflected its rural character. The festival is famously parodied in the play “The Archarnians,” by Athenian comic playwright Aristophanes (c. 446-c. 386 BC), the oldest surviving example of the highly satirical genre of Old Comedy.

Just like the Poseidonia festival, it’s tempting to make a link between the veneration of the pagan god Dionysus, who, according to the myth, was torn apart by Titans as a child and resurrected by Zeus, and the story of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Other examples of the “dying-and-rising god” motif in ancient religion include the green-skinned Egyptian god of fertility and agriculture, Osiris, and the Sumerian god Tammuz, also associated with agriculture.   

The Theater of Dionysus, on the south slope of the Athenian Acropolis.

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THE LENAIA

Another ancient Greek festival in honor of Dionysus was the Lenaia. This festival had a significant theatrical character, showcasing the Greeks’ deep connection between the divine and artistic expression. The Lenaia typically took place in Athens in the month of Gamēliōn (January-February), but there is evidence that the festival also took place in at the sacred sanctuary of Delphi, in central Greece, as well as in the Greek city-states of Ionia, on the west coast of Asia Minor.

The festival involved dramatic competitions, where playwrights presented tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays to compete for recognition and honor. These performances provided a platform for artistic expression and cultural exploration, allowing playwrights such as Aristophanes to showcase their talent. Incidentally, it is recorded that Aristophanes’ “The Archarnians” won first prize at the Lenaia festival in 425 BC.

 

The name of the festival, Lenaia, likely comes from the Greek word “lenos” meaning “winepress.” Active participation would have extended beyond the performers to include the wider community. Citizens, both men and women, attended the theatrical performances, engaging in the collective experience of storytelling and artistic expression.

Just like our own Christmas festivities, the Lenaia brought the community together in a shared celebration of culture, feasting, and divine worship.

 

––Jeff

 

Jeff's Upcoming Events

 

 

2024

All Live Events

Thursday, February 8, 7:00 p.m. MT
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
Author Speaking and Signing
Scottsdale, AZ

Saturday, February 10, 2:00 p.m. PT
Book Carnival
Author Speaking and Signing
Orange, CA

Thursday, February 15, 7:00 p.m. PT
Third Place Books
Author Speaking and Signing
Lake Forest Park, WA

Saturday, February 17, 2:00 p.m. CT
Hellenic American Women’s Council
Lincolnwood Public Library
Author Speaking and Signing
4000 Pratt Avenue
Lincolnwood, IL

Wednesday, February 21, 6:00 p.m. ET
Mysterious Bookshop
Author Speaking and Signing
New York, NY

Friday, February 23, 7:00 p.m. ET
Mystery Lovers Bookshop
Author Speaking and Signing
Pittsburgh, PA

Thursday, February 29, 7:00 p.m. PT
Vroman’s Bookstore
Author Speaking and Signing
Pasadena, CA