We've Got the Spirit

By Frank Anthony Polito

Once again I must apologize for the lack of blog posts. I've spent the past few weeks finishing up my latest novel, The Spirit of Detroit, and readying it for my agent to start sending around to publishers.

His reaction after reading the manuscript focused on 3 specific issues:

1. The title.
2. The inclusion of Detroit history incorporated within the text.
3. One specific character/plot point.

As happy as I am to receive honest feedback, I thanked my agent and kindly informed him that these 3 details are NON-negotiable.

#1 -- the title. For those of us who grew up in the Detroit area, we understand the significance. The statue known as The Spirit of Detroit is Detroit. I also reminded my agent that the story in this novel was inspired by my favorite book, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Spirit = Mysteries. Detroit = Pittsburgh.

#2 -- Detroit history. As much as SOD is an homage to Chabon's MOP, it is also an homage to the Motor City. In writing -- and researching -- the book, I can't tell you how many things I learned about the city in which I lived for almost 25 years; things that I was never taught in school. 

For example: I had no idea that Henry Ford's son Edsel, for whom I-96 is named, died in 1943 of stomach cancer at the age of 49. In reading this book, I want folks -- Detroiters and non -- to be made aware of such history that shaped and defined the city.

 Edsel Bryant Ford

#3 -- I won't go into too much detail here, as not to give away too much... But there is a character in SOD who corresponds to a character in MOP -- as do all the characters -- and my agent felt the plot surrounding this particular character made the story seem a bit too soap opera-y, to which I said: "And what's wrong with that?"

Here's hoping he will a) be able to find an editor who is excited about the story enough to want to publish it, and b) said editor will be willing to accept the story as is -- otherwise, I've always got Woodward Avenue Books :-) 

 

Friday, Friday...

By Frank Anthony Polito

So once again, another month has gone by -- and I haven't done any blogging! But I have a good excuse: I finally finished writing my new novel The Spirit of Detroit.

I've sent the manuscript off to my agent. He's going to read it, then will start sending out to publishers. I honestly don't know if he'll find any takers -- gay-themed fiction hasn't ever been a big sell, and there are fewer and fewer publishers publishing anything these days -- unless it's written by a celebrity, so... We'll see. 

Worst case scenario -- which was my original intention -- I will self-pub. Stay tuned...

Speaking of self-publishing... Last week marked the one-year anniversary since I published my first Young Adult novel Lost in the '90s. If you haven't picked up a copy yet (shame on you!) you can order via Amazon.com HERE.

Last week was also the 19th anniversary of the death of Nirvana front man, Kurt Cobain. If you've read LIT90s you'll know that the story takes place on the eve of Cobain's suicide in April 1994.

I've been hoping that someone would take an interest in my book, blog about it, and a "real" publisher would offer to publish the novel. So far, that hasn't happened :-(

One of the blogs I've been targeting is BuzzFeed. Not sure how I first came to know of them, but they are all about the '90s. I've contacted several bloggers over there, and none of them have bothered to even give me the courtesy of a reply, so...

I decided to sign up for my own BuzzFeed profile, and I've created my own self-promotional posting, "Party Like It's 1994" where you can check out the year that gave us Cobain, Clinton, and Kerrigan.

And please do check it out, if you have a moment! Not sure how the whole BuzzFeed thing works, but I'd love for them to "endorse" the post -- or whatever it is they do -- so that people (who don't personally know me) will actually see it.

Happy Friday!

 

Subjunctive Junctive, What's Your Functive?

By Frank Anthony Polito

An another interesting post for all writers -- or anyone, really, who ever writes anything.

From The Week, via Yahoo! News: 7 grammar rules you should really pay attention to 

After having published 4 books (3 novels and a novella -- how I hate using the word "novella"!), I feel like I've picked up a great deal from my wonderful Production Editor, Paula, in terms of grammatical "rules." But the one that still gets me is #6: the semicolon.

According to the poster, Ben Yagoda: "there are really only two proper uses for this piece of punctuation. One is to separate two complete clauses (a construction with a subject and verb that could stand on its own as a sentence). I knocked on the door; no one answered. The second is to separate list items that themselves contain punctuation. Thus, The band played Boise, Idaho; Schenectady, New York; and Columbus, Ohio."

Rarely do I ever use a semicolon in my writing (the same can NOT be said for the exclamation mark, as anyone who's read either Band Fags! or Drama Queers! will attest), though the current novel I'm working on is inspired by one of Michael Chabon's -- and he uses them all over the place. 

I hope I've gotten it "right" in what I'm doing. But I plan to go back through the manuscript and make sure :-)

Signing Off

By Frank Anthony Polito

No, not ME. As I pointed out the other day, I'm still here -- for now.

So I promised to do a little more blogging this week... As the "about" section of this blog states, I've been planning to include some thoughts on the "writing life" -- whatever that might mean. I'm coming to find that it's a cold and cruel one... But, as I am wont to do, I digress!

Found a couple interesting items online today that I thought I'd share. From Slate.com: You Say "Best." I Say No.

The basic jist of this somewhat lengthy post is: do we really need to sign our emails with closing phrases  anymore (see above image)?

I remember when I started using email in the late 1990s, I treated each email I'd compose as if I were writing a letter. For the most part, I still do to this day. I always begin with a greeting, be it "Hi" or "Hey" or "Hellooo!" depending to whom I'm writing. If it's "business" I'll be sure to say: "Dear ___" and use the person's LAST name. Though I am hesitant to do this when a) I know the person I'm writing to is younger than me, and b) if the person is male.

Most of the time, I'll sign my emails "Take care," But, unlike my mother (who I love dearly), I do NOT space over to the center of the last line and write "Love," -- the way we were taught as children when writing a letter to someone.

As Mr. Maladay points out in his post, here in the 21st century people use email much like they do text messaging -- as most people are often typing their messages via their preferred mobile device. (I might very well be the last person in America who still uses a flip-phone -- without internet access. Okay, I have it -- I just can't use it.)

I do remember receiving a message from my nephew when he first started using email, in which he wrote:

Hey Uncle Frankie.I finally got my own email! It's really cool! Now we can talk without having to be at the same house! P.S. dont forget to send back!

Notice how he put a period after my name... And he typed the rest of the text immediately following, without bothering to space down to the next line. I realize he was 9 or 10 at the time, but I thought his teacher at school would've taught him this simple grammatical rule. He also did NOT sign his name, as Mr. Maladay also suggests in his article. (Perhaps my nephew was on to something back in 2009?)

Now, four or five years later, I get emails like this all the time from people. I just assume they're writing to me on a SmartPhone and can't be bothered to hit "enter."

Any thoughts? Feel free to sound off in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you!

MONTHLY Update

By Frank Anthony Polito

I was doing so good there for a while... TWO blog posts in a single week and then -- BAM! Just realized it's been over a MONTH since I've posted anything here.

Believe me, it's NOT because I've had nothing to blog about. A ton of sh** has been going on -- most of it NOT good. I would LOVE to write about all of it here -- even picked out the title of the blog post for one of the "major" terrible events that will most likely be the end of my so-called writing career. BUT...

I fear that all I would end up doing is bitching and complaining -- which I realize I'm good at -- but nobody would want to read any of it, so...

For now, I'll just let you know that I'm still here... And I'm queer... And I think we're all pretty used to it.

More to come soon... I promise!

Lucky Jocco

By Frank Anthony Polito

Two blog posts in two days! What's up with that?

I read an interesting article this morning from Where Writers Win, a blog/website that provides information/advice for writers. Most of the things they post I've already heard of -- or I disagree with. But today's tidbit, entitled "5 Ways to Promote Your Words" touched on an issue I've been dealing with as of late: having no idea what to write about here on this blog.

You can read the full article HERE (a subscription may be required), but the basic jist is: if you're a writer looking to promote your work, don't just talk about YOURSELF. Instead, find other interesting items to post about -- that are connected to what you've written or are working on.

I just opened up Yahoo to do some online research for my current novel, The Spirit of Detroit, only to find the most interesting headline: "Man's Estate Left to Actors He Never Met." I immediately recognized both good-looking men: Peter Barton and Kevin Brophy.

 Brophy & Barton

While I didn't know either of their names off the top of my head, Barton I remembered from his stint on Young & the Restless during the '80s, and Brophy is none other than the jerk named "Jocco" from my all-time favorite episode of The Hardy Boys  -- which I wrote about in my second novel Drama Queers! See below for an excerpt...

 

I particularly loved the part when Joe befriended Jocco and they 
threw that party out at their fancy beach house. I immediately
recognized the Muzak version of “How Deep is Your Love?” from 
the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack playing in the background . . . 
God, I wanted to see that movie sooo bad!

I remember being confused when Frank arrived and Joe acted
like he didn’t recognize his brother. Really, it was all just part
of the plan to set Jocco up and bust him for selling stolen goods.
 
Until Jocco got wise to Frank posing as a big-time surfer, and
sent him out on his board in shark-infested waters . . . I’ll never
forget the sight of Parker Stevenson in that wetsuit, even though
my heart would always belong to Shaun Cassidy.
 

By the way... I just discovered that Drama Queers! is available on Amazon.com right now for just $6 :-)

  

 

Facebook No' Mo'

By Frank Anthony Polito

No, don't freak out... I'm not signing off of Facebook -- yet.

It's been a good two and a half weeks since my last blog post. I knew it was going to be tough to post on any sort of regular basis. I wish I could say it's because I've been super-busy -- but it's not the case. Truthfully, I just haven't been feeling it.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a superstitious person. I read my horoscope on a daily basis, and I've learned to heed the advice of fellow ex-Detroiter, Dr. Wayne Dyer who believes that when "manifesting" one's destiny, it's best not to talk about things -- until after they've come to fruition. Dyer's theory stems from the fact that the more you talk about something, the more it weakens the universe's ability to make it happen. (Don't quote me on this, you'll have to read his book.) Also the fact that those who talk about what they're hoping to achieve only do so to make themselves look/feel better.

This is why I don't do much personal posting on Facebook. As much as I like to complain about things (ask Craig!), I really don't want to do so in a public forum. I know that a lot of folks find relief in getting out their feelings/frustrations by posting online. I just find that it tends to open up a dialogue, and I'd rather not wast anyone's time in discussing my so-called problems.

Maybe it's because I never learned to type properly -- "Why would I ever need to take typing?" I asked my 12-year-old self... Duh! -- and it's a chore for me to reply whenever someone comments. Not because I don't WANT to reply, don't get me wrong. I'm just lazy. But being the kind, considerate person that I am, I don't like to ignore anyone who takes the time to comment -- unlike others who are constantly giving me what I like to call "the ignore-away" whenever I send them an email.

See! There I go... Starting to complain, and this post is becoming WAY too long to hold anyone's interest. But seriously... I hate being ignored! More than anything in life. If I can take the time out of my day to send someone an email, the least they can do is treat me like a fucking human being and reply.

I started this post with the intention of saying that I just this afternoon spent time going through my Facebook Friends list and have deleted almost 60 of my "friends" who have, for whatever reason, inactivated their accounts. Many, I will say, were not true "friends." Most of the names I didn't even recognize, which made me sad because I pride myself in thinking of others as human beings -- and not just something I've collected.

There were a few folks whose defecting from Facebook took me by surprise. Actors, and other writers who, I would think, have been schooled in the belief that one MUST have a Facebook account if they're going to be in the public eye. I'm guessing that a few have switched their personal profile pages to "fan" pages.

I had contemplated doing this myself. I have close to 1800 Facebook "friends" but less than 300 "fans" for my author page... But in doing so, I would force most of my high school classmates to become my "fan" -- and how silly is that? We are friends.

Just curious... If anyone reading this (via Facebook or otherwise) has contemplated dropping off the Facebook planet, please sound off in the comments section below. I'd enjoy hearing from you :-)

Have a great weekend -- and if it's snowing where you are, stay warm!

Cross My Heart

By Frank Anthony Polito

One of the things I've always admired about Bloggers like my good pal Kenneth "in the 212" Walsh and Matt "Boy Culture" Rettenmund is their ability to influence people with what they post about. Long ago when I had dreams of being a famous actor I would say to myself: "When I make a movie, I'll hire The Flying Neutrinos to do the music." Or "When I go on Rosie O'Donnell I'll talk about my favorite Canadian band Spirit of the West -- and then everyone else in the US will know who they are, and they'll finally get the recognition they deserve!" Guess I've always prided myself in liking things that aren't considered "mainstream."

Like this little gem of a French film I first came upon back in the early '90s on Cinemax: La Fracture du Myocarde.

At the time, I was studying le francais in college, so I was into all things French. I'd seen Cyrano with Gerard Depardieu at the DFT in Detroit, along with Camille Claudel and Au Revoir Les Enfants. So when I came upon "Cross My Heart" I set the timer on the old VCR. (The English title, which is not particularly close to the original French -- "Broken Heart" would be more apt, I think -- comes from a scene in the film when all the children cross their heart as they make a mutual vow.)

The story focuses on a 12-year-old boy named Martin Gaudiner. When his mother dies unexpectedly from a broken heart (described sweetly in the film by one of the children as "a piece of her heart broke off"), Martin's friends worry that he'll be sent to live in an orphanage. Soon, they all band together to help take care of him in his mother's absence.

Sylvain Copans as Martin Gaudiner

Apparently -- and I didn't realize this until doing a little online research -- all of the children in the film, with the exception of Martin and Jerome (the towheaded boy above, who reminds me of Craig at that age), were actual students at the school where the movie was filmed. To be honest, I'm not surprised to learn this. Even though they're speaking in French, you get a sense in watching that the kids aren't the greatest actors. But there is something about their youthful innocence that makes the film even more endearing. The whole movie has a very "indie" feeling which I strongly prefer. Reminds me of other films of that time like Edge of Seventeen and Breathing Room.

Surprisingly, someone posted the entire film on YouTube just last month. You can check out part 1 below, and then there are 6 other parts. In total, it runs about 1 hour 40 minutes. 

Incidentally, there's a cute little song featured throughout the film called "Pincez-Moi" ("Pinch Me") that I believe was originally written for the film. It can be heard right near the opening, and again over the end credits. The version that runs over the end credits, sung by someone named Philippe Kelly, makes me weep every time I hear it <sniffle>

Also of note: according to Wikipedia, it seems that Steven Spielberg at one time had purchased the rights to make an American version of the film, but it never came to pass :-(

Party Like It's 1984

By Frank Anthony Polito

Just got around to watching the Carrie Diaries pilot, and wanted to write about it real quick. Now, it might be hard to believe that I wasn't a big Sex And The City fan (I often call it Sex IN the City), but when it first aired on HBO, we didn't have cable, so... But I've seen a few choice episodes ("Funky Spunk," Miranda's actor b/f who likes to get naked onstage, the one with, I don't know, some guy named "Big"), so it's not like I'm totally unfamiliar with the story. 

I was reading in the Post this morning that the CD pilot wasn't that well-watched. Only something like 1.6 million viewers. (If only I could get 1.6 million people to buy a copy of one of my books!) I posted the other day on Facebook about it, and I got a pretty 50/50 response from those who were for/against the concept of the new show, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch or not.

Suffice to say, I'm glad I did. I thought it was cute, for the most part. Though I will still list my complaints here. Call me whatever... I'd rather see an '80s-themed TV show called Band Fags! But maybe that's just me? Over the past few years, whenever I did approach anyone about creating a TV show, I was told that doing a "period piece" based on Band Fags! would NEVER happen as it's way too gay co$tly. Perhaps if the Carrie Diaries does succeed, it will open up the possibilities to other shows set in the Awesome '80s?

Now for my complaints... Other than the music -- which seemed like there was a different song playing in the background almost every five minutes -- the show itself didn't feel very 1980s. None of the characters; hairstyling was right. Carrie's hair is way too long and stringy, and where are the bangs? All the girls I knew back in Hazeltucy circa 1984 had bangs! And the guys... They all parted our hair straight down the middle. No guy would dare a side-part! And Carrie's dad should totally be rocking a porn-stache.

The fashion, I suppose, felt a little more spot on. A few of the more "popular" girls are seen wearing neon. But where are the parachute pants?! Yes, I suppose they did go out of style in 1983, but... And those gay guys dancing with Carrie at Indochine... Not that I didn't appreciate some hot men-on-men action (good for The CW to go there!) But both those dudes were way too muscular for 1984 standards! Just look at Rob Lowe, who featured prominently in this particular episode.

Back to the music, really quick... It was nice to hear Depeche Mode's "I Just Can't Get Enough" -- which is my all-time fave  by the band -- but might I suggest that if you're going to use Madonna's "Material Girl" and you can NOT get the rights, do NOT use a cover. Not sure where they got the version they used in this episode -- or the slow version of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" -- sung by a guy -- they used near the end. Thankfully, the original by Ms. Lauper eventually kicked in.

My only other "complaint" harkens back to the feeling of the show...  If you didn't know it was set in 1984 and you turned it on, it would look/feel like almost every other show airing on The CW today. Now this might be a good thing in that it says "things haven't changed much in 29 years," but I can't help but think it really says "we aren't willing to totally take a risk and be authentic."

Still, I'll most likely tune in next week to see what happens next...

Miss Needles If You're Scary

By Frank Anthony Polito

Got word today that the reigning America's Drag Superstar, Sharon Needles, is releasing her debut album, PG-13, on January 29th. Some of you have already heard this story, but...

I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Needles, aka Aaron Coady, when I was attending grad school at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh back in 2004-2006. I wish I could say we were BFFs. We only met on a few occasions, over drinks at my local Shadyside watering-hole, New York, New York, aka 5801. But I remember thinking she was super-fun, and we must have hit it off because I had her phone number in my old cellphone for a while -- too bad I've long since disposed of it :-(

I'm sure you're just dying to pick up your copy of Sharon's debut CD on 1/29. In the meantime, check out this sneak-peek trailer for the first single, This Club Is A Haunted House.

Zippity-Doo-Dah

By Frank Anthony Polito

Well, 2013 has gotten off to quite a start! And NOT necessarily in a good way... It's been a busy 10 days since returning from vacation, and frankly I've been in a bit of a funk. But things are starting to look up, and I'm hoping for some (quote-unquote) good news to share soon :-)

Last night I finished reading a lovely little memoir from 2001: A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. My good friend "Kenneth in the 212" forced it on loaned it to me a while back, and I admit that I was reluctant to dive right in. Not sure why.

Actually, I know the reason. "Who the hell is Haven Kimmel?!" I said to myself. Yes, I shamefully buy into the "only celebrities can write memoirs!" thinking that a lot of people have... Or am I the only one who believes this?

The book's subtitle is "Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana," but it might as well have been "Life in Hazeltucky" because the similarities to life in small town IN sound pretty much the same as small town MI. While she's a bit older (Kimmel was born in 1965), I could easily relate to a lot of the things she talked about in the memoir: references to '70s TV shows like Marcus Welby (I think -- don't have the book here in front of me as I type this), and the little electric organ with special keys for the chords (I had one of these, on which I learned to plunk out the melody to 99 Luftbalons and the Days of our Lives theme when I was a lonely kid in junior high).

As many of the reviews state, not much happens in this story of an atheist "oops baby" born into a Quaker family, but it's the way Kimmel turns a phrase that makes it such a good book. As I mentioned on my Facebook page, my favorite, laugh-out-loud line in this one is: "he wore the look men get in their forties when they've given up hope and plan to get even." 

I may have to steal that line if/when I ever sit down to pen my actual memoir!

Magic to Do in 2013

By Frank Anthony Polito

Happy New Year! Sorry for the absence of blog posts over the so-called Christmas Break. Craig and I went home for the holiday to visit family and see friends. All in all, the trip was rather relaxing and restful. Got to spend time with my nephews and niece, ate a ton of "crap" food, drank a lot of alcohol, watched TV with my mom and dad. Got Mom hooked on Downton Abbey -- which we watched with subtitles -- and my new favorite show thanks to Dad is American Pickers. 

On the day after Christmas, Craig and I went with my mom, sister, brother, and sister-in-law to see Les Miserables. I was a HUGE fan of the musical back in the day -- saw it a good half dozen times before I stopped counting. I was planning to post a review here, but... I will say that I enjoyed it. Even Russell Crowe's attempt at singing didn't bother me too much. Though I will always prefer Terrence Mann's rendition of "Stars."

Speaking of... Craig and I spent New Year's Eve in Cambridge, MA where we had the pleasure of seeing the 40th anniversary production of Pippin at the American Repertory Theater, featuring Mr. Mann, along with my good friend (and fellow Detroiter) Andrew Fitch, and my Carnegie Mellon classmate Patina Miller, Tony-nominee for her starring turn in Sister Act.

 Patina Miller and the cast of PIPPIN

Fingers crossed others will have the opportunity to see this circus-infused production, directed by Diane Paulus (HAIR, The Donkey Show)... Next stop Broadway? For now, check out the Boston Globe's review HERE.