A Blog: Being an Assortment of Random Things That Get My Attention

  I have found myself becoming a fan of this scary-looking guy. The Plague Doctor wore a complete hazmat suit that just also happens to look really creepy, and he's what I want to be for Halloween this year. Because, you know, plague. When I picked up my mask at the popup Halloween shop, I asked the cashier whether it was a popular mask this year, and he just laughed. So maybe I'm being unoriginal. Or maybe a lot of people just like the mask and don't know what it's about. Hanging near mine on the rack was a steampunk version with random pipes and eyes like an old-fashioned diving bell.  I know people often misunderstand it. I was shocked to find an ad for this mask that identified it as Pantalone, the rich old man of the Commedia dell'Arte. This is not Pantalone. Not remotely. If it resembles anything from the Commedia, it's maybe a bit like the Capitano or braggart soldier. But not much. For one thing, actors' masks leave the mouth free and don't have ...

Hi. Welcome to my first blog post. I'm not sure what to write about, but I've been told I need a blog because I am a writer in the 21st century. Back when my characters would have been alive, all one needed was to be literate and know someone with a printing press, but now most everyone can read and write, and the competition for readers' eyes is much more fierce. The book I've written, Zani: Feathers of a Lion Book 1 , is about a guy who's a professional jester in Venice (1518), who can't kiss the girl he's falling in love with because his mother is a Fata and his kisses can be deadly to mortals. It's also about a girl who befriends the jester while trying to get to know her estranged father, a silk merchant. They're part of a group of mostly amateur actors (the jester is the professional) who put on plays for other wealthy Venetians to watch. It's an eccentric kind of story, historical fiction with a sprinkling of faerie dust.  This being an in...