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A
monthly diary of current postings and quick train of thought entries
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September
2021
A couple of things
as we bring September to a close.
First up, going
to finish up with an essay today. Had started things out hoping
to average an essay a day around here, and we reached that mark
on Tuesday. Now just working on finishing up strong.
Next, October is
going to be one of those follow up months that sees a bit of
a drop in new material. I’ve got several projects that need
to be lined up and organized, and that likely means a bit less
time for posts and new material for the web site. Hopefully
this will all end up meaning good stuff for November, December
and beyond.
That brings us to
A
Parkside View. Looking slightly delayed
for October. Not massively, but roughly a week and possibly
ten days into the new month before it gets released. Nothing
to worry about. Just letting you know about it.
Also, should have
a special announcement tomorrow or Saturday.
And finally… one
last essay for this month…
“The
lights are on (and everyone is home)”
See you in the next
day or two!
Great day of this
and that…
New season of Stranger
Things continues to tease, but we are getting closer. New
look has been released.
The Zoo
returns on October 9th. A
tremendous show based at the Bronx Zoo,
it will kick off a new season with a two-hour premiere episode.
If you’re looking
for a fun, well-crafted show, look for Derry Girls.
Great stuff. Word out now is that the show was always
planned for a three-season arc, and that
the production in progress will wrap up the effort. Sorry to
see it end, but really looking forward to seeing the new season.
This is either incredibly
exciting or very upsetting. I don’t know if there’s any room
in the middle, thought chances are some of the results may be.
Netflix has evidently acquired
the Roald Dahl Story Company. This appears
to mean they have the full inventory of Dahl’s creations. Their
plans are to develop it into all sorts of projects.
Disney+ is planning
a massive celebration on November 12th. Jungle Cruise
and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings lead
the way for some
special content releases on the streaming
platform.
Russell T. Davies
is returning to Doctor Who. Eagerly awaiting the next
season of shows, and this news has me equally excited
about the future.
Every look at Red
Notice is a bit better than the last. Solid cast, coming
to Netflix in November.
The character of
Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown delivering good work) is moving
forward with a
second film at Netflix. (And there was much
rejoicing.)
The new run of Night
Court is moving
ahead at full speed. Solid cast coming together
for an effort based on the very underrated and much-loved original
series.
And two new pieces…
“Perspective
is a twisted reality”
“The
offer that isn’t”
Continuing a rundown
of upcoming projects…
Once
in a Lifetime
As longtime friends
of Backpackville know, I’ve loved working on travel
pieces. The Strange
and Unexpected efforts kind of kicked
it off for books. Know affectionately as The Travel Trilogy,
a fourth book eventually joined the collection—Something
Old, Something New—turning it into
a four-book trilogy.
I liked that.
A funny realization
has struck (and been expanding) over the years. My way of chronicling
adventures, revisiting them, and moving around the ideas and
lessons from them, has been changing. I want to continue the
travel efforts, but know some of it is going to be different
from this point on. So, a final effort to really bookend the
trilogy seems in order.
Enter Once in
a Lifetime.
The effort is going
to be founded on two major trips, to Seattle and Nashville.
It’s going to visit Ohio. It’s going to return to Florida. It’s
going to cover a ton of ground. A lot of content, including
two trips I have in development, will only be available in this
book.
The project is moving
forward, but I do not have a firm release date in mind. Expectations
are 2022 at some point, and those are the only expectations.
Ok… more on projects
in development coming soon.
The more I’m hearing
about Finch, the
more interested I get. (And Hanks always
brings his best to a project.)
“Are
the days of always buying a candy bar over?”
“The
art and Zen of mowing the lawn”
“You
got this”
Let’s dip our toes
into projects in development by taking a look at two books coming
out next year that seem pretty obvious to predict for regular
visitors. Both are the next steps of collection types that have
been released previously, involving the web site anniversary
and the monthly newsletter.
Untitled
anniversary collection
Yup. Five years
have passed since the Fourteenth Anniversary, celebrated in
August of 2017 with the dual release of Life
Won’t Pass Me By and Conversations.
Now, In My Backpack is getting ready to celebrate its
Nineteenth Anniversary next March.
This time, interviews
will not be a part of the anniversary release. Yes, we are beginning
to work on them again. They’ve joined the newsletter with a
feature called Parkside Takes Five. And, we have some work in
production for the web site, which will include full interview
projects such as those done before as well as a shorter effort
called Backpack Takes Five. Still, not many interviews have
hit the site in the past few years, so we are going to focus
solely on essays for this anniversary.
Material is being
collected for consideration, and I’m really happy with a lot
of the essays available. I also expect that the length will
reach roughly four to five dozen pieces, and I’m debating on
whether to include any special material in the released effort.
(And what form that material might take.)
I am kicking around
thoughts of trying to get it out before the March anniversary
month ends, but most actual timelines are pointing toward later
in the spring or early summer as more likely for this one.
(Why running later?
Well… for one thing, the other project…)
A
Parkside View: Volumes 5 & 6
When A
Parkside View began in July of 2016,
I had no idea how much material might end up being produced.
I just wanted a way to create and release some additional content,
and develop a connection with readers and visitors and friends
in a slightly different way.
The basic framework
has always been—and, in fact, the ONLY framework has
been—two essays in each issue. One new, making its first appearance
in any format on the pages of A Parkside View. One
retrieved out of the attic, essentially a From the Backpack
selection. There could be more in any given month, but that
would be the foundation.
Weird thoughts kept
hovering around though. If I was debuting new content in the
newsletter, maybe it was worth considering a way to bring all
of it together and make it available in some other form as well.
I eventually decided that bringing together all of the essays
as a book release might be the best option. None of the exclusive
debuts would be available any other way… just the monthly newsletter
and then an anthology effort.
Given the pace of
release and number of essays, it made sense to assemble these
collections after every two volumes of releases. And to date,
we’ve released two books that follow that pattern. Two volumes
of issues, bring together every essay released during that run,
proofread them for anything that might need correcting or updating,
and put them out under one cover.
Even with a few
hiccups along the way, we are moving along at our strongest
pace yet. Newsletter is being released each month once again.
And as of right now, fifty-nine essays have already appeared
on its pages in these volumes. The next A Parkside View
collection is looking to be the biggest one to date.
As an answer to
someone that asked recently, only the essays will be appearing
in the collection. I have not decided how to handle some of
the new features found on the newsletter’s pages, such as Parkside
Takes Five and Streaming in The ‘ville. Seems like some things
should remain in exclusive for those that have been with us
along the way, so for now they remain only a part of the newsletter
release.
My hopes are to
have everything ready so this one can be released before the
end of February in 2022.
And that covers
two of the projects in development. Hoping to have more to share
soon.
In every project,
there are certain elements that need a tremendous amount of
thought and consideration. One recent example, the rings in
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The
meetings discussing the visual must have been awesome.
One essay to add
today…
“How
have you been for the past ten years?”
Was it perfect?
No. But show episodes are seldom perfect, and series finales
usually wind up a few steps below the best from any good run.
But as Brooklyn Nine-Nine closed
up shop, they did it all. One last heist.
One last visit (though far too short for me) from Adrian Pimento.
It leaves behind a legacy of a brilliant cast, really powerful
development and scripts, and some of the best holding-society-accountable
moments we’ve seen from any show. Massive applause folks. Massive.
A board game based
on The Warriors? Great movie. Love it. The game? Seems
about
forty years out of place on the timing.
I’m not saying a
movie based on the Twisted Metal video games is a great
idea. But, it does have some interesting possibilities. Now,
Anthony
Mackie is involved. I’m paying attention
to the project.
“Immediacy
spoils everything”
“The
year in sight is 2035 (Maybe we’ll be ready)”
“Fifty
hours”
I’ll be honest—I
always try—I
wasn’t expecting much from Hawkeye
when I heard about the project. Likely would have watched it.
Not really drawn to it. The trailer though… I really like what
I’m seeing. I’m in.
Only Murders
in the Building appears set
to return for a second season.
The latest edition
of A
Parkside View is out.
If you’re signed
up to receive it, fantastic!
You may have already
read the interview with Susan Hancock. Many thanks to her for
participating. Susan is the author of the Anstey’s Kingdom trilogy,
and was kind enough to participate in this month’s Parkside
Takes Five effort.
You also may have
had the chance to read two essays and consider the suggestions
offered in the Streaming in The ‘ville feature.
If you aren’t signed
up, you haven’t done any of that. But it’s not too late. Send
us an e-mail. Go to one of our social media pages, follow us,
then send along a message. We’ll reach out and get everything
set up with you so you don’t miss another issue.
One essay to add
today…
“Squirrel
with a pipe at the birdfeeder”
In a day or two,
the September edition of A
Parkside View will be ready and released.
This month, I had the sincere pleasure of working with a tremendous
lady on the Parkside Takes Five interview.
Susan Hancock has
been writing for many years, with much of her work involving
non-fiction efforts. In 2020, she not only released her first
novel, she released her first three. Anstey’s Kingdom
is the name of the trilogy, and it is a wonderful, special collection.
Yes, this is the
regular announcement remiding you about signing up and receiving
every issue. It’s also a way I can share some special links.
I’d like to invite you to take a few moments, learn more about
Susan, and check out her novels.
Susan’s
web site
Susan’s
author page at Amazon
Susan
on Twitter
Another day, another
couple of essays to end the entry.
Want to point
in the direction of A
Parkside View for a moment.
September edition
is being wrapped up right now, and we have a special treat
for you. Author
Susan Hancock is joining us for this month’s
Parkside Takes Five interview. If you haven’t signed up to
receive the newsletter, stop hesitating. Send along an e-mail
or a message on our social media pages.
Ready for Red
Notice? Well, get ready. It’s
on the way.
I enjoyed The
Accountant. Decent story. Solid performances. Really
fun popcorn movie. Another
run? I'm definitely in.
I don’t know if
ABBA reuniting will ultimately prove an amazing success. It
has been quite some time. But these are very talented people
and I definitely enjoy their work. (Check out some of the
things they’ve produced outside of the group. The stuff they
do often have some wonderful elements. In fact, go find a
search engine you like and try “ABBA museum phone” for the
entry.) So, new material and a
virtual performance? Welcome back, folks.
Not certain I’ll be buying a ticket to attend a virtual concert,
but I’m definitely watching and listening.
“Managing
expectations”
“Of
butter and warmer days”
“Quality
research or quality procrastination - You can only have one
(and likely, none)”
I want to start
this month out with a thank you message.
Actually, several
thank you messages.
In August, there
were a few things going on. We had a special effort wrap up,
where dating back a few months we set aside a portion of every
book sale. These monies are headed to two amazing cancer centers,
at Roswell Park and Yale. We also celebrated the Tenth Annual
National Buy Bob’s Book Day.
And it is within
these two events that we find the major reason for the appreciation
on my end.
I am grateful for
everyone that has ever visited this site. I recognize the time
and attention you’ve given me. Means a lot.
There are also people
that have set out in ways that can only be described as above
and beyond. They send comments and feedback and messages of
support. They react and reach out when new material is posted
and new books are released. They attempt to connect when they
see posts that concern them, and jump up and down when they
spot exciting news.
All great, phenomenal
stuff.
A few people actually
sent e-mails because they wanted to do more for Roswell Park
and Yale than buying a copy of one of my books. The reason they
did so was so they could confirm that they were connecting properly
with the organizations. Folks, something like this will make
you smile for days.
And so, thank you.
THANK YOU! I truly appreciate
the response and the messages and more.
Going to be a very
busy month around here. Let’s get a few things in place today,
and we’ll pick up speed with more beginning tomorrow.
Word is Emily
Blunt and Dwayne Johnson are both on board
for taking Jungle Cruise on another voyage.
The Return of
the Rocketeer appears set
to head toward Disney+.
Three essays to
kick off the month…
“The
last stop before (the next one)”
“Things
that go hum in the night”
“Impossible
world of comparison shopping”
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