tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post6182772936043847455..comments2024-02-12T17:59:33.534-06:00Comments on RAZORED ZEN: JealousyCharles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-27438749661981394382008-08-07T14:49:00.000-05:002008-08-07T14:49:00.000-05:00Hum, I know I posted responses to the last comment...Hum, I know I posted responses to the last comments on this post and the one before but neither of them actually got recorded by blogger. Oh well, responding again.<BR/><BR/>Michelle, ways to die. You know, I'm starting to believe it when you say you were a morbid child.<BR/><BR/>Laughingwolf, Heavy Metal was another mag I missed but would have loved. I found FLeming much later as well, though I saw the movies earlier.<BR/><BR/>Don's hut, I agree absolutely, get books (or comics) into kid's hands and get them hooked. I know a lot of folks who came to books by way of comics, though I'm not one of them. But they certainly expanded from their initial medium.<BR/><BR/>Shauna, I'm kind of the same. There weren't other readers around me much and so I didn't hear about things like The Wind in the Willows, which I bet I would have loved then. I did find a few things on my own, like the black Stallion books of Farley, and The Borrowers by mary Norton.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-23046286213211154022008-08-04T19:27:00.000-05:002008-08-04T19:27:00.000-05:00In second grade I was checking sixth-grade books o...In second grade I was checking sixth-grade books out of the library, and by sixth grade, I was reading mysteries and science fiction from the adult section. So I missed out on almost all the classic children's books. Sometimes I regret it when I hear other writers talking about how much they loved this or that classic that I never read.Shauna Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03871768714926149114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-43598080099017050712008-08-03T13:53:00.000-05:002008-08-03T13:53:00.000-05:00Charles:When I first read your post I thought, he'...Charles:<BR/><BR/>When I first read your post I thought, he's got the wrong end of the stick. But, no, I was wrong, because I was exposed to the stuff you weren't.<BR/><BR/>I was in my teens in the early 60's, so we took what we could get and that wasn't much. We were teethed on comics and Mad because there was literally nothing else for kids that age and we weren't hip to anything but Poe.<BR/><BR/>But comics made me a reader (since I don't write fiction, this is as monumental as it gets). And the connections became obvious quickly. I was a huge Roy Thomas/John Buscema Conan fan from the Marvel comics, particularly the excellent "Savage Sword of Conan." And the book publishers sat up and took notice and so came the first wave revival of Howard's fiction in paperback. And we gobbled it up. This was just after the H. P. Lovecraft revival, which also hit the stores in paperback. I started reading and never really looked back. I still read the Conan comics (old habits die hard) but once I discovered the real thing with REH and HPL, I left the comic world in the rear view. However, if it wasn't for comics I would never have made the leap into the book world. I've been reading a book a week ever since and have even made it all the way through Proust (twice).<BR/><BR/>I was starving for fiction. I had read Sherlock Holmes and Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu (which are really the Holmes' stories turned inside out) and once I got to that level of pulp, the Gor stuff and the Doc Savage didn't really cut it. I had a blind spot which was ERB; Marvel's adaptation of the John Carter novels also solved that problem and I still try to read a Burroughs at least once a year.<BR/><BR/>Well, this was longer than I intended but as a librarian in the real world, it has always been important to me to understand how to get books into kids hands that they'll devour, be it Nancy Drew, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, whatever. Just get 'em hooked reading and the job's done.<BR/><BR/>And you writers end up with an audience!<BR/><BR/>best,<BR/>Don @ <I>Lilliput</I>Issa's Untidy Huthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07352841590717991698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-33872493829960551222008-08-02T13:52:00.000-05:002008-08-02T13:52:00.000-05:00yup, read all you mention, and more... growing up ...yup, read all you mention, and more... growing up in a small town, but close ti the u.s. border, can't think of any i may have missed<BR/><BR/>all the comics, graphic novels, and pulp fiction i could handle, and later, graphic novels, like 'heavy metal' [still around] and one called '1984', plus tons of horror and vampire stuff<BR/><BR/>was reading ian fleming long before jfk made it de riguer....laughingwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873675614347328116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-62737525845259639712008-08-02T12:05:00.000-05:002008-08-02T12:05:00.000-05:00Hey Charles,I think you're so right about this one...Hey Charles,<BR/><BR/>I think you're so right about this one. I think of all the early things I loved from books to magazines -- I know that I love the 70s, love epic stories like Roots, love books about cults, books about all the bad things that can happen to you. Hank and I used to read a book called 101 Freaky Ways To Die when we were in the first grade. That and How To Own and Operate A Haunted House could possibly describe my entire life.Michelle's Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15769666862403600253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-59154925467920544022008-08-02T11:53:00.000-05:002008-08-02T11:53:00.000-05:00Sidney, I didn't start reading much horror till I ...Sidney, I didn't start reading much horror till I was out of the house, and I still don't think my mom knows I've written it. <BR/><BR/>Writtenwyrd, Farmer could write some pretty dirty stuff.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-89261148027592341042008-08-02T11:20:00.000-05:002008-08-02T11:20:00.000-05:00Yes, I was in 5th grade, Charles. That's either t...Yes, I was in 5th grade, Charles. That's either ten or eleven, isn't it? Um *doing math frantically with fingers and toes* yes.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-33882858221238882572008-08-01T21:14:00.000-05:002008-08-01T21:14:00.000-05:00I read a lot of those mags because they took the c...I read a lot of those mags because they took the comics rack out of the local drug store. I discovered Famous Monsters on the super market magazine rack. It was an anniversary issue and had Tom Tyler on the cover as Captain Marvel. That's how it got past my folks. My old man remembered Tom Tyler from cowboy films. <BR/><BR/>It had become a regular acquisition by the time my mom noticed an issue with the Creature on it.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally long after I was having work published, my mom worried about me being negatively influenced by horror.Sidneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16284680909152676159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-66623455277208121692008-08-01T20:07:00.000-05:002008-08-01T20:07:00.000-05:00Miladysa, there's something to be said for that, f...Miladysa, there's something to be said for that, for sure.<BR/><BR/>L. A. Mitchell, that might be true for me with horror fiction. I came to it late but embraced it and really have enjoyed writing it.<BR/><BR/>Candy, I've never read Little women or Jane Eyre either, but I have to admit I've never tried. I did read a lot of books over and over when I was young because they were what I had available to me.<BR/><BR/>Erik, for some reason I can't seem to access your webpage today. Not sure what is wrong. I read some Sgt. Rock. Kind of liked it.<BR/><BR/>Randy Johnson, I'd never heard of the Rick Brant series either until James posted about them. I ordered the first two but haven't started one yet. I would have liked those Gold Medal books probably too but didn't find many of them. My brother in law had some and I read his. Mostly JDM.<BR/><BR/>Ivan, LOL. Good one.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-53766598283686771272008-08-01T18:14:00.000-05:002008-08-01T18:14:00.000-05:00Hey, Everybody digs Spy vs. Spy.It was on MAD TV u...Hey, Everybody digs Spy vs. Spy.<BR/>It was on MAD TV until recently.<BR/><BR/>Illusrator Don Martin is crazy.<BR/><BR/>Cartoon of a man coccooning himself<BR/>wildly as he spins on a centrifuge in an eyeglass factory.<BR/><BR/>Caption: "Phelps is making a spectacle of himself again."ivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05662075375182633162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-1090340769514850802008-08-01T14:25:00.000-05:002008-08-01T14:25:00.000-05:00When I first began reading a lot, I read the Hardy...When I first began reading a lot, I read the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, the Heinlein juveniles, etc. All these came from the library.<BR/>My little town had one drugstore with a spinner rack for paperbacks, one for comics, and a small shelf for magazines. Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, and Famous Monsters we got. I discovered Doc Savage with the Bantam reprints(I own all but about a dozen) and The Shadow novels with the Bantam and Jove reprints.<BR/>What I missed were the Gold Medal crime novels. I started finding a few at used book stores, but wasn't familiar enough with most of the writers to know what to buy,<BR/>Living in a small town has a lot of advantages. Perhaps this wasn't one of them.<BR/> I never heard of the Rick Brant series(would have been right up my alley) until James Reasoner blogged about them(I ordered the first three and have now read the first one).Randy Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627907086811387527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-34267996476462215702008-08-01T14:22:00.000-05:002008-08-01T14:22:00.000-05:00This is a great topic. "I believe that one’s futur...This is a great topic. "I believe that one’s future reading choices are strongly influenced by the works we discover when we’re between the ages of 8 and 18."<BR/><BR/>Agreed, and not only reading choices!<BR/><BR/>My whole family (including parents, two older sisters, younger brother) were/are voracious readers, and eclectic.<BR/>Plus, 8-18 we moved from Chicago to St. Paul to Durham, NC, and I then to VA and back to NC. This added to the eclectic mix -- then (<I>Borstal Boy</I> to <I>Thinking Big</I> to the John Carter books, and now. <BR/><BR/>Never got much onto comics and pulps except occasional Sgt. Rock for chuckles.Erik Donald Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332500850365598564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-79355781760698744252008-08-01T11:26:00.000-05:002008-08-01T11:26:00.000-05:00As a child, I lived out in the country with limite...As a child, I lived out in the country with limited access to books, so I tended to reread my own collection over and over again, or raid my dad's history books. I've wondered what difference it would have made, if I'd had a broader selection. Yet there were some books (Little Women and Jane Eyre come to mind) that I never could make it through, even though they sat on my shelves year after year.cs harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13708705800818667923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-91288451395826800272008-08-01T11:08:00.000-05:002008-08-01T11:08:00.000-05:00You raise some interesting questions, C. I agree ...You raise some interesting questions, C. I agree that from the young ages you mention, our reading patterns begin deep threads of who we'll become--especially writers. <BR/><BR/>For me, I devoured Lois Duncan and Edgar Allen Poe and most of the dark stuff that is still part of what comes through today. I didn't pick up a romance novel until began writing and my CPs told me it was absolutely the direction my voice was headed. I'd been so critical of the genre and balked at the mention of my creativity headed that direction. Then I read the best of that genre and fell in love with it and it's a great fit for me. <BR/><BR/>Had I been introduced to the genre earlier, absolutely, I would have taken a different path. Maybe waiting to encounter it until I was open and seeking something had a greater impact.L.A. Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11729129827211991040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-17292730008113686512008-08-01T11:03:00.000-05:002008-08-01T11:03:00.000-05:00I get such a kick when I 'discover' something new ...I get such a kick when I 'discover' something new that I'm glad I missed it until that moment :-DMiladysahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08065128196666157541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-51839346891896129322008-08-01T10:48:00.000-05:002008-08-01T10:48:00.000-05:00Wayne, so for you being able to read them there wa...Wayne, so for you being able to read them there was kind of an adventure. It added to the enjoyment of it.<BR/><BR/>SQT, to this day I have only a passing interest in graphic novels and comics. So I guess I'm not catching up.<BR/><BR/>Mark, up until I was a teenager and able to get out of the house, I hardly ever heard anything but country music or Lawrence Welk. To this day I don't like either, although new country music is something else. My dad wouldn't allow any other kind of music in the house.<BR/><BR/>J. L. Krueger, my sister worked at the small Charleston library when I was a pre teen and she brought me books. And I went to the library once every couple of weeks. My dad would take me there. <BR/><BR/>Greg, I came to horror late as well. It was late in college before I found it, and I started with Lovecraft and worked my way through a lot of short stories in series like the Charles Grant edited "Shadows." Thanks for the comments on "Blue Soul." I got my copies yesterday to and was going to comment on your three horror ku today. I especially liked the ancient book.<BR/><BR/>Bernita, that may have been good fo rme in a way. It forced me to read my sister's encyclopedias.<BR/><BR/>Writtenwyrd, you read "flesh" at 10? I thought that book was graphic when I read it at like 35. That's very interesting that those types of reading didn't have much influence on your writing.<BR/><BR/>Sarai, I was already reading "real" books before I discovered comics. I then bought a few of the fantastic four, spiderman boks, but never thought they compared with regular books and just sort of stopped reading 'em.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-82581249691381940582008-08-01T10:00:00.000-05:002008-08-01T10:00:00.000-05:00Believe it or not my parents wouldn't buy comics f...Believe it or not my parents wouldn't buy comics for me. I learned all I know about X-Men, Batman, Superman, Spidy and others through TV. When I got my first job I went out and bought every single one of them I could. When I moved to college mom sold them all. <BR/>So now I read graphic novels but everytime mom comes over I find myself hiding them LOL<BR/>I was jealous of all the other kids that got to have them (my parents thought they were a waste of money and would buy me "real" books instead!)Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00203551997160640352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-80316334212491257522008-08-01T08:13:00.000-05:002008-08-01T08:13:00.000-05:00I don't think I missed out on anything, but I grew...I don't think I missed out on anything, but I grew up in San Jose, CA and the librarians were rather liberal. When I checked out some books from the SF section, they didn't realise how, um, racy some of the content was either. I recall this one book, Flesh, which was practically a non-stop orgy... I read it (twice) and commented to my mother that it was a non-stop orgy. I was about ten at the time. Mom was a bit non-plussed that I had found such a book in teh SF or general fiction on the bookmobile, but not particularly upset. (She had a policy that if I had a question, she'd answer it. And if I wanted to read something, she'd let me. She's rather liberal, too!)<BR/><BR/>But although I read about 20 of the Tarzan books, all the Gor books, many Andre Norton books and other pulp works (as well as all the UFO books and conspiracy and esoteric books my library shelves held) I don't think these influenced my writing *style* that much. My thinking, yes. In particular when I was given a stack of old pulp magazines (Amazing Stories and the like, vintage from the 40s-60s, which I did not realize were worth something and which got lost.)<BR/><BR/>Anyhow, it seems to be a day of me rambling. Sorry for the long post.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-90683050996135615742008-08-01T07:08:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:08:00.000-05:00There was just never enough reading material of an...There was just never enough reading material of any kind when I was a kid.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-3321168487715836662008-08-01T06:07:00.000-05:002008-08-01T06:07:00.000-05:00I didn't discover horror until after college. ...I didn't discover horror until after college. The first Stephen King book I picked up was "Desperation," and I was 22. Of course, from the first sentence I was hooked, but I hadn't had any exposure to the genre before then.<BR/><BR/>I just got Dreams & Nightmares last night. I really like "Blue Soul." it's got a great voice, and the lack of punctuation and capitalization work well with the flow of the poem. Definitely the best poem in the issue!Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15344808703550376121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-40313319991971970032008-08-01T05:03:00.000-05:002008-08-01T05:03:00.000-05:00I missed out on just about all the comic books unl...I missed out on just about all the comic books unless a friend shared. My parents didn't allow any of that in the house...we were always told that it was rubbish.<BR/><BR/>Like you, I didn't get to see things like Conan until I was in my twenties. Growing up I read mostly history, or historical fiction. I didn't start branching out until I read "Lord of the Rings" and "Atlas Shrugged" in 8th grade.J. L. Kruegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03335606939334631954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-72198485486134337052008-08-01T04:14:00.000-05:002008-08-01T04:14:00.000-05:00During that time frame my parents were prolific re...During that time frame my parents were prolific readers of everything. Nothing in print was denied us, if it held our attention it was good. Newspapers, books of every sort, pulp comics...anything we laid our eye on was good and worth the purchase. <BR/><BR/>But I think the type of music I listened to is more definitive of where I got my writing styles from. Classical, folk, rock, country, be-bop, Motown...not the lyrics mind you but the music, it's beats and rhythms and meter. I think it is still true for today. Although I listen to much more than the already named today.the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-84971776785061802752008-08-01T02:23:00.000-05:002008-08-01T02:23:00.000-05:00I never got any of these magazines as a kid. I had...I never got any of these magazines as a kid. I had brothers, who sadly had no interest in reading, and a mom who thought Peanuts was more appropriate for a girl. Darn it!<BR/><BR/>I'm playing catch-up though. I just ordered a copy of Watchmen. I can't wait to get it!SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-54762843103200432522008-07-31T23:39:00.000-05:002008-07-31T23:39:00.000-05:00Going with what Stewart said, I would add that its...Going with what Stewart said, I would add that its all about where you bought the magazines. I never bought them in Chicago, I found them on racks in rural Streator and read them in on a rickety porch while my dad and uncles played poker in a tiny kitchen. I don't know that I'd have similar memories if I read them back here.Wayne Allen Salleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199261942617339556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-3572591483741854472008-07-31T20:47:00.000-05:002008-07-31T20:47:00.000-05:00Marmitetoasty, that's certainly true. I never tho...Marmitetoasty, that's certainly true. I never thought about missing out on anything when I was little. We don't know what we're missing. And you write just fine.<BR/><BR/>Travis Erwin, good point. What else might I not have read instead? Still!<BR/><BR/>Lana, freakishly sessy, that's for sure.<BR/><BR/>Heff, and I never knew the joy of Vampirilla.<BR/><BR/>Stewart, I was a fan in the sense of being fanatical about fantasy stuff and SF, reading everything I could get my hands on. So I'm guessing I would have loved these. No way to tell, of course.<BR/><BR/>Angie, I got a lot of books through scholastic books too. I'd hoard my money to buy 'em, and they were like 25 cents when I started. I still have a few of them, books on dinosaurs, space, and football mostly.<BR/><BR/>Steve Malley, those would probably have freaked me out too. I wanted the fantasy, adventure elements though. As much as I could get.<BR/><BR/>Paul, I kept finding books that were "in the tradition of Conan" before I ever found any actual Howard stuff. But I was primed and ready by then.<BR/><BR/>Tom Evans, I've read some of the vampirilla stuff since I've been grown and it actually holds up better than the Shadow, Doc Savage stuff to me.<BR/><BR/>Bernardl, I bet ERB and REH would still have been bigger to me anyway too. But I can see myself particularly enjoying the Doc Savage stuff.<BR/><BR/>Anndi, oh I was very content and don't really feel strongly emotional about missing some of this stuff. I do feel a bit of jealousy, though. Just a bit.<BR/><BR/>Travis, I read all the Hardy boys in our library, which was about four of them. I also liked the "three investigators"<BR/><BR/>Ivan, I bet I would have liked Mad as well, but we didn't have that either. Later in life I became a fan of spy versus spy.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com