Hi readers! It’s good to be back. Sorry about the dust. I’ll try to clean up around here in a bit.

I’ve been off for the month, working on my latest novel, but now I am back and…

What is the deal with coloring books? Okay, this is a tangent, but recently I bought a coloring books for adults, based on the TV show Sherlock and I find it all very calming.

There I am, right next to my kids (while they work on their superhero or Little Pony books) and I am coloring a picture of a corpse hiding in some weeds. My daughter asked me “Who is that?” I replied, “Someone sleeping.” That was a lie, it’s a dead body! Yet, there I am coloring a picture of it. I’m feeling calm from doing it. It’s a freaking dead body and I am lying to my daughter too and I’m calmed by this and…

Okay, I really missed having this blog! Let’s see what else?

Oh, I introduced my eight-year old son to Monty Python! We watched Holy Grail. And, yes, I did fast forward through the naughty virgins scene, but the rest he ate up. Ever since then he has been quoting the film back to me, asking “Dad, do you remember when King Arthur asked if the monster was behind the bunny?” or “Flesh wound? He said it was just a flesh wound!” I can’t stop smiling about it. My son fits so nicely into my Monty Python world. Next up Flying Circus. Man, he is going to love the Spanish Inquisition. And spam! Who doesn’t love spam?

Man, did I miss venting here about things.

Deep Breath Scott, get your head back in the game and focused. Now here are the five things I am into right now. Enjoy! I’m off to color questionable scenes with Monty Python playing in the background. Bliss!

Skywalking Through Neverland

Yes, I’m the book snob who reviews literary fiction on NPR (Hello WKAR). But secretly in my heart I am a nerd for a galaxy far, far away. How big a one? Well, I did go to graduate school at the University of Southern California because George Lucas went there.

Now, while I hide my Star Wars fandom (only playing Star Wars Disney Infinity when the kids are asleep… and sometimes with their toys as well), Richard and Sarah embrace theirs, throwing in an additional love of Disney and Disneyland as well. Yes, I live vicariously through them each time I listen to their podcast, Skywalking Through Neverland. One thing I really like about this podcast is that they don’t just spend their time gushing over the fandom, they dive in, breaking down what works and sometimes doesn’t (Captain Phasma?). You can learn more about the podcast here.

Now in case I’m lucky, and Richard and Sarah check out this blogpost, I want to share one thought about Rey and her last name. I truly don’t think the filmmakers can resist having Luke say at some point in the next film: “Your mother never told you want happened to your father… No, Rey, I am your father.”

My Name is Lucy Barton

Okay, book snob hat back on. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout is wonderful.

I finished this new novel in a matter of a few days, and it is still with me. Elizabeth Strout is a master of capturing voice, and if you give this book a try you will walk away feeling like you met a real person, not simply read a really well-made book.

In the 1980s, Lucy Barton gets sick after a simple operation, forcing her to spend weeks in the hospital. She is separated from her family, until her husband has her estranged mother flown in to keep her company. At the heart of the book is their relationship, their differences and similarities.

I look forward to reviewing this one on WKAR, but if you want to check it out early, you can find it on amazon here.

Legends of Tomorrow

Welcome to my new addiction.

I love The Flash, still one of my favorite tv shows on; I like watching Supergirl with my daughter; and Arrow is fun (even though I am astonished how the characters are always making the wrong decision… and who in their right mind would live in this city???), but Legends of Tomorrow walks a wonderful line between action team adventure and Doctor Who. It even has “Rory” on it acting like the Doctor!

This show could have been a disaster. A bunch of minor characters from other shows traveling through time doesn’t scream success. Yet, it works here. I can’t wait for Thursdays and the new episodes, and I’ve rewatched the earlier ones a few times over. I love watching this cast of characters interact with each other. And without the burden and rules of their previous shows, the writing feels so much more free. Anything can happen.

If you haven’t checked out this show, start on the first episode and catch up. It’s a fun trip.

Rock Band 4

In an earlier post, I discussed how I was working on a draft of my new novel with an agent. Well, to take a break from time to time (clear my head), I would turn to this game. If my kids were asleep, I would usually use my Paul McCartney bass (Man, I miss Beatles Rock Band), but if I was lucky I would pull out the microphone and sing to my hearts content.

Honestly, when I use the word “sing” it is not like how everyone else uses that word. Sure the game says I am hitting a note, maybe even getting the audience excited, but I am realistic to know that I am not ready to go on tour outside of my house.

Still, there is nothing so liberating as putting on a song that you love and just belting it out. I have Dave Matthews, David Bowie, and even Aha’s Take on Me if you dare to try for that high note. For some reason, I especially love the impossible songs like “It’s the End of the World” by R.E.M. and “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies. So much fun! (When the front curtains are closed and the neighbors can’t see, of course.)

The X-Files

When I was younger I loved the first few years of The X-Files. You felt like you were truly working to the end of a mystery and everything was so carefully and tightly wound together…. Of course, then the show almost imploded upon itself with too much mythology, went on for too long and left the world wondering what the heck it all just meant.

The fact that we have to accept is that the show is more a soap opera than a mystery. It is not building to a conclusion, it is building to a cliffhanger so it can go on again and again.

Fox has decided to bring back this classic show for six episodes, and I admit I am hooked, just like I was so many years ago.

Now the wiser Scott, the Scott that knows better, knows that the writer/creator didn’t need to tell these stories. These aren’t episodes he was building too. This is just him continuing the soap opera he started so long ago. So why am I along for the ride again?

Because I want to believe the truth is out there, damn it.

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New book! New book! New book!

My latest novel Permanent Spring Showers was just published by 5 Prince Books. You can find out more about my novel as well as my other books (including A Jane Austen Daydream and My Problem With Doors) and grab a copy via my author page on Amazon.com here.