You might have noticed that I changed the image on the main page of the site. Exciting, I know. But I actually chose that particular picture for a reason. The anthology Salt is supposed to be coming out soon, and my story, "Twillingate," is about a ghostly encounter at a Newfoundland lighthouse. No, it’s not the one in the picture, but I like this one (it’s the Louisburg Lighthouse, actually), and I thought it looked sufficiently cool/creepy with the setting sun peeking out from behind the clouds.

I don’t have anything particular Haloween-y (heh-heh, weeny) to say today, except that "The Time Warp" was on the radio on my way to work this morning, so that was all right. Hmm… something creepy… something morbid.

Oh! There’s going to be a major death on Lost tomorrow, and Kat and I are at odds about who it’s going to be. We can’t think of anyone that they can get rid of and not piss off the fans, which, to the producers’ credit, they have no qualms about doing. Kat’s guess is that Sayid is going to buy it, although she likes him a lot and hopes it isn’t true. My money is on Claire. Her backstory is pretty much done (except for the potential revelation — which has been hinted at somewhat — that she is Jack’s half-sister), and all she does these days is take care of her baby and get pissed at Charlie.

Anywho, I’ve got a post about my first novel coming up. I’m building my strength, amassing my troops, and so on and so forth. I’m getting ready, in short, and the time is near.

Until then, we just bought a new HD upconverting DVD player on the weekend, and I can’t think of any better way to break it in than by watching a horror movie (maybe Jaws) on the big-screen.

• Currently reading: Lisey's Story, by Stephen King

As promised…

I also updated my bio pic with a newer (and much snazzier, in my opinion) photo.

• Currently reading: Lisey's Story, by Stephen King

Well, we’re back!

We had a great time on the East Coast, but after two weeks we were definitely eager to get home, to our new lives as husband and wife, but mostly to Thor, who we both missed dearly.

I won’t bore you with a complete rundown of every little thing we did, but here are some of the highlights.

First of all, in typical Air Canada fashion, they oversold our flight, and there was some question about whether or not we were going to be able to fly out at all. In the end, we were the last couple called ("Rogers, party of two!"), and it turned out they had bumped us up to First Class! A pretty sweet way to start off the honeymoon, we thought!

After flying into Halifax Airport, which is actually about thirty minutes north of the city, we drove to Truro where we had a chalet rented for a few days. From there we did little road trips. We went to Oxford to see my uncles (that was on October 17th, my birthday, and I have to say it was very cool to spend my 30th in the town where my father was born and raised). We also went to Cape d’Or to see the lighthouse (natch), and on the way back we happened to see a sign for a town called Spencer’s Island which plugged it as the "home of the Mary Celeste." I thought, They can’t be talking about the Mary Celeste, the ship whose crew vanished without a trace in 1872? But it was, and being in the place where that fabled ship was built was very surreal. An added bonus to the trip I wasn’t expecting.

After spending about three days in the area, we packed up the rental car and headed east. We passed through New Glasgow and eventually stopped in Antigonish. Consequently, there happened to be a serious Norwalk outbreak at the university in town, St. Francis Xavier (St. FX, to those in the know), so we never left the bed-and-breakfast where we were staying, ordering takeout and watching the new episode of Lost.

The following day we crossed the Canso Causeway and headed up the west coast of Cape Breton Island. Plenty of good waveage, although the weather was still quite good, plenty more lighthouses, and we ended the night as one of only two or three couples staying in the small town of Pleasant Bay. That day we took a hike and saw eight – count ‘em, eight – moose! One was a big bull and we promptly snapped his pic and kept right on walking.

The next day we drove across the top of the Cape Breton Highlands, went on a few more hikes, and spent the night in Ingonish, consequently on the same day that a notorious serial rapist was being released from prison. We knew this because it was all over the news and the guy had already made it clear he was returning to his hometown once he was released. Greeeat. So, again, we stayed in, having rented a nice chalet right on the ocean, and we spent the night watching the waves crash on the rocks. I got a soaker while Kat was taking my picture, which seems to be my destiny whenever I get close to the Atlantic (remember Newfoundland, Carrie and Glenn?).

In the morning we once again packed up and headed out. We spent the next few days in Sydney Mines and Little Pond, the latter is the town where my mother and her eleven siblings grew up. The last time I had been there was exactly twenty years ago this past August, so once again it was a very surreal experience. Matching up fragmented and faded memories with this place that, fortunately, hasn’t changed all that much in the interim.

Some of the highlights of this part of the trip:

- I got to spend a lot of time with my uncle Brian, who toured us all around the Sydney area, taking Kat to a lighthouse that she declared was one of the best she’s ever seen.

- I got to see my aunts Marlie and Marie, whom I haven’t seen since my last visit (i.e., twenty years ago).

- Kat and I found the location where one of my favorite cult horror movies was filmed, My Bloody Valentine. People in the area still remembered when it was being shot, and directed us to the shooting locations around town. The film deals with a serial killer stalking people in an East Coast mining town. It was one of my sister’s favorites, as well, so I grabbed us both a piece of coal from the now closed and paved-over Princess mine as mementos.

- We also got to see New Waterford, a quaint little town where they filmed another good movie, New Waterford Girl. Who would have thought there had been so many movies made in Cape Breton?

After leaving the Sydney area, we stopped in Glace Bay to take a tour of an actual coal mine. It was very cool and very creepy. The tour guide, who was a retired miner himself, told some great stories and I got some equally great pics.

After spending the night in the very quiet town of Louisbourg, we left the island and drove several hours back across the province to Lunenburg. This is where we spent out last three or so days, walking around town and generally relaxing from our road trip. Kat found us a great place to stay, Lunenburg Oceanview Chalets. Very quiet and very restful. I ate lobster, which I haven’t had in years, and we saw the Bluenose and some very cool (and somewhat creepy) sea caves, and had one of the best dinners of our lives at the Kilted Frenchman (you must go there if you’re ever in the area).

So, we ended up seeing a total of 13 lighthouses on the trip, and Kathryn was very happy with every one. I bought the new Stephen King book, and spent our last few days reading it while Kat read her own book or wrote in the journal which we kept over the course of our trip. We had a fantastic time. A perfect honeymoon!

The trip back was fast and painless. We were eager to get home and get back to our lives. If you swing by the Stories section, you’ll see I had a whopping eight rejections waiting for me. But it wasn’t too bad. Three of the letters were quite positive, in one of which the editor said he was sure the story would sell elsewhere, and in another, from the editor of Lunch Hour Stories, the editor told me "I think we’re getting closer to finding something that will work for our publication. I do like the way you write." Not too bad at all. (Frankly, I was more upset by the fact that a Tragically Hip concert in Peterborough was announced a week ago, and it sold out before we got back.)

I also had a bunch of books I had ordered waiting for me. Some Tim Lebbon short story collections, the complete Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, and some China Mieville books. It’s all good.

In other writing news, the editor of Revelation wrote me and said Issue 4:1, featuring my story "Winter Hammock," has been postponed until November due to some trouble with the artwork (which I guess means that Way Out West will be delayed, too).

And finally, I wanted to thank Melanie and Todd for letting me know that now that I’m 30 years old, the Sandman from Logan’s Run are probably looking for me. Thanks, guys!

Update: We just got the wedding pics today. I’ll try to post a few tomorrow.

• Currently reading: Lisey's Story, by Stephen King

So I got married yesterday.

We had a nice fall wedding at the Kawartha Golf and Country Club. The day started off dark and rainy, but it cleared up just in time for us to take a bunch of pictures outside with the brightly colored leaves. Then it started to rain again, but Kat and I were so happy we just didn’t care. We just kept telling ourselves, Hey, it could be worse. We could be in Buffalo! (And if you don’t know what that means, you should check out the news. Think snow. A lot of snow.)

After dinner and a slew of fantastic speeches, we spent the rest of the night dancing up a storm, and I was very glad to see so many people sticking around late into the night having a good time. Kat and I had been to so many weddings in the past couple of years where people just leave once the dinner is done. So we went out of our way to make sure that our wedding was specifically designed so that everyone had fun, which was all we wanted for our special day.

Kat broke down many, many times, which is her way, and the way of her family. And I have to say I got a bit teary during a particularly excellent photo montage put together by a friend of the family, chronicling the lives of Kathryn and me up until the time we met and fell in love.

It was a truly magical night. Not a single thing went wrong, everything was perfect. We got lots of compliments on the venue, our vows (which I wrote), and the speeches. One of our friends, Jay, came up to us at one point and said, “You know, this is exactly the kind of wedding I would expect from a writer and someone who works in communications.”

Thanks to everyone who was able to come out (especially to Sheldon and Patty, Jake and Helen, Chris and Amandeep) and thanks to those who couldn’t make it but sent along their warm wishes. Thanks to Glenn, my best man and my new brother, thanks to Carrie, my new little sister, and Jenn, my new big sister (haven’t had one of those before). Thanks also to David and Ronna, and the rest of the Verhulst clan.

Thanks to my parents for being simply fantastic. Your speeches were perfect (I guess I know where I got that writing gene from). Thanks to my sister Jennifer. Your reading was great, and everyone couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved you.

I’m probably forgetting someone, because there also seems to be at least one that goes unnoticed, and if I did, then I apologize. Thanks again to everyone for making it such a perfect day. Kat and I will be honeymooning in Cape Breton. We’re leaving this evening, and we’ll be gone for a couple of weeks. We’ll have lots of pictures and memories to share when we get back.

Until then…

Kathryn and Ian Rogers

I sent "Xmas Lights" off to Crimewave today, which brings me up to 30 stories in consideration. I didn’t really think I’d be able to have 30 stories finished by the time I turned 30 (next Tuesday is the big day). It wasn’t a real goal I’d been shooting for, but the ideas were there and writing them down came very easily, very smoothly. Things were looking a little scary there for a moment when "Twillingate" got accepted (dammit), but I managed to squeeze out that extra story.

I counted back through my previous entries, and it turns out I’ve written 14 short stories and 2 novellas since I moved to Peterborough five months ago.

I think I deserve an award or something now.

Like a wife or something…

• Currently reading: "Bobby Conroy Comes Back From the Dead," by Joe Hill

Finished another story today. A short one, to be sure, but it’s not the size that counts (so they say).

"Wood"

2,440 / 2,440 (100.0%)

Picked up my tux today, too. Tried it on while I was there, and I have to say I looked quite smashing. I’ll post a bunch of pics after the wedding, along with some from our honeymoon.

It’s turning into a very busy week. After picking up my tux, I picked up the new issue of The Paris Review, which has a 40-page Stephen King interview, as well as a couple of Tim Lebbon books. I printed out "Xmas Lights" and will be mailing it out to Crimewave tomorrow.

Time to finish up here so I can go watch Lost!

• Currently reading: "Tested," by Lisa Morton

Finished a new story today, one that takes place in Night City, a fictional locale in which I plan to set a few stories, and perhaps one novel.

"Xmas Lights"

6,071 / 6,071 (100.0%)

This one is about a young man named Jack Dormer, a courier who is paid to move merchandise in and out of the city. One of the more dangerous professions in a place where the sun never rises. I never explain why it is always night in the city. I prefer to leave it vague and use it simply as the backdrop to tell some particularly dark stories (pardon the pun).

Also, Kat and I were out this past Thanksgiving weekend, and I took a bunch of autumn pics. Here are a few of them. Enjoy!

• Currently reading: "Raphael," by Stephen Graham Jones

There’s a good article by Stephen King in The Washington Post called "The Writing Life."

Lots of good tips for writers, most of which are probably obviously to anyone who’s been at it for a few years. Still, it was nice to see King mentioning something I feel very strongly about:

I’m often asked if writing classes are any help, and my immediate and enthusiastic answer is always, Yes! Writing classes are wonderful for the writers who teach them and can’t make ends meet without that supplementary income. They are also good places for unattached people to meet, talk about books and movies, have a few drinks and possibly hook up. But teach you to write? No. A writing class will not teach you to write. The only things that can teach writing are reading, writing and the semi-domestication of one’s muse. These are all activities one must pursue alone.

Classic King.

I haven’t posted any photos in a while, so I thought I’d share a bit of the life of the writer this month in pictures.

Here we are at our friends’ wedding at Casa Loma in Toronto. This is where they filmed some of the interior shots of the X-mansion for the X-Men films.

A shot of me on the veranda at the back of the X-mansion. No sign of Jean Grey, alas…

Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight, folks. The one and only shot you’ll ever see from my bachelor party last Saturday. I had to wear this outfit, which I called Trailer Park Chic, and complete a scavenger hunt of sorts (the kind you might have to go through at, say, the Playboy Mansion) at a local club called The Junction. Good times. (Kat died laughing when she saw this picture, because she said it looks absolutely nothing like me. Thank Christ.)

A couple of shots of Thor in his favorite spot – my desk (naturally). The fancy ornate clock in the second pic was a present from Kat after I sold one of my stories.

• Currently reading: Every Dead Thing, by John Connolly