Random bits

Last night I dreamt I turned one of my short stories into a comic book. A little black and white affair that I printed about a thousand copies of and sold online and at local comic shops.

Not a bad book, either, in the dream. I find myself wishing I had not given up art and drawing so readily when I was a kid. I've put together some random notions for comic books here and there, I even have something serial brewing in the margins of my notebooks that seems so suited for comic-dom.

I wonder if I'm too old to pick up enough basic artistic skill to give it life? Or should I seek out an artist willing to collaborate on this endeavor?

I need to finish up my short-story collection first.

An author was handing out flyers for her novels at the Barnes and Noble. Plugging her "culturally relevant, southwestern themed mystery novels." On the one hand, I congratulate her. Writing is good. On the other, I find myself wishing people would be more adventurous and break away from the formulaic stuff. Seriously. My soul can only suffer the pain of so many niche suspense "stories" with the same cookie-cutter, overly likeable but completely boring protagonists.