Guest Post: Matthew Biberman on Jay Leno

It's time for my regular drum beating for my favorite book this year. If you're a new-ish reader, I'm talking about the wonderful book Big Sid's Vincati by Matthew Biberman. (You can see my review here, and also a bit of information about how Jay Leno and the Vincati became acquainted here.)

Jay Leno filmed the Vincati for his website and the video is going up tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 7th. Be sure to check it out, Leno's garage has the coolest site, where he talks about the bikes, cars, etc in his collection and usually culminates each episode with driving whatever he's talking about. I'm not much of a car or motorcycle person, but I have a huge appreciation for the beautiful old vehicles in his collection. And I can't wait to see his thoughts about Matt and Big Sid's hybrid motorcycle!

Matthew Biberman, being an author and Shakespearean professor is a much better writer than I'll ever be, so rather than go on and on, let's let Matt tell us about Jay Leno and the Vincati:

Countdown to the Vincati's Appearance on Leno's Garage
by Matthew Biberman

September 4, 2009

With promotion, everything comes down to the writer. Agents, editors, massive publishing houses, publicists—in this day and age, none of that really matters. Its you and your book, so if you believe, then at least once in your life, you got to go for broke.

The shot seems staged and yet it really wasn’t. The film crew had left and Leno had turned his attention to other tasks, principally loading up the Bugatti he was taking to show at the Pebble Beach councours, an event 350 miles north that started the following day. Yet somehow, one of my accomplices in Vincati crime realized there was still some unfinished business and succeeded in rounding us all up for this hastily taken group shot.

I don’t even know who took the picture, one of Leno’s garage crew, certainly, but was it John, or Bob, or Bernard?

And so who are you looking at? That’s Stephen standing by the front wheel. The owner of Restoration Werks in Chicago. I christened him the driver of the bus, in homage to Neil Cassidy, the famed Beat icon who served as Kerouac’s inspiration for On the Road, and who drove Kesey’s bus, Further, on its epic journey across America back at the start of the 60’s. And funny enough, Stephen is currently restoring another famous bus, the bus that served as house and workshop to Von Dutch, the American folk artist who popularized pin striping on hot rods.

Next to him stands the ever ebullient Jacqui Van Ham, the slash 5 girl, whose exploits on her 1972 BMW R75/5 in Europe have thrilled many motorcyclists. She hooked a ride on the Vincati express, wide eyed, and ready to chronicle this adventure. We will see what she cranks out.

Next to her stands my dad, Big Sid, looking pretty good—if drained and dazed from what just transpired.

And there in the middle, the man of the hour, Mr. Lantern Jaw himself. He has selected a pose and assumed it and yet something else radiates from him. Absent is the irony. He is not trying to sell you crap and he knows it. He's just had fun and somehow standing next to Big Sid means more to him than I will ever know.

I see now he has his front hand in his pocket. Stand offish? Perhaps. But everyone wants a piece of him and yet he has stood his ground better than most would in his position. There was no phalanx of lawyers surrounding him. There was no tech inspection or preliminary ride before he wacked the throttle open on the 101 and hit 90 on a bike built in a cinderblock garage in Kentucky by an old man who has forgotten too much and his son, an ink scribbler, who never quite learned all that much about motors.

And there I am, my face a crafted expression of triumph. Somehow, I had pulled it off—but what? I am still not sure. It was fun, though and totally irrational. And it may not help me sell one additional book. But at that moment, I didn’t care, and truth be told, I was thinking about reality tv and Shakespeare.

Just what would the Bard have made of the YOUTUBE phenomenon? I’ll tell you one thing: when Leno looked at me and quoted my book: “Matthew, you may not have written the great American novel” PAUSE, SHAKES BOOK, “But this is pretty good!” I felt like it was more real than reality TV, more real than reality, even.

Finally, on the end, my buddy Scott Van Houten. Shepard to the Vincati on its trip in the Van while I flew out with Sid. A fantastic drummer who told me, more than once, that if you want to make it big, you got to leave Louisville—you got to take it on the road and leave what you got on the floor, for the fans. Well, we did, hauling the Vincati all the way to waters of the Pacific Ocean.

And Leno’s hand stretched out to the viewer, a gesture that says . . . what? Go, little book, go.

NOTES

Look for the Vincati footage on jaylenosgarage.com starting this Monday.

For a better view of the snap go here:
Leno and the Vincati

Okay--y'all know I'm just gonna keep nagging you until you read this book, right??? What are you waiting for???? Go get the darned thing.....

Books you've just GOT to read!! #6

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

It's time for another installment!

This time, I wanted to talk a bit about a much loved, but sometimes overlooked and forgotten series...The Boxcar Children. So many of us grew up reading the Boxcar Children books and then many of our kids did as well. I thought you'd enjoy the story of what the Boxcar Children meant to one reader...

Mandie of Just We Moms shares her story with us:

When Gertrude Warner was home sick from her teaching job one day, she came up with the idea of The Boxcar Children. She began writing the first of many Boxcar Children stories. Many of her pupils were learning English as a second language, so Ms. Warner worked diligently to make the story simple to read to encourage emergent readers to develop a love for reading.

Back in February of 1985, I moved from North Carolina to Iowa. Moving mid-year meant all the students my new class had already formed bonds with one another and I had a more difficult time breaking into the group. I vividly remember walking into the school library and finding a copy of The Boxcar Children on the shelf. I remember it was one shelf removed from the circulation desk located on the middle shelf on the far left side, the carpet was brown, and the librarian scared me. My interest was peaked because this book was the first in a series and if I liked it, I wouldn’t have to do the overwhelming job of finding another book with the scary librarian watching my every move since this was just the first in a series!

I was not disappointed with The Boxcar Children. Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny quickly captured my imagination. I had three sisters at home, but never a close relationship with them. I had multiple new friends at school, but no one with whom I had created a close bond.Visiting with the Alden orphans on a daily basis filled a large void in my life. I imagined running away from the orphanage, going to the local dump with them looking for the necessities of life, and finding that boxcar in the woods like an oasis in the desert. I joined Henry in his trips to the nice doctor’s house where he earned money to help feed his siblings. I sat in suspense as Violet fell ill and grew concerned whenever thoughts of the book’s villain, the orphans’ grandfather, came to mind.

When Gertrude Warner wrote the first book in this series in 1924, I am sure she never imagined it would grow to be 140 installments since she only penned the first 19! I am sure she also never imagined a younggirl in Iowa looking for a place to belong and finding solace the characters she created. Because of the experiences I had with the series, I will always have a special place in my heart for Gertrude
Warner, Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, and their grandfather, Mr. Alden.

Plot Summary of the first Boxcar Children book (from Wikipedia)

The first book tells the story of four children: Henry James Alden, 14; Jessie Alden, 12; Violet Alden, 10; Benny Alden, 6; and their dog Watch. Upon the death of their mother and father, their grandfather assumes custody of the children, but they run away because they believe him to be cruel. Finding an abandoned boxcar, they start a new life of independence. They furnish their boxcar with items retrieved from a local dump while Henry works for a young doctor, in order to earn money for food. The young doctor, Dr. Moore, who lives in a nearby city, hires Henry to do jobs around his home, such as mowing the lawn and organizing his garage. He also does gardening for Mrs. Moore. (In one case, Mrs. Moore let him take home some parsnips and carrots he had picked because they were too small) The children's lives are pleasant and simple until Violet becomes ill and they must go to Dr. Moore for assistance.

Earlier in the novel, Dr. Moore has read in the newspaper that a man named James Alden was offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who can locate his four lost grandchildren. When Violet is taken ill, Dr. Moore finally contacts James Alden, who arrives just after the children bring in Violet for treatment. Not wanting to frighten the children into running away again, their grandfather referred to himself as Mr. Henry (Henry being his middle name). Not knowing that the man was their "cruel" grandfather, the children warm to his kindness and are surprised but delighted when Dr. Moore reveals to them that he is their grandfather. After moving in with their grandfather, Mr. Alden moves the boxcar to his backyard for their enjoyment.

Boxcar Children is one of those rare literary franchises that can last for decades. You might remember them from your childhood, if so, introduce the Alden children to your family once again!

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #5

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

The last books that DesLily talked with me about is the Dragonlance series.

".....And how do I speak of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman's, Dragonlance? Many know the game, and it is still fairly popular, but I no longer hear of the books that brought them to life.

There are many books written under the name Dragonlance. But the main 6 novels written by Weis and Hickman were the ones that really made it all possible. The first publication of their books was in 1984.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning, Test of the Twins, Time of the Twins and War of the Twins.

Many more Dragonlance books are out there but these are the "best of the best".

Once again, although filled with adventure and daring I found them to be character driven, with a wide variety of characters, from humans to half elf to dwarf to kinder to sorcerer...and there's not a one who won't remain with you for years to come.

I don't know what it is about a book (or books) that makes me never want to leave them. I don't know why I find I must return to them time and again. I don't know what it is that makes me wish I were a very real part of them. There seems to be no one thing I can point to and say, "this is why I think they are so wonderful"... they just are.

These authors and their books are from "my era". But they still sell them! They are still out there for new people to find them and to fall in love with them. I can only wish that they will be found by another generation and become the success they were once again. --DesLily"


Lest all you young'uns think you have the market on fantastic fiction and creative gaming cornered...its been around a lot longer than you think!

From Wikipedia
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans devised the concept that became Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application. At TSR, Tracy met his future writing partner Margaret Weis, and they gathered a group of associates to play the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, and a series of novels, as well as licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures.

In 1984, TSR published the first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It began the Chronicles Trilogy, a core element of Dragonlance. While the authoring team of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the setting's central books, numerous other authors contributed novels and short stories to the setting. Over 190 novels have used the Dragonlance setting, and have been accompanied by a supplemental campaign setting in the Dungeons & Dragons – style for over a decade. In 1997, Wizards of the Coast LLC purchased TSR, and licensed Dragonlance to Sovereign Press, Inc in 2001 to produce game materials; this licensing agreement expired in 2007.

The fictional Dragonlance world of Krynn contains numerous characters, an extensive timeline, and a detailed geography. The history of Krynn consists of six ages. The novels and related game products are primarily set in the fifth age, The Age of Despair. Since February 2009, the sixth age, the Age of Mortals, has been used. The Heroes of the Lance, created by Weis and Hickman, are the popular protagonists of the Chronicles trilogy, the first books set in the Dragonlance universe. Along with D&D's world of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance is one of the most popular shared worlds in fiction.

A huge THANK YOU to DesLily for pointing out a whole new genre. I always knew these types of books were around, but haven't ever read any. I'm about to expand my horizons!

What horizon expanding and genre bending have you done lately??

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #4

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

Let's continue with DesLily's favorite long-forgotten books:

......Then there is David Eddings and his Belgariad series. Sadly Mr Eddings recently passed away, but he did leave a legacy of his books behind so that others may still find his world and his characters and his wizards!

This series of books began in 1982 (well that means some of you were born!) and is a series of 5 books.


Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanters' End Game.

It is followed by The Malloreon which is a five book sequel that continues the story started in the Belgariad. The two books added later: Bergarath the Sorcerer and Polara the Sorceress.


Besides being an adventure filled with wars and secrets, it is a very character driven series of books. Once again I found that the characters felt like I knew them. (or wanted to know them) This is just another example of a series of books that no longer gets talked about or mentioned. They too have found their way onto the "forgotten list of extraordinary books.".. and yet I so wanted to meet Belgarath and Polgara!! (and still do!)......

Eddings is yet another author that I haven't read. He died in June of this year and while googling him, I found a great article about him on Starlog.com.

Eddings had some strong reservations about how fantasy is written today, especially concerning the genre’s prudishness. He charged the veritable father of fantasy with starting the trend. “Papa Tolkien was such a prissy guy,” Eddings claimed. “I would also say that this is the prissiest art form that there is. That’s what fantasy is about now. Tolkien didn’t want boy-girl relationships. [But during that time], there was a certain amount of hanky-panky going on. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

DesLily has convinced me, I'm going to check out this genre, and I'll certainly begin with her favorites.

(The last part of DesLily's discussion of her favorites will continue on Saturday..You're just gonna have to wait and see what's in store.. I know...I'm evil....)

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #3

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

This week's "Gotta read" features books suggested by Deslily. Here's a portion of the discussion we've had about her favorite books:

Books of Another Time

Wow.. where does one begin when asked to write about their all time favorite books?

Kelly, of The Novel Book Worm, asked me to write down some thoughts about the books I mentioned when I entered her giveaway.

I'm not very good at writing, especially writing how I feel about things. But I guess I will give it a shot.

The books I listed with Kelly are Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, David Eddings Belgariad series and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance series.

Originally Kelly asked this:

Have you ever read a book and loved it, only to learn that it doesn't find the great success you'd expect? Maybe because its from a small publishing house, or maybe because its badly marketed? It's not only frustrating for us, the readers, but imagine how it must feel to be the author. To put heart and soul into a book, to know its really good, and yet....phhhhtttt....tepid sales.

But I really didn't know any books that I loved that fit the category of not having success. But I did feel that the books I loved for so many years have started to become a thing of the past... the forgotten writings of some great authors with great stories to be told.



Anne McCaffrey's Pern books started coming out way back in 1968.. that's before many of you were born! So it's no surprise that if I asked you have your read The Dragonriders of Pern, you'd say : "huh?" And yet between Anne and her son Todd they have 20 (yes, you are reading right) books out on the Dragonriders and Dragons and Pern itself. However, in the beginning there were: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon and then the Harper Hall Trilogy, Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums.

I dearly love these books! Anne McCaffrey created a planet with problems, filled it with good and evil people and most of all with her wonderful Dragons and then swept me away for years to come.

They are books I have read and reread a number of times.

They are books that for no apparent reason will pop into my head and I find it's time to read them again!

The books are character driven. And even the dragons have personalities and so they are a part of the equation. I can't even envision Pern without the dragons!

Although one cannot buy the "original books" anymore, they have been distributed in new paperback versions........

(More to follow....yep...I'm keeping you in suspense....)

Of course, my conversation with Deslily sent me straight to google, I'm certainly old enough to have read McCaffrey's work, but I'm "genre-challenged" (i.e. Stuck in a Rut), so her work is new to me!

From Wikipedia
McCaffrey's most famous works are the Dragonriders of Pern series. These are set on an Earth colony which has reverted to medieval times but also produced dragons. These dragons are flown by elite "dragonriders" who communicate telepathically with their dragons, and defend Pern against pernicious "threads" which cross space periodically from a nearby planetoid and threaten to destroy all vegetation on Pern. The short story "Weyr Search" (1968), the initial story in the Dragonriders of Pern series, won a Hugo Award for Best Novella. McCaffrey thus became the first woman to win a Hugo for fiction.

At the 2005 Nebula Award ceremonies, McCaffrey was named the 22nd Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America organization. In 2006 she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

From Anne's Biography on her website:
Anne McCaffrey’s first story was published by Sam Moskowitz in Science Fiction + Magazine and her first novel was published by Ballantine Books in 1967. By the time the three children of her marriage were comfortably in school most of the day, she had already achieved enough success with short stories to devote full time to writing. Her first novel, Restoree, was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in s-f novels in the 50s and early 60s. It is, however, in the handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly the two series The Ship Who Sang and the fourteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern that Ms. McCaffrey’s talents as a story-teller are best displayed.

Although she used to make appearances throughout the world as guest of honor at science fiction conventions, arthritis has now restricted such travel. She lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill (because she had to dig out a hill on her farm to build it) in Wicklow County, Ireland. It is not remotely like a castle, "on purpose," she says to people who believe ‘hold’ is synonymous with ‘castle’ in Ireland.

Anne runs a private livery stable and her horses have been successful in Horse Trials and showjumping. She does not ride in competition, she hastens to add, but has enjoyed the success of horse and rider and, until recently, rode out on her black and white mare, Pi.

Anne McCaffrey is a prolific writer, whose work I'm not familar with. Many readers have suggested books for this series in the fantasy/scifi type genre, and I've got to say, I've never really read much of either genre. (You can't count the Lord of the Rings series...everyone has read them!!) I don't think I realized what a reading rut I've been in most of my adult life, I'm expanding my horizons thanks to readers like Deslily! You can see Anne McCaffrey's complete bibliography here