Spring Forward and Forward and...
Happy…May? I meant to put a letter out in February but I was waiting on some things, and then March blinked past in a frenzy, April sneezed and here we are! I was waiting on this, but I am so thrilled to announce that my second horror novel, The Collective is available on Writ Large Press in its first iteration.
If you subscribe here, you will get the first installation of the book, two juicy chapters in your inbox on Monday May 20th and a new installation for the next thirteen weeks!
A paperback copy of the book will be available later this year, and after that an audio version, perhaps as a podcast. Writ Large Projects are always up to something new, learn more about them at their website!
For this book, I basically took my 15 years working in the film industry, added a demon who came to LA when movies first hit the city, added an up and coming actor, a reporter, a film exec, a splash of evil, and stirred.
But the official description:
Working for a demon is complicated and in his late fifties, Jonathan Hawkins is fighting the waning of his career in ageist, racist Hollywood and is working hard to maintain his relevance in the industry. As Simon Raithe’s devoted right-hand man, producer, and partner of several decades, he named and built the Collective. Jonathan is behind its language, genius, and silenced evil doings.
Still reeling from her mom’s sudden death from cancer, Jenny, 26, has blown off admission to med school and moved to Hollywood to pursue a lifelong dream of acting. When she falls in with the Collective everything begins to change. She becomes an assistant to the charismatic, yet elusive Simon Raithe. As she starts getting auditions, and invitations to exclusive parties, she puts aside any misgivings she may have about secret meetings, and parts of her life into which the Collective seems to seep.
Curtis is intrigued by his weekly dinners at Musso & Frank’s with Simon and his mentor, Jonathan, and decides to write a book on them: the real power in Hollywood, the unpinnable, ineffable Simon Raithe. But as he begins his research, their stories reveal holes and dark spots including the mysterious disappearance of an old friend. He has no choice but to dig further. What he uncovers could topple the entire organization.
Maruyama weaves a tale of intrigue, evil, and stardust as she takes you behind the velvet ropes of the film industry into its darkest recesses.
In this issue of Read. Write. Cook. I share the creepy and erotic new novella Ink Vine from Eliza Broadbent, a recipe for roasted spring vegetables, (maybe summer veg for you east coasters) and a writing exercise around sound.
Off to Stokercon again this year in San Diego, then the Nebula conference in Pasadena. I’ll report back!
Read.
I was so tickled to blurb this book! Eliza Broadbent was a phenomenal help when my book Bleak Houses launched last year, and she and I write about a lot of the same themes around the inequalities in this country.
My blurb: “Ink Vine is an erotic allegory that lures you in with atmosphere, weaves its magic and leaves you both wrecked and empowered.”
She pulls you right into the main character, Emmy, who is stuck in a tiny town next to a swamp where her circumstances of being female and poor make decisions for her. The most autonomy she can find is getting a job as an erotic dancer, and even then, when she’s saving up to money to get out, circumstance gets her down. When she meets a mysterious girl in the swamp and starts an affair, things get much more complicated, but she is galvanized in her beliefs, which go against the norm in her town and in her family. I totally recommend this immersive (and quick!) read.
Write.
I took a walk on Friday with a friend in Descanso gardens. It was unreal to be so close to the city, but under a bower of oak trees, with the wind whispering through the leaves in the trees. We were sitting on a bench when we heard a mammal hissing, in a way very similar to the way I’d heard our older cat scold our younger cat that morning. We turned around to see a squirrel on the tree hissing at something. An enormous, gorgeous red hawk then suddenly whooshed by our heads, and flew off.
There were so many sounds today: birds chirping, squawking, screeing, the sound of wings, squirrels rustling through the bushes, a stray helicopter and a plane, children screaming as they ran through the park. So this letter’s exercise is simple.
Go somewhere there are sounds. If you’re in a city, go to a local park if you can, if you’re in the country step out back (lucky…) get out in this gorgeous spring weather. Sit and close your eyes for a spell and start to write down all of the sounds you hear. Think of the layers of sound. Nothing is a wrong sound, traffic, shouting, someone talking out loud on their cellphone, list them all. If you’re in the mood and it’s agreeable, list some smells too.
Write.
Cook.
We’ve gone from regular family meals to wildly different schedules lately. But I’ve found that when I make this recipe, everyone in the house is thrilled and can use it in different ways. It’s kind of simple minded, but I find that simple recipes meet the most comments in this newsletters so here you go.
Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables:
3 zucchini
2 small Italian eggplants, or two Asian eggplants (one if it’s a large Italian eggplant.)
2 packages grape tomatoes (any size tomato will do, two if you are doing large size, 3 if Roma)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
fresh basil (I used only about two stalks)
zest, one lemon
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400
Slice vegetables to an equal width. I slice half the tomatoes, leave the rest whole. I’ve got mushrooms in this shot…honestly you can use any veg out there but I roasted the mushrooms separately (same sauce) and burnt them! So let’s pretend they didn’t happen. But the picture came out pretty.
Once they are sliced, put the vegetables into a bowl. In a small bowl, put in olive oil, chiffonade (slice really thin) then mince the basil, zest lemon into this bowl, add about 1/4- 1/2 tsp salt, about 1/4 tsp pepper, and the minced garlic.
Mix together until it looks like this (but deeper, I forgot to photograph this until I’d almost emptied the whole thing on the veg.)
Toss the entire bowl RIGHT AWAY in the mixture (the eggplant is very absorbent and you want to distribute the oil evenly. I scrape the last of the olive oil with a slice of zucchini.
Lay all of the veg out onto a cooking sheet (preferably with a rim) until it is evenly distributed. I lay mine on a silpad or parchment paper for easier cleanup.
Roast veg at 400 or 450 for half an hour. Go through with a spatula and flip the veg, and, if the back of your oven runs hot like mine, turn the cookie sheet around before reinserting. Roast until brown bits are apparent.
Serve with ANYTHING. honestly, roast chicken, beef, pork, by itself. My veggie husband likes it with tempeh, or just fry an egg and toss it on the top, or mince it and serve it with pasta. Sometimes I stand over the cookie sheet and just start eating. The end product is ridiculously delicious and can also be made ahead of time and served at room temperature.
ALSO if you have a ton leftover, slice into matchsticks, add a dash of balsamic vinegar and you have a welcome addition to any salad or sandwich out there. Enjoy!
