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Monday Jun 01, 2020
Monday Jun 01, 2020
You may have noticed a new look to this blog. Yes, you are observant, my friend. This has a new look; one that I am still tweaking as you read this.
I uploaded a YouTube video to, uh, I guess YouTube which you can watch by clicking on this: ClickBait. It doesn’t go to click bait so much as a quick tour of my very cozy new studio/office.
Bookbinder of the Week:
Susan Mills makes very unique books covering a unique variety of topics. She teaches in Nova Scotia and other places, plus she hosts the Bookbinding Now podcast (upon which I was honored to be interviewed once) where other hosts interview guests from fields closely related to book arts such as paper making, weaving, and printmaking. You can see many of her books here: Susanmillsartistbooks. And enjoy their structures, design, use of paper, and the thoughts that support them.
Bookbinding
I cased in half a mystery/detective novel today. It has been edited so there is a lot of scribbling on many pages. I didn’t use the best quality material but I practiced quality control. I worked also on getting the cover width correct. I almost managed, too.
A5 in size, incomplete it is 180 pages, about 10 or 11 signatures, and two different colored endpapers. A simple brown paper cover and very thin book boards.
New Video: I posted a YouTube video of the casing in of Caraculiambro here.
Fiction
I completed Heart of November. Finished. Crossed the finish line. The final words are spoken by the main character: “What’s it about?”
A teenager goes the the Democratic Republic of the Congo, meets with sex traffickers, drug dealers, and antique booksellers. Violence ensues. Based very loosely on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness but with many obvious allusions to it. The main bad guy’s name, a false one as it turns out, is Kurtz. When the teenager gets back to his high school his English literature assignment is to read Heart of Darkness so he asks the question above.
If you desire, I will send you – Free! – a short estory “Eternal City” in celebration of me finishing Heart of November. “Eternal City” involves a female executive who is harassed by a senior executive and kills a vampire.
All you do is email me Here!
Yet to be finished: The Sound of Fear and the above mentioned Caraculaimbro.
Communication
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
Bookbinder of the Week
Siuyuett (aka Teresa Tsang) is a Hong Kong-based bookbinder active on many media sites including twitter (@siuyuett). She has photos of her creation posted by others on Pinterest.She is also the subject of a YouTube video which can be found at this YouTube Video.
She is creative, imaginative, and inspiring. At least she inspires me. I’m sure she’ll be an inspiration to you all, too.
Bookbinding
In the final few hours I edited a short movie about my new studio space. In order to have content, I made a perfect binding book. A perfect binding is glue on the edges of the pages. Most paperback books are perfect binding. Next week I hope to finish both the perfect binding and the video. The perfect binding is a blank notebook of many, many pages. I have no idea how many. Nor do I know the size as they were cut from US letter sized paper. From the US IRS thanking me for my many contributions; they were kind enough to add blank pages and it is these that I am using for this Perfect Binding experiment.
Fiction
I am still, yes, still both writing & editing Heart of November (and Priests of Hiroshima). I decided yesterday that I should write first and edit later. This resulted in me writing about two chapters in the early morning hours. I think it is a successful venture.
Heart of November: A teenage high school students spends a month (November) in the Congo. He meets and gets involved with violent sex slavers. He and a Congolese friend save a group of women, including an Australian woman. While in the Congo, he discovers he has an interest in ancient books.
There are three sections in this novel: 1. He becomes interested in the Congo, 2. He goes to the Congo, 3. He becomes a literature teacher but wants to find old manuscripts and books. Naturally, these are not presented in order. They progress at different speeds and in different orders.
Communication
A New! Exciting! YouTube video is on the way!
When? Soon, I hope.
Tuesday May 05, 2020
Tuesday May 05, 2020
Bookbinder of the Week:
Mark Cockram is a very skilled bookbinder out of England. He bound Salman Rushdie’s Quichotte for the Booker Prize. He has a bookbinding course which is probably very intense and valuable. Take a gander at his blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.
Bookbinding
Nothing! I have, however, organized, re-organized, and moved bone folders from the right side of my work bench to the left. Progress is slowly being made on the Bookbinding front. I do have two books that need casing in. Hopefully, I will get to them soon. As soon as I get re-re-organized, of course.
Fiction
Two items are being worked on this week: The Priests of Hiroshima and Heart of November. The first is a time-traveling piece of fiction that deals with antique books, Gutenberg, a priest in love with a nun and vice versa, a young craftsman in love with the boss’s daughter and vice versa, and Calvado roaming the time tunnels of an antique bookshop which also houses a talking cat.
The second is about a man - as of yet unnamed - who, as a high school student, travels to the Congo, gets involved in sex trafficking, drugs, and violence, and returns home to become an English literature teacher in a third-rate university. He also becomes an antique book buyer and seller. It is as a bookseller that he becomes involved in a murder while seeking a specific book for a client. The murder is related to the Congo and sex trafficking.
Communication
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Bookbinder of the Week:
Bookbinder's Chronicle has no spoken words. Filmed in sepia, it has nine videos but the information is clear and precise. Most of the videos are about 20 minutes long and, unfortunately, she is no longer making them. Fortunately, they contain a lot of information useful for beginning bookbinders.
There is also a blog about bookbinding and restoration.
Bookbinding
I moved. I went from a rented studio space to a free studio space (although much smaller). This new space has room for my computer set up and my binding bench but is a little bit sparse when it comes to storage. This is a benefit as I will have to use material rather than keep it for some unknown future project.
Fiction
I am editing and proofreading book three of the Calvado Quintet called The Priests of Hiroshima. I am making it much, much better than when I first wrote it in 2012. More accurate information, more character growth, more conflict. And deeper: more character comments about life, religion, politics, history, the relevance of information as it is stored in books, and love (of course).
Communication
My attempts at communicating with the outside world can be found at:
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Bookbinder of the Week:
Sage Reynolds. He is no longer making books but his YouTube videos are still up. They are clear, understandable, and a wealth of knowledge. He tells you both what he is doing, how he is doing it, and why he is doing it.
Bookbinding
Giapan is a Japanese artist but it is also the name of my novel about Giapan, Galatea, Teubner, Barahona and their adventures going from southern Spain to northern Spain in 1600. It takes quite a few hints from Cervantes’ Don Quixote.
It is about 250 pages, B6 in size, with a so-called artistic drop cap first letter of each chapter and the G on the cover, and many pictures.
I cased it in twice. The first time the square was not right; the fore-edge was too big and the textbook sat a bit catawampus aka crooked. I ripped it apart and re-cased it in. It looks much better now.
It has, as you can see, a kimono-esque back cover. I thought this appropriate because one of the main characters — and the title character — is a Japanese artist roaming Europe but is no in Spain.
Fiction
I am writing the third book of the Fear Trilogy— The Sound of Fear. It is coming along smoothly and I am using a different writing technique than I normally do. Normally, I think, write, rewrite, and continue on without an outline. A so-called pantser; someone who writes by the seat of their pants. On The Sound of Fear and indeed the entire Fear Trilogy, I have an outline. A so-called planner.
I have proofread the final book in the Japan Pentology. Giapan is one of the five books. The last book, and the most difficult to read, is The Year Without Days. It is a Conspiratorial Love Story between a blimp pilot, a store clerk, and the religion that seeks to destroy Tokyo in an attempt to get more believers.
The next up on my proofreading list is the Calvado Quintet. I am currently proofreading book one: Tristram’s Printer.
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
Wednesday Mar 25, 2020
Bookbinder Page of the Week: Sea Lemon. She has a ton of videos on YouTube plus other social media sites. Well worth the effort to watch and learn.
Bookbinding
This week found me casing in two books. First was a A6-size (pocketbook) blank notebook with 100 pages. A nifty red cover with indents and outdents on the front. Also included is a bookmark.
Second was a Personalized 2020 Schedule starting in April. It has two yearly calendars (2020 & 2021), 14 monthly calendars (this and next year's March are included), and a weekly calendar for 2020 to March 2021.) The cover is an old shirt of the client's and some decorations. Inside are about 15 photographs of the client and the travels they made during last year.
If you would like a personalized 2021 Schedule or a lined or blank Notebook, contact me.
Fiction
I have written and finished! Yes, finished! Fear Itself and Fear the Dead. Books 1 and 2 of the Fear Trilogy. On the old laptop now is The Sound of Fear, Book 3 of the Fear Trilogy. It is going along smoothly. What I learned in The Sound of Fear (working to an outline) is helping with this book. I have an outline. I write to it. I add sparkle, spices, intrigue, and aggression to make it more exciting.
In the final book of the Fear Trilogy, Matt comes up against a formidable enemy, finds friendship with a former enemy, and may have found a long-lost friend.
I have also read, proofread, printed out, and sewed up The Year Without Days. The Japanese Pentalogy is ready to make into an ebook and publish! Yeah!
The Japanese Pentalogy is
- Botchan’s Bartender,
- The Tokyo Tunnel Girl,
- The Nuns of Nañao,
- Giapan, and
- The Year Without Days.
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
The Bookbinder Stopan webpage. He also has a YouTube Channel.
Bookbinding
In bookbinding I have sold one 2020 Schedule with about 14 pages. One page per month as the client requested plus 12 Photos. The Schedule is personalized with those photos. If you would like a personalized anything, be it a 2020 or 2021 Schedule or a lined or blank Notebook, contact me.
Fiction
In Fiction, two items: First, Book One of the Fear Trilogy is a hair's breadth away from being finished. Second, I have farmed out two books to beta readers (The Priests of Hiroshima and Abacus Longing). Third, I hope to have a short story available as a present if you sign up for my newsletter. Fourth, I have proofread and edited four novels which I hope to have available soon.
I am proofreading the fifth novel, The Year Without Days, now. When it is finished, ebooks will be uploaded for your reading pleasure. If you would like a Real Book, contact me.
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Videos to learn about the Caterpillar stitch for bookbinding: Caterpillar Stitch with Kristi Warren & Caterpillar Stitch with Mike
Bookbinding
I learned the basics of the caterpillar stitch (from the two YouTube videos linked to above) and used it to repair a pair of torn jeans. I shall do better on my next attempt which I hope will be a book cover.
I printed out another 2020 schedule and still have four books to case in by the end of February/middle of March.
Sadly, I am moving my studio from this place to a smaller place in the next few months. The smaller place is also free, so that’s a strong motivator.
Fiction
I wrote a bunch on Book Two of the Fear Trilogy: Fear the Dead. It is suspenseful, driving, and, I hope, powerful. I suspect it will be finished by February 29th, right on schedule. Next, I outlined Book Three: The Sound of Fear. This is due to be finished by the end of March.
Similarly, for some inexplicable reason, I started another trilogy. Even before outlining my second trilogy: The Vengeance Trilogy, I wrote a few pages and an outline of The Byzantine Zombie Trilogy Book One: Death in Constantinople. Perhaps Constantinople should be my second trilogy, eh?
Finally, I proofread four of the five books in The Japanese Pentalogy and am finishing the fifth book: The Year Without Days as I type.
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Watch the Bookbinders Chronicle on YouTube for easy-to-understand Bookbinding tutorials.
Bookbinding
Rather than actually do any bookbinding work, I came up with some problems: aligning and improving. I need to align snaps on a shirt to use as a book cover. The shirt might be a tad too thick but the biggest problem is aligning the snaps.
Second, I looked at a book I made about a year ago and it looks very weather-beaten. Perhaps because of the book cloth I used, perhaps because the book board is too thin. I need to improve both of those so that the books I make will stand up to time.
Third, I have four books that need to be cased in in the next couple three weeks.
Fiction
I created deadlines for my fiction. Starting with my Fear Trilogy and ending with a new trilogy. The Fear Trilogy should be finished by the end of February and I seem to be on track to finish. The new trilogy is penciled in to finish by the end of September. Can I do it?
In the last couple of weeks I have edited, proofread, and written on the books I want to publish on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Scribd.
What have I actually done? I’ve edited & proofread novels in the Japanese Pentalogy: Botchan’s Bartender, Tokyo Tunnel Girl, The Nuns of Nañao, and Giapan. One more to go: The Year Without Days. These are scheduled to be finished by the end of February.
After the Japanese Pentalogy I do two more things. First, I rush into my Calvado Quintet which I hope to finish by the middle of May. Second, I edit & proofread my Oregon Murder Mystery by mid-July. Third, I outline, write, proofread, edit, and upload my Vengeance Trilogy by the end of September.
Bookbinders Chronicles on YouTube
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Three books await casing in and I finished two novels!
Bookbinding
I have two 2020 Schedules sitting on my desk waiting to be cased in. One is actually a coptic binding. It's covers are all ready, I need just sew it up. The other is a codex and it needs covers made. The third book I have sitting around waiting for me is an A6 blank notebook.
Fiction
I set a deadline and met it! Amazing. I finished Fear Itself last week and this morning I finished Botchan’s Bartender, the first book of my Japan Pentalogy. Now the entire pentalogy is finished! Although all five need proofreading which will inevitably lead to changes. However! However, I have new deadlines!
The entire Japan Pentalogy is scheduled to be proofread and published by the end of February. Fortunately, it's a leap year so I have one extra day. I will add some information about them in the next episode.
The five books are:
Botchan’s Bartender,
The Tokyo Tunnel Girl,
The Nuns of Nanao,
Giapan,
The Year Without Days.
Links to invaluable book arts centers:
San Francisco Center for the Book
Center for Book Arts (New York)