A New Year!

As 2009 left me behind and the New Year made its way forward, I have to say I've really made some sincere progress in my work and educational pursuits. This past semester was my best yet, and as the year came to a close I managed to complete both a short story compilation and a first draft of a new novel. Mystery, Malevolence & Murder Vol. 2 is complete with seven new tales of suspense and intrigue; Lux Ex Tenebris went from being a simple short story (that originally was supposed to be the eighth story of MM&M) and developed into a 50,000+ novel that also has the potential to be an epic piece.

That's the magic of doing what I love to do so much. Through the coursework I'm taking at The City College of New York I'm finding the new concepts I'm working through grow and expand into areas I never would have deemed possible. During the fall term I took a Gothic Literature class where we read Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat," plus Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber." Personally I like those kinds of stories because the gothic works of these talented writers are incredibly versatile. I never considered this before, and I'm sure many would disagree with me, but their works can be seen both as literary and cinematic. These are fantastic tales that very discreetly reflect the social issues of their day in symbolic fashion while clearly being rooted in the basic fallacies of mankind. In my opinion, that's what has given these stories their staying power, for material goods may change over time, but the needs of human beings will always remain the same. There's an aspect of magical realism that makes these tales so intriguing even today, but they clearly reflect the basic story-telling structure, scene description and good use of dialogue that classic writers like Oscar Wilde, Jane Austin, George Eliot and Charles Dickens have implemented.

The MFA experience is giving me so much thus far, and the depth and texture of my work has deepened because of it. It has been a wise choice on my part to attend graduate school and I am taking full advantage of it!

More to come!
DB