Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Literary Highlights of 2006


So, Gladys, did a 2006 highlights. This inspired me to do one.

1. Most difficult Literary moment:
Doing rewrites for "Talking to the Moon." They were hard, but had to be done.

2. Most Literary Dinner:
Having dinner with James Ellroy at the Pacific Dining Car. He talked murder, rape, mayhem the entire time. I'll never forget it.

3. Most Literary Uplift:
Hearing the Dalai Lama interpret ancient Buddhist Text.

4. Most Literary Weekend:
The LA Times Bookfair, where I hung out with my editor Don Weise and lunched with writer Andrew Lam. I ran into other literati like Hope Edelman and Diana Wagner.

5. Most Literary Overload:
The Southern California Booksellers Associaiton Author Feast. Egad, ever been in a room with drinking booklovers? The gossip, the whispers, the dismay at the awards ceremony when a favorite author didn't win.

6. Most Literary Joy:
Getting high marks from my students at UCLA Extension. It's nice to know that I'm not spinning my wheels.

7. Most Literary Regret:
I didn't fisnish a draft of my third novel. Ho-hum.

8. Most Literary Purchase:
My computer. It's changed my life.
9. Most Literary Duty:
Moderating a panel about Los Angeles at the West Hollywood Bookfair. You can cover a lot of ground when discussing LA. It was work, I tell ya!

5 comments:

mr jp said...

what's really cool is that I remember reading all the blog posts to each event.

here's to another great year !!

Cheryl said...

Do you ever wish you encountered less writerly gossip? I love learning juicy tidbits about other writers, but sometimes it takes away from my ability to enjoy their work in a pure way.

the last noel said...

Yes, Jason, here's to a splendid 2007!

And, Cheryl, when I hear gossip, it makes the writer more human to me. I can read their work thinking a person just like us wrote this--not some God or Goddess. I shouldn't place writers on that kind of pedestal, I know, but I do.

Sundry said...

What a great year. Interesting wrap up.

Liz Dwyer said...

Goodness, 2006 was amazing for you. How would you ever pick one as the absolute "best" moment? I'd personally want number 2 or 3. Of course, you really earned number 6! But then number 8 is great too...