SJ Rozan

“Dreamcast.” It’s a verb, and you do it when you choose the ideal actors for a movie you’d love to see made.

In honor of the publication day of BLOOD OF THE LAMB, Campaign for the American Reader features it on today’s blog. Read the blog, click the link to the page 69 test (I didn’t name it, folks) and then if you haven’t already, buy the book!

Okay, you guys, BLOOD OF THE LAMB, by Sam Cabot, who, if you’ve been living under a rock, is me and Carlos Dews, comes out tomorrow. You’ve all got your pre-orders in, right? Your local indie will be calling you, or your online store will pop it in the mail, or it’ll slip into your e-reader when you least expect it, right? You’ll all start this vampires-and-the-Vatican book immediately, right? Because this is what’s eaten up my last two years, so, ya know…

In Assisi

Talking vegetables with Julia the Farmer

Pretending to be my own shadow

I didn’t have my camera but luckily Charles had his.

Waves of olive trees

Cresting over the hillside,

Flowing down the slope.

New bells! Strange rhythm

Ringing out over the town —

Church tower’s repaired.

Mid-morning silence.

Once the bells have faded out,

Only cicadas.

Having trouble getting online, but wanted to report that I’m back in Assisi, and it’s noon, and the bells in the churches are ringing. All the church clocks must be slightly different, because the noon bells start in a staggered fashion and go on for about ten minutes, until everyone’s finally done. The farms on the plain below the hotel are quiet as usual, especially in the hot hot middle of the day. This year — this has happened once or twice before, including my first time here — there are many groups of kids and young people, mostly in scout-type uniforms, doing some sorts of pilgrimages. This involves lots of boisterous singing, including, yesterday, “Hal-le-hal-le-lu-yah” sung to the tune of “We will, we will rock you.”

The Thunderbird Dancers are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and they were the hosts at the Pow Wow in Queens yesterday. I ventured out there with JL and Carlos Dews, Sam Cabot’s other half. Great, lively, noisy, sunny day. Herewith, some photos. As usual, more on Flickr, to get to which you click on any of these.

intertribal dance

young men’s competition

young men’s competition

grass dancers greet one another

grass dancers in action

taking a break

jingle dress dancers greet one another

jingle dress dancing

jingle dress dancing

tiny jingle dress dancer

an intercultural moment

conch woman, a hoop dancer

regalia detail

regalia detail

Dark olive water

Topped by swift, bright-colored lines:

Kayak regatta!

Neighbor stops to chat.

Big news: north of here, by pier,

Seven new ducklings.

Laughing gull flaps by.

Herring gulls, terns, cormorants,

Willing to share fish.

And yet more haiku.

Sam Cabot’s mad publisher has posted my Comic Con photos on Facebook, but for those of you non-Facebookers, here are some, on any of which you can click to get to the rest.

convention center crowd

partying down in the streets of san diego

waiting on line

steampunk meetup

entering the lists

sam cabot and two heralds (the guy on the left is an armorer, making chain mail and plate armor for other duellists)

blood drive! (this cracked me up)

the best princess leia

kato and the black beauty

sometimes you just need a rest (note: there were many Supermen; this one I liked best because he’s only half-changed)

airing out for tomorrow

sam cabot and the mad hatter

Comic Con photos coming soon, plus more San Diego odds and ends, but first:

Late afternoon, walking through a small park in Brooklyn. Long golden slanting sunlight, green leafy trees. Over there, guys playing hockey. There, basketball. By the sprinkler, screaming kids running in and out. And near the benches, a man with a lasso, practicing his tricks. Spins a figure eight; spins a vertical circle, jumps through it; spins a horizontal circle, down over himself and back. Sends the lasso flying, pulls it back. Only one other guy, and me, noticing at all. Yippe ki yay.

I love New York.