Yes, I’m shilling for HBO, and I was kind of let down by last season, but what can I say…I’m a sucker for this show *groan*. And, it always gives the novels a sales boost.

Oh yeah, the new novel is Deadlocked (Ace HC 9781937007447 $27.99).

I know…rocket science, right. However, the last few pieces I saved and thought were posted have vanished into the ether. And, truth be told, I don’t really remember what most of them were (I think at least three posts have been vaporized).

However, one I do distinctly remember is posting this image, which whimsically portrays comics-based box office juggernauts The Avengers in the manner of recently deceased children’s author/illustrator Maurice Sendak.

I’m re-posting the picture for your enjoyment in case you are one of the five people left on the Internet who hasn’t seen it. If you like it, you should go to the artist’s website, where you can download larger versions of the image, suitable for wallpapering your computer desktop.

And, I’ll be doing some technical digging to try and keep these departures from happening again.

On Monday morning, the Internet was abuzz with news that self-published author Hugh C. Howey sold his self-published post-apocalyptic dystopian novel (I like it already) Wool to Random House in the UK, as well as the film options to 20th Century Fox and Ridley Scott.

While I don’t want to wish the lad ill, I am thinking of some stellar SF talents that have had their works languish in development hell for years (Richard K. Morgan and William Gibson are two that come to mind).

Still, the world can’t get enough dystopia (what does that say about us?), so, while I look forward to someday selling Howey’s novel, I have stared into the abyss of self-publishing, and I fear what this kind of success story will encourage amongst its ranks.

If you’ve never heard of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s novel Roadside Picnic, you may at least have heard of a film that uses it as its source material: Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker.

Stalker is getting a higher profile these days thanks to Geoff Dyer’s recently published book on the film, Zona.

It’s fantastic that we seem to be in the midst of Stalker-mania (okay, that might be a little strong), since, in addition to Dyer’s book, Chicago Review Press has recently released a brand new translation of Roadside Picnic.

io9 ran a piece describing the books curious creation in the face of Soviet censors and literary gatekeepers. It’s well worth a read.

And, let’s not forget that Chicago Review Press is distributed by Independent Publishers Group, who, in case you forgot, refused to budge in the face of a certain online retailer’s demands for better deals.

The New York Times obituary is about as thorough as you can get.

I’ve decided to join the ranks of folks embedding Sendak’s interview on the Colbert Report, featured below. It’s a great interview, but I fear that it encouraged Colbert to go forward with his plans to publish a children’s book of his own, I Am a Pole.

Needless to say, some of the language is NSFW…even though it’s a mere 22 seconds of the sketch.

Turns out my cynicism wasn’t misguided, and EW’s Shelf Life reports that folks are showing up to Sepetys’ reading and being treated to, not handcuffs, neckties and submission, but rather a bleak tale of Stalinist genocide.

I don’t know what is more dispiriting: the fact that, according to the Sepetys, most of the folks who come to her readings by mistake are men, or the fact that men may be looking at E.L. James readings as a possible hook-up spot.

Here’s a quick hint for you: the genocide book is gray with an ‘A”, and the kinky book is grey with an “E”.

Watch Sherlock 2: Back for a New Season on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

If you haven’t watched that amazingly awesome BBC series Sherlock, which situates Sherlock Holmes (along with Baker Street regulars and irregulars) in contemporary London, stop reading and watch it now. It’s available via Netflix On-Demand.

The second season will premiere in the US as part of PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery on Sunday, and I have no doubt that it will revive interest in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original source material…as well as taking further steps to cement star Benedict Cumberbatch’s reputation in this country.

Speaking of Cumberbatch, how cool is it that in Peter Jackson’s upcoming film adaptation of The Hobbit, he will be the voice of Smaug the dragon, while Martin Freeman, who plays Dr. Watson on the series, will be playing young Bilbo Baggins?

Over at Salon, Laura Miller takes a dive into the deep-end of interactive books with a new app that presents…Frankenstein.

For a mere $5, you can download the app and explore the text of Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley’s in a completely new way. Sure, others have abridged, updated and illustrated this book before, but this level of high-tech Choose-Your-Own-Adventure sounds incredible.

Miller sums it up nicely, saying that it had “that quintessential, old-fashioned readerly avidity: the hunger to know what happens next.”

Honestly, if I had a tablet, I wouldn’t think twice about downloading it.

So, I guess the moral is that if you are a writer trying to write the next intersection of text and technology…stop (unless you’re a writer whose mind is limber for such exercises, such as Mark Z. Danielewski). It will tech more than being a tech wiz if you want to be the post-modern Prometheus.

Flavorwire lists the 10 Grumpiest Living Writers (none of which should come as a surprise, although I am shocked, shocked that Jonathan Franzen is at the top of the list)

Topless Robot posted a list of 8 Great Science Fiction Novels that Haven’t Been Made Into Terrible Movies (Yet)…How could they have left of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, or Jeff Noon’s Vurt?

My favorite list, though is Forbes list of Wealthiest Fictional Characters, including Smaug the dragon, and Richie Rich.

The fact that a major business publication is covering that instead of asking why Amazon’s stock continues to rise even as its profitability drops makes me feel a little bit better about devoting this much space to fun, but overall useless information.