According to WIRED, Russ Dorr has been assisting King on such fact-checking since 1974. Dorr, a physician’s assistant in Hampshire, has reportedly helped on The Stand, The Shining, Pet Sematary, Misery, Cell, and King’s latest novel, Dome. Here’s a tidbit on the working relationship from the article:

On Dome, the two worked together more closely than ever. Each week, King would email the latest 50-page segment to Dorr. “Stephen’s doing the heavy lifting, getting the stuff down on paper,” Dorr says. “But then he’ll email or call with questions.” How does a guided missile work? What does a 20-year-old Geiger counter look like? Where would you go to find a B-52 bomber? “Methamphetamine. Jesus! I had to find out how to cook crystal meth, all the ingredients,” Dorr says. “It’s amazing the stuff you can find on Google.”

You can read more on Dorr and his work with King, including a recent homage by the author, online at WIRED.com.

Here’s an LA Times piece, “Remembering Jim Carroll,” by poet Lewis MacAdams. I’ll borrow an excerpt from the column, quoting Jack Kerouac.

That’s when the poet Ted Berrigan took him to visit Jack Kerouac, who took a look at some of Jim’s writing and said, “Jim Carroll writes better prose than 89% of the novelists working today.”

It’s still true. To read the Rolling Stone obit, click here.

There’s a link within the story above that takes you to the Rolling Stone archives, and an 1999 interview with Carroll, where the poet speaks of a new book, touring, and Kurt Cobain.

RIP Punk Poet. And thanks.

The list could save you some time blind searching for horror, fantasy and scif fi twitters. John Joseph Adams is there, Cory Doctorow, as well as editors, columnists and the like. Even a few publishers. The list is worth a few minutes of perusing, to lengthen that list of following…

In addition, you will receive a general understanding of the state of modern publishing—that is where and to whom to submit your material, the real deal on editors and agents, the characteristics of the genres, the perception of the difference between mainstream and literary fiction, and even a few words on marketing and publicity. Have your questions ready. You will learn all the basic elements of writing and the processes needed to finish your manuscript and have it ready for submission to the market place. But more importantly you will get the much needed FEEDBACK that is often the missing factor which contributes to the success (or failure) of many writers. Each instructor has a specific area they will be emphasizing. If you’ve never experienced a piece of fiction deconstructed (especially your own) and analyzed in a high-intensity workshop setting, be prepared to learn things about you, your writing, and your ability to tell a good story.

The Boot Camp with run from January 29—31, 2010 at the Marriott Burkshire Hotel in Towson, MD. You can get more information here.

“The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet. Origin: The drink was invented and named by fictional secret agent James Bond.”

” “A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”

“Oui, monsieur.”

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

“Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter.

Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he explained, “I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.”

-Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

Off all his dozen bestsellers, I was wowed by the tension and creativity he managed in his 1969 novel The Andromeda Strain, and was captivated by the emotionally engaging Amy, the signing gorilla from his novel Congo. I’ll never forget either and I still draw on his craft when I write.

Of all his books, I was personally loved Eaters of the Dead. There were two reasons for this, one: I dig anything with Vikings. Two: The fact that Crichton wrote the book on a bet.

Crichton made a bet that Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic in British literature, could be successfully turned into a modern story. The novel itself is interesting, written from the point of view of a Persian poet warrior who is sent out of Iran around 921 a.d. and ends up adventuring with Vikings. Creatively, Crichton even writes his own footnotes to try and make the novel feel like a true historical account. A great risk, but one that gives the novel a unique depth. If you haven’t read the book, below is an embedded version via Scribd.com. Enjoy.

Michael Crichton- Eaters of the Dead

While I set down the Xbox controller (Anyone else taking a shot at Dead Space?), I thought I’d take a second to write about the current MS’s progress.

I’ve gone back to the drawing board just slightly, and am working on the theme for Les Moribund before I try to plow ahead. I have an idea that my past theme was a bit too watered down and needed some tweaking. Fyi, there is a great book on breaking down the subconscious and locating the theme. It’s actually written by my mentor, S.L. Stebel: Double Your Creative Power.

As far as Les Moribund, the main concept of hive mind or solidarity helped me redefine the theme, which takes me to the Word of the Day: Zeitgeist.

From MW online:

zeitgeist
One entry found.

Main Entry:
zeit·geist
Pronunciation:
\ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt-\
Function:
noun
Usage:
often capitalized
Etymology:
German, from Zeit + Geist spirit
Date:
1835
: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

Here is the word’s Wiki.

On a side note, we’ve made good progress on the maps for the book. I’ll post a few versions as we work through them. Now go vote.

View Larger Map

Travel industry officials told the Peninsula Daily News that fans of the vampire novels have been making the drive to the Forks to get a bats-eye view of the haunts of Isabella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. I don’t know if this is true, but I heard a rumor that Meyer’s picked Forks after goggling the city in the US with the highest rain totals. A trailer is now available for the first movie taken from the books, with a release date of 11/21/08. Here’s a gander:

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

Back to point, Variety is reporting that D.B Weiss is writing the first version of the script, from a story created by Smith, producers Akiva Goldsman and James Lassiter, and director Francis Lawrence. As Variety says:

“The prequel will chronicle the final days of humanity in New York before a man-made virus caused a plague that left Smith’s character the lone survivor among a mutated mob in the city.”

According to Variety, I Am Legend grossed $584 million worldwide for Warner Bros. Weiss, you may remember, was one of the screenwriters for Peter Jackson’s Halo movie, adapted from the superb Bungie video game.

George A. Romero’s 1968 seminal move was adapted by Lori Allen Ohm (opening night is Oct. 3rd). From Pennsylvania, Ohm has translated horror to the stage before, even adapting Blatty’s The Exorcist. Drawing inspiration from horror spoofs like Shaun of the Dead and Young Frankenstein, Ohm injected a zombie dance routine, gummy worms for intestines, and even promises blood (this version is set in Seattle).

Head to the Seattle Times for more on the production, photos of the cast or the Seattle Children’s Theatre for Night of the Living Dead show times.