From the category archives:

Authors

I Bring Books

by Brian on February 3, 2010

Hey so I don’t read anymore because of my paranoia I didn’t tell you about, but I wanted to expose you to two books – one I have actual light involvement with, and the other I am el friends with the author.

First on tap is Rob Gokee’s In the Belly of the Fail Whale: How Twitter Changed My Life in One Year. (Here’s a link to buy at it on Amazon.)

While the title might be a bit long, it also saves me from having to tell you what the book is actually about.

Rob was also cool enough to ask me to write the foreword – you may remember he was the one who actually pushed/shoved me to get on Twitter.

An excerpt from what what I put inside:

“Sigh,” I said to myself out loud, admiring my new haircut.

Anyway, if you’re into Twitter or into Rob or into books or into whatever, maybe go pick this up. I’ve read it – it’s worth taking a look, and also has my name on the cover, as noted above.

The other book is by Dr. Natasha Valdez, who was an Associate Producer on WSM? with her life-pal (nay, husband) Charles Solomon, Jr.

I’ve known both for years and have spent time enough to know that her new book A Little Bit Kinky: A Couples’ Guide to Rediscovering the Thrill of Sex (Amazon link) will likely do exactly what it says it’s supposed to.

Now, I don’t do that sex stuff anymore because of my paranoia about catching bronchitis, but when I read this I was like, “Wow, maybe bronchitis will be worth it, cause like this rediscovery does sound pretty thrilling.”

For example, there’s one chapter that I can’t talk about here on my PG/PG-13 blog website, and that’s a chapter that will help me for sure if I ever want to get bronchitis.

In conclusion and furthermore, while I can’t say either of the titles of these books are quite as descriptive and exact as my own Prelude to a Super Airplane – which tells you exactly what it’s about – I can tell you that these are both worth reading, should you have the urge to do reading at something.

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Brad Radby's Brad Radby: The Complete Filmography (1999-2023)

by Brian on March 24, 2009

in Actoring, Authors, Books, Brad Radby, Bruce Willis, Cars, Celebrities, Movies, Super Airplane, Will Smith

So this is book number two: Brad Radby’s Brad Radby: The Complete Filmography (1999-2023).

In the spring of 1998, an unknown director named Brad Radby quietly directed his first movie.

Titled The Exploders, it starred Bruce Willis, Will Smith, and Keanu Reeves…and it went unseen for 15 years.

When it was finally released in May of 2013 as Brad Radby’s The Exploders, the film industry was changed forever.

In the years between, Mr. Radby directed thirty-six other movies, before his alleged death aboard the famed Super Airplane in December of 2012.

Inside these pages, in his own words, Mr. Radby walks you through each of these films, giving valuable insights into the stories, and the stories behind the stories.

Brad loves Mustangs.

Brad Radby’s work has touched us all in some way, and he’s finally returned to tell us how he did it.

A few quick facts, although I’m not going heavy into this until the paperback version is available, which should be Monday or so. (The Kindle version is up and running now, for those of you who have one, or like to read on an iPhone/iTouch.)

1) This is a Prelude to a Super Airplane tie-in, but stands completely on its own. BRBR is extremely accessible to anyone, and if you love movies and/or pop culture of the 90s and ’00s, you’ll love this book.

2) If you’ve read PTSA, then you can stop complaining that it left things hanging. PTSA took place in 2012 – Brad Radby’s Brad Radby takes place in 2023, about a month after the ending of Flight of a Super Airplane, which is a book I will never write.

3) Also for PTSA readers – yes, you’re going to read Brad’s full synopsis and production notes for such works as Brad Radby’s Secret Father, Brad Radby’s The Dating Pill, Spacemappers, and all the rest that were mentioned in there, including what exactly happened when Brad took on the Andreanna Marsupial series.

The best thing is that this book is 100% completely free – you can download a pdf or the full html right now, or you can read it in blog format over there, for those of you who find excessive amounts of Brian Spaeth in one sitting a bit too much.

The blog portion will be rolled out piece-by-piece, and nine such pieces are up right now – I’ll be going through each entry starting next week, and you’ll get what’s essentially a commentary track right here. (Don’t worry, this won’t dominate the site – it’ll be an addendum to each post.)

So why am I giving away an entire book for free? I’ll try and explain that sometime, as well.

Anyway, go over to BRAD RADBY DOT COM and muck around – it’s all really simply set-up and nice and such and such, although I am messing with the format on the blog still.

(Follow me on Twitter here.)
(Download the first 55 pages of my epic, pretentious, and stupid book, Prelude to a Super Airplane, here.)

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On That Super Airplane Review Again

by Brian on February 25, 2009

in Authors, Books, Education, NBA, PTSA Reviews, Super Airplane

(BOSers – I think you’re fooling yourself if you think Marblebury is gonna be good for the Celts.

Not only can he not play subordinate and never been a winner, but he hasn’t played at all in like forever, and this is gonna give him flashbacks to the Timberwolves years, when he couldn’t handle The Shadow of Garnett.

Suddenly everyone has forgotten he’s insane just because of some bus stop funnery.)

So here’s a list of everything I didn’t understand in that excellent Prelude to a Super Airplane review.

I’ve refrained from looking any of it up until I did this, so included in parentheses are what I currently think these things are/mean/etc.

Susan Sontag (Actress)
Jean-Luc Godard (Star Trek guy)
Neal Pollack (director)
erudite (”of listlessness”)
Swift, Flaubert, Joyce, Pynchon (a random family)
Diderot (a building in France, and it’s on a beach, where it seems out of place)
Jacques the Fatalist and His Master (book)
Martin Amis (poet)
London Fields (duh it’s a field in the LON lol)
George Saunders (Army general)
insufferable (annoying)
Tao Lin (Chinese Army general)
in media res (”excessive usage of the color blue”)
hiccoughs (snooty version of hiccups)
didactic (angular)
penchant (like a magic bracelet for girls)
Javier Marias (poet/director)
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me (poem about the Army)
ubiquitous (random)
elongated gerunds (like a super hero who can stretch his gerunds has these)
saccharine (tasty in a bad way)
magisterial (like a king in the Army)

I still really don’t feel like looking them up, but if you wanted to point out where I may be off-track, feel free.

(Follow me on Twitter here.)
(Download the first 55 pages of my epic, pretentious, and stupid book, Prelude to a Super Airplane, here.)

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The Noseless Brian Spaeth of Long Beach, CA

by Brian on February 16, 2009

in Authors, Blogs, Books, Misc, NBA, Poetry, Super Airplane, Twitter

(1-1 odds Kobe is secretly angry today.)

Before I get to another discovered version of me, go check out an interview I did over at All the Blog’s a Page, wherein I’m asked questions about writing books, movies, etc.

Now, lasterday my new Twitter friend Paula, quite out of nowhere, brought up her knowledge of a Brian Spaeth.

Did you grow up in Long Beach? I knew a Brian Spaeth that went to Poly.

LOL I haven’t seen him since High School.

I don’t think he’s on twitter. Such a different name to have so many ppl with it. Well, he was a popular guy even tho he got in a fight n

Got a piece of his NOSE bit off LOL

I don’t remember what I said back – I usually delete my sent DMs right away. I did let Paula know this wasn’t me, although I too have been in a fight that resulted in a damaged nose.

Anyway, she seems nice enough, despite the apparent hilarity she finds in someone getting their nose bitten off. A popular someone, no less.

Couple other quick links – there’s an interesting discussion about the new model of independent film, and how filmmakers are dealing with it over at Alejandro Adams’ website.

And who would’ve guessed that “www.lookathis.com” would go to some guy named Dave selling his boat?

(Follow me on Twitter here.)
(Download the first 55 pages of my epic, pretentious, and stupid book, Prelude to a Super Airplane, here.)

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An Interview With Yet Another Brian Spaeth

by Brian on February 11, 2009

in Authors, Books

(Well, this is the big one.

If one of these other Brian Spaeths were to become my nemesis, it would be this one, what with his book writering.

I call him out on it, because I like to establish myself as a sort of Alpha Dawg in this manner. You can buy his book, Clocks Stopped At A Strange and Savage Hour, via that link.

Note here our shared enjoyment of using the word “savage”.

The back cover instructs the reader to “read this book out loud”; that the words inside are that powerful.

Yes, I wish I had put that on the back of my book, but at least mine has a larger page count.)

1) You beat me in the “Brian Spaeth Book Writering Contest”. I have to admit, I was shocked, both by my participation in such a contest, and by the fact that I lost to another me. What was your strategy here?
[Like here is how to read the rest.]

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On Doing Self-Publishing of a Reading Book

by Brian on February 8, 2009

in Airplanes, Authors, Blogs, Books, Super Airplane

(Lakers-Cavs talk will best be found on my Twitter feed – Cavs by 5.

This is somewhat of a companion piece to my screenplay writing post – I seem to get occasional emails on this since the book came out.

Few jokes, so pass on through if this doesn’t interest, although there’s some general discussion of internet marketing in what follows.)

Here on February 8, 2009, I’m five weeks into self-publishing.

This is everything I’ve learned, hypothesized, and rationalized.

I’ve broken this into four sections – Why, How, Marketing, and Results-to-date.

Keep in mind, all of the following applies to me and my book, Prelude to a Super Airplane. It may not apply to you and your book, even if your book is about the events leading to the creation of a 47-story airplane and its tumultuous affect on those individuals involved in same.

WHY SELF-PUBLISH?

I decided to self-publish for a few reasons:
[Like here is how to read the rest.]

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Author Interview: Christie Craig

by Brian on January 9, 2009

in Authors, Books, Girls

(Since PRELUDE TO A SUPER AIRPLANE is my first and (possibly) only book, I’ve decided to interview some writers, find out more about doing authoring, and see if they’d consider considering me as one of their peers.

The first such author is Christie Craig, who writes novels described as “sexy, suspenseful, and seriously funny”.

NOTE: The reason I picked Christie for my first interview is because I also consider myself these exact things. And remember, I’ve never played golf.

This is her website here. Her next book is called GOTCHA, and comes out in June.)

1) It looks by the epilogue of your last book, DIVORCED, DESPERATE AND DATING, that at least some of the story takes place on Christmas. My book does, too – except there are explosions, and a lot of hologram-powered technology.

Is it possible our two books take place in the same world?
[Like here is how to read the rest.]

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Prelude to a Super Airplane (Chapter 18)

by Brian on January 8, 2009

in Airplanes, Authors, Politics, Super Airplane

(The following is an excerpt from my book, Prelude to a Super Airplane. It can be purchased by clicking on any of the roughly 400 banners adorning this site, or by clicking here. It’s also available on Amazon.

I’ve posted the first 20 chapters (roughly 55 pages of PTSA) on this site. Links to each of those are at the end of this post, or you can download all of them as a pdf by clicking here.

Somehow Senator Joseph Piperbraum had never been in this particular airplane station goods shop before, despite his many important Senatoring travels.

That’s what made his purchase of items at the airplane station goods shop so exciting. It was exciting because it was new. His arms were bursting with a variety of items – some he needed, some not as much, and some he had no use for at all.

Senator Piperbraum brought his mother on this trip, and she noted that the prices here in this airplane station goods shop were higher than in other goods shops, such as the regular one, near her home in a suburb just outside of Akron, Ohio.

“Mother, please,” he had a way of chiding her that was both loving and warm. “I’m a United States Senator now.”
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Prelude to a Super Airplane (Chapter 13)

by Brian on January 8, 2009

in Airplanes, Authors, Girls, Music, Super Airplane

I’ve posted the first 20 chapters (roughly 55 pages of PTSA) on this site. Links to each of those are at the end of this post, or you can download all of them as a pdf by clicking here.

“What do you mean you’ve never voted?”

Despite being seemingly irresistible to everyone I’ve ever met, I’ve never been able to sustain a long-term, lasting relationship.⁴ It usually came back to that question – the one Jennifer just asked me.

Her phrasing was weird, but they all seemed to do it – the “What do you mean…?” portion.

I’ve tried to think of a thousand million different ways to say it, so they understand better, but always come back to thinking that “I’ve never voted” was about as clear and concise as I could be. What exactly does she think I meant?

“Well. I think this will be our first fight.”
[Like here is how to read the rest.]

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Prelude to a Super Airplane (Chapter 10)

by Brian on January 8, 2009

in Authors, Books, Girls, Super Airplane

I’ve posted the first 20 chapters (roughly 55 pages of PTSA) on this site. Links to each of those are at the end of this post, or you can download all of them as a pdf by clicking here.

The witch was sitting on her broom, reading a paperback reading book, which appeared, from the intensity of her reading, to be of great importance to her.

Floating in the air behind her were exactly thirty-nine candles, and the light from their flames helped her to read the words inside the important reading book.

Even though she was but twenty-five pages in, the witch had become engrossed in this reading book. This surprised the witch, because when her reading group had put forth the book, she’d found the title ill conceived.

This was because, in the witch’s opinion, the title of the reading book made it sound epic, pretentious, and stupid, all at once.

After many years of reading her reading books, and because of her membership in several reading groups, the witch knew a book such as one fitting this description was not possible – it was contradictory, and outside the grasp of normal human ability. And so, when presented with the book in her reading book group, she assumed the book, with its ill-conceived title, must be poorly written.

Knowing all of this, and despite the poor writing, she was enjoying the book immensely. She’d even taken to periodically emailing the author, who readily (and stupidly, she thought) provided his online internet email address inside the book.

Because of this, the witch feared he was possibly just another in the long line of charismatic, good-looking idiot savant types she tended to attract.

The witch closed the book, for at this time another member of her coven/reading group was contacting her by way of a telepathy spell.

“Abracadabra!”

The witch needed to say this in order to cast her reply telepathy spell. (She laughed to herself, as she thought of all the foolish humans that thought this was a word only for magicians, who didn’t even cast real spells. The irony!)

This went on for 55 minutes – the back and forth telepathy between the witch and the other witch. The one from her coven/reading group.

When the telepathic conversation was over, the witch looked to the moon, basking her witch-face in its soft glow. She thought about the two vitally important new witch-tasks she had to do tomorrow afternoon, and she was happy.

The witch fingered these new tasks into her Blackberri Tornado mobile telephone’s calendar, placing them after lunch, but before her trip to the tattoo parlor.

She then swirled the thirty-nine candles in dizzying circles around the ceiling – a spontaneous and girlish show of glee! This surprised her, as she had not been a girl in quite some time.

In fact, when she was reading her reading books alone by candlelight, or when she went out to the hot and trendy dance clubs, the witch often felt quite old…and alone.

But now, because of the epic, pretentious, and stupid book from her reading group/coven, and because of the two new tasks in her Blackberri Tornado, everything had changed, and perhaps work would not be so unbearable the next day.

Brad Radby’s Foreward, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 31