Nice, huh? Designer Dave Mosso at Spacious Mind Web & Graphic Design did a fabulous job with the first official poster for the Pen on Fire Speakers Series. He’s also great to work with and affordable. He did my website, too. A big shout out to Dave.
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My mother in law and I were emailing about the Evening with the Writers of Orange County Noir that’s taking place next Saturday. She reads mysteries and so I invited her, as my guest, thinking she’ll enjoy it. Not being familiar with the genre, she asked me about noir.

It’s not like mysteries, I said. Everything does not turn out gloriously in the end.

You mean it is like real life??? she said.

I had to laugh. Exactly, I said.

And got to thinking: Noir is probably the fictional form that is closest to real life because it’s about your stupid side taking over, isn’t it? And instead of wising up, you get more and more stupid, at the mercy of your lower nature. Think of Double Indemnity (one of my favorite movies) or The Postman Always Rings Twice. Things start out okay, even wistful, but they go downhill fast.