The big reveal

The time has come to reveal the #scratchstory. The panel has assembled – but we are stymied by the want of a cord.

Cassidy thanks us all for being a part of this whole process.

We’re going to start with the cover art.

Moyer: I asked what the story was called and I was told that as the cover artist that was my job. So I said, are you sure you want me to do that?

The title is: Dismembrance.

Moyer: I asked someone who hasn’t been here what this book would be about and he got it exactly. (The cover, btw, is gorgeous. And I’ll link to it once it’s linkable.)

Bear begins reading:

In retrospect, it was a bad idea to borrow money from the mob…

Cassidy advances his photos as the authors read.

Swanwick picks up: Tom and Bracken were evil men but not brutal. [crowd goes wild]

The presentation is rough, which is to be expected, but effective.

Cassidy: this will be tweaked over the next few weeks and it will be available in a few weeks.

Bear: so how does it feel to have been a part of great art?

[Audience laughs]

Moyer talks about his cover design. He had thought he was going to use Venetia’s Asian dress as his background but then Bracken took his shirt off. He’s walking us through his thumbnails. What’s most interesting is how much the art changes from slide to slide.

What you might now be noticing is how much her expression is changing, Moyer says. He changed her eyes, the size of her nose. These are all just little things but we don’t want to create cognitive dissonance in the viewer.

It’s starting to congeal as a collage – but it’s just a collage. But as he plays with the details, like light sources, it ties everything together as a cover. [My hope is that Moyer will post some of the different thumbnails.]

Moyer: So Bracken, what do you think about your background tattoo.

MacLeod: I’m really glad you got my love handles out of the picture.

Floor is opened to questions:

Cassidy: A lot of the props we got were tossed out, what makes for a good prop?

Swanwick: A good prop is primal. I stuck my finger through the cigar cutter and waggled it around. The audience reacted.

Bear: It was interesting how other props provided themselves: the table, the cane.

Purdom: I was impressed by the sheer quality of the thing. The other thing is that it made me think of something, this is the modern equivalent of Mary Shelley and her husband telling stories to each other or putting plays on for each other.

Swanwick: Kyle was not taking a chance with Lee but he was taking a chance on whether or not Bear and I could collaborate with each other.

Moyer: I was startled with the extent that you listened to the audience.

Cassidy: This unfolded much differently than I’d expected.

Discussion about print version: should it be a poster? should it be a book?

Cassidy and Bear are auctioning off Veronique postcards, a la Monty Hall.

Cassidy: Who has a Star Trek item?

Next: Who has a legume?

From the back: Undigested, I assume?

Moyer is now talking about his literary pin-up calendar — “If you ever wanted to see Mark Twain’s tits,” Swanwick says.

Moyer is listing off authors for the 2013 calendar (but I’m not at liberty to say who they are….).

Swanwick: for a copy, who here can find no sexist element in the concept? I don’t require the truth.

The winner says, “I find no sexist element in the calendar at all and I’m embarrased for those who do.”

Bear: You’ll have a fine career on the internet!

Moyer: I can’t speak for anyone else but I’m just glad we all survived.