SCENES FROM THE SUMMER OF COVID

I haven’t done one of these photoblogs since June. And now the Summer of COVID is almost over. How did that happen? It seems to have gone on forever, but happening in slow-motion at the same time. Contradictory. Time dilation. Time distortion. Time warp. Time . . .

All fluxed up.

Though I'm not feeling like a mummified lizard. Things have actually been pretty good for me considering the condition the world is in. My writing career not only refuses to die, but has taken on a life of its own, and keeps dragging me into furious activity. Watch this space for important announcements.

Soon.

Of course it leaves me feeling burned out. I really need a vacation at this point. A string of weeks when I can spend a lot of time not moving around much and indulging in absurd amusements would be nice . . .

And I am going on a vacation of sorts. A weird vacation. Mostly inside the car or wearing masks. Social distancing. 

Yeah. I'll be writing it up and taking pictures.

I'd also like to work on my novel, you know, Zyx; Or, Bring Me the Brain of Victor Theremin. It needs for me to do some long, serious pick and shovel stuff, not just on-the-run gonzo fragments. I want to at least have a sloppy rough draft done by the hideous conclusion of 2020.

 

And it's been hot. Arizona's hottest summer on record. Let's that one sink in. Is that sizzling I hear?

Suddenly, I get another email from a professor. He wants to know if I want to participate in a panel about Latinx sf. I asked if it's going to be a virtual panel . . . And of course it is.

That's how my life is. All this apocalyptic stuff, then ZAZZ! It's my career calling with a list demands.

I'm always happy to do the writer stuff--especially if it involves money. You can contact me through this blog, and I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My brain is sizzling and I'm fantasizing about being unproductive just for the sheer hell of it.

“MARIACHIS OF MARS” REPRINTED

 

 “. . . 20 of the best science fiction stories about Mars published over the past two decades by top-notch authors of the genre.” It’s The 2020 Look at Mars Fiction Book. In paperback and ebook, and if you have Kindle Unlimited, it’s free!

I’m one of the top-notch authors, and my story is The Rise and Fall of Paco Cohen and the Mariachis of Mars.

Here’s the opening paragraph:

Yeah, I know, I don’t look like him. But then again, who or what is Paco Cohen, anyway? Was he that kid born in Texas, or the myth created on Mars? Maybe I don’t look like the hologram that sings my songs, but I kind of sound like Paco Cohen--if he were ripped to shreds and sloppily put back together again.

CHICANONAUTICA REVEALS THE SECRET ORIGIN OF MY FLUX STORY

Get the inside dope on my latest story in Chicanonautica  over at La Bloga.

Out of a world that’s all fluxed-up:

With viruses running amok:

Quarantining is the thing to do:

Can we customize ourselves?

ERNESTO STORY IN US IN FLUX

I’ve got another story out, and it’s free online, thanks to Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination and their Us in Flux project. It’s called “Tomorrow is Another Daze” and was inspired by the world’s current fluxed-up situation.

And on August 10 at 1 PM, Arizona time, there’s going to be live video event in which I’ll be interviewed by Frederick Luis Aldama of Ohio State University. It’s also free, but you have to register.

So, go and read the story now. It starts like this:

Lalo was in the middle of making Huevos Rancheros Microöndas when the doorbell rattled.

CHICANONAUTICA GETS POSTMODERN AT THE CANCIÓN CANNIBAL CABARET

Chicanonautica is all postmodern cannibalization over at La Bloga.

So watch out all you fugees:

It ain’t London that’s calling:

It's stirring up rememories:

And it’s marching your way:

ERNESTO ON MEXICAN COMIC BOOKS

New York Times bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia (buy her Mexican Gothic and anything else with her name one it!) published an interesting article at Tor.Com, titled A Brief History of Mexican Horror Comics Books. It’s fine introduction to a subject that deserves a lot more attention. Congratz, again, Silvia!

I’m proud to have contributed to the article. When she was working on it Silvia contacted me and asked if I could send her some scans from my collection. I’m responsible for the images of sleazy, dog-eared historietas. 

I’m not an expert on the subject, just a guy who stumbled on something he finds fascinating and can't get enough information about, but I’ve written about it in both Mondo Ernesto and my Chicanonautica column for La Bloga.

Here are some links if you’re interested:

RANDOM PEEKS AT MEXICAN COMIC BOOKS

A JALOGÜÍN MEXICAN COMIC BOOK ORGY

CHICANONAUTICA: FRONTERA VIOLENTA – THE COMIC BOOK

CHICANONAUTICA EXPLORES WILD WEST MEXICAN COMIC BOOKS

CHICANONAUTICA: EL SOLITARIO, JINETE SIN FRONTERAS

CHICANONAUTICA MAKES UNSECURE PHONE CHATTER

Chicanonautica is all revelations from an unsecure phone call with José Torres-Tama, over at La Bloga.

He's asking for witnesses:

And bringing things up to date:

The Taco Truck Theater lives:

What more can he need?

HIGH AZTECH REVIEW-A-RAMA

Ever since the original publisher did its dirty trick and didn't send out review copies of High Aztech, I've been on the look out for reviews, and like answers to all the sacrifices I've made over the years, they keep coming. A new one came in last week. Thanks to Scott Duncan of Somos en escrito.

It's full of great quotable stuff like this:

There is action, media gloss and gaze and blood sacrifice tech. Characters like the Televangelical couple for Mexica gods. A Garbage Queen and gangster lord with identity crises. Virus hallucinations, giants walking the land…it’s the book that really shows off Hogan’s recombocultural and Mondo style.

In looking for I was delighted to see how many more reviews there are on Amazon.

There are also a lot on Goodreads.

Keep it up folks! I even like the ones were you say you can't get into my style, and find me offensive.

And I if you haven't read this exciting, funny, outrageous novel about viruses changing the world, what the Mictlán are you waiting for?

CHICANONAUTICA GETS ON THE TACO TRUCK

That's José Torres-Tama's Taco Truck Theater, in Chicanonautica, over at La Bloga.

Featuring Latinos in post-Katrina New Orleans:

A fantastic feature presentation:

Sampling of new linguistic realities:

And much/mucho more:

UPDATE FROM AN EVOLVING PANDEMIC

The important thing is not to fool yourself into thinking that things are returning to normal. What was normal? Did it ever exist? Can it come back? All important questions these days. Or should it be daze?

Still somewhat quarantined. But no one seems to know exactly what that means.

I'm back to work at my regular part-time schedule, but it's far from normal. All of us have to wear masks. No customers—er, sorry, patrons are allowed in the library. All the business is curbside. They request books online, we gather them up, then the patron (patrón?) comes in, calls on a special line to have the books, or DVDs, or CDs brought out in plastic bag by a masked employee.

Surreal? Sci-fi? Do we have a new word? All the old ones are seeming like clichés.

Behold, the new clichés!

On the home front, Emily continues to collect unemployment and proceed with her home improvement frenzy, uncovering strange artifacts, and even old artwork by yours truly. It's actually looking pretty good. Damnear civilized. The decay, chaos, and entropy have been knocked back for a while.

There's plenty of that stuff piling up in the outside world, clogging the streets, the news media, evolving into strange new realities. Upheaval. Revolution. Mutation. Hang on, kids, you ain't seen nothing yet . . .

There are interesting developments in the witches brew.

While I was sheltering at home, trying to finish my novel, Zyx, Or; Bring Me the Brain of Victor Theremin, my career has come back to life, taken off, dragging me off into the future. Editors and publishers have gotten back to me. Pending projects that have been in limbo are gonna happen. New opportunities come a-knocking on my electronic doors. Watch for more news. Soon.

Despite what people say about it messing up everything, I've got to admit that the social media has been very good to me. A creative weirdo needs to seek out and connect with, and sometimes create, an audience. And don't depend on gigantic corporations to do it for you.

What I recommend is to put on a mask—the pandemic is far from over, keep socially distant, and keep your eyes and ears open. It's raining bizarreness out there, so go and soak it up.

That's where the ideas come from. Take the jagged fragments of a shattered world, and reassemble them into something you want to live in.

We're seeing a collapse happening. A lot of people are going to sink into depression. Others are going to take advantage, and knock things in the direction of their choice. That's what I recommend.

No matter what happens, the new world—or should that be new worlds?--is going to be interesting. There's plenty of debris providing funky raw materials--new archaeology to build a new renaissance. Why not?

Guess I better get back to work . . .