J.R.R. Tolkien, Hobbits, and BEER

J.R.R. Tolkien, Hobbits, and BEER

Posted inBooks & Authors, Craft Beer, Geek Stuff
Originally published on Celebrating the Suds, September 23, 2011 So, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Yeah yeah yeah, I know what you're thinking. "This is a beer blog. Why the hell are you posting about the dude who wrote about elves and hobbits and all that?" I'm doing it because Tolkien and beer go together like me and Kate Beckinsale. (Just go with me on this, please.) Tolkien loved his beer, something reflected in his fiction by way of the Hobbits' passion for a pint and the way in which a good pub…
That time I wasted my life editing together a ‘new’ J.R.R. Tolkien book, then lost it

That time I wasted my life editing together a ‘new’ J.R.R. Tolkien book, then lost it

Posted inBooks & Authors, Geek Stuff, Random Musings
The recent announcement of a 'new' book by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fall of Gondolin, which will compile previously published material about one of the great tragic epics of Middle Earth's early days, brought to mind a few weeks of wasted life circa 2002 or so. It's a waste that still frustrates me to this day. Years ago, I got this idiotic idea in my head to edit together a load of Tolkien stuff into a standalone book. There was a wealth of material about a character called Turin, a cursed man who goes through some truly awful stuff, up to…
Now I’m on Youtube. What have I gotten myself into?

Now I’m on Youtube. What have I gotten myself into?

Posted inGeek Stuff, Videos, Works by Eric
I don't know what the hell I was thinking. When my buddy Tig Carson asked me to do a nerdy video series with him, the idea excited me because doing nerdy stuff with friends is always a good time. Tig is the curator of Nerd Out With Me (follow them on Facebook here, and Twitter and all that jazz), and the author of A Space Story, a Hitchhiker's Guide-esque science fiction adventure. I have fun talking about geek stuff with him. The idea of a video series sounded like fun, too. We'd talk about old toys and cartoons from our…
These Are the 5 Authors Who Made Me Want to Write

These Are the 5 Authors Who Made Me Want to Write

Posted inBooks & Authors, Uncategorized, Writing
Writing begins with reading. There is a vague rule of thumb that good writers read. A lot. Granted, reading a lot doesn't mean you'll be able to write. It's a start, though. And without question, the thirst with which I drank in books as a daydreaming kid, and later as an in-way-over-my-head young man, had a huge huge huge (three huges) impact on my later, and very ridiculous, decision to devote my life to writing. It led me to journalism and books and other stuff, and these days, it has me working as a freelance writer. Which is amazing and…
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies extended edition is even more disappointing than you imagine

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies extended edition is even more disappointing than you imagine

Posted inFilms
Rather than providing the rich, more deliberately paced, character moment-filled version of the movie that Peter Jackson's extended cuts usually provide, The Battle of the Five Armies is even more jam-packed with mindless battles and stupid sights gags. And let me tell you, that kind of sucks. I've perhaps been more forgiving of the Hobbit movies than they deserve. I don't pretend they are great cinema, and readily acknowledge they are deeply flawed to the point of often being downright awful. Still, I love aspects of PJ's cinematic Middle Earth enough so that I let their flaws slide and instead…