Anything with a banjo.
Will Oldham, Motorhead, Damien Jurado (lyrics), Simple Kid, Mr. Dan, Dolly Parton, Buck65, Randy Newman, Pantera, Hot Chip, Metallica, Kenny Rogers (when he is telling stories), Bruce Springsteen (when the sax isn't involved).
Movies
My Dinner with Andre, The Big Lebowski, Elephant, Jaws, Jesus Christ Superstar (the 70s one by Norman Jewison), South of Wawa, Tender Mercies, Fletch.
Television
The Weather channel -- specifically Storm Stories.
Books
Raymond Carver, David Mitchell, Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Claudia Dey, Haruki Murakami, Ian McEwan (mostly).
Currently reading: GOD IS DEAD by Ron Currie Jr
About me:
My first book, THE LINE PAINTER, is published by HarperCollins Canada. I used to want to be a rock star. Some days I still do.
I think I wanted to be a rock star because I have this recurring dream where I am on stage in front of thousands. I wind up (like Eddie Van Halen) and hit the strings and a huge noise comes out. The lights blare up. My fans roar.
I tried my hand at being a rock star for a while. I bought a few guitars. I screamed enough to get my voice scratchy. I set up a home studio and distorted the guitar bits and figured out to play the bass. I almost made an album.
I had one decent song for the album. It was about a guy who paints lines on the highway for a job. I wrote that song because it looked to me like painting lines was a simpler way to go about making a living.
I nearly finished my album. I was recording my painting lines song, but I kept messing it up (because I can't sing or play). I got so frustrated, I ended up smashing my guitar around. This is the only rock star-ish thing I've ever done.
After the smashing, all I had left was a half decent idea about painting lines. I'm better at typing than I am at guitar, so I sat down and started to write.
What they are saying about THE LINE PAINTER"...a masterful balancing act of suspense and relief, a dance between expectation and surprise that steadily increases the tension to an almost unbearable point...It's a bravura performance."
—The Globe & MailWhere Cameron truly excels is in creating a mood—the text is efficient and not unnecessarily descriptive, yet the setting and characters are crystal-clear. With her serviceable style and page-one-hook, the book is likely to become—and mostly deserves to be—a hit.
—The Torontoist"An old B-movie premise—Car Breaks Down in the Middle of Nowhere—is given a fresh, distinctly Canadian twist in this wicked little first novel. The Line Painter fires along on its lean language and propulsive suspense, the kind of story you could swallow whole once you're past the first page. I certainly did."
—ANDREW PYPER, author of The Wildfire Season
“The Line Painter is a straightforward look at denial and the ways in which we seek forgiveness. Suspenseful, evocative, and well-paced, this road trip story of guilt and love offers glimpses into tragically human characters who inhabit the margins of redemption. There are no easy endings for Carrie or Frank as they discover, together, that some actions are unforgivable.”
—IBI KASLIK, author of Skinny
More on my website http://www.claire-cameron.com.
My book is now for sale:
Hi Claire, Congratulations on your Arthur Ellis Award nomination. I had to go and buy your book on Amazon when I heard you were nominated, so I'm looking forward to reading it. Wishing you the best of luck!
I just handed off my new book to my first pre-reader. I've still got about 2 months of editing to do, but it's time to get some feedback on the story. I've begun line editing and if all goes well with this first read, I may be ahead of schedule for my October release!
your math is correct! (I didn't want to name my blogs after myself and came up with an alias on the fly that I might use as the title for a collection of short stories one day.)
Thanks Claire! After spending years hiding my online slacking - it's both wonderful and strange to discover it could become an actual job. Fascinating technological times, huh? btw- I picked up The Line Painter, and I'm really excited to crack it open this weekend. Cheers, she ;-)
Hey Claire, Thanks for the friendship. Funny, I did the wanna-be rockstar thing, too. Ten years of songwriting and serious bass playing, and nothing to show except for some bad recordings of some good songs and a ten-year delay on my writing career. All good though ...isn't it?
Writing as D. H. Dublin, Jon McGoran is author of Blood Poison and Body Trace from Penguin Books. Look for Freezer Burn, coming June 2008.
友情をありがとう! DOMO ARIGATO GOZAIMASU! DANKE FURS ADDEN! MERCI POUR L'AJOUT! GRAZIE MILLE PERL'ADD E IL SUPPORTO! MUCHAS GRACIAS POR AGREGARME! THANKS FOR FRIEND ADD CLAIRE CAMERON-SAN!!!
Hello Claire - it's very nice to meet a fellow scribe. I wish you continued writing success!
Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, Amazon Bestseller
"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...
Hey Claire, I heard somewhere that it was your birthday so I thought I would stop by and cheer you up... It's so cool to party with you online I can't imagine what it would to do it live with you... Sorry I gotta go Sef is still running naked in the street in front of the studio... I wasn't able to shop him... He's a real party crashers... I'll leave you turn your house upside down... Make sure your neighbors remember that very special day... Happy birthday, Jeff
Yep - we do...or did. It's a great day. In fact, I, personally, think that anyone born on March 10th is really cool. Except for the loonies. (Did you know there are a bunch of loonies also born on 3/10? Seriously. Check it out.) :-)
Hey, Just wanted to stop by and wish you a Happy Birthday. Have a great week.
P.S. ~ Easter Long Weekend ~ $3.50 Drinks & $99 Bottles All Night Long!!! Don't forget to check out my next Reminisce Old School party on Friday March 21st @ Tonic.
Proceeds will be donated to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
For more details check out the group links http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3085860356 or http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=8098024572
Hey Claire How's it going?? It's just so cool to be here on your profile today to wish you HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Ok, what could I say to make it special, different, grand...!?...lol... I'll simply tell you that you deserve the best!! Today and the rest of the year... Open your eyes to all that your life has to offer you, you're not a year older today, you're a year stronger!! Keep in touch, I want to know everything about it!!