It really didn't take long for my husband to realize that I had fallen in love again. It wasn't the buttons. It wasn't the pillow. It wasn't even the music. Music? Yep, I have an Oscar Martello song that I like to listen to on non-stop repeat. I'd tell you what it is, but something tells me Oscar doesn't dance to the beat of Bruno Mars very often, and I'm not sure Mr. Weddle wants his kick-ass character being associated with that kind of music.
We had gone out for a quick bite to eat. I think it was Cafe Rio...ya, it was Cafe Rio. I remember the employees screaming "double meat" when we walked in. It wasn't directed at us, but it could have easily been perceived that way if you had never been there before. Anyway, we were at Cafe Rio eating dinner when my husband looked at me said, "You've got your "o" face on..."
Ya, I'm almost positive I know what most of you are thinking because I was thinking the same thing.
It took me a minute to process my thoughts. Was he thinking what I was thinking? Was he talking about something while I was staring at the wall that I didn't hear? Do I play dumb?
I played dumb.
Me: "What do you mean by "o" face?"
Him: "O face?"
Me: "O for Ogden?"
Him: "No."
Me: "Really, I have no clue where you're going with this.
What is my "o" face?"
Him: "Duh...Oscar Martello!"
I set out to capture this "o' face of mine in picture format...this was the best I could do. Are you ready? Not the greatest look, but I have to say my eyes are looking pretty cute. I think Oscar should like me based on this picture alone. I'm a much better woman then that Marcie he shacked up with...much more loyal, too. Seriously, I think I'm good enough for this guy. And this picture...this picture should totally seal the deal.
As you can imagine, my eyes lit up and we both laughed. But it was true...I had been thinking of Oscar when he started with the comments. I was sitting at the table wondering how in the heck am I supposed to do an Oscar Martello Week without embarrassing the heck out of Steve Weddle. I don't really write reviews. I just ramble. I like to ramble. It's what I do best. Especially when it come to the books I like to read.
My rambling is all sincere; comes straight from the heart. I don't worry about embarrassing myself. I'm more concerned with offending others or not giving the proper write up that would convince a person to want to read the stories that I'm rambling about. What you read on this blog is exactly what you'd get from me if we were talking in person (without all the pictures...which I happen to like).
So here we are on the final day of Oscar Martello Week and I'm nervous. A little depressed. I'm worried I didn't do my job. Were you convinced enough to read? To listen? To fall in love? I'm just gonna assume you were convinced, otherwise you wouldn't be here visiting today. And what a day this is...
Oscar is getting his very own NOVEL! I found this out by accident when I was doing what I do best (stalking authors online after I read a story that makes me fall in love), when I came across some blog where Mr. Weddle had done an interview. I didn't read the entire thing, but I did read enough to know that Mr. Weddle was working on an Oscar Martello novel. I couldn't have been more thrilled. Is elated the right word? I was overwhelmed to the point of giddiness? I'd normally use the word, gushing...but I looked the word up in the dictionary (Google search) this week and I'm trying really hard to eliminate the word from my vocabulary. I was giddy! Totally sounds like a word I'd use. Giddy!
Anyway...OSCAR MARTELLO IS GETTING A NOVEL! To help push the process along and to help convince those publishing people that Oscar getting a novel is like, the smartest thing they could ever do...I made buttons. They read: OSCAR MARTELLO NEEDS A NOVEL!
Well, he does!
And to help us get psyched for all things Oscar Martello related I'm linking you to the very first page of the Oscar Martello novel. The last post linked you to the three short stories that were the arc for the novel. So if you took the time this week to read those, then you are totally prepared for this first page. It's an awesome first page. I happen to like it very, very much.
Read it. Think about it. Then leave a comment on the blog. Heck, why don't you leave a comment for Oscar...or if leaving comments for fictional characters isn't your thing, leave a comment for Mr. Weddle. Or for me. Or just to get a dang button!
Steve Weddle is an editor, short story writer, and novelist. A former English professor, he holds an MFA in creative writing from Louisiana State University and currently works for a newspaper group. His fiction has appeared in numerous literary and crime/noir journals. In 2009, Weddle and six crime fiction writers created DoSomeDamage, where he blogs on Mondays. In 2010, Weddle and John Hornor Jacobs created Needle: A Magazine of Noir, one of the top journals for contemporary crime fiction. He lives with his family in Virginia.
His short fiction has recently appeared at Beat To A Pulp, Crime Factory, and A Twist of Noir. http://steveweddle.squarespace.com/.
