Adam Bender

What’s Up?

Published by Adam on December 18, 2012

I know, I know. It’s been too damn long since my last blog post.

What have I been doing? Well, journalism mainly. As you may have figured out, I’ve made it to Sydney and have been writing tech stories a plenty for Computerworld, CIO and Techworld. Check out this handy Evernote shared notebook for a selection of my best recent stuff.

On the creative side of things, I have been busy sending my new novel Divided We Fall to literary agents. This has been quite a bit of work but I am hoping for the best. I will also be entering the novel in this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, which opens for entries in January. Whatever happens, I want to try to get this novel out to the public as soon as I can. I am open to self publishing, as I did with We, The Watched, but I’m giving the traditional route a “fair go,” as they say in Australia. If you’d like to help, please review my first novel on Amazon or other stores where it’s sold–this helps get it more notice, which in turn increases demand for the sequel!

Hmm… I guess sending my novel to agents is more marketing than creative. So, on the actually creative side of things, I’ve been working on a screenplay adaptation of We, The Watched, and would say I’m about a third of the way through. It’s a fun challenge converting the story to screen. The good news is the story adapts pretty well, perhaps due to its relatively short length and emphasis on action and dialog. And the three-act movie structure is really making me think hard about how to tell the story as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Oh yeah, and I updated the blog design. Cleaner and looks better on a smartphone. Suh-weet!

So yeah, that’s me. Will try to have more updates soon. Been listening to a lot of really good music and reading a bunch of cool comics–so yeah, look out for some new posts, yo!

New Rock Review (Vol. 1)

Published by Adam on August 20, 2012

Tired of hearing the same old bands? There’s new music all around if you know where to listen. Here are a couple reviews of new albums by bands you may not have heard. Stay tuned for more reviews in the coming weeks.

The Asteroid Shop – Distant Luxury EP

Dark swagger seems to come naturally to the Asteroid Shop. Eric Brendo and Co. find the most success when they combine the heavy atmospherics with a driving beat and a good pop hook, as they do on the EP’s finale, “Hazy Love.” It’s a slow burn you can sing along to. The Austin band’s musical talent shines through on the other three songs (“Burn Out” in particular has a dreamy beauty to it), but they lack the pop punch needed to stick in your head. The smoky dance of title track “Distant Luxury” works to a point, but at 5:31 feels a couple minutes too long. There’s some real potential here but a little more editing could elevate the Asteroid Shop to new heights.

Click here to listen to “Hazy Love.”

Deep Sea Arcade – Outlands

Like fellow Australians Tame Impala, Deep Sea Arcade combines bass-heavy psychedelia with hypnotic Lennon-esque vocals. Deep Sea plays up the pop side of the equation and the result is an album of catchy numbers that hum along in your head long after the album’s through. The single “Girls” is by far the best result, featuring a verse as catchy as the chorus. Like a lot of debuts, the best songs are packed into the first half, but side B is no slouch. It can get better from here, for sure, but you walk away excited about what’s to come.

Snap a Pic of CCTV

Published by Adam on July 29, 2012

The novel We, The Watched takes place in a nation where it’s just about impossible to avoid the eye of a surveillance camera. But it might not be as sci-fi of an idea as you’d think.

You’ve probably seen plenty of CCTV signs and cameras around your town, too. Starting today, I invite you to watch the watchers and share your own pics of surveillance in action on my Facebook page at facebook.com/wethewatched.

Most cameras and signs are in public spaces; please DO NOT break any laws as you are snapping pics.

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New Cover for We, The Watched

Published by Adam on July 2, 2012

Just a quick update to say that I’ve just redone the cover for my dystopian novel: We, The Watched.

www.wethewatched.com — New cover! Click to see it big and in all its glory.

The idea behind the redesign was to make it a bit more obvious what my book is about. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but most people do. I think the new look says exactly what to expect in We, The Watched. Please tell me what you think in the comments below.

By the way, if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, the book is on sale for the entire month of July during the Smashwords summer/winter sale. You can pick up the entire tale about struggling to conform in a surveillance society for just USD $1.50! That’s half off the regular price.

Click here to enter the sale. Just use the coupon code SSW50 at checkout to get the discount.

Safety Not Guaranteed worth the risk

Published by Adam on June 18, 2012

Laughter is guaranteed in this fun indie comedy about wanting to reset the past.

Safety Not Guaranteed, which had its Australian premiere Sunday night at the Sydney Film Festival, follows a jaded journalistic investigation into time travel.

A man named Kenneth claims not only that he can go back in time, but that he has done so once before. Kenneth needs a partner, so—rationally enough—he takes out a classified ad in the newspaper. Figuring Kenneth is crazy, a magazine reporter and two interns go after the story.

Intern Darius (Aubrey Plaza) finds herself drawn into Kenneth’s quest and realizes they share something in common: They both have been hurt by something in the past and want desperately to change it.

Mark Duplass is perfect as possibly crazy guy Kenneth—he’s sweet but beneath his innocent exterior lurks something dark. You’re never quite sure whether to root for him or to yell pathetically at the screen, “Darius, get out of there!”

Plaza, Jake Johnson and Karan Soni have great chemistry as the dysfunctional journalistic team. Plaza and Johnson, best known for their performances in Parks and Recreation and New Girl, don’t stray very far from their TV roles. Plaza plays a shrugging, sarcastic indie kid while Johnson is loud, angry and yet…somehow sympathetic. But hey, it’s hard to complain when those actors do those roles so well.

The film’s got a smart script. Unlike many comedies, Safety Not Guaranteed doesn’t feel like a series of sketches. Fitting for movie about time travel, each character’s actions and motivations are rooted in their pasts. It’s engaging not because you can’t wait for the next joke, but because you genuinely like the characters and want to know what’s going to happen to them.

Soni’s character doesn’t feel quite as well constructed as the rest of the cast. And the ending leaves a few loose ends. Yes, there is a proper payoff scene, but I couldn’t help but feel unresolved about the fates of a few of the characters.

It is impressive how much the filmmakers did with minimal budget. Speaking at the Sydney premiere, director Colin Trevorrow was quick to point out how little money was spent making the film. Meanwhile, marketing for this film seems to rely heavily on a viral Facebook campaign. But Safety Not Guaranteed never felt for a second like it was a film-school movie or other cheaply made affair.

Here’s hoping the Facebook campaign works and people go out and see it. It’s definitely worth a “Like.”

**** Four Stars (out of five)