I woke up this morning to discover that James "Whitey" Bulger, the last great Irish-American mobster, got busted in California. I was shocked because he had eluded the Feds for over a decade and a half, having had a tip off from John Connolly to give him a head start. His capture is proof that sometimes justice does prevail in this world.
I read two books about Bulger. One, titled "Brutal", was written by his protege, Kevin Weeks. It revealed just how boring organized crime really was. Basically, they would wake up in the afternoon, go around and shake down drug dealers for money, then drink all night and do the same thing the next day. They sounded more like overgrown college kids with a violent streak than the dashing figures romanticized in films. A more exciting book was "A Criminal And An Irishman" by Patrick Nee, who was Bulger's nemesis and later, business partner. Reading about those two trying to gun each other down was more entertaining and similar to the movies. That being said, it still took away the mystique of mobsters, revealing them as nothing more than crooks who are smart enough to know that they can rob more people together than they can on their own.
I finished "Princess Eirian" today. It broke another record: twelve drafts. It turned out very well, though, and I got to explore Max's character more and figure out how much Sandra means to her. It touched on her rivalry with Sandra's elder sister, too, which was key in developing her as a warrior and a sorceress. It was also a chance for me to throw in some Greek mythology references. Granted, I feel that those motifs are overused in fantasy, but the reason why they are used so much is because they are really good! Come on, who doesn't like Achilles, Perseus, and Hercules running around kicking butt?
Anyway, I need to edit "The Battle of Khorsabad." It features Magnus and also references Greco-Roman mythology, only with a bit more subtlely. I can't wait to finish it.
