America

Today was the first day Autumn really hit me.

It was cold - cold enough to hang up my 'summer' coat (the Indiana Jones leather bomber jacket) and switch to the 'winter' coat (an ankle length Spike coat) and the whiff of creaking leather was enough to send me reminiscing about arriving in America again for the first time in October of 2006.

Nostalgia's a good thing because it reminds you of all the things you love about a place, even when months and years have made you complacent about those advantages.

Today was a rare, but welcome occasion in which I remembered why I loved moving here so much.

For example, I started my day by clambering behind the wheel of a big, old car. Wooden dashboard, leather steering wheel and six-feet of long, sleek bonnet stretching out in front of me. Old cars are a passion for me - and it wasn't until America that I got to drive one again.

As I filled up with petrol, I realised that a tank of 'gas' cost the same number of dollars as it did pounds in Britain - about $35. So many things here in America are cheaper. It's honestly like every dollar buys you what a quid does in the UK. For that reason, we're in the black - whereas in the UK, we always scrimped, saved and hovered one paycheque from oblivion.

At work, I got an email from the editor of a magazine I write for. The fact that I've been able to launch a modest freelance writing career in America - and earn money for it - reveals that opportunities exist here that simply don't back in England.

I'm not sure exactly why. Perhaps it's because Americans appreciate people who do things, rather than people who are qualified to do things. Or maybe it's because I had an opportunity to redefine myself in America - whereas British society defines you - by your accent, your school, where you live and even the color of your hair.

At work, I argued (good naturedly) with somebody who was offended by the adverts being posted across New York for the new Tucker Max movie I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. It made me grateful for the fact that we live in a country in which freedom of expression is a constitutional right and the politically correct mafia can't ban things indiscriminately like they seem to in England.

During my lunchbreak, I discovered a great new blog by a Colorado librarian called Jamie LaRue - who made a particularly noteworthy comment that I enjoyed because it tied into my reading on the American War of Independence (yes, I'm still wading through The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789)

"...our whole system of government was based on the idea that the purpose of the state was to preserve individual liberties, not to dictate them."

It reinforced my belief that Stephen King's 'The Stand' is coming true and all the awesome people gravitate towards Colorado (Sasha, Sarah and Coffee Bean, for example) and it reminded me that America was a nation founded on secular freedoms, not religious restrictions (as some people would have you believe.)

As I drove home, I noticed that the Halloween Store on US1 opened today - reminding me that we're one step closer to my favorite holiday of the year (and an excuse to dress up in silly costume.) We've already got Mini Militant's. Watch for pictures soon!

And finally, I came home to my lovely wife and my adorable son and I realised that everything in my life has blossomed in unexpected ways since coming to the United States.

Sure, I grow frustrated with life here sometimes. I'm adopting an almost libertarian distrust of the federal government, even while I argue that we need public involvement in the private health care industry.

[Hey, conservatives argue that the government can't run anything right, and then claim that public health care will so so efficient it'll put private insurers out of business. That's no less retarded! - Editorial Bear]

But America is an opportunity. I realise that your destiny here is largely of your own creation and I never felt like that in Britain.

I look at my brother in law, who started a million-dollar business without ever going to college. I see the example of Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg, who built their fortunes gambling with pennies. I even look at Barack Obama, who was an undistinguished kid from a modest background who made history when he strode into the White House.

Sometimes I feel deflated, living in our tiny rented house and living our modest little lives. But then I remember that all my hopes and dreams are out here, in America. At least, they are if I can just summon the power to seize them. Maybe I never will, but for some reason, I still feel like I'm inching my way closer and closer to them each day that I spend here.

Stephen King on Twilight

Stephen King raised a few eyebrows recently by claiming that Stephanie Meyer, author of the popular 'Twilight' series of books, doesn't deserve to inherit J.K. Rowling's 'teen queen' crown.

"Both Rowling and Meyer, they're speaking directly to young people... The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good."

Having just read Stephen King's memoir, On Writing, I am no stranger to the caustic remarks he reserves for some overrated authors (along with praise for his favorites.)

However this assassination is particularly interesting, since Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight' series of books take more than a few pointers from King himself - He's not credited nearly often enough with reinventing the vampire genre in his 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot.

That being said, his attack on Meyer wasn't as brutal as it could have been - he gives her kudos for (bad?) writing that still proves incredibly compelling for its intended audience:

"She's writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up a kind of 'safe' joining of love and sex. It's exciting and it's thrilling, but it's not particularly threatening because it's not overtly sexual."

"A lot of the physicality is conveyed in ways, for example, like how the vampire will touch [Bella's] forearm or run a hand over her skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that's a shorthand for all the feelings that they're not ready to deal with yet."

I find the whole spat rather fascinating, since King's attack on Meyer mirrors many criticisms made about his own writing over the years. Stephen King is a simply brilliant author, but for decades, his writing was dismissed as populist 'schlock' because it had the audacity to sell well.

It seems there's still a certain snobbery in the publishing industry - books that appeal to a wide audience and sell well are never taken seriously by the literati. There's 'literary' fiction (the stuff that wins Booker prizes) and 'popular' fiction (the stuff that sells millions of copies.) A powerful lobby within the publishing industry makes sure that 'never the twain shall meet.'

Stephen King represents just one of the authors who bridges the divide between literary and populist fiction. Books like The Dark Tower and The Stand are astonishingly complex masterpieces that just happen to appeal to a huge audience.

Seeing how King has been dismissed so often for his popularity, it seems somewhat unsportsmanlike to lay into Stephanie Meyer for exactly the same reason!

But then again, even by the most generous standards, Stephanie Meyer is no Stephen King.

America's favourite read...

A recent Harris Poll has revealed America's favorite books - and there are some surprises.

The top choices were largely American classics, such as Gone with the Wind, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. A surprising choice - number two for most 32 to 43 year olds - was the American folktale The Stand by Stephen King. I recently read that book (even though King wrote it in the early seventies) and thought it was a breathtaking work of enormous depth (despite being stuck in the 'horror' shelf at your local library.)

I was disappointed, but not surprised by the universal first choice. An old foreign book, it's been on sale for seemingly forever. Technically, I think it only won because all 21 (at last count) English translations were taken into account (even though they're all translated wildly differently, some editions being entirely different books to other copies.)

It's written in a very old fashioned way and incredibly poorly edited - there are glaring contradictions between the various sections of the book and huge plot holes. By today's standards, it's misogynistic and racist and some people even claim it's wildly homophobic. It features more rape, murder, incest, adultery and hate-speech than any book currently in print. Yet, it's America's favourite.

I'm talking, of course, about The Bible.

Apparently based on a true story, the Bible does take some wild liberties with actual historical events and is a bit preachy at times (pushing some very odd values, as well.) Yet because of all the sordid stories contained within it (for example, two daughters, who conspire to seduce their father in order to produce children) it's difficult not to get caught up in it - even despite the incredibly pretentious and sometimes incomprehensible writing style.

The only thing I find surprising is that such a controversial book, chock-full of sex and scandal, hasn't been banned yet! In fact, some families even encourage their kids to read it!

Pretty shocking stuff.

The Bible is available from all good bookstores, Churches and the top drawer of most hotel nightstands. Due to the explicit content contained within, the Bible is not suitable for children under the age of 18.