March 2010 - David Mark Brown

Young People Move Around the Country with Confused Impunity

March 29, 2010 by David Mark Brown

One of the big question marks in our floundering economy right now hovers over the idea of human migration trends. Where are people moving to, and why. The key demographic in most conversations about migration trends in the U.S. seem to be young couples and singles between the ages of 25 and 40. Where are these young people moving? And maybe more importantly, what do they want?

The answer, of course, is nobody knows. But I have to write about something, so… let’s say… meaningful and fulfilling lives. But first, where are they moving? States like Texas have had a positive population gain over the last couple of years mostly due to strong energy sector jobs. But let’s face it. As an former resident of Texas, I realize not everyone wants to move to the armpit of hell, Houston.

Many are decrying the fact that young people are fleeing the country like scripted drama from prime time television. But just like prime time TV, there are pockets of CSI, er, young people still finding home in the country. Others, like a recent Wall Street Journal article, talk about the opposite trend.

If a character tree falls in the forest…

March 26, 2010 by David Mark Brown

You would think that I would have diagramed the lives, motives and phycological profiles of my characters before I began the first draft of Blood Vines. Instead I find myself doing it now, before I begin the third rewrite. While it is a bit easier to picture my characters now than I image in would have been over a year ago, it am guessing the process of writing the novel has been made much more difficult by waiting until now.

Hmmm. Good thing good logic is not a prerequisite to being a good novelist. The thing that amazed me the most as I sat down to diagram the ins and outs of these characters whom I have known now for many months was not how much I knew about them, or even how much I didn’t know about them. What surprised me the most was how much I almost knew about them.

Hemp History Week, 2010: Bring Back Industrial Hemp

March 7, 2010 by David Mark Brown

It is probably not a new revelation to most of you that hemp once grew tall and proud throughout many regions of the United States. Before bored advocated of Prohibition teamed up with politicians and others seeking to push mostly Mexican immigrants back South of the Border during the rise toward the Great Depression and eventually leading to the “Reefer Madness” era, hemp was widely grown and used for dozens of applications in the U.S. including paints, cosmetics, fabrics and foods.

It seems, after many years of difficult struggle, groups such as the Hemp Industries Association and Vote Hemp might finally be gathering the momentum to bring hemp back into the mainstream of American society. These two organizations are teaming up this Spring to bring us Hemp History Week, May 17th-23rd. This is not the same thing as, “Smoke a Doobie, Attention Deficit Day,” or “Bake a Ganja Brownie for your Favorite Earth Sprite Day.”