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Category Archives: Personal
Forbidden Planet interview: The Art and Making of Frankenstein
I forgot I did this interview with Phil Wallis, a filmmaker with Forbidden Planet TV, about my book The Art and Making of Frankenstein. Forbidden Planet just posted it this morning and I was like “Oh! Yeah! I did that!” … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Movies, Personal
Tagged Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, Mary Shelley
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For Liberties: The Tactile Spiritual
For the winter 2026 issue Liberties Journal: I wrote on tactility and the spirituality of objects. Things you can touch or hold, even if it’s just in your mind. Your mind is free. This one is really important to me. … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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December 2025 Snapshots
The days are short but they feel very long. So much has happened in the last four months. I have not even begun to process it. Did I enjoy it? I think so! But I had no time to linger … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged animation, family, Frankenstein, friends, Japan, Joan Crawford, snapshots
7 Comments
My Ideal New Year’s Eve Party … Is Fictional
I’m not much for New Year’s Eve (I have already covered this), and I’m not much for big parties anymore, nor am I into people who can’t hold their liquor. My friend Ann Marie calls New Years Eve “open mic … Continue reading
November 2025 Snapshots
Started off November with a book signing event at the Barnes & Noble near my house in my home state. It was very meaningful for me because my friends could come, my family, my mother, my aunts and a couple … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged Emily Dickinson, family, Frankenstein, friends, Robert Kaplan, snapshots
5 Comments
Interview with Women in Horror about Frankenstein
Staci Wilson interviewed me about the whole Frankenstein experience for her excellent site Women in Horror. We talked about the brilliant artists behind the scenes – production design, costume, everything – who helped bring Guillermo’s vision to life. I love … Continue reading
October 2025 Snapshots
This fall was way too busy for me to write anything, anywhere. I spent three weeks in New York in October, a lot of back and forth, for screenings, meetings with friends, and then the Frankenstein New York premiere where … Continue reading
Posted in James Joyce, Personal
Tagged Emily Dickinson, Frankenstein, friends, Guillermo del Toro, nonfiction, poetry, Robert Kaplan, sci-fi, snapshots, Ulysses
11 Comments
“Really, there isn’t such a thing as ‘method acting.’ There’s only good acting and bad acting.” — Ellen Burstyn
“It’s been awhile. My Oscar is getting kind of tarnished. I looked at it a couple of years ago and thought I really needed a new one.” — Ellen Burstyn It’s her birthday today. In less than a decade, Ellen … Continue reading
“Being understood is not the most essential thing in life.” — Jodie Foster
It’s her birthday today. She’s not my favorite actress in the world although I admire her journey, which – if you think about it – is quite exceptional. Consider the other child actors who dominated in the ’70s. Who has … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, On This Day, Personal
Tagged Jodie Foster, women directors
7 Comments
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, and Guillermo del Toro: a live event
I had a wonderful time today discussing Frankenstein with Jen Johans, for the live event hosted by the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. The whole thing’s on YouTube.
Posted in Books, Movies, Personal
Tagged Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, Mary Shelley, podcast
11 Comments