Signe Pike’s 2010 memoir Faery Tale is subtitled, One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World. It tells of her journey to the countries steeped in a history of fairy belief, in search of something that would convince her, a cynical New Yorker, of their reality. Through her discoveries and experiences, she not only learns about fairies, but also … Read More
Writer’s Day #2
This is the second of a series of videos showing how a typical writer (i.e., me) works through the day. Ever wonder how those signed copies get from an author to a contest winner? Now you can see. And it involves military jets. [divider] [media url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmU7PuQnMYE&feature=g-upl”] [divider]
Writer’s Day #1
This is the first of a series of videos showing how a typical writer (i.e., me) works through the day. And my day starts early. [divider] [media url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJzBExwNf_M”] [divider]
The Ubiquitous Daddy Issues Club
Recently I mentioned to author Patrick Somerville (This Bright River) that Dean Bakopoulos’s first book, Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon, resonated with me because I have unresolved issues with my own late father. Patrick said, “Yeah, like every other writer.” It wasn’t mockery: he was saying, in essence, “Welcome to a club of which you were already a … Read More
I will not say I will not read your f*cking (manu)script
WARNING: This post contains strong language. It actually has to, because…well, you’ll see. Every so often, someone posts a link to this, a 2009 article by screenwriter Josh Olson bemoaning the fact that struggling writers ask him to read their work. If you haven’t, take a minute and read it. I’ll wait. I’ll say this up front: if this article, in … Read More
The Girl on the Cover
This post is about cover art, and specifically the way characters are portrayed in it. I want to say up front, I’m not being critical of my own covers. A cover is designed to make potential readers check out the book; once they do, it becomes the writer’s responsibility to keep them interested. It goes without saying that often the … Read More
Writers and the Throne
It’s a well-known maxim that creative types, for the most part, get no respect from their families. Even Jesus knew this, saying (according to King James), “A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (and no, I’m not comparing myself to Jesus). Thankfully, in my own house … Read More
George Lucas and Elvis: Echoes from 1977
Thirty-five years ago, two things that fundamental changed my life happened in the same summer. In May, Star Wars was released. In August, Elvis Presley died. The arrival of Star Wars turned the thing that everyone in my small town mocked, that had gotten me teased and beaten up, into the hippest thing in the world. Spaceships, aliens and robots … Read More
Guest blog: Cyrus Webb on interviewing authors
I’ve been a guest on the Conversations online radio show twice, and both times have been a blast. Host Cyrus Webb interviews not only authors but musicians, sports figures, musicians and anyone he finds interesting. I asked him to write a bit about what makes a good guest, and how an author should prepare for a radio interview. *** Getting a … Read More
The Man (or Alien) in the Mirror
I was reading this blog by author Theodora Goss and came across this comment: “My parents’ generation was raised under communism, and still retains the assumption that literature is important to the extent that it adheres to literary realism.” Ms. Goss, like me, is a fantasy author. Her works include the novel, The Thorn and the Blossom, and the story collection, In the … Read More