Every writer has at least one weakness, something they don’t do as well as they’d like. They know it, and their readers know it. Raymond Chandler knew he didn’t do plots well, which is why the structures of his novels a) don’t bear up to scrutiny, and b) are often cribbed from his previous short stories. Of course, what he … Read More
Help fund Tufa Tales: Appalachian Fae
One of the best perks about being a writer is that you get to meet other artists. Most of them are fellow writers, but I’m lucky enough to also count visual artists, filmmakers, and musicians among my friends. I’ve connected with many of them through art, either theirs or mine, as well as through social gatherings like conventions and workshops. … Read More
The Secrets of Writing Action Scenes
Back in 1991, Timothy Zahn rejuvenated the Star Wars franchise with Heir to the Empire, the first new, non-comic Star Wars tale since the end of the first trilogy. Like every SW fan, I devoured it, but I remember thinking that although Zahn nailed the characters, he totally blew the battle scenes. The reason was simple: what takes seconds to … Read More
Guest blog: Melissa Banigan on new anthology
Author and friend Melissa Banigan is creating an amazing anthology called Advice to My Thirteen-Year-Old Self. I’ve invited her to talk about it here, and at the end is information about how you can contribute.–A.B. For many months, I’ve veered away from writing adult and middle grade fiction dystopian and fantasy novels to focus on editing an anthology of non-fiction … Read More
Happy birthday, Joseph Conrad!
Today, one hundred and fifty-six years ago, Joseph Conrad was born in Russia. He was Polish, but became a nationalized British subject in 1886. In 1899, his masterpiece Heart of Darkness first appeared in print, serialized in a British magazine. There’s a simple, almost unbelievable fact hidden in the above paragraph. Conrad was Polish, did not learn English until … Read More
Hearing Voices
A while back, Facebook friend Diana May-Waldman asked me, “When you write, do you ever get stuck in character for a little while?” My initial response was an instantaneous, “no,” but then I got to thinking about it. I write two series in first person: my Eddie LaCrosse novels, and the Firefly Witch short stories. When you write in first … Read More
Don’t Get Rock Blocked
“On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” –Hunter S. Thompson When I was a teenager–and I suspect this is true for most people reading this–music was incredibly important to me. I didn’t play an instrument, … Read More
An Average Day in the Word Mines
A while back, I asked for blog topic suggestions, and my pal Bill Bodden actually gave me three that were related. So I’m answering this trio of writing-related questions as one blog post. Thanks, Bill! How much time do you spend writing in an average day? Do you set word count goals, page goals, or do you not set goals … Read More
Writer’s Day: A Visit to the Tufa Library
Recently I had the honor of being invited to Rugby, TN, to do a reading and signing as part of their Appalachian Writers series. Rugby is the inspiration for Cricket* in the Tufa novels, and the real Thomas Hughes Library shows up as the Roy Howard Library. Here’s a glimpse inside. [media url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkiEk3nGJqY”] *because I don’t work any … Read More
Location, location, location
“Memphis is in a very lucky position on the map.” –Steve Cropper Facebook friend and fan Paula Cassidy recently asked me, “What’s the most difficult thing about using Memphis as a setting for some of your books?” For those unfamiliar with them, I wrote two vampire novels set in 1975 Memphis, Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of … Read More