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
Another ARC of He Drank, and Saw the Spider
So it’s time for another visual clue to some of the things you’ll find in He Drank, and Saw the Spider, the upcoming fifth Eddie LaCrosse novel. Since I gave away two ARCs last time (due to a tie), for this caption contest I’ll give away two more. Leave your comment by midnight Sunday, September 22 for a chance to … Read More
Guest blog: Steve McHugh on Changing Times
My friend novelist Melissa Olson put me on the track of Steve McHugh. He’s the author of the Hellequin Chronicles series, about an immortal sorcerer who still battles evil in the modern day. I asked him to talk a bit about how he chooses the flashback scenes for the novels, which jump back and forth through time, much like the … 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
First hint for the new Eddie LaCrosse
Since the next Eddie LaCrosse novel, He Drank, and Saw the Spider, doesn’t come out until this winter, I thought I’d start dropping some little visual hints about it. This picture contains a pretty obvious one: there is a sixteen-year-jump in the story. But if you can place the rest of the picture, you might also discern a few more … 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
No More Heroines
I don’t like heroines. If you’re familiar with my work, you should immediately know I mean the word heroine, not the concept of the female protagonist. I’ve written one fantasy novel (The Hum and the Shiver) and a series of short stories (The Firefly Witch) with strong, tough female main characters, and I try to make the women in my Eddie … Read More
How Does Being a Southerner Affect My Writing?
Recently fan Laura Kannard asked me, “How has being from the South affected your writing?” I got a similar question during my recent appearance at Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ, so it’s been fresh on my mind. And it’s one of those questions for which there’s no easy answer. It’s clear that the South certainly has more than its … Read More
Three Questions on Writing
Recently my friend Talis Kimberley, an amazing songwriter and musician, asked me a couple of questions I thought might be of more general interest. So I thought I’d answer them here. 1: What are you proudest of having written? That’s got a couple of answers. Every writer has, in his or her head, an ideal version of their book. It’s … Read More
Steam from manure: working with details
Recently on Facebook, fan Claudia Tucker asked me, “How do you decide what bits are superfluous even if it sets the ambience of the scene?” Every writer’s approach, methods and habits are different, so keep that in mind when I describe mine. We all deal with the same issues, but ultimately there’s no right or wrong way to achieve these … Read More