In Ann Patchett's The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life (affiliate link) (my review), she mentions that she's not particularly fond of parties. It's at parties where it inevitably happens: somebody approaches her and says … [Continue reading]
The Crystal Ball (Is a Big Maybe)
During my 101-day social media break, I cut back on the number of blogs in my blog reader. But one category always seems to grow, despite my best intentions of taming it: my "Writing/Publishing" category. On any given day, all kinds of information … [Continue reading]
The Company of Other Writers
Paul Lamb recently chatted on his blog about craving fellowship with like-minded writers. For years, more every other Wednesdays than not, I met with two friends for a writing group. We kept it small by design, and while it lasted, it was a … [Continue reading]
The Importance of Stories
If you've ever doubted how important a story can be to somebody, watch this (NSFW: some swearing): The quick version of the story: A guy's friend has terminal cancer and may be dead by June. So the guy jumps online and explains that it would … [Continue reading]
The Book Pile: A Good American
I've been following Alex George's blog for awhile, now. I always appreciate the quiet manner in which Alex talks about writing. Okay, perhaps "quiet" isn't the right word: Alex is just a humble guy who truly appreciates those who stop by or pick … [Continue reading]
The End(ing)
Graphic novels are one of my favorite things in the world. Words combined with pictures -- and all that happens in between the panels -- is an amazing thing. Some days I'm not sure there's a more perfect medium. Fairly recently, I reviewed … [Continue reading]
What Is Your Reason for Writing?
I'm lucky to be friends with some good writers, all of whom see writing a little differently. One friend doesn't get as attached to his stories as most people I know. For him, he just sits down and produces. Like a machine. If an editor suggests … [Continue reading]
Han Shot First…Wait, No–Greedo Did!
The weekend of my 8th birthday (1977), my mom took my sister, one of my sister's friends, and me to see Star Wars at a drive-in theater. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen -- particularly the cantina scene, where we meet Han Solo. In that … [Continue reading]
Win a Copy of A Good American
I recently interviewed Alex George about his new book, A Good American. Maybe you've heard about the book or seen it on the shelves in bookstores. Or maybe this is the first time you've heard about it and you're wondering what it's about. This … [Continue reading]
Alex George Interview (About A Good American)
One of my most cherished memories is sitting at my great grandmother’s dining room table, listening to her tell her story about coming over from Sicily to America. Growing up in and then near Chicago, I was raised around a lot of people from … [Continue reading]
In Defense of Quirky
I've recently mentioned the book I'm currently working on, A Magic Life. A couple people have emailed to ask what's been happening with the novel I wrote before starting A Magic Life. That novel is called Promise, and I'm currently shopping it … [Continue reading]
Writing Down the Dream
Since the Paris Review put all their author interviews online, there's no reason for a writer to ever be bored. I love reading interviews at night, before sliding off to Dreamville. The other night before going to sleep, I read this interview with … [Continue reading]
In the Shadow of February
Sometime this morning, after a groundhog tells us all what to expect for the rest of the winter, an armadillo will leave its burrow down here and the message will be: "It's Texas -- who the hell knows what to expect!" It's been in the mid 70s, … [Continue reading]
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