In the summer of 1960 my father announced, “We’re taking a whole month’s vacation!” His voice was hoarse with promise, his canny grin the same as when he flipped over four aces in poker. But luck had nothing to do with it—we could afford a month in a cabin on Mount Desert Island because of…
If I Fell
If I Fell is the title of the second book in the Ray of Darkness series, to be published October 1st. (It’s available here for pre-order.) THE SONG Before it was a book title, “If I Fell” was a Beatles song, first heard in their first movie A Hard Day’s Night: John Lennon said, “It…
UN-PUBLISHED!
UNPUBLISHED! What??? Is that even a thing? It is, as I discovered last Monday when I went to the book page for Never Speak on Amazon. I do it at least once a day to check my sales rank—a shameful practice which I try to justify by knowing that I’m far from alone. When I…
The Lost Wax Process
Photo by Florencia Potter on Unsplash If you’re born a lemon-head, make lemonade. (Note to subscribers: due to the demands of my current book project, I will no longer post every Tuesday) I. Growing up my parents often smiled, saying, “You’re so smart!” It gave me a warm sensation in the pit of my stomach. Yet…
Murderous Arts News No. 1
NEVER SPEAK has been out for 10 weeks. Thank you, everyone who has bought and reviewed it! News: NEVER SPEAK in its first library appearance at the Cutler Memorial in Plainfield, VT. Thank you, Jane Youngbear! I’m writing a prequel novella mystery to the Murderous Arts series, tentatively titled RAY OF DARKNESS. It takes place at…
When Art Imitates Life
Photo by Jack Alexander on Unsplash How a chance encounter turned me into a novelist. I first came to Hudson, NY in the early aughties. I’d been carrying on a long love affair with the past, so I took right to Warren Street, with its 165 antique stores. Each had its niche–Second Empire, Art Deco, Fifties Modern, 60s kitsch–making them feel…
The One Indispensable Word of Advice for Writers
Persist. Four years ago, I’d completed two novels in a mystery/thriller series. There was a lot of media buzz about self-publishing, and I was on the fence as to whether to go that way or hold out for a traditional deal. Over the months that I hemmed and hawed over my dilemma, I sensed that…
10 Great TV Series
I wrote here how TV series have become the best vehicles for storytelling. Here are some of my favorites: 1. Breaking Bad. Walt is a good guy facing a terrible thing: lung cancer. When he leaves this earth he’d like to leave his family unsaddled by poverty and debts. So he makes a bad choice….
TV is the New Great American Novel
The New York Times weekly column “By the Book” interviews authors and famous people about what they read. Most have a bedside table threatening collapse from the mountain of books piled on it. They sprinkle their reading lists with obscure works, like that new translation of a 18TH century Latvian poet I’ve never heard of….
An Improbable Cause
Thirteen months ago I wrote about finding my new agent, extending my metaphor of storming the fortress of the publishing business. A new year, and time for a new metaphor : climbing a mountain. I first gazed up at the summit thirteen years ago. It looked close. I was writing a memoir about my father…
-
Recent Posts
-
Archives
- April 2024
- June 2023
- June 2021
- April 2020
- September 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- June 2018
- April 2018
- January 2018
- March 2017
- November 2016
- February 2016
- November 2015
- October 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- March 2015
- September 2014
- August 2014
- April 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- November 2013
- October 2013
- January 2013
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
-
Meta
