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Showing 3562 Columns
December 26th, 2018
If you write dark fiction, including horror, one of the best ways you can stay current, evolve as an author, and find new stories to tell is to read The Best Horror of the Year, edited by Ellen Datlow. I consider it MUST READING every year. I teach out of this book for my Advanced Creative Writing Workshop, and even though I’ve published over 150 stories, I learn something every time I read it. What do I learn? How can you use this anthology to get better? Let me tell you.
Read Column →December 21st, 2018
Merry Christmas and Yippee-Ki-Yay! To enhance my enjoyment of Die Hard, I went ahead and read the book it was based on, Nothing Lasts Forever. After all, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie, right? Which meant Nothing Lasts Forever was liable to blow my mind all the way down my throat, through my digestive tract, and violently out through—well, you get the idea. Let me tell you all about it. Plus, stay tuned for definitive proof that Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie.
Read Column →December 20th, 2018
Nothing inspires a child's imagination to run wild quite like Christmas — with the stretch of school break and the promise of presents. It certainly beats having to worry about bills and work! What better way to reminisce about the best season of the year than revisiting the adventures of precocious six-year-old Calvin and his anthropomorphic stuffed tiger, Hobbes. Here are twelve memorable moments from Calvin and Hobbes to get you into the spirit of Christmas.
Read Column →December 19th, 2018
It’s that time of year again. The stores already have their Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras or Fourth of July displays out, but that doesn’t mean you’ve crumpled your holiday shopping list and kicked back with the eggnog yet. If you’re human like the rest of us, you’ve still got a ways to go and a pile of presents to buy.
Read Column →December 18th, 2018
Whatever you read this year, don’t believe the headlines. There aren’t 10 Things You Don’t Know About A Christmas Story. There are no Things To Watch For In A Christmas Story that you haven’t already seen.
Read Column →December 18th, 2018
To celebrate the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, here are 20 ghost and horror stories to sink your teeth into this holiday season. Some you can read, others you can listen to, but best of all, they’re available free-of-charge. So, venture forth, if you dare…
Read Column →December 17th, 2018
Everyone who celebrates the winter holidays has been on the giving or receiving end of books. Books should be easy gifts, but oh boy, they are not.
Read Column →December 14th, 2018
Another year has come and gone. You know what that means, don't you? Time for a bunch of strangers to tell you what was good! And why should you care what the LitReactor staff thinks are the best books of the year? Trick question! You shouldn't. But what they have to say might interest you nonetheless, because they are good-looking and knowledgeable and they read like the wind. So for those who care, we submit for your approval/derision some of LitReactor's favorite reads of 2018 (part III).
Read Column →December 12th, 2018
So someone invited you to a Christmas party and you can't excuse yourself for some reason. Maybe you somehow ended up involved in a Secret Santa nightmare at work. Life is complicated and there are many reasons and situations why you'd end up having to buy a gift for someone you strongly dislike. Well, I created a list of books you can gift your enemies. The only thing you need to remember is to keep a straight face when doing so. Here we go:
Read Column →December 11th, 2018
If you’re looking for a book gift this year, I have a few suggestions. See, a lot of books, you don’t actually need to own them. You can check them out at a library and save some bucks. Not to mention some space. Not to mention your back if you end up moving. Or, you can buy them digitally, save yourself the trouble of the physical item. But there are still some books out there, special books, that you have to own in hard copy to really enjoy. The book isn't dead. Here are some of the titles keeping the book alive.
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