Columns

Halfway There: The Best Books of 2017...So Far

June 14th, 2017

At the start of every year, I take a look at what books will be published and think "Man, it's gonna be a great year to be a reader." Then, every single year, I'm blown away by the quality of the books I read. This year has been no different, and despite having half of 2017 to go, there has been more than enough outstanding literature to make a decent list. Keep in mind that I read crime, horror, bizarro, poetry, nonfiction, and literary fiction, so what you're about to read brings together a plethora of genres. Let's get started.

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Out of Circulation: 'My Fair Lady' by Louis Hemon

June 14th, 2017

Out of Circulation I work in an old library. In fact, it's the second oldest circulating library in the country, and has existed in various formats and spaces since 1748. 1748. That's a long time, y'all. Our vaults are jam-packed with colonial newspapers, collections of letters and journals from the 1800s, and crazy-cool historical artifacts. Our stacks are stuffed with books, and while our librarians do their best to keep the latest books coming in, some of the books in the stacks are...shall we say...old. 

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Heel Turn: When Good Guys Go Bad

June 13th, 2017

As Harvey Dent said in The Dark Knight: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” He was talking about Batman, but the statement could easily apply to all superheroes. Being fictitious, they never have to die, and even when they do, it never sticks. Seventy years is a long time to tell stories about the same character, and writers have to shake it up every now and then to keep titles moving.

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What Happens When You Stop Writing Negative Book Reviews

June 12th, 2017

It was an idea that first showed up on my internet doorstep in 2013. A certain web site’s decision to no longer post negative book reviews had the internet abuzz(feed) with, let’s be honest, mostly critical responses to the lack of critical responses. I’ll admit, I thought the idea was very stupid. Profoundly stupid.

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10 Things You Should Know About Having A Persona

June 12th, 2017

It seems there are two main camps when it comes to having a persona as a writer: those who practice it every day and those who have never considered it. Furthermore, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the term and what it means for those of us in the writing/editing/publishing/public reading world. What follows is both my attempt at throwing some light on the subject, and a way to share my experiences and explain why I recommend having a persona if you're a writer. Neither of those things are easy to do in ten short paragraphs, so bear with me.

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Storyville: Adding Diversity to Your Fiction

June 8th, 2017

This is a difficult subject to talk about, diversity in fiction, especially coming from a straight, white male, a place of privilege, but I’m going to do my best to give you some advice here on how to make your stories more diverse. I struggle with it as well, but am constantly trying to not only publish more diverse fiction, but write it as well.

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Get Off Your Ass and Read That Pile of Books

June 8th, 2017

Every avid reader has done it at some point. You spend a few hours lounging at a Barnes & Noble (or at a Borders or Waldenbooks in the mall back in the day, when people actually went to malls), collecting books that grab you in the moment. It’s even worse at a Half Price Books where the discounts are too good to be true, and you end up with a whole bag of paperbacks with that sweet old musty, dusty smell.

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Writing: An (Unfortunate) Exercise in Trust

June 7th, 2017

Header: "Trust" by Lars Plougmann I’m intentionally not making eye contact with anyone as I say this, so no one thinks I’m talking about them. Trust issues are very common. What does trust have to do with writing? Well, unfortunately for those with the issues, pretty much everything. Love it or hate it, it permeates every facet of the gig. Let’s look at some of the ways trust is important and how we can work toward improving our use of it for each.

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Writing Showed Me How To Pay Off Student Loans

June 5th, 2017

If you’re here, I’m assuming you’ve got student loan debt. Welcome. And I’m sorry. We’ll get through this together. If you’re here, you may or may not be a writer already. Either way, I’m here to help. Whether you’re a writer looking to pay off a debt or a former student desperately Googling for advice, let me show you how a writing habit will help you pay off your debt.

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5 Sci-Fi Stories for Crime Writers

June 5th, 2017

I’ve never been accused of being a smart guy, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that I decided to write a science-fiction novel even though I’m not well versed in science fiction—at least, not like I am in crime and mystery fiction. So when the idea hit me, I immediately started reaching out for recommendations and consuming anything that could be classified as SF/F.

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