Columns

Book Tour Diaries: Planning the Trip and What to Pack

February 11th, 2016

I am both thrilled and horrified that, in a few days, I'm embarking on my first book tour. Thrilled because, c'mon, that's awesome. Horrified because, what if no one shows up to my events? What if a LOT of people show up and I do something stupid, like trip and fall on my face? What if a stranger offers me candy and I accept because what kind of lunatic says no to free candy, and I end up getting tortured in some basement in the middle of nowhere?  There is a lot to consider here. 

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7 Romantic Valentine's Day Novels

February 11th, 2016

Valentine’s Day and Romance go together like chocolate samplers and roses. And what better way to celebrate a holiday centered on love than with some incredible swoon-worthy reads? Whether you’re single and looking, or attached and blissed out, these seven Valentine’s Day romances will put you in the loving mood.

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Is the Supernatural My Security Blanket?

February 10th, 2016

Six years.  Six years, and eight books, and countless short stories. Six years, and in all that time: everything I've written has had a touch (at the bare minimum) of supernatural or speculative elements.  Every. Single. Story. When I began writing, six years ago, I envisioned myself (of course) writing the next great American novel. I envisioned myself as a Jewish Toni Morrison, perhaps, or at least a new Harper Lee. A woman writer, or rather a Woman Writer. Literary and great. 

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Storyville: Love in Fiction

February 10th, 2016

When I read a story, what often leaves me flat is the lack of empathy I have for the characters. One way you can get your reader to care more about what’s happening on the page, and with your characters, is through love. How can you show us love in your short stories and novels? There are many different types of love. Here are a few ideas.

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10 Love Poems Beyond Roses Are Red

February 9th, 2016

This column originally started with the origin of the "Roses are red" poem. But frankly, it's boring. That thing can be traced back to 1594, which is a ridiculously long time ago. The first flush toilet was invented around the same time, and its inventor wrote a long treatise about it which was, of course, a thinly-veiled political attack of some kind. Because EVERYTHING was a thinly-veiled attack on a politician back then.

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Path to Publication: The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Second Novel

February 9th, 2016

My second book comes out today! The first came out this past June—a mere eight months ago. In publishing terms, that length of time could be considered a rounding error. So, given how little time has passed, it’s weird and incredible how different this one feels.

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The 5 Stages Of Realizing Your Lover Is Not A Book Lover

February 8th, 2016

Photo Credit: Vicky Mount (flickr) The beginning stages of dating are wonderful. I love learning things about my new partner little by little and question by question. Some of my go-to questions are: Do you have siblings, and how close are you to them? Are you adventurous or practical? If you were to get a tattoo right now, what would you get, and where? More importantly, though, is the question of all questions: Do you read?

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10 Things to Read (or Watch) Instead of Watching the Super Bowl

February 5th, 2016

Image by frankieleon If you enjoy American football, odds are good that you'll have a section of your busy schedule carved out this Feb. 7 to sit on a couch, scream at the television, and eat lots of dip. That's wonderful. Dip can be very therapeutic. However, if you're anything like me, you'll be looking for something else to occupy your night—perhaps something a bit more bookish?

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Anatomy of an Action Scene: The Advantages of Present Tense

February 4th, 2016

Action is hard to write. What works so well on the screen, with the full visceral impact of celluloid, can appear rote and stagnant on the page. Imagine a sword fight in prose. Do you describe every parry and thrust? And if so, at what point does it devolve into the equivalent of a VCR user manual? One sure-fire way to inject adrenaline into your words is to write in the present tense. This is a method that is rare in the literary world, as it’s offputting in its immediacy and begs the question: if this is happening right now then how is the story being told?

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Making A Murderer: How Good Storytelling Made It So Damn Compelling

February 3rd, 2016

If you haven't seen Making A Murderer yet, I'm sorry. This must be a confusing and annoying time to be online. If you have, then you know it's a wild tale, or maybe even a wild tale INSIDE OF a wilder tale, all inside another wild tale. It's a Russian nesting doll of wild tales, but instead of a tiny little doll in the center, there's a white hot ball of outrage. What is it about this story? Why has this, amongst so many others, caught so much attention? Why have so many of us stayed up so late to see its end?

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