Columns

What Every Successful Novel Opening Must Do: Myth vs. Reality

September 17th, 2015

The day is short, the slush is deep, and if your manuscript doesn't have what it takes to hook a reader from the very first page, agents and editors will waste no time in kicking it to the curb.  It's a bit of a brutal business, but necessary; to succeed in securing a readership, a novel's opening must prove more seductive than the latest email pinging your reader's phone, the latest update from some far-flung friend, or the siren song of Netflix.

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Bookshots: 'The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray' by Robert Schnakenberg

September 17th, 2015

Bookshots: Pumping new life into the corpse of the book review Title: The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray Who wrote it? Bill Murray is one of the most interesting people to ever work in film. Eccentric doesn't even begin to cover it. Not Bill Murray. The book is written by Robert Schnakenberg.

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6 Books That Would Make Great Reality TV Shows

September 15th, 2015

It seems like people are reading less and less these days. Instead of opening the nearest book, we turn on our televisions to watch the families, contestants, and cats starring in the latest reality series. I know I can’t help but be entertained by these shows. The marital feuds, drunken brawls, and shocking cliffhangers before commercials hook me like crazy.

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Charles Bukowski reviews 'Purity' by Jonathan Franzen

September 15th, 2015

I get so close this time. I make it all the way past the three headed mutt and over the river. I even have my finger on the elevator button, waiting for the shimmering doors to open and take me back to the Mortal World. I'm practically on a stool with a bottle of suds in my hand, swapping tall tales with the bartender, when the hand comes down on my shoulder. ‘Step away from the Pearly Gate, Chuck.’ That motherfucker Gabriel, all wings and pageboy haircut and saintly expression.

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The Problem with Rape's Portrayal in Fiction

September 14th, 2015

There are lots of reasons why rape's portrayal in media is difficult. Beyond the fact that these scenes or "plot events" can act as triggers for a painfully high portion of the population, there's the fact that we're talking about a very real experience with weighty implications. In media and fiction, the portrayal isn't always done particularly well or with much sensitivity.

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10 Author Tips for Con Appearances

September 10th, 2015

Sooner or later in your writing career, you’re going to be attending a convention. But you’re a writer, you have social anxiety, you live in the attic and never interact with humans, so how are you gonna pull it off? Whether your goal is to sell some books, to network with other authors and publishers, get an agent, or you’ve been invited as a guest of honor or panelist, you need to know the basics.

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Sink or Swim: 10 Things I Learned Writing My Second Novel

September 10th, 2015

In my previous post, I talked about the trials I faced with my first novel, Falling Sky, and the lessons I learned from the process. That should have put me in a great position for the sequel, Rising Tide, which is due out October 6. I'd been through it once, I knew what to expect, I'd learned the lessons, right?  Not so much. 

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Get Your Hands Off That Laptop!

September 10th, 2015

photo courtesy Anonymous and Flickr. How many of you out there still work on a dedicated desktop computer, with a tower, monitor, keyboard a

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6 Reasons Everyone Should Read "A Head Full of Ghosts" by Paul Tremblay

September 9th, 2015

Since its release in June, Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts has received rave reviews and much-deserved praise across the board. Even Stephen King is talking about it. Yet despite its universal lauding, I bet there are many of you who still haven't read Tremblay's modern take on the exorcism subgenre. Well consider this the call-to-action you've been waiting for.

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10 Things Every Author Needs On Their Website

September 9th, 2015

I've spent the last couple months inviting over 200 local authors to an event as part of my day job.  This means I've seen over a hundred author web sites in the last month. Folks, these are rough waters. As someone who does some writing AND booking of authors, let me tell you what your web site needs. To put this another way, please, allow me to BEG you to make sure your web site has these 10 things.

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