Columns

Advice From A Literary Character: Sabina from "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

July 21st, 2015

The answers to life’s big questions don’t always come easily. It’s no wonder we seek out the advice of others so often. The obvious choices for this advice are friends, family, and loved ones, but have you ever wondered what your favorite literary characters would say to the questions that carry so much…well, weight?

Read Column →

Storyville: The Best Books I've Read in 2015 (So Far)

July 20th, 2015

Not all of these books came out in 2015, in fact, most of them didn’t. But since my “to read” pile continues to grow, and I’ve been on the road a lot this summer, flying to San Antonio and Oklahoma City to speak at conferences, trying to turn off the television set and pick up a book when I’m at home, it was time to get caught up on a ton of recent titles. Here are the best books I’ve read so far this year, in no particular order.

Read Column →

Academia vs. Imagination: The Problem of Intellectualism in the Works of Stephen King

July 17th, 2015

Author photo by Shane Leonard via stephenking.com - Bday image by Cup of Couple Graduation image via Pixabay Stephen King is known for consistent themes throughout his work.

Read Column →

Six Novels On the Transgender Experience

July 17th, 2015

Never before has it been more important to have quality young adult novels depicting LGBTQ characters in the hands of readers. If the wildly positive response to Caitlyn Jenner’s transition in recent media is any indication, the time is right for quality representation of the transgender experience, and thankfully authors are writing important books featuring protagonists who express their gender differently than those of us who are comfortable in the man/woman binary. Here are six unique novels that feature a transgendered protagonist.  

Read Column →

Productivity Methods for Writers

July 16th, 2015

I like the idea of productivity tips and guides. I read up on them a lot, but I'm usually disappointed in them. They don't translate well to reality; they're usually vague and bland, except for some classic tips like:

Read Column →

There's A God For That: Inserting Mythological Allusions In Your Writing

July 16th, 2015

In a recent article from The Guardian, writer David Shariatmadari bemoans journalists overusing the same allusions to Greek mythology when commenting on the current economic crisis in Greece. Of course, allusion is nothing new to the world of writing.

Read Column →

What Traditionally-Published And Indie Authors Can Learn (gasp) FROM EACH OTHER

July 16th, 2015

Five or ten years ago, if you asked anyone in publishing about the most polarizing issue in the business, they probably would have said genre versus literary writing. While that great divide hasn’t exactly closed, there’s now a new feud causing writers to draw lines in the sand: Indie authors versus traditionally-published authors.

Read Column →

Zombies Aren’t Dead

July 15th, 2015

Like many of you reading this, I’m a life-long zombie fan. Growing up I devoured the likes of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, Zombi, Evil Dead, Re-Animator and so on. Following the release of 28 Days Later in late 2002 and 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake the zombie genre exploded.

Read Column →

8 Raw Westerns to Read This Summer

July 15th, 2015

There is more to a well-executed Western novel than its geographical setting. In A Literary History of the American West, the heart of the genre is summarized as a "pull between two contrary sets of values, represented on the one side by civilization and on the other by wilderness."

Read Column →

Fantastic 4's Film Failures

July 13th, 2015

There was a time when I had a personal policy: Support comics, see every comic book movie that comes out. This was not a good policy. Things might be crappy, but it's just more fun to believe they might be good, even if that belief can only last until the movie actually comes out. Elektra. Daredevil. The third installments of X-Men and Spider-Man. Both Ghost Rider films. Punisher. Punisher: War Zone sober. All bad policy-based decisions.

Read Column →