Columns

Top Ten Best-Worst Lawyers in Fiction

October 29th, 2013

Everyone loves a bad lawyer – usually more than an ethical lawyer. Is that why the stereotypical lawyer is a blood-sucking parasite? Because it's what popular culture consumers want? I can’t answer that with certainty, but I can say that lawyers get a bad rap. And I used to have a total lack of sense of humor about it, too. Why? Because as a typical lawyer, you are:

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Book vs. Film(s): "Carrie"

October 28th, 2013

Okay, I’ve written a couple of these Book vs. Film columns now, one ending with the film victorious, the other ending in a tie. With the latter example—my BvsF of World War Z—I couldn’t really come down on either side, since I enjoyed both the book and the film, and found them to be far too different to adequately compare. 

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It's Made Of SCIENCE: Zombies

October 28th, 2013

When I decided to try writing a Halloween-themed science article, I admit I struggled a bit with choosing a topic. Science generally works against fear by making things more understandable.

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Culling The Classics: Dracula

October 25th, 2013

When I was in high school, young and naive and with barely any literary taste, I gave Dracula a try. I hadn't read many classics at that point (Treasure Island maybe? The Swiss Family Robinson?), but my middle school love of Goosebumps made me think I might be able to make an exception for a vampire book. Look at me, all adult and mature and literary!

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LitRock: 9 Odd Stories Behind Book-Inspired Music

October 24th, 2013

Much like peanut butter and chocolate, or cats and tiny hoodies, music and books are pretty special on their own but downright magical when combined. Today, we’re going to look at—and listen to—a few of these literary musical gems.

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Better Off Dead: 10 Posthumous Novels That Should Have Never Been Published

October 23rd, 2013

Last month I wrote about 12 Unpublished Novels We (the royal we) Wish We Could Read. But one (the royal one) must be careful what one wishes for, because certain unpublished novels might be unpublished for a reason. This got me to thinkin'—pontificatin' if you will—about novels that might have been better off had they never seen the dark innards of a printing press. I'm not talking about books I dislike, per se; no one really wants to read a list of my least favorite books.

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The Uncanny Factor: Why Little Girls Scare the Shit Out of Us

October 23rd, 2013

Many of the common human fears have reasonable explanations. Snakes and spiders have venom we'd do better to avoid, heights can lead to the accidental (and temporary) ability to fly, killers tend to kill people, and so on. But of all our dread fascinations in recent years, one common trope seems especially peculiar: The creepy little girl. Why is it that little girls scare the shit out of us? It boils down to the uncanny factor.

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Ask the Grammarian: Missing Semi-colons, Distinguishing Dashes, and Punctuating Quotations

October 23rd, 2013

Thank you to everyone that submitted questions. Let’s get started: Is the Semi-colon Semi-Retired? Tom asks: What happened to the semicolon? Has it been replaced by the comma? The semi-colon, indeed, still exists, though I assume that many writers avoid using it because they don’t know how to use it. Let’s quickly refresh our memories.

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Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark: A Case for Scaring the Crap Out of Your Kids

October 22nd, 2013

Header image art by Stephen Gammell October is a month that I have always held dear to my heart. Two of my favorite days fall in October: the day of my birth and Halloween. Growing up in North Texas, October always signaled the turn of the seasons from “Satan’s steam room” to “something below 80 degrees.” The leaves change color, tons of people won’t shut up about pumpkin spice whatever, and the weather becomes more suitable for dark beer. But for now, let’s get back to Halloween.

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The Monster Mash-up: Horror Hybrids

October 21st, 2013

It's October, Halloween month, and this is a good time to talk about horror. Horror, of course, is a solid genre in its own right, but it's also versatile in that it mixes well with other genres. With the possible exception of fantasy, no other genre is quite as adaptable.  What follows is a brief look at some of these genre mash-ups, keeping the focus, front and center, on horror. 

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