Columns

Withholding: The Secret To Comedy Writing

February 25th, 2022

We live in a world of endless advice on writing serious books, mysteries, crime thrillers, horror novellas, artsy memoirs, biographical pamphlets… What’s missing is the chatter about comedy writing. We really should talk about it more. We might get more funny books that way. Let’s talk about a powerful, underrated tool in comedy writing: withholding.

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Dispatch From the Querying Trenches (Part II): Shelving a Dream

February 24th, 2022

Photo by Kony Xyzx I shelved a book last September. In my first dispatch from the trenches, I spoke about the difficult time I was having querying it. I spent more than four years refining that novel, sprucing it up to as close to perfection as I could manage.

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Who the Hell is Moon Knight?

February 23rd, 2022

So you’ve just seen the new trailer for Moon Knight and you have two questions. I’ll give you the shorter answer first. Arthur Harrow, played by Ethan Hawke, is a villain that appeared in one issue of the comic back in the 80s, who used Nazi science and human test subjects to further his research in pain management. He left no lasting impact on Moon Knight and was never seen or mentioned again, so I really have no idea what his presence on the show might portend, and that excites me.

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What Are Your Favorite Horror Authors Afraid Of?

February 22nd, 2022

Original image via A. Patrusheva When I decided to ask horror writers about the childhood fears they’d carried into adulthood, and how those fears may have shaped or still shape their fiction, I knew I was going to get some interesting answers. However, nothing could have prepared me for the depth and diversity of the answers I received. From sharks to abandonment, from faces in the window to being voiceless—there is a lot to digest below.

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Your Book Has Been Optioned For Film/TV—What Happens Next?

February 21st, 2022

Header image by Roberto Nickson By the grace of some deity out in the cosmos, I’m currently sitting on three media options—my novel The Warehouse was optioned for film by Imagine Entertainment, The Paradox Hotel was optioned for TV by Working Title, and the Ash McKenna books have also been optioned, by Village Roadshow. It’s a fun, sometimes confusing, sometimes scary, sometimes frustrating process.

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Writers Lifts: Sharing the Love or Twitter Pyramid Scheme?

February 17th, 2022

When you see the hashtag "WritersLift" it should smack you across the face the same as when you see the word “LuLaRoe.” Writers lifts are a pyramid scheme—excuse me, “multi level marketing” scam. They take advantage of you, suck you dry (in the bad way), and leave you with no benefit. Allow me to explain.

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15 Underrated Love Poems

February 14th, 2022

There are plenty of lists of love poems on the internet. But while most feature timeless classics that should be essential reading, these lists crowd out some lesser-known poems that seek to depict the state of love with an edge of the contemporary, or with a heartbreak or whimsy that won’t qualify for lists geared towards Valentine’s Day crowds.

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14 YA Romances To Help You Celebrate Valentine's Day

February 11th, 2022

It’s February, the Month of Love (for the first half, at least. After the 14th it becomes the Month of Cheap Convenience Store Chocolate, which, let’s be real — is a form of self-love all on its own).

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Defending Romance Novels

February 8th, 2022

People say a lot of mean things about romance novels, romance readers, and the romance publishing industry. I’m going to say some mean things back. Romance novels aren’t real books!

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Writers: Focus On Your Own Page

February 7th, 2022

Header image via Rodnae Did you see that post from that writer who just got a new literary agent? The same literary agent that you’ve been querying? Or, did you see that one announcement from that one writer who signed with a major publisher, your dream publisher, in a multi-book deal at auction? 

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