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Real Life Authors As Fictional Characters
May 23rd, 2012
I recently read Daphne by Justine Picardie, a novel that follows Rebecca author Daphne du Maurier during her years of research into Branwell Bronte. The book is just what I like, a juicy literary mystery that is elegantly written, but afterwards I found myself consumed by this new portrait of du Maurier.
Read Column →Keeping it Real: A Rough Guide to Using Real People As Fictional Characters
May 23rd, 2012
Pop quiz: what do Ebeneezer Scrooge, Alice in Wonderland and Tintin all have in common? OK, the title makes the answer obvious (and if it didn’t, you’re too tired to be reading this): all of these ‘fictional’ characters were based on real people.
Read Column →Primer: The Chronicles of Amber
May 22nd, 2012
I would be remiss in writing a regular column on fantasy if I didn’t cover my favorite fantasy series of all time, The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. In last year’s NPR poll on the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books, the series came in at number 40 . I would put it in the top 5.
Read Column →Indie Bookstore Spotlight: The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle
May 22nd, 2012
Independent and used bookstores offer things the big chains can't: Precise recommendations, spectacular coffee, rare treasures, and a real sense of community. The LitReactor team is scouring the planet to find the very best bookstores in existence, and will highlight them through 'Indie Bookstore Spotlight'. These are the stores that don't necessarily outsell the big stores--but they almost always outlast them. ADDRESS: 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle WA 98122
Read Column →The Long & Winding Road: Part III – Talking To Agents
May 21st, 2012
Recap: The Long & Winding Road is a multi-part essay about my endeavors to get an agent and publish my first novel. Part I discussed writing my first novel and seeking representation, Part II discussed "revision hell."
Read Column →LURID: It's Alive! The Top 10 Mad Scientists of Literature!
May 18th, 2012
LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a twice-monthly guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading. From the beginnings of humanity, we’ve struggled to find our place in this wondrous and confusing universe. It’s in our nature as a species to question, to seek, to theorize, but on our millennia-long quest for knowledge about ourselves and our surroundings, not everything we’ve learned has been to the benefit of all humankind.
Read Column →Not Even Close: The Predictions of Ron Goulart's 'Hawkshaw'
May 18th, 2012
Science Fiction is all about predicting the future. Sometimes its authors are eerily right - see Arthur C. Clarke's track record of predicting everything from geostationary communications satellites to the freaking Internet. But more often, they are very, very wrong. This is the first of what I hope will be a regular feature celebrating some of the worst predictions the genre has ever produced.
Read Column →The Third Character: A (Very) Rough Guide to Settings
May 17th, 2012
You may already have heard it said that all drama boils down to one situation: two people and the conflict between them. Protagonist, antagonist – nice and simple. Except it isn’t. Because that statement just isn’t true. It isn’t true because drama doesn’t involve just two characters. It involves three: protagonist, antagonist and… …the room they are standing in.
Read Column →Are Audiobooks Preparing to Overtake Ebooks?
May 17th, 2012
If you were the CEO of a large company and your board of directors earmarked $20 million to be allocated at your discretion, what would you do? Build a new office complex? Increase marketing costs? Install one of those fancy toilet seats with a built-in heater and satellite radio? How about give it away? That is precisely what Audible.com is doing and unsurprisingly, it has nothing to do with altruism.
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