Columns

The Importance of Work in Translation

May 31st, 2019

I love work in translation. I consider myself lucky because I can read in English and Spanish, opening the door to not one, but two amazing literary universes. From Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote to Bram Stoker's Dracula, I've been able to read classic works of literature in their original language. That said, my Portuguese is decent, but not decent enough to devour novels, and my Italian is that of a one-year old. I don't speak or read Russian or Japanese or Greek.

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Why I Love YA Rom Coms

May 31st, 2019

Being the guy who wrote Horror Film Poems, most people would think my go-to genre for books and movies would be horror. They’d be right, but a close second would be young adult romantic comedies—hell, rom coms in general—but YA especially. I guess I just really like seeing young people get killed or fall in love, or if it’s a dramedy—both.

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Summer Reading for Writers

May 30th, 2019

Photo by Laura Stanley Summer reading is always associated with relaxation and fun: beach reads, vacation reads—none of those epithets imply a lot of work or effort. But for a writer, reading is never just fun (though it’s that too), it’s an opportunity to learn something new about the craft.

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How to Write Edgy Fiction Without Being Obnoxious

May 29th, 2019

The first time you read an edgy piece of fiction, I mean actually edgy, in the way that it makes you think of humanity/the world/yourself in a new light — it changes you on the molecular level. It adds new neural connections in your brain. I mean, everything does, but you know after reading this fiction that nothing will ever be the same again. These are the kind of books that make you walk around in an excited crush for days afterward. It's like falling in love. You see things differently now, and the understanding of what is possible has changed.

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The Great Game of Balancing Character and Plot

May 28th, 2019

Over the past six weeks, Game of Thrones fans have endured some of the most stressful 80-minute episodes of television ever created. Visually, the season was stunning, the acting was stellar, and once again Ramin Djawadi proved he’s an international treasure we don’t deserve. But despite the visual effects, performances, epic score, and heart-pounding action, the overall consensus—based on the slew of articles, petitions, memes, and tweets—is disappointment.

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Everything You Need To Know About Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ Before The BBC Miniseries

May 24th, 2019

This year, The BBC is bringing us an epic miniseries adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. When this year? No one knows! The teaser released in February says “Coming Soon,” but for fans of the YA fantasy trilogy who have been waiting for a real adaptation of these books for twenty years (sorry, no, the 2007 film does not count), it can’t come soon enough.

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5 Reasons Amazon is a Necessary Evil

May 23rd, 2019

I love reading. I love writing. I love selling books. Writing is one of the best things that ever happened to me. When I published my first book, I couldn't imagine traveling to promote it. Now I'm on tour with Coyote Songs and the reception has blown my wildest dreams into oblivion.

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10 Things Every Horror Writer Should Read

May 21st, 2019

As writers, we are expected to read a lot. The work of other writers can teach us how to more effectively enthrall our readers and show us how to be better at our craft. Given the limited amount of reading time in our lives, it's important not to waste time consuming material that won't help us progress and develop. Here is a list of the best suggestions for a well-rounded horror author to read.

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Reading and Watching S. Craig Zahler

May 20th, 2019

Here’s how I can tell I’m really involved in a book: I read when it’s inconvenient. I read in the 3 minutes it takes to brush my teeth. I read while I take a dump. I get places early and spend the extra time reading. I’m annoyed when friends show up on time because I have to put the book down. That’s what it was like with S. Craig Zahler’s Wraiths of The Broken Land. Everything else about life dropped away, and all I cared about was seeing the story through to the end. This book is the real deal.

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12 of the Weirdest Star Wars Novels in the Galaxy

May 17th, 2019

Sometime in 2014 the Star Wars universe got retconned. Hard. Yes, The Mouse got a hold of the property, and when it was decided to make three more movies, I can only imagine some dork stood up and said, “Well, with the expanded universe of novels, we're pretty hemmed in, story-wise.” I don’t know whether that guy ever recovered from the Wedg(i)e Antilles they gave him. But I know the death of the expanded universe gave most nerds a feeling as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

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