Columns

On The Down Low And Very Hush-Hush: A James Ellroy Primer

November 20th, 2012

…every interview I give is a chance to puncture the myth I've created about my work and refine it.  Gather around you commies, pervs, pederasts, peepers, weenie waggers, dimebag dirtballs, junkies and used car salesmen.

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Do You Have To Suffer For Your Art? Or Can Happy Writers Be Successful?

November 20th, 2012

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. —Ernest Hemingway

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How To Format A Magazine List

November 19th, 2012

A handy 'How To' for our editorial team.  This guide walks you through the steps on how to create a Magazine list (this includes Top 10s and any list over 5 items in length!) It's very important you follow these steps to a 't,' in this order.  Don't deviate and jump ahead a step. *********

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Storyville: Ten Awesome Authors You've Never Heard Of Before

November 19th, 2012

For this column, I thought I’d try something a little different as we get towards the end of the year. There will be all kinds of “top ten” lists coming out in November and December, so I’m going to cobble together some of my favorite authors, the ones that I’m betting most of you have never heard of before.

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Adventures in Self-Publishing Part 4: I Did A Whole Bunch of Stuff!

November 19th, 2012

In last month's column I complained I was too busy to actually do anything to market and promote my novella. I felt bad, filing a short column (since there was not much to report), so I promised myself that this month, I wouldn't rest on my laurels. Whatever a laurel is. So I did a bunch of stuff! And it paid off. A little. I think?  But first, I need to start with an apology...

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Would Jane Austen Write A Blog? (and other things writers probably shouldn't do)

November 16th, 2012

Twitter, NaNoWriMo and blogging are activities writers now take for granted. But spin back two decades and blogging would have been easily confused with something people did behind the steamy windshields of cars. It's hard to imagine how we spent our time in the dark days before Wordpress; it's even harder to work out whether the time and effort spent on some of the activities we take for granted is justified.

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10 Must Read Indie Comics!

November 16th, 2012

Let’s be clear. When I say “Indie” I mean anything that isn’t DC or Marvel, and when I say “Comics,” I mean monthly comics, because as much as I adore graphic novels and trades, there’s still something old school and fantastic about picking up part of an ongoing story once a month and being forced to wait for the next delicious piece. Here are 10 indie comics that are getting it very very right.

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Cozy Up With Cool Weather Reads

November 15th, 2012

Temperatures are dropping, and for me that always marks a change in my reading habits. In the summer months I want to dive into something slick and scandalous, something that can keep my attention as the sun pummels down and broils the very air. Namely, murder mysteries. Bring me your Hercule Poirots, your Flavia de Luces, your Philip Marlowes, your Sherlock Holmeses. Michael Connelly spins a good summer month yarn. Christopher Fowler, Sue Grafton, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, Georges Simenon, Dorothy Sayers, Wilkie Collins – these are the authors of sun and surf!

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LURID: In Cold Blood - The Art of Murder

November 15th, 2012

LURID: vivid in shocking detail; sensational, horrible in savagery or violence, or, a guide to the merits of the kind of Bad Books you never want your co-workers to know you're reading. I wanted to produce a journalistic novel, something on a large scale that would have the credibility of fact, the immediacy of film, the depth and freedom of prose and the precision of poetry. — Truman Capote

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10 Things You Should Know About Plurals

November 14th, 2012

When you want to refer to more than one of a particular noun, you add an s and BINGO, you have a plural noun. Easy, peezy. Right? Of course not! English is one of the most irregular languages; every so-called rule of grammar, spelling, or pronunciation seems destined to be broken. In the English language, there are lots of ways to get it wrong, so here’s a refresher on 10 things you should know about plurals. And pay attention because the rules here are iffy.

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