I’m working on revising one of my textbooks right now. My muse is growing more and more impatient–she’d much rather be writing something more fun. The book includes the text of several hate crime laws, and I needed to proof those texts to make sure they were accurate and up to date. I recruited my older daughter (who’s …
Dreamspinner has all ebooks on sale for 20% off and in-stock paperbacks for 30% through June 24. It’s a good time to stock up!
I am really lucky about many things. One of the things I’m especially lucky about is that I have a wonderful dad–the kind of guy who I can still call when I have computer problems or need advice, even though I’ve been a grownup for a long time (theoretically, anyway). I’m also way lucky to …
Just a teensy bit excited now, because I’ve confirmed my plans to visit Paris this fall. I’ve never been (except the airport), and I have romantic pictures of myself in my head, wandering around–my ancient high school French magically perfected–scribbling novels as I go. Probably just a wee bit unrealistic there, especially since I’ll only …
I’m not writing any fiction right now, because I have an August 1 deadline on a (non-fiction) textbook revision. I’m not allowing myself to start anything new until the revision is complete. This means there’s a fierce battle going on right now between my self-control and my muse. Things could get ugly. In the meantime, …
A handful of writers have made the deepest impressions on me, as both a reader and a writer. Ray Bradbury was one of those. Here’s a lovely letter from him describing his writing process for Fahrenheit 451. I used to knit. I haven’t done it in a while–too busy writing. This artist, however, has found …
I’m planning right now for an autumn trip to Europe after finishing middle schools in LA 90071 (Paris, where I’ve never been except the airport, and Zagreb, where I lived for 5 months). I’m also putting the finishing touches on a novel in which the protagonist, Jeff, makes a somewhat reluctant journey to Venice. Unlike …
I like this interview of Stephen King (who I think is a hell of a good writer) by Neil Gaiman (one of my favorite authors). Here’s a part of the interview that especially resonated with me: “I never think of stories as made things; I think of them as found things. As if you pull …
Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore I always enjoy Christopher Moore’s books. He’s one of the few authors I find laugh-out-loud funny. This book, while still funny, has more substance than most of his others. It contains an art history lesson and musing (hah!) about inspiration. The characters–both real and imagined–are wonderful. I didn’t have a …
My longish short story “Violet’s Present” is now available from Dreamspinner. Here’s the blurb: When Matt’s Great-great-aunt Violet dies, she leaves him a precious gift: a photo album he loved as a child. Then Matt starts having dreams—very good dreams—about Joseph, one of the men in the pictures from the 1940s. One morning when Matt …