This review is going to start with an anecdote. Yes, this is an inherently self-centered way of writing, but I can’t think of a better example of what this book can mean.
I live in a metropolitan area which is relatively progressive. I was reading this book on my way home from work, while riding the subway. A man took the seat next to me and we rode in silence, me reading, him doing his own thing. As we went, I could see him taking peeks. I adjusted my position, to allow him just a bit more access to the page, hoping it inspired him to find his own copy.
The train began to slow, and he gathered his things. In a friendly voice, he said, “so, what is that, an instruction guide or something?”
My Brief Fling With Hollywood
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think just about every writer has the dream of seeing their work adapted for television or the movies. Or anywhere, really, where our work will get exposed to a wider audience.
I’ve always thought my book, AUTUMN MOON, would make a great television series. Or at the very least, a movie (with options for sequels, of course).
It was about two years ago when I came across a Facebook post from a friend.
Continue reading “My Brief Fling With Hollywood”HOW TO GET REVIEWS OF YOUR BOOKS!
But not, like, a bazillion. Because let’s be honest, if I knew that, I’d be too busy filling a private pool with dollar bills and diving in. And if you happen to already be one of those lucky authors who has thousands of reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, A – this post is not for you and B – please tell me your secrets, including which dark lord you made a sacrifice to and what said sacrifice was. I’d love to know. For research purposes.
Cutting The Cord, a.k.a Why I Deactivated My Facebook Account
Part of writing these days, if you want to make any sort of career out of it, involves promotion. Self-promotion. The kind of promotion I hate. I’d rather tell you little stories here and there, drop a few witty lines from time to time, and then fade away into the background until the next brilliant story/thought/line occurs to me.
Unfortunately, that’s not the way things are done in today’s social media run world. If you’re a writer, you have to have an online presence. Twitter. Instagram, Facebook. That kind of crap.
Continue reading “Cutting The Cord, a.k.a Why I Deactivated My Facebook Account”Anatomy of an Ending
There is a popular sentiment that stories, like life, are about the journey, not the ending. I think good fiction has to differentiate itself from life, so stories are about the journey and the ending.
Maybe I’m hopelessly morbid, but I think about death all the time. I know I’m not the only one, but how I’m going to check out is constantly on my mind. It doesn’t frighten me or stop me from living, but like a good story, I do want to know how it all ends. Like reading a good story, though, I’m not eager to get there. It’s a paradox. I don’t want it to end.
You can stop psychoanalyzing me now.
Continue reading “Anatomy of an Ending”VINTAGE CITY AT AWESOMECON 2019!!
DO YOU LOVE THINGS THAT ARE AWESOME!?!?
Under New Management, The Walking Dead Shambles On
I haven’t written about The Walking Dead for a while. I haven’t felt like it’s been worth writing about for a while. But now that it’s under new management and a major cast member has exited the show, I was interested to see where the series stands after nine seasons, an eternity on network television.
(Coincidentally, this ended up being 3,600 words, an eternity on the Internet, so if you don’t feel like reading that and want to leave right now, I really can’t blame you. I wrote it, though, so I’m posting it, dammit!)
Nick DeWolf’s Review of “A Dirty Job” by Christopher Moore… or… “Word Salad” by A Usually Solid Writer
Moore is regularly a bright, funny, poignant writer who fine tunes his books the way a great chef would a recipe, removing all excess ingredients and giving us just enough of each of the primary flavors that our senses are delighted and intrigued. This time, it he took whatever was in his fridge that wasn’t quite rotten but not still fresh, poured it into a casserole dish, set the oven to 450, and prayed. Then when it didn’t come out right, he slathered it in cheese, added some 150 proof rum, and lit the top on fire. And as such, I will politely decline the offer of seconds, thank you.
Tattoos And The People That Love Them (a.k.a. This has nothing to do with writing.)
I always liked tattoos.
My brother’s friend had two full sleeves, and a few on his chest and back. The running joke was, he couldn’t walk past a tattoo shop without stopping inside to get one.
An exaggeration, of course, but he did have a lot of tattoos. So many, they blended together on his arms into a swirl of Jackson Pollack-type images and colors.
I thought that was too many. I like tattoos where you can tell what the individual image is. It stands apart from the others, like a panel in a comic book. My brother’s friend had so many on his arms, they were a blur.
Continue reading “Tattoos And The People That Love Them (a.k.a. This has nothing to do with writing.)”Interview With Author Timothy Johnson
1. What made you want to be a writer?
It was probably a mixture of narcissism, masochism, and the right teacher in the right class telling me I had potential in something when I felt I had potential in nothing but had to decide what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
I took a creative writing class in college when I didn’t have a major, and when I started writing, I thought I was brilliant. At the time, I had been writing songs, so it seemed natural that I’d become a poet (because that’s a practical decision in this world). Then I was in a room with friends who literally laughed at my work, and I realized I wasn’t good.
Continue reading “Interview With Author Timothy Johnson”