Every Sunday when I was a kid in the tiny New York town of Hillsdale, my parents would drive five miles down a dirt road to the local grocery store to pick up the New York Times. My parents were transplants from the greater metropolitan area of New York City; I imagine that great hunk... Continue Reading →
Playing the numbers game: how getting published is NOT like getting married
It's no secret that the Internet has changed pretty much every facet of our lives over the last twenty years. That's just as true for writers as for everyone else. And it's true not just in terms of how we research, write, and edit, and how our readers find and read our work, but in... Continue Reading →
Equine gymnastics and the true grit of the fiction writer
Maury Ballstein: What do we do when we fall off the horse? Derek Zoolander: [thoughtfully looking up and mouthing the words silently] ... fall off the horse... Maury Ballstein: [looking to supply finish] ... we... get back on! Derek Zoolander: Sorry, Maury. I'm not a gymnast. From the 2001 movie "Zoolander" (courtesy of IMDB) FALLING... Continue Reading →
Hypocrisy, unmasked
I am probably the biggest hypocrite in the world. Why? I don't read self-published books. Upon realizing this sad fact, I set out to change my ways. I spent some time last week visiting Book Blogs and reading summaries and excerpts of some self-published books. After this experience, I can say to the reviewer I... Continue Reading →
The writer’s dream, fulfilled
I can now die happy. Sitting beside me as I write this is a physical copy of "Dance of Souls." From the moment I first knew I wanted to be a writer (around age 8), I dreamed of my words in printed form, in someone else's hands to read. I wanted to be on the... Continue Reading →