Neil Gaiman says just write; just get the words down; don’t worry about your first draft, no one will ever see it; get the ideas and the words down. Just write. That is hard advice for me to follow. I … Continue reading
It was on this day in 1850 that “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was first published. I remember my 11th grade American Literature teacher in high school assigning it to us to read and how legalistic in their religious … Continue reading
Do you remember the Book of the Month Club? I can recall that my mom was a member when I was growing up. You could initially join by choosing 3 or 4 books from their catalog of bestselling books and … Continue reading
After reading and reviewing “What Every Author Should Know”, I leapt at the chance to receive an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of Deb Vanasse’s latest book for writers, “Write Your Best Book.” Vanasse begins by dissecting the “exceptional book” which … Continue reading
The following story about James Joyce is told by Stephen King in his famous memoir, “On Writing” (which I need to read again). A friend came to visit James Joyce one day and found the great man sprawled across … Continue reading
Fourteen year old Kevin Gillooly and his mother retreat to her father’s Appalachian mountain home in eastern Kentucky following the horrific death of Kevin’s three year old brother. There, both mother and son heal under the wise and caring influence … Continue reading
Below is a book review I wrote back on February 20, 2006 for a now-defunct blog. It’s hard to believe this was nine years ago. In that time, Morris has written three additional books starring Zack Chasteen; “Bermuda Schwartz”, “A … Continue reading
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on this date in 1867 in Pepin, Wisconsin. I have to admit I’ve never read any of her books, though I used to immensely enjoy the TV series “Little House on the Prairie” starring Melissa … Continue reading
It was 78 years ago today that “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck was first published. I remember reading it for the first time in my 10th grade American Literature class 47 years ago and it’s probably time for … Continue reading
Getting this information out there early so that folks have as much time as possible to prepare to take part in International Book Giving Day on February 14, 2015. International Book Giving Day is “a day dedicated to getting new, … Continue reading
Saturday, January 24, 2015 will see the observance of the first National Readathon Day, sponsored by Penguin Random House, GoodReads, Mashable, and the National Book Foundation. The purpose is to raise funds to “…educate, tutor, create and sustain a lifelong … Continue reading
Last week, actor, comedian and author Patton Oswalt was interviewed for the New York Times’ “By The Book” Sunday feature. I always love reading these because I usually come away from them with a new perspective on a book I’ve … Continue reading
Today would have been the 123rd birthday of J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien, born in 1892 to English parents in Bloemfontein, South Africa, where his father was working in a bank. Tolkien was always fascinated with languages; he went to … Continue reading
This is the first “How to” book for authors and those who want to be that I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot of them) that covers ALL of the bases involved in writing and publishing your book, from the … Continue reading
At the beginning of December the New York Times Sunday Book Review listed the 100 Notable Books Of 2014. I was a bit dismayed to find, when I read through the list, that I had not read one single book … Continue reading
The perfect Christmas tree for book lovers.
I’ve been in large printing plants and seen the huge presses used to print books, but that is not the ART of making a book; that is just the process that has been mechanized and modernized through the years to … Continue reading
Today would have been Madeleine L’Engle’s 96th birthday, had she not passed away in 2007. Madeleine L’Engle was the author of the Newbery Medal Award-winning novel “A Wrinkle in Time”, which is one of my favorite books from my childhood. … Continue reading
