Two good ebook deals today on Amazon: 1) Train Dreams by Denis Johnson Anthony Doerr's New York Times review. 2) The Color of Water by James McBride Interview with James McBride on Global Perspectives Just under two bucks each. Check 'em out. Huzzah!
Basement Missives
From Alison Smith’s “Her Left Hand, The Darkness”
from New York Public Library "If no one is expecting much, it’s not hard to exceed their expectations." " ‘Don’t try to be an author,’ she said as we stood outside a lecture hall in the bitter cold. ‘You cannot control that. Instead, try to be a writer. And to do that, you must write. … Continue reading From Alison Smith’s “Her Left Hand, The Darkness”
Review: Den of Thieves
I like a good heist flick (Logan Lucky is a recent top-notch addition to the genre), but Den of Thieves missed the mark for me in a couple spots, and it's important to figure out/talk about why.
Writing Just for the Hell of It.
On the suggestion of an old friend, I started listening to Writing Excuses, a weekly podcast co-hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and web cartoonist Howard Tayler. In each episode, the hosts and the guests will do a quick dive into some element of craft. In fact, the seasons are structured around … Continue reading Writing Just for the Hell of It.
Down with the Sickness: In Which I Succumb to the Various Illnesses Circulating Throughout My Home and Workplace for the Last Month
Despite my best efforts to build and reinforce bulwarks against the season's various illnesses perpetually floating about, I managed to get sick this weekend. I'm hoping whatever this is--fingers crossed that its just a common cold--runs its course quickly. I'm doing my damnedest to show it the door with a steady combination of water, echninacea, … Continue reading Down with the Sickness: In Which I Succumb to the Various Illnesses Circulating Throughout My Home and Workplace for the Last Month
Kelly Link: 2018 MacArthur Fellow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G50xUB4MfQE Video from MacArthur Foundation I can't remember what I'd read or watched or listened to that pointed me in the direction of Kelly Link, but by the time I finished "The Summer People," (the first story in her Link's Get In Trouble collection), I was hooked. And two of the stories in the collection had … Continue reading Kelly Link: 2018 MacArthur Fellow
An Exercise in Not Working on Your Newest Short Story: Book Recommendations and Current Reads
Evening, folks.
Here are a few book recommendations for you as we speed ever-onward to the cold-weather days which necessitate hunkering down with hot drinks, snacks, and stacks of reading material...
Weekly Writing Goals #3
Good afternoon, all. I'm close to a week late in posting my weekly writing goals for the third week of January. That's okay, though. Right? Things got a bit busy, and sometimes by the end of the evening, I'd run out of gas, and just didn't have it in me to write an update. Week … Continue reading Weekly Writing Goals #3
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien
In his novel, In the Lake of the Woods, Tim O’Brien crafts a chimera which somehow manages to be a mystery, a love story, a war story, and a magic act. At times, it’s also a piece of fictional, creative non-fiction or faux journalism. It deals with truth and memory, and longing and emptiness, and … Continue reading In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien
Basement Missive: Weekly Writing Goals, #2
Greetings all. I hope this edition of Basement Missives finds you well, and enjoying the hell out of the new year. Just a quick update and breakdown of my weekly writing goals. Saturday 01/06 → 221/566: This was a busy Saturday, and I fell short of the goal. Thankfully, I had written over my goal … Continue reading Basement Missive: Weekly Writing Goals, #2
Purdy Good 