Writing
Size doesn’t matter (or) how I sold a book to a total stranger
So what if you gave a reading and nobody came? Not the highlight of Arisia for me, but it happens. The programmers ask if you're an author, and if you are, they'll generally slate you in with a couple of other people to sit behind a table and read some of your work for 20…
Read MoreSci-fi/fantasy will eat itself (or) HBO’s bid for literary success
Just returned from the sci-fi convention Arisia, up in the surprisingly temperate zone of Boston, in which I spent several hours on panels talking about sci-fi/fantasy films and TV. (I also sold a book, but that's for another post.) Lesson learned: It is possible to get about 20 people in a room to talk about…
Read MoreSomething for the weekend
Off to the Arisia con up in Boston this weekend; stop on by if you're in town. Will be doing a reading from some piece of fiction (not totally decided yet), moderating and appearing on panels and, if I'm very lucky, selling a few books at the Fantastic Books booth (thanks, Ian!) Yes, there will…
Read MoreTalking with De Niro, and what you leave at the door
And then, sometimes, the interviews you expect to be the toughest are — if not, say, the easiest — at least go more easily than you expect. Interviewing someone is exciting, but I recognize it's a challenge for the person being interviewed, unless they're on autopilot. The one time I was interviewed was fairly stressful,…
Read MoreOn Stone Roses and other teachers: Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you
Having done this journalism thing since high school — and now for over 25 years beyond — it's probably safe to say I've done thousands of interviews. In the recent vast cleaning out prior to a move I finally dumped most of the old ones, recorded on 90 and 120-minute cassette tapes, into the bin,…
Read MoreAwards Season adrenaline rush: Thank you, Joan Cusack
One of the reasons I got into journalism originally was the newsroom rush. You've seen it — on just about every Hollywoodization of how a TV news or newspaper room works; the hollering, the deadlines, the last-minute frenetic typing or calling of sources, the figuring things out in the moment, and making things happen that…
Read MoreTruth and consequences in flying drunk, or: Fly me, Denzel Washington
I enjoyed "Flight," for the most part. I wasn't sure what Hollywood had still to tell us about the dangers of alcoholism, and I was concerned it would turn into a big-ticket version of an Afterschool Special. But as most everyone recognizes, Denzel Washington is a terrific actor, deeply felt and not hard on the…
Read MoreWhatever gets you through the night
Is there anything better than a virtually unbroken night of sleep? (Does anyone literally have an unbroken one? I mean, where you don't even get up to pee?) I had that last night, just one quick up and then back down. When the alarm went (gentle NPR, no buzzer) I was in the midst of…
Read MoreGetting rekindled, and no, not in the e-book way
Feeling a little stuck lately with the writing. There, I said it. Also: Not feeling it at all with the writing. Which, I'm sure most people would say is a signal to take a breather. Thing is, I've been breathing a while. The fiction just isn't coming as easily these days, which makes me extremely…
Read MoreReading all the words
I'm juggling a lot at the moment, but two of the things I'm juggling at least give me a significant amount of pleasure: I'm in the middle of two books at once. "Earth Abides" by George Stewart is possibly one of the first of the modern postapocalyptic novels; it came out in 1949 and is…
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