I’ve always had a little dream of owning a bookstore. In my dream, it doubles as a coffee/tea shop and it’s called “Noveltea.” There would be used books (and new ones, too), one-of-a-kind stationery and cards, homemade muffins and cookies, weekly reading sessions. And, if I could swing it, I would steal this bookstore’s idea: — Read More
Category: Nuggets
What NOT to say to a writer
I don’t know if it’s just that writers are super sensitive or what, but it seems that all of us feel like people say the wrong thing in response to our career/hobby/passion/whathaveyou. This list is a pretty good summary, capturing common comments that make writers laugh (or cry, on a bad day): From my own — Read More
They say you should write what you know…
So I’m writing that I know this is hilarious.
Writers in love
I’ve always been intrigued by writers who date or marry other writers. At one point in my life, I think I aspired to this. I imagined the two of us scribbling down notes during random moments, sharing story ideas, serving as first reader and editor for each other. It was a fantasy of mutual absorption — Read More
Top 10 fictional antiheroes
Check out this interesting list from LitReactor.com, featuring fictional antiheroes — classic and modern day. Makes me realize I love a good antihero. 1. Dexter Morgan from Jeff Lindsay’s series beginning with Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004). I’m fairly obsessed with the TV show. 2. Edward Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (1847). I refer to — Read More
Ever wonder what your favorite characters look like?
A couple months ago, Brian Joseph Davis launched The Composites, a Tumblr that imagines the appearance of literary characters using in-book descriptions combined with composite sketch-rendering software. You know, the kind they use on CSI. It’s kind of creepy, if you ask me, especially the one of Humpert Humpert from Lolita: Um, yeah. Here are some — Read More
Regarding rejection slips
Oh, Snoopy, I feel ya.
Why do we read?
This hits the proverbial nail on the head.
A little Christmas story
When I entered the USC Master’s of Writing program, I’d never written a short story. I’d always worked on novels. I had the opportunity to take a class with the wonderful Shelley Berman (he’s an amazing comedian and you may know him best for playing Larry David’s dad on Curb Your Enthusiasm). That’s when I — Read More
Who agrees?
Saw this today at Skylight Books. I was with one of my best friends, who is also an avid reader. We both just nodded.