Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category
I am very proud finally to be able to show you the US cover for A GOOD AMERICAN. I had discussed various possible themes with Amy soon after the text was finished, but really had no idea what to expect when this little electronic file plopped into my inbox. I was, I can admit now, Click here to continue…
Earlier this week I arrived back in Missouri after a blissful week in Maine. From ME to MO. What a difference a letter makes. I wrote a lot, read a lot, climbed a few mountains, and ate an awful lot of delicious fresh seafood. My cottage was on a secluded cove near Acadia National Park. Click here to continue…
Finally, a respite from all the advice. Now it’s my turn to ask for your help. (And, I know. You never asked for mine.) I’ve been having a fine old time lately enjoying Spotify, a music website that has (finally) been made available over here in the US. It is an amazing resource and I Click here to continue…
So, to business. If for no other reason than in a doubtless doomed attempt to impress you all, let’s start with a quote from the mercurial French writer, Jules Renard, writing in his journal: “A fly alighting on the sheet of white paper was excuse enough to give himself the right to be idle. He did Click here to continue…
A while ago my friend Tim Miles gave me a gift. It was a book – THE WAR OF ART by Steven Pressfield. This is what it looks like: It is a short and brilliant book. And if you are serious about writing, you should read it. Pressfield writes in a refreshing, no-bullshit way about Click here to continue…
A couple of years ago I was asked to give a talk to the Mid-Missouri Writers’ Guild about how to find time to write. I suppose I was quite well qualified to waffle on about this, since – at the time – I was running my own law firm, overseeing operations of the largest outside Click here to continue…
For all those of you who are contemplating writing a multi-generation saga for your next novel, a word of warning for you. All of my previous books have taken place over a relatively short time period. One of the things I wanted to do with my new novel was to expand that rather tired palette Click here to continue…
This is an old post from some time ago – eighteen months or so, I think – as will quickly become apparent. Not only did I not have a publisher for A GOOD AMERICAN at this stage, I didn’t even have a title! Still, it seemed appropriate to re-post today as a counterpoint to my Click here to continue…
Look, I know. This is supposed to be a light-hearted blog. I’m supposed to serve up wry, self-deprecating posts about me and my writing. I’m meant to be developing, God help me, a brand, in the hope that you’ll all go out and read my novel when it comes out next year. But light-hearted is a Click here to continue…
As regular readers of this blog (and especially my twitter feed) will know, I have just returned from a quick jaunt down south to New Orleans. It was a great trip. New Orleans is one of the few places that managed to live up to my preconceived notions of the place. I had a blast, Click here to continue…