I have no problem admitting that when I first heard about the ice bucket challenge, I was skeptical. I figured it wouldn’t take off. I thought people would make videos rather than donate. I was wholly and completely wrong. But my point here is not to preach at you nor...
When I was a kid living in Seattle, my dad subscribed to theNew York Times Review of Books. It arrived a week late in the mail, and I remember reading it when I was as young as six or seven. My biggest takeaway was big words. I learned a lot of 3+ syllable words that...
Before I begin, I should tell you that Andrew Lewis Conn, the author of O, AFRICA!, is my client. That fact hasn’t influenced what I’m about to say—this is an honest opinion—but I wanted to be all see-through about it. I hate the term “literary fiction” for a number...
We woke this morning to the sad news that Angry Robot has shuttered the Exhibit A (crime) and Strange Chemistry (sci-fi) imprints. I’m focusing here on Exhibit A because I’m not familiar with Strange Chemistry (don’t read much sci-fi), but everything I’m about to say...
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about reviews in all their various forms… I have favorite newspaper reviewers…or rather, a favorite.Colette Bancroft is the books editor at my local daily paper, the Tampa Bay Times, and as fate would have it, we have “separated at...
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation on Twitter with a new author. He’s pubbed by a small press, and I came across his book when one of his fans sent a, um, bizarre email to a friend who happens to also publish the most influential crime fiction magazine on the...
