Archive for August 2009
New York Times Sunday Book Review!
No need to wait until Sunday! The New York Times Sunday Book Review was published online this afternoon, and (I still cannot believe it) my book, Something Missing, was included! My book. My name. In the Sunday Book Review. The review is short but very positive, and it’s the third book listed. I still can’t…
Read MoreRJ Julia appearance
Last night’s appearance at RJ Julia Booksellers was delightful. A warm and engaging audience, exciting questions, gracious and charming hosts, and an opportunity to speak about my book and the writing process in general, which I adore. And I love that bookstore a great deal. Before publishing my book, I appreciated RJ Julia for its…
Read MoreIn good company
The Hartford Courant published a blurb about my appearance tonight at RJ Julia entitled “Mathew Dicks and Dr. Ruth.” Surprisingly, I received considerably more attention than the famed sex therapist in the short piece. I never envisioned my name being published alongside that of Dr. Ruth. Matthew Dicks and a world-renowned German sex therapist. Let…
Read MoreWork space
Quite a while ago, I posted photos of my office, where I occasionally work. More often than not, I’m sitting at the dining room table across from my wife, who is also pecking away at her laptop. But compared to the offices and workspaces of some of these fantasy and science fiction writers, my office…
Read MoreA different kind of children’s literature
My wife and I saw a trailer for the film Where the Wild Things Are, an adaptation of the famous children’s book by Maurice Sendak. Elysha is skeptical of the movie, concerned that it expands too much on the original text. “I’ve never read the book,” I said. “You’ve never read Where the Wild Things…
Read MoreNew York Times Book Review!
I just received word that Something Missing will receive a review in this weekend’s New York Times Book Review. This is another one of those moments that I will not soon forget. Of course, as soon as I received the email from my publicist, I called my wife to tell her of the great news, but…
Read MoreRedundant
I thought this week’s Grammar Girl podcast on literary redundancies was worth a listen. You can also read the text of the podcast on the site as well. Here are a couple of my favorite points that she makes: WHETHER OR NOT Another quick way to trim a couple of words at a time from…
Read MoreReaders and booksellers making my day
I had been asked via email and this blog when Something Missing would be placed on Border’s Book Club list. For those of you kind enough to care, it will be on October’s list. It will remain in the new release section for a while, then go to regular shelving and back to the front…
Read MoreIf not me, how about Dr. Ruth?
My next appearance will be on Thursday, August 13th, at 7 PM at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. I’ve written about this store before and can’t recommend it enough. And if you can’t make it to my appearance, check out all the upcoming events at RJ Julia. The range of authors that they get…
Read MoreWords not required
I recently became aware of several companies that sell books by the foot to home decorators who incorporate books of a certain appearance in a room’s décor. This seems wrong to me on so many levels. First, who would want to stock their shelves with books they have not read? Since when did the appearance…
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