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A float has to float

Attempting to improve my ability to craft dialogue, I find myself listening to people more and more, eavesdropping on conversations, and carefully noting a person’s choice of words. Today, I was in Carvel, waiting to order, when the woman in front of me was handed her root beer float. She looked at it, paused momentarily,…

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Difficult to defend Dan

Dan Brown seems to be taking a lot of abuse lately. When you sell almost 100 million books, you make yourself a target. After all, success breeds envy, jealousy, stupidity, and downright cruelty. I have experience in such matters and can assure you that this sad fact of life is true. With these thoughts in…

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First peek at UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO’s cover

I got my first peek at the proposed cover art for Unexpectedly, Milo today, and I think I love it. There are tweaks that I think need to be made, but overall, my first reaction was quite positive. This is good. My initial reaction to the cover of Something Missing was less than favorable, but…

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High expectations

I was reading through my contract for Unexpectedly, Milo, preparing to sign, when I came across the section entitled Description of the Work.  It provides a basic summary of the book, probably included to prevent me from slapping the title Unexpectedly, Milo onto the cover of my 900-page volume on the various mating habits of…

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Ice cream connoisseur

You know your wife takes her ice cream seriously when she requires five minutes of online research before deciding upon a flavor. Before leaving the house, I had to commit her preferences to memory.  In order of preference, the list was York Peppermint Patty, World Class Chocolate, or Gold Medal Ribbon. I ordered strawberry, but…

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Upcoming appearances

Just a reminder of upcoming appearances for anyone interested: On Monday, September 21, I will be at the Westport, CT, public library with author Margot Berwin to discuss our debut novels. On Tuesday, September 29, I will appear at the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library to read and discuss SOMETHING MISSING. Hope to see you there!

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In the presence of Nicholson Baker

On Friday night, I went to RJ Julia Booksellers to listen to Nicholson Baker, one of my favorite authors, speak about his new book, The Anthologist. Baker became one of my favorite authors when my agent recommended his work to me a couple of years ago, suggesting that we share similar styles. While this may…

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Must listen

I have always recommended the RadioLab podcast to all of my friends, but I cannot recommend this week’s episode on Parasites (yes, parasites) highly enough. Turn off the television tonight (unless you’re watching the Patriots on Monday Night Football) and give it a listen. It’s better than anything you’ll find on the tube. Except for…

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“Something Missing” – the audio book

I just spent the last three minutes listening to a sample of the audio version of Something Missing, which was released by Recorded Books last week. I love it. The newly designed cover is excellent, and the narrator, Jefferson Mays, is brilliant. He captures the voice of the narrator effortlessly. I find myself wanting to…

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Stupid, annoying plot

I often lament the importance placed on the plot in the current literary environment. As a writer who does not have a plot in mind when he begins a book, I tend to focus on character first, and as a result, my work can sometimes be rambling and unfocused, especially in its first draft. In…

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