grin and bare it
A blog by Matthew Dicks
White snow, black swan
It looks like there is a good chance that I will be home tomorrow, enjoying our first snow day of the winter season. Though my students will be turning their pajamas inside out and placing…
Read MoreTen minutes at a time
“What the writer needs is an empty day ahead.” CATHERINE DRINKER BOWEN I saw this quote in my Twitter feed recently and thought, “No, No! No!” A couple weeks ago, I was in Vermont with…
Read MoreGalleys arrived!
The galleys for UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO arrived today. Though they undoubtedly contain errors, it’s still thrilling to see the story that you made up in your head bound and nearly ready for sale. I wasn’t the…
Read MoreIt’s my birthday this month! Before giving me (or anyone else) a gift, please read this carefully and adjust accordingly.
I have a birthday coming up this month. In the spirit of giving, if your intention is to gossip about me behind my back to anyone if you give me a gift and I fail…
Read MoreBestseller list
I’ve made the bestseller list for the first time in my career. No, not the Times or The Washington Post. Not quite yet. The Seattle Mystery Bookshop’s list of January 2010 Bestsellers. SOMETHING MISSING is…
Read MoreSearching for a new dream
I was reading Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker piece Dangerous Minds and came upon this paragraph dealing with how psychics can appear to be so accurate in so many of their statements: The Jacques Statement, named…
Read MoreForeign deal
Good news on the SOMETHING MISSING front. My editor informed me that we have sold the foreign rights to a Taiwanese publisher New Rain. It’s an excellent deal for the region, so says my agent,…
Read MoreA question in need of an answer
I was talking to a friend about publishing today, and once again I found myself proclaiming my fondness for the ancient but still highly effective technology known as a book. I have nothing against e-books…
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