When to put a book down and why is a contentious topic with almost as many opinions as readers. My father, for instance, never puts down a book. He will read it until the end no matter how much he dislikes it. I’ve seen a rule floating around that if you’re under fifty, you should … Continue reading Why I Put a Book Down
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Writing Update (Summer 2019)
As I recover from a nasty cold, I thought I would take a break from my usual content to give my readers an update on my own writing—the question I'm asked most these days. I took several months off from long fiction to write short stories, a relatively unexplored medium for me. (Though novels take … Continue reading Writing Update (Summer 2019)
10 Things I Learned: Rebirth of Mothra Trilogy
There are few film genres that I consistently enjoy. However, Toho’s kaiju films (“kaiju” meaning giant monsters à la Godzilla) have always been my favorites with nary a bad movie among them. Of these monsters, for me Mothra reigns supreme. For those who don’t know, Mothra is a giant rainbow-winged moth who unlike other kaiju … Continue reading 10 Things I Learned: Rebirth of Mothra Trilogy
How I Discovered Bizarro Fiction
We’ve all had those life-changing discoveries, those moments where we find things we could never imagine living without. Mine came with an obscure, underground small-press genre called bizarro fiction. In the summer of ’06, I visited Prague with my mother. My reading and writing at the time revolved around fantasy with bits of literary fiction … Continue reading How I Discovered Bizarro Fiction
A Guide to Neurotic Editing
All last month and into this one, I’ve been editing like mad. Eraserhead Press (the largest bizarro publisher out there) is starting one of their yearly open submissions, putting the pinch on what is otherwise a leisurely task. Meanwhile, I’m struggling to rewrite a novel I wrote years ago that just won’t cooperate. This week … Continue reading A Guide to Neurotic Editing
10 Things I Learned: BizarroCon
BizarroCon was very educational. I learned not only many things about writing, but also about life and my fellow human beings. Without hyperbole, I can say the experience changed my life. Below are some of the many valuable tidbits I picked up. 1) Everyone is just as nervous as you are. Some are just better … Continue reading 10 Things I Learned: BizarroCon
Books As A Drug
Or why I bought 81 Dragonlance novels In his lifetime, Sir Philip Thomas (1792-1872) acquired over 160,000 books and manuscripts, draining his substantial inheritance in the process and reducing his family to poverty. Philip had what is now known as bibliomania (literally “book madness”), the extreme preoccupation with collecting books and a symptom of obsessive-compulsive … Continue reading Books As A Drug
