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  Head over to The Litblog Co-Op for two chances to win a free copy of Stephen Graham Jones’s Demon Theory. There are a few great stories about hair metal and scary movies already posted. See if you can top them! Speaking of which, it seems like Demon Theory has been lurking around some similarly [...]

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According to the wonderful Lauren Cerand’s Smart Set feature over at Maud Newton’s blog, two of my favorite authors are scheduled to appear in New York this evening. Richard Price and Colum McCann will discuss “the arts and crafts of writing fiction” at the New York Public Library at 7:00pm. This should be a great event so [...]

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After a brief hiatus, Bat Segundo is back and this time he’s bringing along authors Richard Ford and Valerie Trueblood. With Ford, Bat talks about street names, real estate terminology, and self-help books, among many other great topics. With Trueblood, they discuss MFA workshops, two-inch items in newspapers, and family characteristics, among others.

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Be sure to swing by The Litblog Co-Op and check out all the goings on involving the Read This! selections. I was swamped last week and didn’t get to tell you about it, but there was plenty of great discussion about Valerie Trueblood’s impressive Seven Loves. And this week, the group turns its attention towards [...]

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I wholeheartedly advocate blogging for writers. The regular routine of having to pound out some words, even when you’re not inspired, is invaluable for developing discipline and creativity. But, there are some dangers. Some writers feel that blogging drains too much creativity and hinders their “real” writing. Others feel that blogging can absorb so much [...]

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Aspiring authors frequently email me questions about publishing contracts. They want to know how payments are scheduled, what kind of rights are invovled, how legal is the language (meaning, can they feel comfortable signing a deal without an agent or lawyer), what are the royalties, and if you have to sign over your first born child.  So [...]

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Author Steven Blush was firmly entrenched in the hardcore punk music scene. Irrevocably changed by the music of Black Flag, he built a career as a journalist and music expert. He wrote American Hardcore: A Tribal History and served as writer/producer for a documentary film inspired by that book. But then, the bluesy riffs of Tom Keifer and [...]

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My colleagues at The Litblog Co-Op announced the Winter 2007 Read This! selection. Be sure to check out the site for plenty of discussion about the winner, Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow, as well as two other worthy nominees!

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I’ve been meaning to tell you about this excellent post for a while… Earlier this month, I suggested a few writing resolutions that might help you jumpstart your literary year. But how about some great resolutions for improving your reading habits? Scott Esposito at Conversational Reading provides some excellent tips on how you can “take stock [...]

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Regular readers of this blog are well-acquainted with my soccer obsession. So I was thrilled about the news that David Beckham signed to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in America’s Major League Soccer. When an athlete signs for $250 million, it’s the kind of event that is guaranteed to generate headlines and conversation. And ticket [...]

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Or, maybe the next day. Sometime soon, I’ll definitely finish reading this article.

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  Jeff Baker provides an extensive profile of my favorite editor, Gary Fisketjon. In the article, Baker quotes Richard Ford as saying that he doesn’t “say that Gary Fisketjon is ‘my editor’ but rather that he is the man I’m fortunate enough to edit my books with. And for the record, that is very near [...]

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