Browsing all posts in August, 2012.
Think Like An Actor, Write Like God
Molly Ringwald wrote a very interesting piece recently for the New York Times: Act Like a Writer. “The appeal of diving into a character has always been the back story: everything that my character has been through up to the point when the audience first encounters her. I have eagerly invented intricate histories that I […]
S/he Who Doesn’t Dare Never Wins
We have no more giants in politics. Greatness has fled the national stage. We are a country of excuses and naysayers who ask “why?” instead of “why not?” “Who dares, wins” is not just an SAS motto, it’s a philosophy increasingly lost among the 50% of Americans who get government benefits and pay no taxes. […]
Why The National Parks Need To Scare Hell Out Of Its Visitors
The wilderness is wild. It will kill you if you aren’t trail smart. That’s one of the things I try and teach son William, and daughter, Kate (above). That photo was taken on Kate’s first backpack this June, in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness area (just over the hill from the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center […]
Killed four people this morning in Nassau, Bahamas.
A few blocks south of Bay Street. Near a ritzy private bank. My heroine was responsible for three of the mortalities. All very bad guys. She’s very good. Right now, her name is Petra Armstrong, but I am not fond of the name. (Abject apologies if that’s your name … no offense. Really!) If you […]
Coming soon: Be My Bookselling Partner, 50-50
I’m setting up a system for anyone who likes my books to be my equal partner … sell a book through Smashwords, make 50% of what I make. Smashwords system is a little complicated right now, so son William is doing some programming that will make it very, very easy for you. I’d like to […]
Mozart Symphonies Help Me Kill
I’ve killed more people, in more creative ways, while listening to Mozart than any other music. You might think that Heartless Bastards or Van Halen might produce a better body count. But no. There’s something about the mathematical precision of Mozart — especially the symphonies — that sync with my brain waves and inspire creativity […]
Broken Publishing’s Big Author Problem: Nobody Ever Runs Out Of Electrons
Branding expert David Vinjamuri has written an astonishingly intelligent piece in Forbes that nails just about all the most salient issues dividing indie and traditional publishing. No matter what side of this issue you’re on, you’ll be better informed after reading his piece: Publishing Is Broken, We’re Drowning In Indie Books – And That’s A […]
War Is Not The Answer? Sometimes It’s The ONLY Answer.
War Is Not The Answer? Really? Ask a Syrian. Or a Libyan. Or an Israeli. Or George Washington. War is often the only answer. This is a core issue in my book, Perfect Killer . The characters are not just gung-ho “kill’em all and let God sort them out” types. They struggle with the fact […]
Why Did I Write The (Almost) Same Book Twice?
The Linz Testament ≈ Daughter of God ≈ The Da Vinci Code I wrote the (almost) same book twice then The Da Vinci Code ripped them both off. Why did I write the (almost) same book twice? Because the first time was good. But not the way I wanted. So like a lot of painters, […]
Post(coital)script To Last Post On Book Sex
In the process of writing the last post (Fifty Shades Of Book Sex?),I was Googling around for some Sidney Sheldon background and came across Writing a Sex Scene by writer Jessica Barksdale Inclán who actually taught this at UCLA Extension. Humorous, informative and on target. Read this if you’re thinking of writing one. The entire post […]
