Auf Wiedersehen, Deutschland
In my last post, I was about to leave for Germany to do some research for my novel. I had two precious days in Leipzig, my protagonist’s hometown. The city is less than two hours by train from Berlin. About…
Category: Resources for Writers
So You’re Not Racist, What Next?
In this day and age, as a female “person of color” living in a first-world country, I have many opportunities to indulge in the love of Western progressives. Nonetheless, I invite you to look at the big picture, to stop…
An Interview with Stephanie Gayle, Author of Idyll Hands
Stephanie Gayle is a writing machine. Her third book in four years, Idyll Hands, hits the stands in early September. It is the most recent in her celebrated Thomas Lynch mystery series, following Idyll Threats and Idyll Fears. The Strand…
6 Things You Could Do to Get on America’s Top 100 Favorite Novels List
This fall, PBS is running a program called “The Great American Read.” Earlier this year, they asked 7,000 readers to name their favorite works of fiction. The alphabetical list of 100 (not ranked) was then culled by a panel of…
Beyond the Closet: Writing Gay Characters
As an out writer in a large writing community, I sometimes get questions from fellow writers about writing gay characters. Typically, there’s some low-level anxiety about “getting it right.” I love these questions. It means that the writer has or is…
Is Our Writing Better Off Dead?
Do you remember that John Cusack movie from the 80s Better Off Dead? It was a humorous take on a traumatic time in a teen boy’s life. His girl dumped him for the popular boy, and he was left rudderless…