Category: Immaculate Deception

• Another Public Display

  Tonight I have the pleasure of doing something a lot of writers don’t enjoy – talking to people in public. The topic will be indie and self-publishing and I’ll be…

• An Early ‘Guide’

  Last week marked what would have been the late Douglas Adams‘ 61st birthday, and I should take this (belated) opportunity to thank him for proving to me that although writing…

• A Contract From Alibi

  A great entry from “Redshirts” author John Scalzi on what could possibly be the worst publishing contract ever. Most surprisingly, it’s not from a sneaky vanity press, but a division…

• Black and White and Read All Over

  Writers can come from any number of backgrounds – just go down the list of famous authors and you’ll see a broad spectrum of “first” careers. But if you’re a…

• Feel the Music

  Music, much like smell, is a powerful memory trigger. Just as a whiff of a lover’s old cologne or perfume can ignite an encyclopedia of emotions, music carries with it…

• The Power of the F-You Factor

  It’s all well and good for authors to talk about deciding to pursue writing for the sake of art. But today it’s time to talk about a secret reason many…

• In an Alternate Universe …

  … I’d have lived in the glory days of pulp sci-fi magazines, and the serialized version of Immaculate Deception might have started out something like this: If you’re interested in…

• More About Ray

  Chances are if you’re visiting this blog today it’s because you read an essay I wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer about my former boss, Ray Daub, who passed away Thanksgiving…

• The Cranky Reader Redux

  Back in October I wrote here about the Blessings of the Cranky Reader, in which I ruminated on the emotional and creative repercussions of receiving my first 1-star, boy-this-book-really-sucks review…

• The Story On Toy Story

  With the Thanksgiving holiday and school out for a long weekend, there’s been lots of kid TV on around the house. And with all the junk that’s out there, I’ve…