A “Review” That “Spooks And Horrifies” Too

Endings are, uh, I think, reasonably important to us as readers. I am of course interested in what will happen (or why would I be reading the book in the first place?), but I don't really want to know how a book ends... until I get to the end.

I Can Do “Dystopian”

I have decided I may have to give in. "Dystopian" and "fantasy" seems all that we are supposed to be writing as authors. It appears I need to take the plunge...

What Do You Think They Know?

Occasionally the American featured celebrity tracing his/her family tree comes across as - much as I hate to say this - worryingly clueless about wider history and lives lived prior to the present.

One Of The Best Habits

Back to the actual point to the day: Kids having access to books. A love of reading is one of the best habits one can instill in a child. I saw my parents regularly reading for relaxation.

“Robert’s books about France, I’m talking with him…”

Recently I turned down an interview request from a US podcaster because I felt that I could not do full justice to her suggested main subject. I didn't think it would be fair talking with her merely for the sake of just talking - even if doing that might in some ways perhaps have been usefully self-promotional.

Twitter: A Great Idea, But…

I advise anyone now to be cautious, very cautious, on Twitter. The only reason I have not deleted my account is because I do like engaging carefully with decent people when possible. And many readers now expect authors to have Twitter accounts.

That Questioner’s Horse He Rode In On

If you have had experiences such as my family has had (and yours may have had too), you learn that there are those times that nothing can be done by others to stop self-destruction.

A “Relation Spéciale”?

It is no secret that this US president evokes wildly negative feelings in many. [Full disclosure: I did not vote for him.]

Our Battle Over Language

Teaching "old" novels that also contain vulgarities and slurs - novels which usually had been targeted at adult readers when they were originally written - in high school literature is always going to be contentious.

The Minefield: Where Entertainment Meets Politics

There is a reason we have a secret ballot: none of us need ever reveal, explain, or justify our vote to anyone if we wish not to do so - and that includes to the Guardian.

Mr. Brown’s Books

This is one of the most scorching reviews I have ever read.

“If you want to test a man’s character…”

Much is being revealed now about the predatory sexual behaviors over the years of a famous and extraordinarily powerful film producer...

Le Mot « terrorisme »

As a novelist, I believe words do matter greatly...

The Answers We Always Seek

My cousin (my late novelist uncle’s son), his wife, and their three sons have lived for years in Newtown, Connecticut...

“So you are a patriot…”

I got stuck briefly while writing yesterday and took a break. (I'm working on that short story, which it seems is now evolving into a short book.) Something made me pick up Distances...