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Monthly Archives: February 2013
THE 19 FUNNIEST BOOK COVERS EVER (AND ONE REALLY WEIRD ONE)
I have a stitch in my side after researching this post. I am obsessed with covers, possibly because I have had so many bad ones foisted on me by publishers through my life. Luckily now that I have Jen Talty … Continue reading
THE SECRET THAT THE WORLD’S GREATEST MYSTERY WRITER NEVER REVEALED
At quarter to ten on the evening of Friday, December 3, 1926, an up and coming crime writer left her home in Berkshire, England saying she was going out for a drive. She first went upstairs to kiss her sleeping … Continue reading
LIVIN’ THE VIDA LOCA: JUANA OF CASTILE
Juana of Castile’s little sister may be more familiar to English-speaking readers; she was Catherine of Aragon, Henry the Eighth’s first wife. Catherine became, in the eyes of history, the betrayed wife of a fickle king. Thomas Cromwell said of … Continue reading
5 THINGS EVERY WRITER CAN LEARN FROM A DEAD GENIUS
You may never have heard of Antoni Gaudi. But if you live in Barcelona you can’t NOT hear about him. The two are inseparable. I can see his masterwork, La Sagrada Familia, from my roof terrace, surrounded by cranes. They … Continue reading
PUTTING ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASTARD
“The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.” Last week a few of us gave critic Rex Reed a very negative review. But there was one critic you’d feel almost proud to … Continue reading
DO WE STICK WITH A GENRE OR WRITE WHAT WE FEEL?
Today, I’d like to post this piece from someone I greatly admire, Julia Robb. She’s a really good writer; she has that indefinable thing called ‘voice.’ But just let me say from the outset: I don’t agree with what Julia … Continue reading
“MORE VIOLENCE PLEASE. LESS SEX.”
If you were living in the Balkans right now, you’d be rushing home tonight to watch a TV show that is like Downton Abbey with turbans, only much more successful. “Muhtesem Yuzyil,” or “Magnificent Century,” is a lavish prime time … Continue reading
SO THEN. WHAT DO WE ALL THINK ABOUT CRITICS?
“Has anybody ever seen a drama critic in the daytime? Of course not. They come out after dark, up to no good.” PG Wodehouse said that. I think it would be fair to say that authors have an equivocal relationship … Continue reading
DEATH OF A FANTASY
Bernie Taupin said she lived her life like a candle in the wind. She played a dumb blonde to perfection yet she wasn’t at all dumb; she wasn’t even blonde. She was arguably the most explosive sex symbol of the … Continue reading
IF THIS WAS THE LAST DAY OF YOUR LIFE
For thirteen years I volunteered as a medic on a country ambulance in Australia. Friends were often concerned about me whenever we attended a particularly bad motor vehicle accident, but I dealt with those okay. I was too busy doing … Continue reading
