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Now we’re not admitting anything here, but a rough (meaning: insufficient caffeine to think clearly) glance at the numbers tossed out in the article linked below tells us they’re reasonable. Reasonable being defined as they make sense to us. Being an author is a bit like being a celebrity (sometimes you can be both, but […]

If you’ve ever spent time in certain conspiracy theory circles, the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail is mentioned. Curious, you might read it. Perplexed, you might wonder how it is that so much history went unreported. Well, there are lots of versions of history. One could spend many lifetimes tracing them all out. Not being […]

As we struggle with the first chapter of the new disaster, we have this sense of doom. Why is it that bad things always appears in the form of an analog clock? Is that truly our vision of impending disaster? We know we should devote every breath to writing fiction, but we’re feeling a bit […]

Author Trish Jensen has been a friend of ours for many years — somehow (and we can’t say why) she gets our sense of humor. She has been unfailingly generous with her time and wisdom. She is also a victim of a circumstance facing many authors, musicians, painters, humans: no health insurance. When Trish was […]

We broke up with our local news a little over a year ago. It was painful — especially when we said goodbye to Mark Thompson, our beloved weather dude. We still long for glimpses of him, so much so that sometimes we see really bad movies because he’s often hired to play, well, weathermen. They […]

We admit we’re easily amused. We count ourself lucky to be part of a species that takes itself so seriously — yet is so ridiculous. It is as if there was some sort of plan to keep us laughing. Like when noted author Anne Rice chooses to take on her fans in a tirade. You […]

Author Alexander McCall Smith writes about his journey toward becoming a writer. In this three-part series, he notes: I suspect that one of the best starts for an author is an unhappy one. It is by no means an original observation, but it is clear that writing is often a response to pain and loss. […]

Why do people pay for what’s free? Convenience. If we learn anything from the 9/11 Commission Report (setting aside the subject matter, those lessons are a given), it is that people want to access information in their preferred manner. This is why MP3s continue to dominate the music download business despite record labels’ insistence on […]

If you are looking for a stable, practical career, do not choose writing. There are much better jobs to be had. There are jobs that don’t make you cry. Jobs that come with regular paychecks. Jobs that don’t invite perplexedd stares and rude questions. There are jobs that don’t require getting up in the middle […]

Did you know there were two books about lobsters out there? In addition to the zillion other lobster books, we mean. Apparently one lobster book has gone back for seven printings. Not bad for an animal we’re afraid of (ever since the night one, trying out for our dinner, waved at us — we were […]