The villain problem, as we define it here at the beginning of the ‘cast, is when the heroes are less proactive than the villain, when they spend most of the book doing little more than reacting to the cool things the villains do. It’s one reason that villains are often more interesting, more memorable, than […]
Writing Excuses 7.29: The Villain Problem Read More »
I’ve worn glasses since I was in third grade but usually opt for contacts during conventions because I like having more peripheral vision. You can get a sense of how strong my prescription is by looking at distortion the lenses cause. I haven’t gotten new frames or new lenses since before we moved to NYC,
Here we have a debut novel by Mike Underwood for your consideration. For Geekomancy he’s basically turned geek culture into a magic system. Let’s see what his favorite bit is, shall we? MIKE UNDERWOOD: I have a lot of favorite bits in Geekomancy – weaving geek language into conversation, Geekomancy as a literalization of the power of
My Favorite Bit: Mike Underwood talks about Geekomancy Read More »
Would you like to know about the giant anachronism that spans two chapters in Glamour in Glass? I thought you would. While I was researching Without a Summer, the next book in the series, I discovered an interesting thing. I’d done the seating arrangements wrong in Glamour in Glass. And not just a little wrong. Completely,
Glamour in Glass: Anachronism in dining Read More »
I am in Grand Haven, MI to record Seanan McGuire’s latest October Daye novel, Ashes of Honor. We got through page 128 today and I am a little bit fried. So how did I handle that? I went and had a massage. Trust me, after a day spent even a little bit as Toby, I needed
Grand Haven, October Daye, and massage Read More »
It’s no secret that I like Dan Wells’s writing. A lot. So I was nervous about The Hollow City because I had high expectations. He totally lived up to them. We talk about the writing process on Writing Excuses all the time. Today, Dan is going to tell you about his favorite bit. DAN WELLS: I
My Favorite Bit: Dan Wells talks about The Hollow City Read More »
If you are interested in what went into Glamour in Glass we talk about it at great length in the new episode of Writing Excuses. In fact, the only time you’ll hear me go into this much detail is when I’m addressing bookgroups or in one-on-one conversation where I know the other person has read the
Writing Excuses 7.28: Project in Depth– Glamour in Glass Read More »
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Protected: Extra: The Glamour in Glass outline Read More »
I don’tthink it’s so much toaskfor my spacebar to work consistently. I mean, really. Ifit didn’t work all the time,then it would beeasier to consign the keyboard to oblivion.Banging on it seems to help, but,as you can see,not always. I’vecleaned out the keyboard andthere are no visible obstructions. It does notmakewritingany easier. Later,I will return
Keyboard,nowisa badtime tofailme. Read More »
So… I collect folding furniture and have a fascination with metamorphic furniture. This mechanical table is a delight of compact ingenuity. Other girls want ponies. Me? Want. Want, want, want. Please? Hat-tip to Jane Austen’s World
Video: 18th century French Mechanical table. Want, please. Read More »
Want a copy of Glamour in Glass? The lovely folks at Bewitched Bookworms are giving away a copy. One of the things that I enjoy about their reviews is that these are dual reviews so you get to see two reviewers responding at the same time. Here’s an excerpt. Bottom Line Pushy: Action and drama combine into
Bewitched Bookworms: Review and Give-Away: Glamour in Glass Read More »
Do you like dragons? You know you do. James Maxey who I’ve been a fan of since I discovered his book Nobody Gets the Girl has two different series with dragons. Today he’s going to tell us a little bit about Hush.
My Favorite Bit: James Maxey talks about Hush Read More »
We’ve discovered that we can watch the fireworks from our balcony. Largely because everyone in our neighborhood seems determined to start the next Great Chicago Fire. Our neighbors are setting off fireworks in the alley. This strikes me as not entirely safe. The writer in me is noting the smell of all the gunpowder in the
We have recorded 44 episodes of Writing Excuses to take us through the time that Dan is in Germany. 44 episodes in four days. That’s almost fourteen hours of content. Our tag line is “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.” Right now? Not smart at all.
44 episodes of Writing Excuses Read More »