Jul 6, 2016 | The Writing Life
From an early age, my writing life was all about comparisons. When I was a little kid I said, “I want to write a classic that will be remembered forever, like Charles Dickens.” When I was in grade school, I aspired to be like Gordon Korman, who published...
Mar 29, 2016 | The Writing Life
This weekend I posted an article on my Facebook page that caused a bit of an uproar. For some reason, people are just now discovering an article Dwight Allen wrote for Salon in 2012. Calling himself a “literary snob,” Allen wages a full-on attack...
Mar 22, 2016 | The Writing Life
Imagine this, if you will… You turn on the evening news (or check Facebook or head to your favourite online news site or *gasp!* read a paper), only to discover there’s been another school shooting. Many children were wounded, and a few died, including the...
Oct 27, 2015 | Bloody Book Club
The talk always turns to scary movies around this time of year. Freddie, Jason and Michael crawl out from under their respective rocks for the one month they are remembered and celebrated. But what about books? Sure, they’re not the best for quick scares, but a...
Oct 14, 2015 | Bloody Book Club, Scary True Stories
I wonder whose brilliant idea it was to have clowns entertain children. Is there a child alive who actually likes them? Clowns have always made me uncomfortable (as have mascots, but that’s a different story). When I was little, I’d cry if one got too...
