by mike | Feb 19, 2018 | Books, Death, Fantasy, Films About Books, Films About Writers, Humor, Movies, Publishing, Romance, Uncategorized, Writing |
Harold Crick is an IRS agent who leads a boring life. Harold is also—not by choice—a character in a book, and that character is slated to die at story’s end. A LIFE BY THE NUMBERS Stranger Than Fiction, a 2006 fantasy/comedy/drama, stars Will Ferrell in an understated...
by mike | Jan 29, 2018 | Books, Films About Writers, Humor, Life, Movies, Non-Fiction, Publishing, Romance, Travel, Uncategorized, Writing |
In 1996 Frances Mayes, a writer, book reviewer, teacher, and foodie extraordinaire, published a memoir—replete with recipes—called Under the Tuscan Sun. The book spent over two years on the New York Times bestseller list, a remarkable achievement. A romantic...
by mike | Jan 15, 2018 | Books, Editing, Humor, Publishing, Science Fiction, Sword & Planet, Uncategorized, Writing |
As one who loves to write, I enjoyed creating all my many published novels. But my comedy/sci-fi trilogy (Bicycling Through Space and Time, The Ultimate Bike Path, and The 22nd Gear, all from Ace/Berkley) provided me with the most fun I ever had—and ultimately, sad to...
by mike | Dec 4, 2017 | Books, Films About Writers, Horror, Horror Movies, Movies, Psychological Thrillers, Uncategorized, Writing |
The 1993 horror film, The Dark Half, is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1989 novel of the same name. His main character, Thad Beaumont, is a bestselling novelist—what else? Writers love to write about other writers, and King leads the league in that category. I should...
by mike | Oct 23, 2017 | Books, California, Ghosts, Horror, Horror Movies, Native Americans, Uncategorized, Writing |
With Halloween nearly upon us, I’d like to share a creepy scene from The Burning Ground, one of my four horror novels. This is the final scene in chapter one, which takes place in 1849. (The balance of the story is contemporary.) The setup: gold has been discovered in...
by mike | Aug 28, 2017 | Death, Films About Writers, Humor, Movies, Music, Uncategorized, Writing |
It is always a pleasure to see eighty-something Shirley MacLaine on the silver screen. Sadly, not a whole lot of people saw her perform in the 2017 comedy-drama, The Last Word. MacLaine plays Harriet Lauler, a woman who is rich, retired, and reviled. We see this...