by mike | Dec 16, 2013 | Books, Editing, Humor, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing |
I suppose I’m fascinated, if not obsessed, with the bad opening lines that have been submitted to the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest over the past thirty years. What the heck, they are so entertaining. Here are some more award-winning gems from the past. Enjoy! His...
by mike | Oct 28, 2013 | Books, Horror, Horror Movies, Movies, Native Americans, Paranormal, Uncategorized |
The late, great Richard Matheson, one of my favorite authors, wrote many novels that I still cherish. At the top are two in particular: Bid Time Return (Somewhere in Time), a time travel/romance that takes place in and around San Diego’s Hotel Del Coronado, and Hell...
by mike | Oct 23, 2013 | Adventure fantasy, Books, Editing, Fantasy, Horror, Native Americans, Sword & Sorcery, Thrillers, Writing |
“Hey Mike, where do you come up with those weird character names and place names in your fantasy and sci-fi novels?” Yeah, I used to get that question, or variations thereof, a lot when I did tons of appearances, signings, conferences, and so on. But it had been a...
by mike | Oct 8, 2013 | Adventure fantasy, Books, Humor, Uncategorized, Writing |
I just returned from an excellent trip to northern Arizona. Lots to write about—next time. For now, here are some more outrageously bad opening lines from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Enjoy! Cheryl’s mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping...
by mike | Oct 1, 2013 | Books, Editing, Mystery Novels, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing |
Many folks are focused on rankings, so given that there has to be the best of everything, it stands to reason that there also has to be the worst. The worst plumber, the worst bus driver, the worst brain surgeon (oh please!), the worst airline pilot (oh double...
by mike | Sep 25, 2013 | Books, Editing, Holocaust, Humor, Publishing, Thrillers, Uncategorized, Writing |
It was a dark and stormy night… Just about everyone, writer and non-writer alike, is familiar with that famous—or infamous—opening of a novel, arguably one of the most overused lines ever (even by Snoopy). The guy responsible for it? A nineteenth century British...
