Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
How To Pad Your Thesis With Bullshit
This is a piece from the preface of my creative thesis. We were required to come up with something that explained our influences, blah blah blah. I'm pretty proud of this, even if it is poorly written, because it is some of the finest bullshit I've ever had the priviledge to write. Enjoy.
Preface
I became interested in nor fiction when I discovered the films of Humphrey Bogart. I remember renting Casablanca and The African Queen from the local video store when VCRs first became an entertainment phenomenon. My folks would get whatever new movie Burt Reynolds was in, while I, for some unknown reason, headed for the classics section. And it was there that I found the films that would spur my love of storytelling. It was the tough guys, like Jimmy Cagney and Bogart that grabbed my attention. As a young boy I found something in their on-screen personas, something I wish I had.
It was during this period that I discovered two of my all-time favorite films: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Maltese Falcon. To this day, I’ll watch them at least once a year. And while Paul Newman and Robert Redford were terrific, it was Bogie and his quest for the black bird that captured my imagination. There was something adult about the film, themes of greed and lust that were taboo to a young kid. Themes that I didn’t quite understand, but they were something I sure wanted to know more about.
At this time in my life I was also discovering a love for reading adult fiction. Growing up around the Bangor, Maine area, it was difficult to avoid the local phenomenon of Stephen King. By the time I was old enough to carry one of his books out of the Bucksport Public Library (somewhere around the fourth grade), King had been a success for about eight years and was already an international sensation.
So, my first step into adult fiction was horror. Taking suggestions from this adult author, I soon read stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch. All of whom appealed to a young boy’s sometimes gruesome imagination; a trait that continued as he turned into an adult. But as satisfying as these stories were, I was always concentrating on the premise, the gore or the scare; never on the interaction, or internal struggle of the characters; until I discovered the more complex dramas at the video store.
Love, lust and greed were waiting for me within those videocassettes. Bogart taking on Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, while bedding Lauren Becall and Mary Astor. There was a natural curiosity as to why Fred McMurray would kill someone for a woman. As a boy growing up playing soldier with toy guns with my friends, murder was easy enough to understand; but it was the motive that pricked my attention. One may say that I was going through an early transformation out of that Freudian latency period, discovering females for the first time. But these weren’t the girls on the playground you secretly wanted to kiss; these were different creatures all together. I had graduated from a crush on little fifth grade Heather Parsons to discovering an aching desire for these sexy and seductive women. It would be another five years before I officially lost my virginity, but my cherry was popped long before that.
But along with the attraction, came the wanting of being a man like these tough guys. These women found them attractive and I wanted to be one of them. They fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about them and what they did. So, as I watched all the tough guy movies available at the video store, I went to my other entertainment love: reading. I went from Stephen King’s Carrie to Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe. This was a man. He wasn’t like Superman, all-powerful, able to accomplish anything. This was an everyman, yet also extraordinary at the same time. He had faults; he wasn’t the typical good guy. He’d just as easily punch another guy to get what he wanted.
From Chandler, I went to Hammett, then on to Gregory MacDonald and John D. MacDonald. But it was more than the mysteries I was after. I read other books in the genre, Agatha Christie, for one, but I found the stories weren’t that interesting. Sure, the puzzles were neat and the solutions of the typical locked room mysteries were entertaining; but they did not compare to the darker side of the genre.
Like any childhood interest, reading these mysteries subsided as adolescence took over. There was little time for reading, as other interests demanded my time. The general malaise of the teenage years descended upon me like it did for many of Generation X. Granted, I was still reading, but not as much. And nothing will kill the reading bug like English Lit classes. Between the excruciating experience of high school English and then university literature classes, it is a wonder that I ever picked up another book. Then somewhere in that primordial muck I call my twenties, I rediscovered my love of books and remembered my desire to one day become a writer. I went back and re-read the classics of the genre: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Red Harvest, The Big Sleep, The Grifters. Soon, I branched out to the newer writers: Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos. Settling into these books re-captured my imagination with the world. It re-invigorated my curiosity with the darker side of human character. So once I received some encouragement from a former writing teacher, I realized that my psuedo-goal of going to law school was only a blurry suggestion and that my true calling was to become what I have always wanted to be since I first grabbed Stephen King’s books off the high shelves at the library: a writer.
The outcome of my efforts is this book. The idea of its plot and characters may have come to me only a couple of years ago, but its true beginning was nearly twenty-five years ago. This is the product of a young boy who was fascinated with the dark side of the world and hasn't lost that fascination.
Preface
I became interested in nor fiction when I discovered the films of Humphrey Bogart. I remember renting Casablanca and The African Queen from the local video store when VCRs first became an entertainment phenomenon. My folks would get whatever new movie Burt Reynolds was in, while I, for some unknown reason, headed for the classics section. And it was there that I found the films that would spur my love of storytelling. It was the tough guys, like Jimmy Cagney and Bogart that grabbed my attention. As a young boy I found something in their on-screen personas, something I wish I had.
It was during this period that I discovered two of my all-time favorite films: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Maltese Falcon. To this day, I’ll watch them at least once a year. And while Paul Newman and Robert Redford were terrific, it was Bogie and his quest for the black bird that captured my imagination. There was something adult about the film, themes of greed and lust that were taboo to a young kid. Themes that I didn’t quite understand, but they were something I sure wanted to know more about.
At this time in my life I was also discovering a love for reading adult fiction. Growing up around the Bangor, Maine area, it was difficult to avoid the local phenomenon of Stephen King. By the time I was old enough to carry one of his books out of the Bucksport Public Library (somewhere around the fourth grade), King had been a success for about eight years and was already an international sensation.
So, my first step into adult fiction was horror. Taking suggestions from this adult author, I soon read stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury and Robert Bloch. All of whom appealed to a young boy’s sometimes gruesome imagination; a trait that continued as he turned into an adult. But as satisfying as these stories were, I was always concentrating on the premise, the gore or the scare; never on the interaction, or internal struggle of the characters; until I discovered the more complex dramas at the video store.
Love, lust and greed were waiting for me within those videocassettes. Bogart taking on Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, while bedding Lauren Becall and Mary Astor. There was a natural curiosity as to why Fred McMurray would kill someone for a woman. As a boy growing up playing soldier with toy guns with my friends, murder was easy enough to understand; but it was the motive that pricked my attention. One may say that I was going through an early transformation out of that Freudian latency period, discovering females for the first time. But these weren’t the girls on the playground you secretly wanted to kiss; these were different creatures all together. I had graduated from a crush on little fifth grade Heather Parsons to discovering an aching desire for these sexy and seductive women. It would be another five years before I officially lost my virginity, but my cherry was popped long before that.
But along with the attraction, came the wanting of being a man like these tough guys. These women found them attractive and I wanted to be one of them. They fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about them and what they did. So, as I watched all the tough guy movies available at the video store, I went to my other entertainment love: reading. I went from Stephen King’s Carrie to Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe. This was a man. He wasn’t like Superman, all-powerful, able to accomplish anything. This was an everyman, yet also extraordinary at the same time. He had faults; he wasn’t the typical good guy. He’d just as easily punch another guy to get what he wanted.
From Chandler, I went to Hammett, then on to Gregory MacDonald and John D. MacDonald. But it was more than the mysteries I was after. I read other books in the genre, Agatha Christie, for one, but I found the stories weren’t that interesting. Sure, the puzzles were neat and the solutions of the typical locked room mysteries were entertaining; but they did not compare to the darker side of the genre.
Like any childhood interest, reading these mysteries subsided as adolescence took over. There was little time for reading, as other interests demanded my time. The general malaise of the teenage years descended upon me like it did for many of Generation X. Granted, I was still reading, but not as much. And nothing will kill the reading bug like English Lit classes. Between the excruciating experience of high school English and then university literature classes, it is a wonder that I ever picked up another book. Then somewhere in that primordial muck I call my twenties, I rediscovered my love of books and remembered my desire to one day become a writer. I went back and re-read the classics of the genre: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Red Harvest, The Big Sleep, The Grifters. Soon, I branched out to the newer writers: Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos. Settling into these books re-captured my imagination with the world. It re-invigorated my curiosity with the darker side of human character. So once I received some encouragement from a former writing teacher, I realized that my psuedo-goal of going to law school was only a blurry suggestion and that my true calling was to become what I have always wanted to be since I first grabbed Stephen King’s books off the high shelves at the library: a writer.
The outcome of my efforts is this book. The idea of its plot and characters may have come to me only a couple of years ago, but its true beginning was nearly twenty-five years ago. This is the product of a young boy who was fascinated with the dark side of the world and hasn't lost that fascination.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Sweet Jesus, Do I Hate The Wiggles
For the uninitiated (and incredibly fortunate), The Wiggles is a children's television show that the Disney Channel insists on airing in the morning, every morning, twice. And since I have a soon-to-be three-year-old (that's him on the right), that means I have to watch the Wiggles in the morning, every morning, twice. Since I'm not a morning person, I can't even begin to tell you how happy this makes me.
The Wiggles are a group of middle-aged Australian guys with constant five o'clock shadow and look hung over in every episode. They look like they should be on some Amber Alert poster. According to a New York Times Magazine article, they formed this musical group after failing as rock musicians. (Thanks to my friend Jenny for pointing out the article. She knows how much I love The Wiggles.) Jeff (Purple), Murray (Red), Greg (Yellow) and Anthony (Blue) - I hate that I can name them all and match their colors, for each one has his own color to wear. These guys are heading for their own special edition of E! True Hollywood Stories. They epitomize those weirdos we tell kids not to take candy from.
But watching the show the other day I saw something that was reall really funny. Every episode has musical numbers (perhaps you've heard "Hot Potato, Hot Potato"?) where there are dancers in the background. Most of these dancers have fake smiles that hide the utter disappointment of their careers. Years of acting and dancing lessons leading only to one-two choreography on a cheesy kids show. But there is one guy who gives it his all. He has as much enthusiasm for dance as Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls. He thinks he's auditioning for Bob Fosse. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended each number with jazz hands or spirit fingers. This guy has so much unwarranted self-confindence. While the others are phoning it in, he's giving 110%. And it is so fucking funny.
So, what does this have to do with writing? I'm glad you asked. Actually, this has to do with my own insecurities as a writer. Dear God, please don't let me be the writing equivalent of that dancing jackass. I don't to go out there with unjustified pizzazz and embarrass myself. I try and avoid going through the motions, but I hope like hell I'm a better writer than that guy is a dancer.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Reading
I have to give a twenty-minute reading from my book for my graduate residency in a couple of weeks. As a matter of fact, I have less than two weeks to perfect my delivery. I hate my voice, I mumble a lot, stammer, slur my words, stutter on occasion (especially when I'm nervous) and sweat uncontrollably. This is going to be the best reading ever!
And I'm the first one to read. No pressure there.
So, I'm practicing, which seems a little weird. If anyone was within earshot, they'd think I was talking to myself, like some crazy person. And since this is a crime novel, they might call the cops as well.
To make sure people will stay and listen, though maintaining an audience isn't a requirement for graduation - thank god, I need to spice it up. Do the voice and all that crap, otherwise it will be a terrible monotone. We get a performance workshop, but it's the day before my reading - a lot of fucking good it's going to do me.
So, I just need to prepare myself for the inevitable boos and thrown tomatoes. I can't wait for this public humiliation.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Flash...He'll Save Everyone of Us!
I have a new piece on Tribe's Flashing in the Gutters website. Stay-at-Home Mom. It's a sweet story of a son and his mother. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
My two-cents on the ITW nominations
Oh please.
And are guys the only ones who enjoy burgers and beer? I don't think so.
And are guys the only ones who enjoy burgers and beer? I don't think so.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Bibliography
I finally finished the bibliography for my thesis. It consists of all the books I've read since I started the MFA program a couple of years ago. They're all listed below.
Allison, Dorothy
Bastard Out of Carolina. Plume, 1993.
Azzarello, Brian
100 Bullets, vol 1: First Shot, Last Call. Vertigo, 2000.
Ballard, J.G.
Crash. Picador, 2001.
Chris Baty, Chris
No Plot? No Problem. Chronicle Books, 2004.
Baum, L. Frank
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Del Ray, 1985.
Benedict, Elizabeth
The Joy of Writing Sex. Owl Books, 2002.
Block, Lawrence
Telling Lies for Profit and Fun. Harper, 1994.
Eight Million Ways to Die. Avon, 1993.
When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes. Avon, 1997.
Bradbury, Ray
Zen in the Art of Writing. Bantam, 1992.
The Illustrated Man. Specta, 1983.
Something Wicked This Way Comes. Spectra, 1983.
Brombert, Victor
In Praise of Antiheroes. University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Brown, Dan
The DaVinci Code. Doubleday
Angels and Demons. Pocket
Bruen, Ken
The Guards. St. Martin’s Press, 2004
The Killing of the Tinkers. St. Martin’s Press, 2005
The Magdalen Martyrs. St. Martin’s Press, 2006
The Dramatist. St. Martin’s Press, 2006
Bryson, Bill
A Walk In the Woods. Broadway, 1999.
Bukowski, Charles
Run With the Hunted. Ecco
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange. W W Norton and Company, 1986.
Burke, James Lee
Purple Cane Road. Doubleday, 2000.
Burroughs, William S.
Naked Lunch. Grove Press, 2004.
Burroway, Janet
Writing Fiction. Longman Publishing, 1999.
Butler, Robert Olen
From Where You Dream. Gove Press, 2006.
Cain, James M.
Double Indemnity. Vintage
The Postman Always Rings Twice. Vintage
Chabon, Michael
Wonder Boys. Vintage
Cheever, John
The Stories of John Cheever. Ballantine Books, 1985.
Coetzee, J.M.
Disgrace. Viking, 1999.
Waiting for the Barbarians. Penguin, 1982.
Connelly, Michael
The Lincoln Lawyer. Little, Brown
The Black Echo. Warner Books
The Black Ice. Warner Books
The Concrete Blonde. Warner Books
The Last Coyote. Warner Books
The Poet. Warner Books
Angels Flight. Warner Books
A Darkness More Than Night. Warner Books
City of Bones. Warner Books
Chasing the Dime. Warner Books
Lost Light. Warner Books
The Narrows. Little Brown
The Closers. Little Brown
Connolly, John
Dark Hollow. Pocket Books, 2002
The Black Angel. Atria Books, 2005
Corrigan, John R.
Bad Lie. University Press of New Engalnd, 2005
Cut Shot. University Press of New Engalnd, 2003
Snap Hook. University Press of New Engalnd, 2004
Crais, Robert
The Monkey’s Raincoat. Bantam
Stalking the Angel. Bantam
Creating Fiction: Instruction and Insight from Teachers of the Associated Writers Program. Story Press Books, 1999.
Crumley, James
The Wrong Case. Vintage
The Last Good Kiss. Vintage
Dancing Bear. Vintage
The Mexican Tree Duck. Warner Books
Bordersnakes. Warner Books
The Right Madness. Viking
Cunningham, Michael
The Hours. Vintage
Dahl, Roald
Matilda. Puffin Books, 1998.
James and the Giant Peach. Puffin Books, 2000.
DeLillo, Don
White Noise. Penguin
Dexter, Pete
The Paperboy. Random House, 1995.
Train, Doubleday, 2003.
Paris Trout. Penguin, 1989.
Dickens, Charles
Great Expectations. Penquin, 2002.
Dorsey, Tim
Hammerhead Ranch Motel. Harper Torch, 2001.
Durham, David Anthony
A Walk Through Darkness. Anchor, 2003
Pride of Carthedge. Anchor, 2005
Ellroy, James
Hollywood Nocturnes. Delta, 1998.
White Jazz. Fawcett, 1993.
L.A. Confidential. Warner Books, 1997.
Ennis, Garth
Preacher, Vol. 1: Gone to Texas. Vertigo, 1996.
Estleman, Loren
Writing Popular Fiction. Writer’s Digest Books, 2004.
Eugenides, Jeffrey
The Virgin Suicides. Warner Books, 1994.
Fielding, Helen
Bridget Jones’s Diary. Penquin, 1999.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott
Tender Is the Night. Scribner, 1995.
The Great Gatsby. Scriner, 1995.
Ford, Richard
The Sportswriter. Vintage, 1995.
A Multitude of Sins. Vintage, 2003.
Franken, Al
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. Dutton, 2003.
Gardner, John
The Art of Fiction. Vintage, 1991.
Gaiman, Neil
Marvel 1602. Marvel, 2005.
Gerritsen, Tess
The Sinner. Ballantine Books, 2003
Gischler, Victor
Gun Monkeys. Dell, 2003.
Goldman, William
The Temple of Gold. Dell, 1976.
Gran, Sara
Dope. Putnam, 2006.
Greene, Graham
The Quiet American. Penguin
The End of the Affair. Penguin
Travels With My Aunt. Penguin
Brighton Rock. Penguin
Grisham, John
The Runaway Jury. Dell, 1997.
Haddon, Mark
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Doubleday, 2003.
Hammett, Dashiell
The Maltese Falcon. Vintage
Red Harvest. Vintage
The Thin Man. Vintage
The Glass Key. Vintage
Hemingway, Ernest
The Sun Also Rises. Scribner
The Garden of Eden. Scribner
Highsmith, Patricia
The Talented Mister Ripley. Vintage
Ripley’s Game. Vintage
Ripley Underground. Vintage
The Blunderer. W.W. Norton and Company
Hillerman, Tony
The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century. Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Hornby, Nick
Speaking With the Angels. Riverhead Trade, 2001.
About a Boy. Riverhead Trade, 1999.
High Fidelity. Riverhead Trade, 2000.
Huston, Charlie
Six Bad Things. Ballantine Books, 2005.
Irving, John
A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound. Doubleday, 2004.
Ishiguro, Kazuo
The Remains of the Day. Vintage, 1990.
Jones, James
From Here to Eternity. Delta, 1998.
Kelly, James Patrick
Think Like a Dinosaur. Golden Gryphon Press, 2003
Strange But Not a Stranger. Golden Gryphon Press 2002
Planet of Whispers. St. Martin’s Press, 1984
King, Stephen
Cell. Scribner’s, 2005
The Colorado Kid. Hard Case Crime, 2005
Desperation. Signet, 1997
The Regulators. Dutton, 1996
Dolores Claiborne. Viking, 1993
Everything’s Eventual. Signet, 2003
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. Donald M. Grant/Scribner, 1997
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of The Calla. Donald M. Grant/Scribner, 2003
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah. Donald M. Grant/Scribner, 2004
On Writing. Scribner, 2000
Dreamcatcher. Pocket, 2001
Needful Things. Signet, 1992
The Tommyknockers. Signet, 1988
Kress, Nancy
Beginnings, Middles and Ends. Writer’s Digest Books, 1999.
Le Carre, John
Absolute Friends. Little, Brown, 2005.
Lehane, Dennis
A Drink Before the War. Harper Torch,1996
Darkness, Take My Hand. Harper Torch, 1997
Sacred. Harper Torch,1998
Prayers for Rain. Harper Torch, 2000
Gone, Baby, Gone. Harper Torch, 1999
Shutter Island. William Morrow, 2003
Mystic River. Harper Torch, 2002
Leonard, Elmore
The Hot Kid. William Morrow, 2005.
When the Women Come to Dance. William Morrow
Mr. Paradise. William Morrow
Lethem, Jonathan
Gun, With Occasional Music. Harvest Books, 2003.
Lewis, C.S.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Harper, 1984.
Lippman, Laura
Baltimore Blues. New York: Avon, 1997
Charm City. New York: Avon, 1997
Butchers Hill. New York: Avon, 1998
In Big Trouble. New York: Avon, 1999
Every Secret Thing. New York: Avon, 2004
By A Spider’s Thread. New York: Avon, 2005
In A Strange City. New York: Avon, 2002
Ludlum, Robert
The Bourne Identity. Bantam, 1984.
The Bourne Supremacy. Bantam, 1987.
MacDonald, Ross
The Instant Enemy. Warner Books
The Chill. Warner Books
The Doomsters. Warner Books
The Goodbye Look. Vintage
Martin, George R.R.
A Game of Thrones. Spectra, 1996.
Martin, Steve
The Pleasure of My Company. Hyperion, 2003.
Pure Drivel. Hyperion, 1998.
McBain, Ed
The Gutter and The Grave. Hard Case Crime, 2005
McCarthy, Cormac
No Country For Old Men. Knopf, 2005.
McEwan, Ian
Enduring Love. Anchor, 1998.
Black Dogs. Anchor, 1998.
McGrath, Patrick
Asylum. Vintage, 1998.
McMurtry, Larry
The Last Picture Show. Penguin
Merullo, Roland
Revere Beach Boulevard. Owl Publishing Company, 1999
Revere Beach Elegy. Beacon Press, 2002
Moore, Christopher
The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Perenial, 2000.
Mosley, Walter
Big Bad Brawly Brown. Warner Books, 2003
Little Scarlet. Little, Brown, 2004
Fearless Jones. Little, Brown, 2001
Fear Itself. Little, Brown, 2003
The Man in My Basement. Little, Brown, 2004
Walkin’ the Dog. Little, Brown, 2000
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. Little, Brown, 1998
Cinnamon Kiss. Little, Brown, 2005
Oates, Joyce Carol
The Tattooed Girl. Ecco, 2003
O’Brien, Tim
The Things They Carried. Penquin
In the Lake of the Woods. Penquin
O’Nan, Stewart
A Prayer for the Dying. Picador, 2000.
The Speed Queen. Grove Press, 2001.
Palahniuk, Chuck
Fight Club. W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.
Parker, T. Jefferson
Silent Joe. Hyperion, 2001
Cold Pursuit. Harper Torch, 2004
California Girls. William Morrow, 2004
Parkhurst, Carolyn
The Dogs of Babel. Little Brown, 2003.
Patterson, James
Cat and Mouse. Warner Books, 1998.
Jack and Jill. Warner Books, 2003.
Pelecanos, George
King Suckerman. Dell, 1998
The Sweet Forever. Dell, 1999
Soul Circus. Warner Books, 2004
A Firing Offense. Serpent’s Tail, 1999
Shoedog. Serpent’s Tail, 2003
Shame the Devil. Dell, 2001
Right As Rain. Warner Books, 2002
The Big Blowdown. St. martin’s Press, 1996
Hell To Pay. Warner Books, 2003
Hard Revolution, Little, Brown, 2004
Drama City. Little, Brown, 2005
Perrotta, Tom
Little Children. St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
Phillips, Scott
The Ice Harvest. Ballantine Books, 2001
Plato
The Republic. Penquin
Plotnik, Arthur
Spunk and Bite. Random House, 2005.
Pratchett, Terry
The Light Fantastic. Harper Torch, 2000.
The Color of Magic. Harper Torch, 2000.
Rankin, Ian
Resurrection Men. Little, Brown
Fleshmarket Alley. Little, Brown
A Question of Blood. Little, Brown
Read, Cornelia
A Field of Darkness. Mysterious Press, 2006.
Rickards, John
Winter’s End. St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2003.
Russo, Richard
Empire Falls. Vintage, 2002.
The Whore’s Child. Vintage, 2003.
Searle, Elizabeth
Celebrities in Disgrace. Graywolf Press, 2001.
A Four-Sided Bed. Graywolf Press, 1998.
Sebold, Alice
The Lovely Bones. Little Brown, 2002.
Sedaris, David
Me Talk Pretty One Day. Back Bay Books, 2001.
Selby, Jr., Hubert
Last Exit to Brooklyn. Grove Press, 1988.
Sendak, Maurice
Where the Wild Things Are. Harper Trophy, 1998.
In the Night Kitchen. Harper Trophy, 1995.
Shea, Suzanne Strempek
Shelf Life. Beacon Press, 2005
Selling the Lite of Heaven. Atria, 1994
Siler, Jenny
Flashback Henry Holt, 2004
Easy Money St. Martin’s, 2000
Iced St. Martin’s, 2001
Shot. St. Martin’s/Minotaur, 2003
Silet, Charles L.P.
Talking Murder: Interviews With 20 Mystery Writers. Persea Books, 1999.
Stark, Richard
Payback. Mysterious Press, 1999.
The Man with the Getaway Face. Mysterious Press, 1998.
The Mourner. Mysterious Press, 2001.
Stewart, Jon
America (The Book) A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction. Warner Books, 2004.
Strout, Elizabeth
Amy and Isabelle. Vintage, 2000.
Swierczynski, Duane
The Wheelman. St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2005.
Thompson, Jim
After Dark, My Sweet. Vintage
Tolkein, J.R.R.
The Hobbit. Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
Truss, Lynn
Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Gotham, 2004.
Turow, Scott
Personal Injuries. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.
Reversible Errors. Warner Books, 2003.
Unsworth, Barry
The Songs of the Kings. Nan A. Talese, 2003.
Updike, John
Villages. Knopf, 2004.
The Witches of Eastwick. Fawcett, 1985.
Kurt Vonnegut
Bagombo Snuff Box. Berkley, 2000
Mother Night. Dell, 1991.
The Sirens of Titan. Dell, 1992.
Walter, Jess
Citizen Vince. Regan Books, 2005.
Wells, Rebecca
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Harper, 2002.
Westlake, Donald
What’s the Worse That Could Happen. Waner Books, 1997.
The Hot Rock. Mysterious Press, 2001.
Willeford, Charles
Miami Blues. Vintage
New Hope For the Dead. Vintage
Wood, Monica
Description. Writer’s Digest Books
Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing. Writer’s Digest Books.
Woodrell, Daniel
The Death of Sweet Mister. New York: Plume, 2002
Tomato Red. New York: Plum, 2000
Give Us a Kiss. New York: Pocket, 1998
Writers On Writing: Collected Essays from The New York Times. Times Books, 2002.
Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by Mystery Writers of America. Writer’s Digest Books, 2001.
Yates, Richard
Revolutionary Road. Vintage
Allison, Dorothy
Bastard Out of Carolina. Plume, 1993.
Azzarello, Brian
100 Bullets, vol 1: First Shot, Last Call. Vertigo, 2000.
Ballard, J.G.
Crash. Picador, 2001.
Chris Baty, Chris
No Plot? No Problem. Chronicle Books, 2004.
Baum, L. Frank
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Del Ray, 1985.
Benedict, Elizabeth
The Joy of Writing Sex. Owl Books, 2002.
Block, Lawrence
Telling Lies for Profit and Fun. Harper, 1994.
Eight Million Ways to Die. Avon, 1993.
When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes. Avon, 1997.
Bradbury, Ray
Zen in the Art of Writing. Bantam, 1992.
The Illustrated Man. Specta, 1983.
Something Wicked This Way Comes. Spectra, 1983.
Brombert, Victor
In Praise of Antiheroes. University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Brown, Dan
The DaVinci Code. Doubleday
Angels and Demons. Pocket
Bruen, Ken
The Guards. St. Martin’s Press, 2004
The Killing of the Tinkers. St. Martin’s Press, 2005
The Magdalen Martyrs. St. Martin’s Press, 2006
The Dramatist. St. Martin’s Press, 2006
Bryson, Bill
A Walk In the Woods. Broadway, 1999.
Bukowski, Charles
Run With the Hunted. Ecco
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange. W W Norton and Company, 1986.
Burke, James Lee
Purple Cane Road. Doubleday, 2000.
Burroughs, William S.
Naked Lunch. Grove Press, 2004.
Burroway, Janet
Writing Fiction. Longman Publishing, 1999.
Butler, Robert Olen
From Where You Dream. Gove Press, 2006.
Cain, James M.
Double Indemnity. Vintage
The Postman Always Rings Twice. Vintage
Chabon, Michael
Wonder Boys. Vintage
Cheever, John
The Stories of John Cheever. Ballantine Books, 1985.
Coetzee, J.M.
Disgrace. Viking, 1999.
Waiting for the Barbarians. Penguin, 1982.
Connelly, Michael
The Lincoln Lawyer. Little, Brown
The Black Echo. Warner Books
The Black Ice. Warner Books
The Concrete Blonde. Warner Books
The Last Coyote. Warner Books
The Poet. Warner Books
Angels Flight. Warner Books
A Darkness More Than Night. Warner Books
City of Bones. Warner Books
Chasing the Dime. Warner Books
Lost Light. Warner Books
The Narrows. Little Brown
The Closers. Little Brown
Connolly, John
Dark Hollow. Pocket Books, 2002
The Black Angel. Atria Books, 2005
Corrigan, John R.
Bad Lie. University Press of New Engalnd, 2005
Cut Shot. University Press of New Engalnd, 2003
Snap Hook. University Press of New Engalnd, 2004
Crais, Robert
The Monkey’s Raincoat. Bantam
Stalking the Angel. Bantam
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Crumley, James
The Wrong Case. Vintage
The Last Good Kiss. Vintage
Dancing Bear. Vintage
The Mexican Tree Duck. Warner Books
Bordersnakes. Warner Books
The Right Madness. Viking
Cunningham, Michael
The Hours. Vintage
Dahl, Roald
Matilda. Puffin Books, 1998.
James and the Giant Peach. Puffin Books, 2000.
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White Noise. Penguin
Dexter, Pete
The Paperboy. Random House, 1995.
Train, Doubleday, 2003.
Paris Trout. Penguin, 1989.
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Great Expectations. Penquin, 2002.
Dorsey, Tim
Hammerhead Ranch Motel. Harper Torch, 2001.
Durham, David Anthony
A Walk Through Darkness. Anchor, 2003
Pride of Carthedge. Anchor, 2005
Ellroy, James
Hollywood Nocturnes. Delta, 1998.
White Jazz. Fawcett, 1993.
L.A. Confidential. Warner Books, 1997.
Ennis, Garth
Preacher, Vol. 1: Gone to Texas. Vertigo, 1996.
Estleman, Loren
Writing Popular Fiction. Writer’s Digest Books, 2004.
Eugenides, Jeffrey
The Virgin Suicides. Warner Books, 1994.
Fielding, Helen
Bridget Jones’s Diary. Penquin, 1999.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott
Tender Is the Night. Scribner, 1995.
The Great Gatsby. Scriner, 1995.
Ford, Richard
The Sportswriter. Vintage, 1995.
A Multitude of Sins. Vintage, 2003.
Franken, Al
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. Dutton, 2003.
Gardner, John
The Art of Fiction. Vintage, 1991.
Gaiman, Neil
Marvel 1602. Marvel, 2005.
Gerritsen, Tess
The Sinner. Ballantine Books, 2003
Gischler, Victor
Gun Monkeys. Dell, 2003.
Goldman, William
The Temple of Gold. Dell, 1976.
Gran, Sara
Dope. Putnam, 2006.
Greene, Graham
The Quiet American. Penguin
The End of the Affair. Penguin
Travels With My Aunt. Penguin
Brighton Rock. Penguin
Grisham, John
The Runaway Jury. Dell, 1997.
Haddon, Mark
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Doubleday, 2003.
Hammett, Dashiell
The Maltese Falcon. Vintage
Red Harvest. Vintage
The Thin Man. Vintage
The Glass Key. Vintage
Hemingway, Ernest
The Sun Also Rises. Scribner
The Garden of Eden. Scribner
Highsmith, Patricia
The Talented Mister Ripley. Vintage
Ripley’s Game. Vintage
Ripley Underground. Vintage
The Blunderer. W.W. Norton and Company
Hillerman, Tony
The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century. Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Hornby, Nick
Speaking With the Angels. Riverhead Trade, 2001.
About a Boy. Riverhead Trade, 1999.
High Fidelity. Riverhead Trade, 2000.
Huston, Charlie
Six Bad Things. Ballantine Books, 2005.
Irving, John
A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound. Doubleday, 2004.
Ishiguro, Kazuo
The Remains of the Day. Vintage, 1990.
Jones, James
From Here to Eternity. Delta, 1998.
Kelly, James Patrick
Think Like a Dinosaur. Golden Gryphon Press, 2003
Strange But Not a Stranger. Golden Gryphon Press 2002
Planet of Whispers. St. Martin’s Press, 1984
King, Stephen
Cell. Scribner’s, 2005
The Colorado Kid. Hard Case Crime, 2005
Desperation. Signet, 1997
The Regulators. Dutton, 1996
Dolores Claiborne. Viking, 1993
Everything’s Eventual. Signet, 2003
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. Donald M. Grant/Scribner, 1997
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of The Calla. Donald M. Grant/Scribner, 2003
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah. Donald M. Grant/Scribner, 2004
On Writing. Scribner, 2000
Dreamcatcher. Pocket, 2001
Needful Things. Signet, 1992
The Tommyknockers. Signet, 1988
Kress, Nancy
Beginnings, Middles and Ends. Writer’s Digest Books, 1999.
Le Carre, John
Absolute Friends. Little, Brown, 2005.
Lehane, Dennis
A Drink Before the War. Harper Torch,1996
Darkness, Take My Hand. Harper Torch, 1997
Sacred. Harper Torch,1998
Prayers for Rain. Harper Torch, 2000
Gone, Baby, Gone. Harper Torch, 1999
Shutter Island. William Morrow, 2003
Mystic River. Harper Torch, 2002
Leonard, Elmore
The Hot Kid. William Morrow, 2005.
When the Women Come to Dance. William Morrow
Mr. Paradise. William Morrow
Lethem, Jonathan
Gun, With Occasional Music. Harvest Books, 2003.
Lewis, C.S.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Harper, 1984.
Lippman, Laura
Baltimore Blues. New York: Avon, 1997
Charm City. New York: Avon, 1997
Butchers Hill. New York: Avon, 1998
In Big Trouble. New York: Avon, 1999
Every Secret Thing. New York: Avon, 2004
By A Spider’s Thread. New York: Avon, 2005
In A Strange City. New York: Avon, 2002
Ludlum, Robert
The Bourne Identity. Bantam, 1984.
The Bourne Supremacy. Bantam, 1987.
MacDonald, Ross
The Instant Enemy. Warner Books
The Chill. Warner Books
The Doomsters. Warner Books
The Goodbye Look. Vintage
Martin, George R.R.
A Game of Thrones. Spectra, 1996.
Martin, Steve
The Pleasure of My Company. Hyperion, 2003.
Pure Drivel. Hyperion, 1998.
McBain, Ed
The Gutter and The Grave. Hard Case Crime, 2005
McCarthy, Cormac
No Country For Old Men. Knopf, 2005.
McEwan, Ian
Enduring Love. Anchor, 1998.
Black Dogs. Anchor, 1998.
McGrath, Patrick
Asylum. Vintage, 1998.
McMurtry, Larry
The Last Picture Show. Penguin
Merullo, Roland
Revere Beach Boulevard. Owl Publishing Company, 1999
Revere Beach Elegy. Beacon Press, 2002
Moore, Christopher
The Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Perenial, 2000.
Mosley, Walter
Big Bad Brawly Brown. Warner Books, 2003
Little Scarlet. Little, Brown, 2004
Fearless Jones. Little, Brown, 2001
Fear Itself. Little, Brown, 2003
The Man in My Basement. Little, Brown, 2004
Walkin’ the Dog. Little, Brown, 2000
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. Little, Brown, 1998
Cinnamon Kiss. Little, Brown, 2005
Oates, Joyce Carol
The Tattooed Girl. Ecco, 2003
O’Brien, Tim
The Things They Carried. Penquin
In the Lake of the Woods. Penquin
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A Prayer for the Dying. Picador, 2000.
The Speed Queen. Grove Press, 2001.
Palahniuk, Chuck
Fight Club. W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.
Parker, T. Jefferson
Silent Joe. Hyperion, 2001
Cold Pursuit. Harper Torch, 2004
California Girls. William Morrow, 2004
Parkhurst, Carolyn
The Dogs of Babel. Little Brown, 2003.
Patterson, James
Cat and Mouse. Warner Books, 1998.
Jack and Jill. Warner Books, 2003.
Pelecanos, George
King Suckerman. Dell, 1998
The Sweet Forever. Dell, 1999
Soul Circus. Warner Books, 2004
A Firing Offense. Serpent’s Tail, 1999
Shoedog. Serpent’s Tail, 2003
Shame the Devil. Dell, 2001
Right As Rain. Warner Books, 2002
The Big Blowdown. St. martin’s Press, 1996
Hell To Pay. Warner Books, 2003
Hard Revolution, Little, Brown, 2004
Drama City. Little, Brown, 2005
Perrotta, Tom
Little Children. St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
Phillips, Scott
The Ice Harvest. Ballantine Books, 2001
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The Republic. Penquin
Plotnik, Arthur
Spunk and Bite. Random House, 2005.
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The Light Fantastic. Harper Torch, 2000.
The Color of Magic. Harper Torch, 2000.
Rankin, Ian
Resurrection Men. Little, Brown
Fleshmarket Alley. Little, Brown
A Question of Blood. Little, Brown
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A Field of Darkness. Mysterious Press, 2006.
Rickards, John
Winter’s End. St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2003.
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Empire Falls. Vintage, 2002.
The Whore’s Child. Vintage, 2003.
Searle, Elizabeth
Celebrities in Disgrace. Graywolf Press, 2001.
A Four-Sided Bed. Graywolf Press, 1998.
Sebold, Alice
The Lovely Bones. Little Brown, 2002.
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Me Talk Pretty One Day. Back Bay Books, 2001.
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Last Exit to Brooklyn. Grove Press, 1988.
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Where the Wild Things Are. Harper Trophy, 1998.
In the Night Kitchen. Harper Trophy, 1995.
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Shelf Life. Beacon Press, 2005
Selling the Lite of Heaven. Atria, 1994
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Flashback Henry Holt, 2004
Easy Money St. Martin’s, 2000
Iced St. Martin’s, 2001
Shot. St. Martin’s/Minotaur, 2003
Silet, Charles L.P.
Talking Murder: Interviews With 20 Mystery Writers. Persea Books, 1999.
Stark, Richard
Payback. Mysterious Press, 1999.
The Man with the Getaway Face. Mysterious Press, 1998.
The Mourner. Mysterious Press, 2001.
Stewart, Jon
America (The Book) A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction. Warner Books, 2004.
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Amy and Isabelle. Vintage, 2000.
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The Wheelman. St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2005.
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After Dark, My Sweet. Vintage
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The Hobbit. Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
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Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Gotham, 2004.
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Personal Injuries. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.
Reversible Errors. Warner Books, 2003.
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Villages. Knopf, 2004.
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Kurt Vonnegut
Bagombo Snuff Box. Berkley, 2000
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The Sirens of Titan. Dell, 1992.
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Citizen Vince. Regan Books, 2005.
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The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Harper, 2002.
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The Hot Rock. Mysterious Press, 2001.
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Miami Blues. Vintage
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Description. Writer’s Digest Books
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The Death of Sweet Mister. New York: Plume, 2002
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Revolutionary Road. Vintage
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Dangerously Close to Wanting Nothing
This past weekend I sat and stared at trees - giant poplars and evergreens swaying in the breeze like the ebb and flow of ocean waves. I didn't want to write, or read or do anything. I forget how refreshing it is to do nothing.
Most people see me reading and think I'm relaxing. I am to a certain point, but for me, as it should be with all writers, reading is work. I cannot simply shut my mind off, I'm constantly analyzing the story. How well does the author develop the plot? Do I care about these characters? How is the writing? I know there are literary junk food novels out there, but since most of them are incredibly bad, I can't enjoy them. It's the same way with movies. I think this is the price writers pay. In order to develop as the best writer he/she can be, they give up some of that escape reading used to give them. That doesn't necessarily mean I don't enjoy what I read, or unable to lose myself to a certain extent; it just means that the experience is no longer a total and complete recess of the mind.
Right now I'm planning on taking a drive down to Acadia National Park. I love it down there. I just want to watch the ocean and enjoy nature. The only hectic thing will be chasing a three-year-old around, which can be extremely tiring; but it will be worth it.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The Drug Years
VH1 is currently airing a four-part documentary on the American drug culture from the 1960's up to today called The Drug Years. So far, the documentary is rather good. It doesn't take a stainless steele drugs are bad attitude, but it also doesn't turn away from the destruction drugs can cause. It is an interesting and mostly objective study on this subject. The Sundance Channel is also airing the documentary.
But Steve, why should you care about the drug culture? Well, duh. I think that quite a few crime stories deal with drugs and I think one needs a better understanding of their meaning to society in order to write about crime. It's not enough to know that drugs are bad; one needs to comprehend the social impact drugs have. And that doesn't simply mean crime statistics. Certainly the ramifications of drug use often lead to crime, but I seriously doubt anyone started taking drugs so they could commit crime. What I'm looking for is motivation and societal definition. Knowing why drugs exist at all and why people take them will lead one to better understand not only their own society, but also allows the writer to better develop his or her characters and the envirornments they inhabit. One cannot effectively comment on society without first understanding it.
But Steve, why should you care about the drug culture? Well, duh. I think that quite a few crime stories deal with drugs and I think one needs a better understanding of their meaning to society in order to write about crime. It's not enough to know that drugs are bad; one needs to comprehend the social impact drugs have. And that doesn't simply mean crime statistics. Certainly the ramifications of drug use often lead to crime, but I seriously doubt anyone started taking drugs so they could commit crime. What I'm looking for is motivation and societal definition. Knowing why drugs exist at all and why people take them will lead one to better understand not only their own society, but also allows the writer to better develop his or her characters and the envirornments they inhabit. One cannot effectively comment on society without first understanding it.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Bye Bye Circus
John Rickards just announced he is shutting down the Mystery Circus website. Man, I'm going to be fucking depressed for the rest of the day. Checking the Circus has become a daily ritual. I've made some really great internet friends on the forums. The posting have always been helpful, inspiring and sometimes really fun and silly. But, I guess the web traffic hasn't been that great. Granted, my little essay probably didn't bring in many readers - or any for that matter. Sorry.
But, I'll try to take it like a man *sniff*. Oh, why? Why? Is it something I did? I'll do anything. I'll be a good boy, I promise. I'll clean my room. I'll eat all of my vegetables. I'll stop it with the booze and strippers. I can change. Don't leave me. I'm all cold and alone.
But, I'll try to take it like a man *sniff*. Oh, why? Why? Is it something I did? I'll do anything. I'll be a good boy, I promise. I'll clean my room. I'll eat all of my vegetables. I'll stop it with the booze and strippers. I can change. Don't leave me. I'm all cold and alone.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Happy Apocalypse Everybody!
6/6/06. Day of the Devil, or not. USA Today has an article in today's newspaper. I've been drinking goat's blood all morning, and so far no sign of the anti-Christ. George Bush must be upset that the Rapture didn't happen - he thinks he's going to Heaven.
The most disturbing thing happening today? The Church of Satan is holding some kind of ritual...at the Steve Allen theater in L.A.!
The most disturbing thing happening today? The Church of Satan is holding some kind of ritual...at the Steve Allen theater in L.A.!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Creative Thesis Done
E-mailed my creative thesis out to my readers this morning. It hasn't hit me yet that it's done, but that didn't stop me from taking the day off. I actually took the time today to read the Sunday paper.
Friday, June 02, 2006
I only get it for the articles
Playboy.com has compiled a list of 25 sexiest novels of all time. It includes some brilliant books like J.G. Ballard's Crash and In the Cut, along with some good trash like Peyton Place (Maine: The Way Life Should Be) and Judy Blume!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Future Crimewriter
Picture of baby Lorelai. You can see a fist and a leg - and little bit of her butt. The little stinker wouldn't cooperate enough to get a shot of her face...she's going to be just like her brother.
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