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This month marks five years since I entered the world of publishing. Here are some things I’ve learned: Book Genres My book can’t be categorized. My book ended up in a category. Writing Advice Plot is the most important element. Character is the most important element. Theme is the most…

In today’s anarchy of social media and “breaking news,” it’s hard to recall a time when America’s journalistic standards were so high that fact-checking took precedence over speed. That era ended on March 6, 1981, when Walter Cronkite bade his audience goodnight for the last time. Cronkite built his reputation…

When I got ready to publish Weapons of Remorse, I browsed many websites in search of a publisher. Though I was flying blind, the service I selected was ethical and delivered what it promised. Many writers aren’t so lucky. Some businesses with fancy home pages and gaudy book covers are…

Anthony Doerr’s narrative reminds us that human beings define themselves by what they value. An orphaned German boy values knowledge, asking endless questions few of us ever ponder, such as “Does a bee know it’s going to die if it stings somebody?” or “Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside…

When I’m not busy with the Chevron Ross books, I spend a great deal of time reviewing the works of other authors. Why? Because I know what it’s like to battle for attention in today’s book market. Writing is a great risk. Despite investing hundreds of hours in research and…

This is another installment of treasures from my bookshelf. Though I am loath to part with any of my books, some are so special that I wish I could erase them from my memory and read them again for the first time. An appropriate lead-in to today’s subject. The Lathe…

Discovering a new writer is like making a new friend. I knew nothing of David Guterson until I read Snow Falling on Cedars a few years ago. Now, after completing his earlier novel East of the Mountains, I wish we’d met a long time ago. The story is a simple…

In this dark age of rampant conspiracy theories, it’s hard to imagine a better cure for them than a journey through Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s magnificent novel, The Shape of the Ruins. The author has taken on the task of showing how poisonous obsessions may lead to the destruction of their…

Several weeks ago I posted some interesting opening lines from various novels. Here, at random, are a few more. “‘I see …’ said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window.” Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice “It was a bright cold day in…

Native American culture is only a ghost of what it was before the European invasion swept across the continent. So fittingly, ghosts linger in the world of The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich’s deeply personal homage to her grandfather and the Chippewa tribe of which he was chairman. Set in 1953,…