Storytellersunplugged

In a previous piece, I questioned the advisability of handling crime- scene objects, as they do regularly on television, while wearing gloves. It seemed to me and several commenters that this would damage if not destroy any fingerprints that might be present. Subsequent research supports this assumption. Experts state that touching objects such as a gun, knife, bottle, credit card, etc. where fingerprint impressions might reside can indeed destroy prints. Objects, such as paper, that absorb the residue of fingerprints can be ... Read More

A few weeks ago I did a presentation at a local high school, my standard ‘take charge of your life and read!’ message. The school was relatively small, just a little over 500 students, ninth through twelfth grade combined, which was great because it allowed me to address the majority of the kids in the gym in one fell swoop. Overall, the kids were great, all of them polite, attentive, and inquisitive. Below are a couple of pics from the event…. As is usually ... Read More

A few weeks ago, I read the submission guidelines for a small press anthology. I’d never heard of the publisher, but a superficial search told me they’d been in business for a couple of years and had published some books, including one by an author whose name I vaguely recognized. It wasn’t a pro-paying gig, but they offered moderate compensation in advance, and the premise intrigued me enough that I started adapting an old, uncirculated story to suit their guidelines. Then I did a ... Read More

Have you ever noticed that the outcomes to life’s most successful quests can’t really be foreseen in detail?  If it’s an initiative that your heart is truly into, then whatever concept you have of success ahead of time, the outcome ends up exceeding it.  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  But starting out all you can see are the complexities and the problems up front.  The solutions build stroke by stroke like a painting taking on shape and color.  In the ... Read More

A few months ago I was chatting with friend and fellow writer, Jon Merz, about ideas for a book to work on together. It just so happens that we are both martial artists and follow the sport pretty avidly. Mixed martial arts, or MMA as it is known, is the fastest growing contact sport in the US, with a fan base that makes Nascar fanatics seem tame in comparison. Knowing this, we brainstormed different ways we might combine ... Read More

by Brian Hodge [Podcast edition available through iTunes, or here.] It’s been an introspective year, 2007 has. Back in January — a month that doesn’t seem as though it should be coming around again so quickly — I felt compelled to spend some time really thinking about what I do, in the writerly sense, and how I’ve gone about it. The instincts and strategies that have helped move me forward to where I want to go; the blunders and bad habits that have done ... Read More

Frank Wydra December 13, 2007 The imagined thump of Santa’s hobnailed boot on the oak planks of the Gonquin, reminds us that the season of giving is here. Al, dispensing mugs of nog, says to no one in particular, “Y’know, finding the right present is always a problem.” Edgar, cream tinging his mustache, says, “That, my man, is because you have it backwards. ’Tis better to receive than to give.” Mary, hand flying to her mouth, says, “Edgar!” He shrugs. “It’s true. I like getting things more ... Read More

We're quite happy to announce that the RSS Feeds for our site have been fixed and should now be operational.  Thank you all for your patience, suggestions, and assistance in resolving the issue. If anyone experiences any problems, please let us know in the Comments to this post. Best, Your friendly neighborhood administrators Read More

Okay, we've gone over the basics of starting a novel. I can't write it for you (Well, I could, but you wouldn't want to pay that much and really, what's the fun of having someone else doing  the work and taking all the credit?) so at some point the odds are good you're going to start writing.   That means that sooner or later the complications are going to kick in. Oh, I'm the first to admit that life is complicated enough, but I'm ... Read More

It's been more than a month, and I'm still thinking about what Moebius said.Moebius is more properly called Jean Giraud, but I learned about his work from the pages of Heavy Metal and my local comic book stores, and when I think of the man I think of the pseudonym. He was one of the guests at the World Fantasy Convention this year, and as a featured guest, they gave him a panel to himself. In most of these panels, there are ... Read More