StanleyWheeler

I taught a lesson about Fruit today--that was the title of the talk which was the subject of the discussion. I thought it went swimmingly--but no one got pushed in the pool. I've always thought that was an odd term, "swimmingly" I mean. Some people-- moi , for example--find swimming very difficult and exhausting. I presume it's because I'm not doing it correctly. I should say the lesson went splendidly with gobs of appropriate and insightful participation, and no lack of flotation devices. As for the usual formalities--or informalities as I'm rather informal on this site--the writing continued on schedule. Things have taken a bad turn for most of the heroes--or perhaps the proper description would be that the difficulties have continued--as multiple foes have pummeled, jounced, bumped, jolted, and jerked them about. My best estimate is that we're halfway to the summit. Things will get better, and then worse, and finally the last act in this part of the ...

Why I Hate Nick Cole Hate is a strong word. Strong words are unequivocal. They leave no doubt about one's intent and meaning. I don't mean to convey a sense of apathy, or simply an inability to appreciate. Without hyperbole or exaggeration, my hatred for Nick Cole boils like a seething cauldron heated by the fires of the earth's core (that is, according to one source, about 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit, 6000 Celsius -- which is about the same as the surface of the sun -- other sources put it at about 9,800 F or 5,400 C). I will allow the magma of my malice, the lava of my loathing, to erupt here in a great burst of bile and enmity. Before I get to the spurting spite and erupting execration, allow me to digress. The writing this week went wonderfully. I exceeded the daily goals and added another bonus set on Saturday. Although there was a bunch of dialog, various episodes of biting, fighting, and struggling against the unstoppable forces of nature kept it lively. A couple ...

An Interview with David Butler, author of the Witchy War series, and much more Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. I am currently writing Serpent Daughter , which is the fourth book in the Witchy War, and commences its second trilogy. Sarah Elytharias Penn fights a two-front war even as her body is wrecked and dying due to her overuse of magic. Her brother Nathaniel and sister Margaret try to reconcile with their estranged uncle, and the giants of the north arise from their ancient quiet to bring their founding myths to life. Where did you get the idea for this book or series? The Witchy War is a fairy tale about my own three children, wrapped inside American folklore and organized as an epic fantasy. It’s also in part inspired by the Thirty Years War, and by the classic work of historical anthropology, Albion’s Seed . Do you write in more than one genre? Yes. I also have a middle grade series published with Knopf ( T...

My friend from last week's post told me that he finished Smoke . He talked as if he enjoyed it very much. Like many of those who tell me that they have read it, he's looking for a sequel. That book was written as a stand alone. At some point I will write another book in that 1948 setting featuring some of the same characters. It is my favorite of the books I've written (so far). I simply haven't felt moved to write a sequel. When I started writing Smoke , I only had the opening scene, and a confidence that the story would develop. I wrote that scene and then waited for more ideas to coalesce. I figured out the ending and then had to figure out how to get to it. Along the way, I changed the ending, added characters and had the best time ever writing the story which connected that opening scene with Noah and Monica to the exciting conclusion. That book took me a couple years to complete from the time I began writing the first scene until I posted it to Amazon--of course,...

Best news of the day: Someone obtained a paperback copy of my detective novel Smoke and stopped me to tell me that they were enjoying it. Links to my books, including Smoke , are at the left hand side of this blog. Check them out for yourself. That leads me to this painting by Thomas Badger. I have no idea what it's supposed to depict, but I think it represents writers tracking down a reader to insist that he post a review. Speaking of reviews. I did finish I picked it up with my prime membership for less than a song, free, in fact--which is precisely what it was worth to me. I have seen this book, or at least a book of Ellison's short stories with this name on the cover ever since I first started reading science fiction as a kid. The title alone struck me with all the sweetness of a shot of kerosene in a dirty glass with a needle in it. I always avoided it, even as a free library book. So why would I chose to read it now? I recently saw a documentary, or at least ...