“You look amazing! How many pounds have you lost?” The woman gushed. I don’t remember her name, but we’ve gone to the same gym for years and she talks about two subjects WEIGHT and HEALTH (her own and that of her tiny, elderly dog). “Just a couple of pounds,” I reply. “How?” “It’s the grief diet. I don’t recommend it.” “What?” “My mom died.” “But you look terrific. I have so much trouble keeping weight off and the holidays are coming…” She rambles on and on, still talking as I put my coat on and leave the lobby of the
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Literary Thanksgiving
Here’s a literary Thanksgiving… I give thanks for the long and twisted history of mystery fiction. It runs and turns and ebbs and flows from the earliest detective novels to the present crazy mix of paranormal mysteries, historical police procedurals, noir detectives, and steampunk puzzlers. What was the first detective story? Some literary scholars credit Edgar Allen Poe with his ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ in 1841 while others say it was Wilkie Collins with his ‘The Moonstone’ of 1868 or Emile Gaboriau’s first Monsieur Lecoq novel in 1866. It doesn’t really matter who went first. To me, the important
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A Dark Adapted Eye
Until recently, I never reread books. But the availability of classic mysteries has been swelling my Kindle. I just can’t resist the stray Agatha Christie, Colin Dexter, Patricia Wentworth…. Some books don’t hold up to a second read, but others… are nothing short of revelations! I was a big fan of Ruth Rendell and read many of her books as they came out. On a trip to Amsterdam years ago, I made a point of finding the British bookstore so I could get a copy of her latest novel before it was available in the U.S. The late Ruth Rendell
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Timeless, Timely and Stories of a Specific Time
Some stories are timeless—they transcend one reality and have meaning in any context. The essence of fairy tales and myths are timeless. You can update the setting, give the characters contemporary names, and fool around with the details, but Cinderella is still a girl from the wrong side of the tracks (the lower caste, the impoverished ghetto, or simply the middle class) and is therefore not the Prince’s equal; and Icarus flies to near the sun (takes outrageous risks in his space mission, pushes the technology envelope until it breaks) or otherwise commits hubris in assuming the role appropriate only
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Quality Versus Quantity
In the case of words—and just about everything else—quality wins over quantity. In my freelance writer role, I’m often asked how much do I charge for X words or X pages on a subject. I then find myself explaining the intrinsic value of quality over quantity. I usually admit that shorter text often takes longer to write, as brevity takes time and attention while running away at the keyboard is the same as rambling with a drink in front of you at a bar. IT’S EASY! Writing—fiction, non-fiction, commercial content, and academic text—is all about finding the right words for
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Reality V. Paranormal
In fiction, I’ve often danced along the fuzzy line between REALITY & Paranormal phenomena. The Candy’s Monsters series plays with the lines—both sharp and fuzzy—between reality and magical/paranormal versions of real life. Is the cute neighbor who only goes out at night, doesn’t seem to have a reflection, and hasn’t aged in decades, really a vampire? Does his peculiar presence in an East Village walk-up apartment mean that the supernatural creatures of myth and fantasy exist? That’s one of my favorite games to play in fiction. In my life, I tend toward pragmatism. If the paranormal, supernatural or otherwise magical
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Cabinet of Curiosities
For most of my life I’ve been fascinated by the idea of a “cabinet of curiosities.” In German, one of words used to describe these intriguing collections of collectables is Wunderkammer. I love the sound of that—more than curiosities, the collection is filled with WONDER and mystery! A few years back I took a day trip to Dresden while visiting Berlin and I was “captured” by the many Kunstkammer (art chambers) at the Staaliche Kunstsammlungen museum. Anyone who knows me at all will know that I’m an art lover and that I can spend an entire days in museums full
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