One frequently sees in the author social media groups this notion of potters vs. pantsers. A plotter is someone who outlines the book before writing it so that they know every plot twist, character trait, scene, etc. before ever actually writing the narrative of the book. There are many great writers who consider themselves plotters, and one can understand the value of doing this. Famous plotters include, J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and James Patterson.
On the other end of the spectrum are...
Yesterday I discovered that one of my main character’s names, Brian Baumgardner, is almost identical to the name of the actor who played Kevin on the TV series, The Office. His name is Brian Baumgartner.
So I changed my character’s name to Calvin.
This opens a discussion of how easy it is to inadvertently name something, a character, business, restaurant, whatever, the same as an actual one. This leads to possible pitfalls for a story. For one, you might not want the reader to associate a...
I’m currently working on the 3rd Rafe Ingram novel with the working title, Analog. It’s an old trope with new twists! A young man, Wesley “Dub” Baumgardner, is cast aside by his wealthy oil executive father. Dub naturally aims to get his revenge.
Add in obscene piles of Texas oil money, the evils of technology, shady characters, violent outcomes, and you get the gist.
You’ll recognize many Houston locations and themes.
Progress has been slower than the first 2 novels, but we’ll have it out...
Last but not least in the favorite author series: Elmore Leonard.
Elmore Leonard is the extraordinarily prolific (he would never use those words) crime writer with possibly the best dialogue in town. In his famous essay for writers he said, “Don’t write the part people don’t read.” You won’t find pages of descriptive detail in a Leonard novel, but you will find characters that may be mostly bad or mostly good, but never black and white. Funny, quirky, mean, complex, relatable.
You may know...
Today’s favorite author: Kurt Vonnegut.
What can I say about this giant of satire, humanism, and weird science fiction? Always entertaining with a deeper message that’s both cynical and hopeful.
Slaughterhouse Five is probably banned in most school libraries, but should be required reading.
I recently finished reading Player Piano, written in 1952, but foretells a world where machines do the thinking. Written before the Korean War, but still incredibly current!
Newbies MUST read ...
Today’s fave is Tom Wolfe, the author of non-fiction pieces, like The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, the amazing book, The Right Stuff (which was highly influential to me, and I’ve read it four or five times), novels Bonfire of the Vanities, A Man in Full, I Am Charlotte Simmons, etc.
Truly a writer with a unique and crazy style, he punches it up with crazy run-ons, exclamations, and funky witticisms. In fact, John Updike once said Wolfe’s novels weren’t literature at all, but flashy...
Let’s talk about John Irving. Of course he is the literary giant who authored The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, The Hotel New Hampshire, and my favorite novel of all time, A Prayer for Owen Meany.
These are not thrillers, like the works of most of my other favorite authors, but worlds filled with funny, flawed, complex characters—some of whom are extreme oddballs—but all possessing a deep humanity. I think this is what makes Irving so special to me. He is able to create...
Today’s favorite author is Nelson DeMille, who, sadly, passed away in September 2024. He wrote so many great thrillers, such as The General’s Daughter, Plum Island, Up Country, The Cathedral, By the Rivers of Babylon, etc. My personal favorite is the series featuring retired NY detective John Corey, who works with the FBI’s anti-terrorism task force, and who is as wisecracking as he is brilliant (and flawed.) Corey will have you laughing and rolling your eyes as he saves the world from...
Today I want to share the brilliance of favorite author Michael Connelly.
Michael Connelly is the author of the Harry Bosch series (24 books and counting), the Lincoln Lawyer series, Renee Ballard, and more. While I find all of his books compelling, I am most drawn to Harry Bosch.
Harry, like all of Connelly’s protagonists, are driven by a deep sense of morality. For Harry, it’s always about doing right by victims. He even has a motto: Everybody counts or nobody counts.
Connelly’s writing...
Today’s favorite author is the incomparable James Lee Burke.
JLB is the author of the outstanding crime fiction series featuring 25 Dave Robicheaux books, Hadacol Boogie being released this month. Another dozen or so feature the Holland family.
The Robicheaux series is set in south Louisiana, with much of the action taking place in New Orleans. Robicheaux is smart, tough, extremely loyal, and somewhat flawed by impulsiveness. His best friend Clete is one of the greatest characters I’ve ever...
What better way to start an author website than paying homage to the authors that have given me so much inspiration. So here’s the first of My Favorite Author series:
John Sandford
John Sandford (real name John Camp) is the author of the “Prey” series of 36 crime fiction books (#36 Revenge Prey comes out this April.) The series features Lucas Davenport, a smart, tough, and not always squeaky clean, law enforcement officer. Lucas’ daughter, Letty is the main character of another series of...