Avi
word craft
blog
Have you read a good book lately? A cookbook? For many of us, this is the kind of book we read more often than not. Sometimes on a daily basis. But, in my experience, we rarely talk about them as books, how they are written, or if they are indeed readable.
Before I could make a living as a writer, I was a librarian. No surprise, books are in my home today.
I was recently at a rare book fair, which was quite fascinating. A mix of compulsion, obsession, and, to be sure, a great love of books, was on display.
Since all the books in the Park Hill Community Bookstore must reflect the reading habits and interests of its local citizens, it fascinates me that the largest category of books to be found there is mystery and detective fiction. Crime.
In April and October, I am paid the royalties for my books. I learn what half my income for the year is, based on the sales of my books over the previous six months.
To be sure, it was only a coincidence, but the week of March 7th — the week of the recent financial chaos — was also the week that marked the one-hundredth anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
The process behind getting a book from my mind to the publisher onto your bookshelves.
My own definition of a novella is that it is a novel that you can read — in its entirety — in three or four hours.
Our language is full of what I call “fossil phrases,” terms we still use that are based on things or acts from the past. After reading, reader, you are invited to add your own fossil phrase in the blog comments.
Over the years, a number of my books have been optioned for movies. What does “optioned” mean?