Monthly Archives: January 2006

“Smelly cat, smelly cat What are they feeding you?” — Phoebe Buffay (a.k.a., Lisa Kudrow on “Friends”) The other day my wife noticed that my winter boots smelled a lot like a litter box. This is noteworthy because at the … Continue reading →

First, a disclaimer: I am happy to discuss the degrading experiences that mark my life as a novelist on the road. Book tour, I’ve noted, is a term that may have been coined by Inquisition torturer Torquemada when he was … Continue reading →

A lot of people have asked me over the last two weeks what I think of author James Frey’s revelations that he made up sizable parts of what he claimed was his memoir, “A Million Little Pieces.” They’re asking me … Continue reading →

If you wonder often why the great civilizations of early Mesopotamia disappeared – And, gosh, who doesn’t? – it’s probably because their bricks smelled like dog poop. My daughter tried to make a mere two bricks for Social Studies last … Continue reading →

I’m asked on occasion what advice I might offer aspiring writers. Here are ten random suggesstions — the last a reference to the fact I was told by a creative writing professor when I was in college that I should … Continue reading →

Idyll Banter Wanda Goodyear had one of the great names of all time: A name that wouldn’t surprise you if you found it residing at the end of a line in a limerick or in a novel of serious merit. … Continue reading →

Idyll Banter Well, it’s here. A new year. 2006. We have now reached the second half of the first decade of a new millennium, and still we don’t have a moniker for this 10th of the 21st century. Obviously it’s … Continue reading →