Tag: best selling authors

Charlie and I are back…with our Poetry (Charles Bukowski)

It’s Charles Bukowski month!!! No secret.  I am in love with the guy’s raw, tell it like it is, writing.  So here’s a work of his and a work of mine.  I’m fully aware that my scribbles should not be on the same page or in the same room as this great writer…….(so please don’t write me) I am just sharing a frame of mind.  I believe that if you lay down with dogs you get fleas.  If you read great writers, just maybe some of their brilliance will rub off or teach you something.

Try your hand;  there are no fast and hard rules to poetry anymore…at least none that I pay attention to.  (and I’m in good company with this sentiment)  It’s far more important that you write your thoughts down.  Bukowski believed that too.  He couldn’t have cared less what his critics thought….no pentameter?  no rhyme?    So What!!??

Mine:

Apocalypse ©Apacolypse

The whale sings
and I weep,

The world groans
and I ache,

The wind gusts
and I bend,

The surf sighs
and I rage,

The babe cries
and I mourn,

The mountains shift
and I flinch,

The ebony sun melts
and I rail,

The earth dies
and I wear black.  T.Sugarek

Continue reading “Charlie and I are back…with our Poetry (Charles Bukowski)”

REVIEW…’Queen of Hearts’ by Rhys Bowen

mysteries, best sellers, Rhys Bowen, author
Rhys Bowen, Historic fiction

reviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writing  REVIEW  5 out 5 quills
Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen

I love my job!  Especially when the best selling author and their publicist asks me to review the ‘new book’.  Rhys’ newest book in the Royal Spyness series goes on sale today.

Lady Georgiana Rannoch is a cousin to the present King of England (1934) and umpteenth in the line of succession to the throne.   Never able to keep a job for long and struggling to keep food on the table for her and her maid, Queenie, her (absent) Mummy appears and wants her to go to America with her.  And that is where the style, glamour, decadence and fun begins. And the cherry on the top is a jewel thief and a nice juicy murder!  Continue reading “REVIEW…’Queen of Hearts’ by Rhys Bowen”

Blogger Declares August as Charles Bukowski Month!

It’s unofficially Charles Bukowski month because this blogger has declared it so!   Who the heck is Bukowski you might be asking. In my opinion he is one of the great writers of our time.  Known for his cutting, take no prisoners, urban poetry and musings.
It’s no secret.  I am in love with the man’s poetry.  If you love ‘bad boys’ who are shot with talent, he’s the guy for you.  I read his work every day that I write….whatever his commentary is about I am inspired to be a better writer.

Bukowski’s life was horrific by most people’s standards.  He was a raging alcoholic, womanizer, gambler and bum.  He worked regular poet, wisdom, Charles Bukowskijobs only enough to keep himself in cigarettes, booze, rent (occasionally) stamps, typewriter paper and money for the race track .  My fantasy is;  oh yes I have fantasized about him….to spend a weekend with him at my cabin, deep in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  In the evenings, before a fire, we would drink whiskey neat, talk of people, past and present, swear at each other and tell stories.  We would end the nights Continue reading “Blogger Declares August as Charles Bukowski Month!”

A Review…The Forsaken by Ace Atkins

reviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writing  Five out of five quills!  REVIEW    ‘The Forsaken’ by Ace AtkinsAce.index

This author and I have much in common; we both have a collection of original paperbacks by John McDonald (Travis McGee) and we both love Robert Parker (Spenser). Where we differ is Ace has achieved perfection in prose writing which I aspire to….someday.

I strongly recommend to my readers that if you are going to read stories about Ace’s main character, Quinn Colson, that you do so in order.  There is a strong story thread throughout the series and you will enjoy these books so much more.

The Forsaken doesn’t disappoint. It’s my favorite to date.  As in his other books Ace gives his readers a strong sense of the old south, Mississippi to be exact.  How do I know this?  I lived there for four years in the 70’s and since then have moved in and out of the south;  New Orleans and currently Savannah, Georgia.  Without it ever seeming like a travel log, before you are many pages into the book, you can smell the dust of the back roads, the earthy slightly rotten smell of the bayous sticks in the back of your throat.  You may have never met the ‘good old boys’ but you know them and the women who follow along.  Continue reading “A Review…The Forsaken by Ace Atkins”

My Interview with Ace Atkins, (Part 2)

Q. HAce.cafeow long after that were you published?

A. Two years after I became a full-time reporter, I sold my first novel. I had finished a novel right after college but it was horrible. It was good enough to get me an agent, but I’m grateful now that no one bought it. One of the major mistakes young writers make is quitting after finishing their first book and waiting for their careers to take off. You must be prepared to write a dozen novels before one works.

Q. What makes a writer great?

A. Hard work and an eye for realism. The better the writer, the more the truth comes out.

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like? 

A. It changes with each project. I’ve written 15 published novels. And each one, like children, present new and unique challenges. I have had books that were effortless to write and edit. I have had some that I finished only to realize they required a complete retooling. It changes every time.

Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters? Continue reading “My Interview with Ace Atkins, (Part 2)”

Don’t Miss Part 2! My Interview with author, Ace Atkins

Ace Atkins
Ace Atkins

Tomorrow we continue my  INTERVIEW with best selling author, Ace Atkins!Ace.index

Excerpt:

Q. Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

A. For the young writers out there, keep working. Don’t get caught up on the business of writing. If you have a good story to tell, it will get through. And as long as you love the process of writing, you’ve got most aspiring authors out there beat! Good luck.

As a reporter, Ace earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for a feature series based on his investigation into a forgotten murder of the 1950s. The story became the core of his critically acclaimed novel, White Shadow, which earned raves from noted authors and critics.ACEFeedstore_aceatkins-4   Click here to read Part 1.

 

Ace’s latest book, The Forsaken will go on sale July 24th

“The extraordinary new novel in New York Times-bestselling author Ace Atkins’ acclaimed series about the real Deep South—“a joy ride into the heart of darkness” (The Washington Post).

By far my favorite book in the Quinn Colson series.  Look for my review soon!

 

Attention! All Writers Out There!

There’s a BLOG out there that is dedicated to the art of writing and honing your craft. Yep!  I’m talking about mine and this is a shameless promo.  You won’t be disappointed.

For three years now I have published my posts twice a week and it’s always something about being a better writer.  Once a month I interview best selling authors such as Dean Koontz, Sue Grafton, Jeffery Deaver, Sherryl Woods, Anne Gracie, CW.CoverRaymond Benson, Lee Goldberg, Charles Bukowski and dozens more.   My goal is to inspire other writers to write more, tell their stories, try writing a play, or maybe some poetry.

Sign up on my home page  and receive an email with each day’s post.  Delete it if it doesn’t interest you.  It’s that simple.  Recently I have developed a series of ‘creative writing’ journals with ‘How To’ tips and famous quotes to inspire my fellow writers.  https://www.writeratplay.com/category/a-writers-take/ Continue reading “Attention! All Writers Out There!”

Interview with NY Times Best Seller Author, Ace Atkins

Ace.stepsAs a fan I first discovered Ace when I saw that Robert Parker’s stories were being continued after his death.  Ace was selected by the Robert B. Parker estate to continue the bestselling adventures of Boston’s iconic private eye, Spenser.  That led to my wanting to read more of this brilliant author’s work.  And that ultimately led to my wanting to interview him.

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? 

A. I have an office on the square in Oxford, Mississippi. It’s a good place in a historic building with creaky heart pine floors and tall ceilings, filled with lawyers hard at work. I don’t think I could stand to have complete seclusion. I used to work in a big city newsroom – at The Tampa Tribune – and I like all the energy around me as I write.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)

A. A decent computer, preferably using an old-fashioned IBM clicky keyboard, and a strong cup of coffee. On some projects, I might have a bit of whiskey in the mug. But that’s usually later in the day.

Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know?

A. I have an extensive collection of rare movie posters and stills, a collection that I started in high school. I also own every original paperback produced by the great John D. MacDonald. <(So do I, Ace!!!)

Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative? Continue reading “Interview with NY Times Best Seller Author, Ace Atkins”

Don’t Miss my Interview with author, Ace Atkins!

Ace.3.July 19th begins my two part interview with NY Times Best Selling author, Ace Atkins.  In addition to writing for Robert Parker and continuing the mystery series for Boston’s iconic private eye, Spenser, Ace is a wonderful writer, authoring his own books, The Broken Places, The Lost Ones and The Ranger (just to name a few).

‘A former journalist who cut his teeth as a crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune, he published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, at 27 and became a full-time novelist at 30. In 2010, he was selected by the Robert B. Parker estate to continue the author’s work after his death. Continue reading “Don’t Miss my Interview with author, Ace Atkins!”

Check out Author, Tara Ford’s Blog

Tara Ford, Author**Fiction,Five,Fridays
Tara Ford, Author**Fiction,Five,Fridays

Besides being a successful author, blogger, and teacher, Tara carves out some time to support other writers such as myself.  She has, over the past few weeks, featured my fiction on her very clever Fiction, Five, Friday!

http://taraford.weebly.com/fiction-five-friday

We are of like minds…’pay it forward’. Thanks, Tara Dance.Cover