David Abrams's Blog, page 90

Friday Freebie: The Book of Laney by Myfanwy Collins

Congratulations to Jim Mastro, winner of last week's Friday Freebie: Happily Ali After: And Other Fairly True Tales by Ali Wentworth.

This week's book giveaway is a copy of the new novel by Myfanwy Collins, The Book of Laney , generously provided by her publisher, Lacewing Books . If you've been following The Quivering Pen this week, you'll know how much I want you to read this book. Roxane Gay (author of An Untamed State ) agrees: "In The Book of Laney, an unsettling and redemptive novel, Myfanw...

The Writing Life: “Self-promotion, bookselling, blah blah blah” by Myfanwy Collins

We conclude this week’s spotlight on Myfanwy Collins, author of the new novel The Book of Laney , with an essay about something that’s a struggle for nearly every writer: tooting their own horn.


As you probably know, I am in the middle of launching my new book, The Book of Laney. It is a young adult novel and so a bit of a departure for me. I am extremely proud of this book and I hope those of you who have read it will believe me and know this to be true when I say it: I have a mission for thi...

The Writing Life: “Do You Know Who I Am?” by Myfanwy Collins

Our spotlight on novelist Myfanwy Collins and the writing of The Book of Laney continues today with this essay which originally appeared at her blog .


I had a job interview once for a job I sort of wanted. It was going to be a long commute and we needed the money. I interviewed with some peers and a potential boss and then one of the founders of the company was going to meet with me. He walked into the room and the first thing he said to me was, “Do you know who I am?”

My impression at the tim...

The Writing Life: “I Wrote This Book Because...” by Myfanwy Collins

Myfanwy Collins is a writer. She is also a wife, a mother, and a person. Those four things are not mutually exclusive. As it is with all of us, the many tendrils of our lives become increasingly tangled the longer we walk this earth and take on more responsibilities. I don't know Myfanwy the mother, the wife, or the person (we've never met and have only briefly corresponded by email), but I do know Myfanwy the writer--and that is all I need to know today. I'm a regular reader of her blog and...

Chatterbooks: Elizabeth Crane on Miles From Nowhere by Nami Mun

A few weeks ago, while skimming through photos on my Instagram feed, I stumbled across a photo posted by fellow author Elizabeth Crane of a novel she’d just read, Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun. Below the photo, she included a tumble of words about the book--a Chatterbooks-style review, if you will. Struck by the unbottled, unbridled passion in Elizabeth’s testimony, I asked if I could reprint it here at The Quivering Pen and, to my delight, she consented, adding a few more joy-gushing words...

My First Time: Maura Weiler

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands.  Today’s guest is Maura Weiler, author of  Contrition , a novel about twin sisters separated at birth who reconnect through art, faith, and a father who touched the world through his paintings. Maura grew up in Connecticut and earned her BA and MA in English Lite...

Sunday Sentence: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


Across the neighborhood, drainpipes chuckled and rang, and we could hear cars tossing up curtains of water in the street. I smoked a cigarette in the rain, which is the best way to smoke a cigarette.

The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon

Friday Freebie: Happily Ali After by Ali Wentworth

Congratulations to Nancy Bekofske, winner of last week's Friday Freebie contest: The Other Joseph by Skip Horack.

This week's book giveaway is Happily Ali After: And Other Fairly True Tales by Ali Wentworth. Read on for more information about the book...

The actress, comedian, media darling, and New York Times bestselling author picks up where she left off in Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales , dissecting modern life—and this time, on a mission of self-improvement—in a series of laugh-ou...

Sunday Sentence: “The Jelly-Bean” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


Over east along the golf course a faint rug of gray spread itself across the feet of the night.

“The Jelly-Bean” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Friday Freebie: The Other Joseph by Skip Horack

Congratulations to Rhonda Lomazow, winner of last week's Friday Freebie: The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud, The Enlightenment of Nina Findlay by Andrea Gillies and A Brief Stop On the Road From Auschwitz by Göran Rosenberg.

This week's book giveaway is a hardcover edition of the new novel by Skip Horack, The Other Joseph . Read on for more information about the book...

A masterful depiction of a life driven off the rails by tragedy and sin—a man now summoned by the legacy of a beloved...