Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 726

Best response ever

Honesty gets you nowhere

I must have been living in a cave four years ago when Ayelet Waldman published this piece in which she says that she loves her husband more than her children.  In talking about it now with friends, it seems as if everyone was aware of it at the time.  Except me.   

Of course, in reading about the history of the story and the reaction to it now, it seems as if most of the media attention came from sources like Oprah and The View. 

Not my usual media outlets. 

But I wish I had been...

Judging people based upon viewing choices

It might not be nice, but I often judge people by the television shows that they watch while exercising at the gym. Each machine is equipped with its own TV, and I find the programming choices that people make to be utterly fascinating. Not only are these people watching these programs, but they are also willing to let everyone in the gym know what they are watching. Under these circumstances, I would expect people to be more discerning about their choices, but from what I have seen, they...

New name. New design. Same writer.

In case you haven't noticed, the masthead to this blog changed today.  The original masthead, designed by my wife, reflected the blog's previous URL.  That address, matthewdicks.com, is now the location of my new author's website.

This new masthead, also designed by my wife, is reflective of the new name that I have chosen for the blog, Grin and Bare It.  It's a name that I have been toying with for a while.

I enjoy double entendres.  I especially get a kick out of the way the name...

Rock opera update

Last night my friend, Andy, and I had our first reading (and listening) of the rock opera that we have been working on for several months.  A group of friends gathered round my dining room table, gobbled pizza and drank beer, and read the parts that were assigned to them for the evening. 

It was a lot of fun. 

It was the first opportunity for me to hear Andy's music and my dialogue come together, and even though much of what I had written sounded like nails on a chalkboard, I thought...

Handerpants!

Katherine from Bunch of Grapes Bookstore recently made me aware of the fabulousness of Handerpants.

I know.  Handerpants are nothing new.  I have a friend who wears a version of handerpants regularly (much to the amusement of her husband), but I always admire a company that can take a simple, well-worn idea and repackage into something new.

And odd.

And silly.

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Perfection

Last week we experienced our first significant snow of the year, covering the ground in about four inches of the white stuff.  After spending the entire fall season ignoring the plentitude of leaves on the lawn and a garden in dire need of attention, the snow was a welcomed sight and reminded me of one of my favorite haikus:

First snow

the neglected yard

now perfect

- Elizabeth St. Jacques

After hours of back-breaking work in their yards, raking leaves, fertilizing grass...

Leadership begins with the Lord. And castration.

Article 6, section 8 of the North Carolina state constitution states: "The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God."

This law, deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, might still prevent Cecil Bothwell from being seated as a City Council member in Ashville, North Carolina. 

Bothwell is an atheist.   

In looking for North Carolinian politicians who were guilty of crimes more heinous than the denial of the...

The kindness of strangers

It's always nice to discover that someone is saying something nice about your book.  Especially when it's a bookseller. 

From Shannon McKenna Schmidt on Shelf Awareness:

"At Saturday's event, Joe Drabyak will be recommending books from various publishers and titles from Random House imprints both on the Grid O' Gifts--John Grisham's Ford County: Stories--and off, like Something Missing by Matthew Dicks. The debut mystery about an endearing thief who steals only items that will go...

Pen names

Nathan Bransford recently , recommending that unless the reasons are compelling, there is no reason to make use of a pseudonym. 

While I tend to agree, I can't help but think that Mark Twain is so much better than Samuel Clemens.  And so apropos.

And Lemony Snicket is much more fun than Daniel Handler. If you've ever listened to Daniel Handler speak, you know that he's much more of a Lemony Snicket than a Daniel Handler anyway. 

But in general, it would seem to me...