Michael Rubens's Blog, page 12

My advice to young writers

I was asked by the organizers of the Wordstock Festival to contribute to their blog, and so I have done so:

Writers are often asked how they go about their writing. Over the past few years I've developed a highly efficient, effective process that I will now share, as I'm certain it will be of great interest and benefit to aspiring writers. It can be broken down into the following important steps:

1. Inspiration: idea for new book arrives. First love, angels singing, all is right with the...

Repost: Wordstock Festival

I'll be at the Wordstock Festival in Portland, Oregon, and will be doing a joint appearance with G. Xavier Robillard, author of  "Captain Freedom: A Superhero's Quest for Truth, Justice and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves." Right now that's scheduled for 2:00pm, Sunday, October 11, so if you want to meet me in the flesh and experience that inevitable sense of disappointment and disillusionment that comes with meeting an author, that's your chance.

I'd advise you to come prepared: if you...

They're tough, that European Union

From today's NY Times: "Since starting his farm in 2006, he has run afoul of the European Union, which forbids the importation of camels, animal rights advocates and the Dutch agricultural authorities."

…and here's the Matty in the Morning interview.

Here's the NPR interview

With my nifty new MP3 player, courtesy of the wonderful Charles Graef, whose name you might recognize as a character from the book.

Thank you, Matty in the Morning!!

Well, I certainly didn't expect that: I thought I'd be doing a generic radio interview with a host who had read a few notes about the book beforehand. Instead, KISS 108's Matt Siegel began the segment saying that the only author he'd ever had on was Dennis Lehane, that he never has authors on, but, wow, you gotta check out this book, it's fantastic, I can't even describe it….

What can I say, I was completely floored. Thank you, Matty, for having me on, and for being such a supporter of the...

Matty in the Morning

Warning to all those Bostonians who plan to be on the road tomorrow at 8:30am: I will be appearing on KISS 108's Matty in the Morning show, a segment that is going to be so entertaining and controversial that it will be a danger to those who are foolish enough to listen while attempting to drive .

Harvard Coop this Sunday

It should be beautiful this Sunday in Cambridge, Massachussetts: a brisk morning followed by a warm, sunny afternoon, the few clouds serving to further accentuate the blue of the late-summer sky, the new and returning students milling about the Harvard campus and the city streets, the mood one of optimism and renewed purpose, a mood mixed with the inevitable melancholy of the quickly approaching fall. It will be a Sunday to spend outdoors, to revel in one of those precious jewel-like days...

Cousin to Kenneth?

Cymothoa Exigua. Image NSFTWHJEOACDSITNF (not safe for those who have just eaten or are considering doing so in the near future). I'm still having a hard time believing this thing exists.

The NPR interview

Yayyy staff of NPR! I think it's a clear tribute to your skill and professionalism that you made me sound vaguely coherent! Here's the interview.