Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 30
August 12, 2019
Lessons from the other side of the rejection notice
My novel Amiga will be published by Black Rose Writing on November 27, 2019. I will describe my publishing journey in a series of posts. This is the seventh of the series. My writing has been rejected more times than I can count. When I had the opportunity to evaluate other writers’ manuscripts for publication, […]
August 7, 2019
Cheez-It crackers and the importance of stories
When we’re confronted with a horrific tragedy, like the most recent cluster of mass shootings, we feel powerless. It doesn’t help that our leaders seem to have no interest in unity and healing. In fact, they see it as an opportunity to settle scores and boost their agendas. We are left trying to piece things […]
August 3, 2019
You have something of value to say
On July 31, I gave a presentation at the Anaheim Central Library about public speaking. These events are as much a learning experience for me as they are for those in the audience. Here are some of the points I covered and things I learned. Fear of public speaking is real and can be addressed […]
July 24, 2019
An Amiga of my own
My novel Amiga will be published by Black Rose Writing on November 27, 2019. I will describe my publishing journey in a series of posts. This is the sixth of the series. I sold my Amiga 500 in 1991. I was working for AST, a maker of PC-compatible computers. I could tell that the PC […]
July 12, 2019
“One small step for man…”
Last week, one of my coworkers showed off a Lego model he built of the Apollo 11 lunar lander. He was lending it to a local library as part of their 50th anniversary commemoration of the first moonwalk. As I talked with my colleagues, I realized I was the only one who watched Apollo 11 […]
July 1, 2019
Are author events worth the time?
My novel Amiga will be published by Black Rose Writing on November 27, 2019. I will describe my publishing journey in a series of posts. This is the fifth of the series. I have a couple of events coming up at the end of this month. I always enjoy the opportunity to speak to groups, […]
June 23, 2019
We will be judged
When I last visited Freiburg, Germany five years ago, I went to the Augustiner Museum. One of the things I saw there was this photo from the RAF bombing of the city on November 27, 1944. The raid destroyed several neighborhoods, killed 2,797 people, and injured approximately 9,000 more. When I look at the news […]
June 10, 2019
Mark your calendars
If you’re in Orange County, California this July, there are a couple of places where you can see me speak about Mastering Table Topics, Amiga, and more! Saturday, July 27: A Panel for New and Experienced Writers I will be part of a panel of Orange County authors to offer suggestions for writing, publishing, and marketing books. […]
June 2, 2019
Why writers must stand up for what they believe
Politically divisive times like these are difficult ones to be a writer. You want to express your beliefs, but you don’t want to be known as “the (insert label here) author.” You don’t want to alienate a chunk of your audience, but you know the true believers will get turned off anyway because they won’t […]
May 27, 2019
The ticking clock
My novel Amiga will be published by Black Rose Writing on November 27, 2019. I will describe my publishing journey in a series of posts. This is the fourth of this series. In fiction, we talking about the ticking clock — a goal, deadline, or looming danger that drives the protagonist to solve a problem. […]
