Mark Stevens's Blog, page 10
August 7, 2023
Emily St. John Mandel, “Sea of Tranquility”
I’m not a fan of time travel stories—I think. It’s all the jumping around. It feels so random. My head doesn’t go there; it wants to fight the logic. And there’s inevitably the whole discussion of manipulating the past to … Continue reading →
August 4, 2023
David Gessner, “A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World”
David Gessner considers himself a “professional moment seeker.” He’s an exquisite observer of nature and man. And he’s a reporter with a burning curiosity about, perhaps, anything under his nose. If that “thing” happens to fly, even better. Gessner knows … Continue reading →
July 26, 2023
Q & A #100 – Fiona Cummins, “All Of Us Are Broken”
One day I found out that the @Asphalt_Warrior account I manage on Twitter (for the late, great Gary Reilly) won a drawing for a copy of Fiona Cummins new thriller, “All Of Us Are Broken.” “Hello! Congratulations on winning signed … Continue reading →
July 10, 2023
Q & A #99 – Reed Farrel Coleman, “Sleepless City”
Reed Farrel Coleman’s official bio goes like this: Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet-laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two novels including six in … Continue reading →
July 2, 2023
Danya Kukafka, “Notes on an Execution”
Notes on an Execution won the Edgar Award for Best Mystery this year from Mystery Writers of America and, with its unusual structure and wide-ranging literary lens, it’s easy to see why. Danya Kukafka, who grew up in Colorado, gives … Continue reading →
June 23, 2023
Rick Rubin, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”
Rick Rubin, the guy who produced albums for everyone from Slayer and Danzig to Johnny Cash and Lana Del Rey, is here to reframe your artistic world. He’s here to celebrate the smallest victory, any way you choose to have … Continue reading →
June 21, 2023
Matt Goldman, “Carolina Moonset”
There’s an old saw among mystery writers that you need a dead body on the first page. Or, at the latest, the next. Well, Matt Goldman would like a word. How about build the setting and characters first and then … Continue reading →
May 30, 2023
Timothy Egan, “A Fever in the Heartland”
It was, as Timothy Egan writes in his epilogue, “a time when millions of people took an oath to hate their fellow citizens.” A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plan to Take Over America, And The Woman … Continue reading →
May 25, 2023
Bob Dylan, “The Philosophy of Modern Song”
I listened on audio (an A+ plus experience) and my only wish was to hear each track as a preamble to Bob Dylan’s dissection. I’m sure it would have been a nightmare in terms of tracking down rights to include … Continue reading →
May 14, 2023
Art Taylor, “The Adventure of the Castle Thief”
Art Taylor is a short story machine, except “machine” sounds much too mechanical for a guy whose writing so fluidly adapts to whatever creative idea comes into his head. Take “Mrs. Marple and the Hit & Run,” for instance, the … Continue reading →
