Mark Stevens's Blog, page 21
July 21, 2020
Q & A #83 – L. Annette Binder, “The Vanishing Sky”
L. Annette Binder’s short story collection, Rise, was a favorite of mine back in 2013. When she reached out last winter to offer me a sneak-peek at her debut novel, The Vanishing Sky, I jumped at the chance. My review of The Vanishing … Continue reading →
July 14, 2020
S.A. Cosby, “Blacktop Wasteland”
My review of Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby for the New York Journal of Books. Here.
July 2, 2020
William Kent Krueger, “This Tender Land”
Epic. Soulful. Sweeping. Sinking into William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land is to wrap yourself in a warm blanket of smooth prose, toss another log on the fire, and savor the journey of Odie O’Banion. See? Even the name rolls … Continue reading →
June 7, 2020
Q & A #82 – Katayoun Medhat, “Lacandon Dreams”
I’ll say it–the first two mysteries by Katayoun Medhat deserve a much larger audience. The first is The Quality of Mercy. The second, published in 2019, is Lacandon Dreams. Both feature a cop named Franz Kafka who solves cases and puzzles … Continue reading →
May 31, 2020
Billie Best, “How I Made a Huge Mess of My Life”
They met in the music scene in Boston. He was the bass player in a well-known band, Orchestra Luna. She was the band’s new manager—hired over the bass player’s objections. His name was Chet Cahill. Her name was Billie Best. … Continue reading →
May 5, 2020
Berkeley Noir
A review of Berkeley Noir (Akashic Books) for the New York Journal of Books.
March 23, 2020
Jenny Offill, “Weather”
In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jenny Offill said her writing process and research includes something called “library roulette.” She described walking into a library (my words) and forcing herself to explore new territory. It’s an idea … Continue reading →
February 25, 2020
Katayoun Medhat, “The Quality of Mercy”
K is a cop. His real name is Franz Kafka. But K didn’t stop using his full name because of odd looks. In fact, “he had chosen one of the few places left in the Western hemisphere—and possibly the Eastern … Continue reading →
February 14, 2020
J. Michael Straczynski, “Becoming Superman”
Writers, read Becoming Superman. If you plan to write, read Becoming Superman. If you wrote once upon a time and decided to stop writing for one reason or another, yes, you’ve got the idea—read Becoming Superman. It’s the story of … Continue reading →
February 5, 2020
Q & A #80 – Maddy Butcher with Dr. Steve Peters, “Horse Head-Brain Science & Other Insights”
Last fall I attended a talk at the Mancos Public Library to hear a presentation of a new book, Horse Head. I thought it would be a good to read a book on horse behavior, given that the protagonist of … Continue reading →
