Mark Stevens's Blog, page 48

Q & A With Kent Haruf – “Benediction”

The following interview was originally published March 6, 2013 on Telluride Inside … And Out. I reached Kent Haruf in his home in Salida, Colorado where he has lived now for many years. He chose words on the telephone as … Continue reading →

George Saunders – “Tenth of December”

I recoil when a newspaper like The New York Times tries to declare a new title as “the best book you’ll read this year” and it’s only January (January third to be precise) but “Tenth of December” is powerful, memorable … Continue reading →

Jonathan Dee – “A Thousand Pardons”

The narrative style of “A Thousand Pardons” uses a technique that is not my favorite. Jonathan Dee switches points of view mid-scene. You’re deep inside one character’s head, downloading their thoughts and sensations and then—zap—you’re inside the head of another … Continue reading →

Alex Stone – “Fooling Houdini”

Here’s a quick four-minute test to determine if you want to read “Fooling Houdini.” Watch this video. (Go ahead, I’ll wait here.) Pretty cool, huh? Come on, how did he do that? Yes, his hands go off screen here and … Continue reading →

Q & A With Jenny Milchman – “Cover of Snow”

Twenty-two drafts? Of her eighth full-length novel? And Jenny Milchman is finally getting published. Today. Can you say hard work? Patience? Jenny Milchman knows both. Her debut novel “Cover of Snow” launches today but she’s already well-known in fiction and mystery writing … Continue reading →

Favorite Reads: 2012

(Not all published in 2012 and in no particular order.) Fiction: East of Denver – Gregory Hill The Reconstructionist – Nick Arvin The Big Wake-Up – Mark Coggins The Sense of an Ending – Julian Barnes The Wind Knot – … Continue reading →

David Mitchell – “Cloud Atlas”

I finished this a few months ago and I’m still not sure I have much to add to the avalanche of praise. Yes, I’d call it a masterpiece: brilliantly conceived and executed. If you’re a would-be reader, I’d highly recommend … Continue reading →

John Galligan – “The Wind Knot”

Take your basic mystery-novel formula and cram it in the blender. Hit “whip.” John Galligan takes a big risk in “The Wind Knot” and it pays delicious dividends. That is, unless you’d rather plod through another treadmill-familiar plot. In “The … Continue reading →

Michael Connelly – “The Black Box”

“No hobby cases, Harry.” That’s the message from Cliff O’Toole, the new lieutenant heading up the Open-Unsolved Unit. O’Toole is not well liked. In short order, he has “garnered not one but two nicknames with negative connotations.” O’Toole is riding … Continue reading →

Gillian Flynn – “Gone Girl”

Near the end of an interview with writer Kathleen George, Jeff Rutherford (whose Reading and Writing Podcast is an excellent source of inspiration about many writers and their writing process) asks what she’s reading.  Kathleen George lists a number of … Continue reading →