Garrett Dennert's Blog, page 7

Welcome to Orson's Den

via Buzzle

The common belief is that bears hibernate, right? That they fatten themselves up before winter turns their surroundings scarce so that they can waddle into their dens and sleep until spring hits?

But bears don't hibernate.

What bears actually do is enter into a state called torpor. They do fatten themselves up and they do go down for a long nap. The difference between torpor and hibernation, then, lies in how, instead of a dropped body temperature ensuring their nap lasts all winter...

An Interview with Author Jack C. Buck

Deer Michigan by Jack C. Buck is now available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Schuler Books & Music.

Recently, we had the pleasure of reviewing Jack C. Buck's collection of micro-fiction,Deer Michigan.Jack was also kind enough to sit down and talk shop with us, the results of which you'll find below.

Enjoy, check out the review, and be sure to keep up with Jack's latest, over on Goodreads and on Twitter.

*This interview involves Orson's Publishing (OP) and Jack C. Buck (JB)

OP: Do you have an a...

Book Review: Deer Michigan by Jack C. Buck

Truth Serum Press | 120 pages | Fiction - Story Collection

Deer Michigan by Jack C. Buck

In an interview with Amy Fusselman of Ohio Edit, author Jack C. Buck, a Michigan native, explains how moving away from his home state helped lead to the writing of his debut collection, Deer Michigan: “Every part of the country has its qualities, beauties and identity; yet it wasn’t until I was 1,200 miles away that I had time to reflect and notice the upper Midwest’s unique identity within America. If I...

Six Storytelling Resources You’ve Never Used

Photo Courtesy of Charli Lopez / via Flickr

Think about what the word "resources" means in terms of writing. Go for it. Roll the word around on your tongue. Front, back, side to side, then off entirely. What'd you come up with?

Dictionary? Thesaurus? Purdue OWL?

If you did, bingo. You're right. Those are resources. But that's not really what we're concerned with in this post. Because the word "resources" can extend far beyond that, far beyond the basics and bury itself into pockets unseen, u...

54 Things in Which We Believe

1. Story

2. Human beings

3. Mother nature

4. Women

5. Change

6. Individuality

7. Community

8. Loving whomever you love

9. Honor

10. Family

11. Self-respect

12. Tears

13. Courage

14. Sprinting

15. Examining all sides of the coin

16. Speaking meaningfully

17. Public education

18. Legalization of marijuana

19. Above all else: listening

20. Activism

21. Climate change is the greatest issue our generation faces

22. Reciprocity

23. Data

24. Science

25. Knowing your exit

26. Mistakes

27. Reflection

28. Repetition

29. Revision...

Who Killed the Short Story?

via The Atlantic

A young Ernest Hemingway lunches in Manhattan with several writer friends, either at Luchow’s or at The Algonquin. Somehow, some way—whether instigated by Hemingway himself, or as a challenge by one of his friends—a bet is made: each writer bets $10 that Ernie can’t pen a six-word novel. So what does Ernie do?

Ernie whips out his handy dandy pen, then reaches for a cocktail napkin. He begins writing, and, when finished, passes the napkin along. Which reads:

“For sale: baby sho...

How a Wandering Mind Fuels the Creative Process

Buzzfeed /via YouTube

I grew up in the center of the self-proclaimed asparagus capital of the world—Oceana County, Michigan. While that moniker isn’t entirely accurate, the county does represent a substantial portion of the 20 million pounds of asparagus the state of Michigan produces each year.

My father and his family contributed to that huge haul, starting long before I was born. As a child, I'd watch this, the operation, everyone's role in it. On occasion, I'd even help out, walking beh...

Declaring Independence: We’re Crushing Hard On These Folks

Defining the word “independent” isn’t so difficult.

in-de-pen-dent

adj.

1. not subject to control by others (see self-governing)

2. not affiliated with a larger controlling unit

There. Did it. Thanks, online version of Merriam-Webster!

What has traditionally been difficult, however, is maintaining success as an independent book publisher. Why? Because starting a business from scratch is really damn hard, and maybe even more so when it comes to book publishing. Not everyone enjoys reading to the ex...

They Say Post-Apocalyptic Fiction Is Dead

2929 Productions / via stuffpoint.com - Pictured here is a still from John Hillcoat's 2009 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

2012—We were college students between classes on a Tuesday in the middle of Michigan’s ugliest month—there really was no reason to be at that eight-by-eleven living room window. Yet, there we were, gazing upon those melting patches of snow, those tracks for train cars of chemicals and scrap metal, that factory depended upon for seating by sports stadiums and am...

An Interview with Orson's Proud Papa

*The following conversation is between Orson's Publishing (OP) and the founder of Orson's Publishing, Garrett Dennert (GD).

OP: So, uh, Dad, right—I’m supposed to call you Dad?

GD: You don’t have to.

OP: Okay. I don’t think I want to.

GD: That’s totally fine.

OP: But are you my dad?

GD: I created you, yes.

OP: How’d you do that? How was I conceived?

GD: If the hope is to be told some elaborate explanation that neatly aligns, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint. Previous events in my life led me to c...