Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 193

You Can Make Him Like You Barrelhouse interview love.

Big crazy Andre the Giant hugs and thank yous to Barrelhouse and the always stellar Lauryn Allison for interviewing TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer about a number of things including, but not limited to You Can Make Him Like You, moms, kids, writing, cookies, Cuban sandwiches and being nice, yes, weird we know, but awesome and much appreciated. Please do check it out and please don't hesitate to enjoy some excerpt.

BH: I'm curious about how having kids shapes your writing process.

BT: I'm really drawn to writer-dad dudes, writer-mom chicks, too, but I do have a thing for dads who make art. Again, my dad was a painter, a tortured artist in ways, so I'm really drawn to people who are trying to do everything. And I'm biased, which is something I always say when I'm blogging and writing reviews of people's books. Don't treat anything I say as an honest, intellectual critique; I don't do that. I'm a total fanboy. So, if you're a dad writer, or I'm attracted to you or what your doing, that's going to bias what I say about your book, or your movie, or whatever. It's just without question. But there are certain things I really react to, so if you tell me you've got a day job and you're writing at two in the morning? Man, I mean, I'm in love you with. That's someone I want to spend time with.

Pawelek. Bosworth. And Ten Everywhere action.

One of our favorite things, so Oprah we know, is the Ten Everywhere interview series, and yes we know its not Sunday, which means we continue to undermine our new, albeit still being focus-grouped, feature Interview Sundays, but that said, we love the Ten Everywhere, which is overseen by TBWCYL, Inc. favorite and future, but so soon, This Podcast Will Change Your Life podcastee BL Pawelek; and wouldn't you know it, but the new edition stars none other than TBWCYL, Inc. favorite and one time This Poscast Will Change Your Life podcastee Mel Bosworth talking Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom. Also, well you know, a favorite. So wow. Much synergy. Enjoy. And some excerpt.

In ten words (no more, no less), describe "Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom."
MB: The madness and joy of young love and its excesses.

"A not-at-all biased review." You Can Make Him Like You gets Vinnie the Vole'd. And likes it. A lot.

Much appreciation to Vinnie the Vole and TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Mark S. Brand for the quite fine words, not to mention the Judy Blume comparison, in their review of You Can Make Him Like You. Many drinks soon. And big thanks.

"The best way to describe the book, without ruining it for you, is to say it's like Are You There God, It's Me Margaret or Then Again, Maybe I Won't for new dads. Or one of those other Judy Blume books that you discovered right about the time you started to get acne and notice members of the opposite sex, and books like that made you think holy shit, someone else did go through this before, and they lived to tell about it, and not only are they telling about it, they're telling the TRUTH about it, which is even more crucial. I kept thinking as I was reading it: this should be required reading for new dads, no, expectant dads… no, all men…"

"Like a series of precisely delivered suckerpunches." You Can Make Him Like You gets Small Press Reviews'd. And likes it. A lot.

Big thanks to Small Press Reviews and TBWYL, Inc. favorite Lavinia Ludlow for their most kind review of You Can Make Him Like You. Drinks, many, and bountiful, on us when next, and wherever, we meet.

"Tanzer has mastered the art of introducing characters, setting scenes, and building tension in a novel made up of flash-fiction-length chapters, following all those "editor's dream" rules without being stiff or mechanical in his voice delivery. Among writers like Brad Listi and Tony O'Neill, Tanzer's storytelling ability is something that I covet on a daily basis. I look forward to being bludgeoned again by his future publications."[image error]

Mass excitements. And joy.

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Bad boys? Word.

Along with the endlessly magnetic Victor David Giron and Mark S. Brand, both This Podcast Will Change Your Life podcastees, here and here, respectively, we were recently invited to read and talk books at the quite wonderful Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore out in the Forest Park. Along with getting to meet owner Augie Alesky who quite rocks, we also had the chance to talk with books blogger Helen Kossler, who also rocks, and who has decided to collectively deem us as writers of "bad boy books." That is first, for us anyway, and that is awesome, so big thanks Helen for that. For the rest of you, please do take a look, please enjoy some excerpt and please feel free to comment on which celebrity referenced below might be matched with which "bad boy" author.

"All three of these guys have intense day jobs and personal commitments with wives and children but they long for the days when they were footloose and fancy free. Their longing seems almost comical to someone old enough to be their mother. I mean I want to shake them and say, "Welcome to the rest of your life! Responsibility isn't glamorous but it beats the alternative, which is to be a slacker forever." These are the literary equivalents of Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Matthew McConaughey. Charming but still wondering if Peter Pan had it right."

You Can Make Him Like You RUI photo action goodness.

Last night we got to RUI on a night dedicated to "Hizzoners" and all fine things therein. Big thanks to whole crew for their ongoing support and endless awesomeness. And big props to my fellow readers, Byron Hatfield, Maggie Ritchie and Eric May, above, and then below, respectively, for their terrific readings and general attractiveness. Big fun. Much laughter. Books sold. Goodness.

There is photo.

Okay, there are three photos. Big Andre the Giant hugs to all who voted. Now as you were. Or, if you prefer, as you will be. We're down with either.

Stories V. McClanahan. Trailer love.

Scott McClanahan STORIES V! Book Trailer from Holler Presents on Vimeo.

decomP action.

There is much decomP action upon us. The April edition. Check. a Kickstarter campaign? Ditto. And an interview with Editor and TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Jason Jordan at Sonora Review. Totally. Good stuff. And some excerpt. Enjoy.

NS: Is becoming "online only" something to be worried about?

JJ: I don't think so. Rather than pit online and print against each other, why not combine them? After all, you can do things with print that you can't do online and vice versa. I often think of what Lee K. Abbott said in Dzanc's Best of the Web 2009: "good writing is good writing, no matter where we find it."