My novel will be published!

If you have been thinking, "what this world really needs is a good whodunit novel set on a pirate ship," well, there is a publishing house that agrees with you. My debut novel, "The Bloody Black Flag," will be published by Seventh Street Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books. Seventh Street specializes in mysteries and …

“Blood Ties,” by Nicholas Guild, or “Why isn’t this book a movie yet?”

This is an outstanding blend of police procedural/thriller and, honestly, a love story. Guild's strengths are his characters and his rock solid prose. He has the knack of creating very believable protagonists and supporting characters ... and then putting them through hell in a way that keeps you turning pages.  He also describes violent things …

“The Devil All The Time” by Donald Ray Pollock, or Good Lord, this is a bleak and depressing book …

I am going to buck the trends, and not join those who love this book. There is much to like. Pollock's prose is terrific, at times starkly poetic. The images are concise, and cutting, and won't leave your head anytime soon. The man certainly can write. And yet ... Damn, this is a depressing read. …

“Jezebel’s Daughter,” by Wilkie Collins: Murder and mystery the old-fashioned way

No one today writes crime novels the way Wilkie Collins did, nor should they. Collins, a contemporary of Charles Dickens, is best known for atmospheric works such as "The Moonstone" and "The Woman in White," but he wrote many, many more novels than those two. When I find myself in the mood for a good …

“The Ironsmith,” by Nicholas Guild: An outstanding historical novel

This new novel from Nicholas Guild is a damned good read -- at once a deeply intriguing historical novel and a keep-the-pages-turning tale of intrigue and suspense. The novel is set in the area of Galilee, Capernaum and Jerusalem in the days just before the New Testament documents came to be. The protagonist is Noah, …

“The Hellfire Club,” by Peter Straub

It looked like a horror novel. It really did. Peter Straub's name in big, bold letters, was the most dominant feature on the cover. A pair of hell-blazing eyes peered at me from beneath the author's name. "The Hellfire Club" title evoked decadence and bad cultish behavior. I had been haunting the local used-book store, …

Seeking a literary agent? Here are some tips

Finding a literary agent to represent your work to publishers is a tough gig. Agents see hundreds, if not thousands, of author queries every year, and take on only a few new clients from those. Sending query after query only to be met with rejections -- or, more disheartening, grave-like silence -- can make you …