Nellie Bly’s Melancholy Christmas
Nellie Bly made several attempts at a regular column across her career. She was much more successful towards the end of her life, but she had a run of several months from the end of 1894 to early 1895 under the heading of "Nellie Bly Says." These seem to be nothing...
Nellie Bly And The Economites
In Quaint Old Economy Sunday, January 8, 1888 There Dwells a Sect With More Millions Than Members. Of the Thousand Who Followed George Rapp to America in 1805 Eighteen Now Remain—They Think the World Will End Before the Last of Them Dies—Quiet and Simple Life in a...
Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet – The Juliet Trap
There is a particularly pernicious trap awaiting actresses cast as Juliet. A similar trap awaits Lady Macbeth, though of a different nature, as well as several of the more archetypal male roles. But none of them are as insidious as The Juliet Trap. Here’s how it...
Recent Posts
Prince’s Doom Blog Tour!
For the next several weeks I'm on tour with The Prince's Doom - virtually. Reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways (yes, giveaways! Not just books, but swag!), all of it to promote my Doom! Huge thanks to all the bloggers, and especially to Amy...
Ides of March – Thoughts on Caesar and Brutus
Being in both historical fiction and classical theatre, I've naturally spent a great deal of time thinking about Julius Caesar. So it's no surprise that, of the many projects I've worked on, one of my proudest achievements is a play starring...
Illegitimate
Okay, weighing in on the recent Giuliani kerfuffle, wherein America's Mayor questioned the President's patriotism and background. Yes, racist, absolutely. But it goes deeper than that, actually. Republican talking heads cannot simply disagree with their...
Open Letter to Kevin Feige, Re: Spider-Man
Dear Kevin, Hey, congrats. Nice deal. Well done. I'm a big fan - both of you and of Marvel (though the Marvel fandom goes back a bit further). But you're doing awesome work, and I trust what you have in mind for Spidey 100%. That said, I've long had...
Relationships – The Two Questions
Today a teenager asked me for relationship advice. Awkward? Absolutely. I want to know nothing at all about teenage romances. I remember my own far too well. Fortunately, I have a catch-all piece of relationship advice that Jan and I have relied on for years....
Shock Therapy
It’s a big thing in entertainment to shock your audience. TV trolls us with teasers all the time: “You won’t believe the shocking twist!” “The last five minutes will shock you!” There’s value in shock. It feels good, as an artist, to make people gasp and sit a little...
The Best Question
In my post last week about the passing of Colleen McCullough, I mentioned that when I met her I wasted my one question. It was at a book signing. She was promoting her book Morgan's Run, and I asked an historical quibble about prisoners and New South Wales v. the...
The Business of Art
Following up on my burblings on Art and Competition, I have to say, the flood of affirmation has been lovely. Evidently I hit a rich vein. Naturally there have been naysayers (surprisingly few, actually). I've chosen not to engage them, because it's like...
On The Shoulders Of Giants
“Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds.” – Douglas Adams When I set out to write “Her Majesty’s Will,” I was scared. Why? Because I wasn’t going to be able to rely on my usual bag of tricks. I was setting out to...
Master of Rome
Today I am broken-hearted. Colleen McCullough has died. I throw a lot of love and attention towards Dorothy Dunnett, and often tell people that she's the pinnacle of the genre. But Colleen is probably the author who most changed my life. It is safe to say...
