Puerto Rico Day 4
On day four, we had breakfast in the hotel. I had fresh fruit and a Puerto Rican pastry. That was something that surprised me about Puerto Rico–they have good pastries. Really, this is a country that understands all the important…
Puerto Rico Day 3
The next day, we decided to go to a limestone cave because it was raining. Everyone I have talked to about rain in a tropics has said that it’s not a big deal–there’s a little sprinkle and then it clears…
Puerto Rico Day 1, Part 2
Morro Fort was begun in 1539. It’s actually the second fort the Spanish built in Puerto Rico. It has lots of staircases and corridors and tiny entryways for soldiers to quickly get to their killing posts. Pictures: One of four…
Puerto Rico Day 1, Part 1
The interesting part of my trip to Puerto Rico started at our layover in Florida with a space shuttle launch that we could see out of the plane window, and continued from there. It was a clear day and I…
Four Things
1. I have sequestered myself in my office, hiding from this ridiculous heatwave. It seems to be fading back to normal spring now, and nature is doing things outside. For example, new birds have taken up residence in this nest…
Article: The Mayor’s Tongue
I have another book review up at Popmatters. This time it is on The Mayor’s Tongue, a first novel by Nathaniel Rich. Excerpt: This April is the one-year anniversary of debut novel The Mayor’s Tongue, which would make its author,…
Article: Publishers roll out book trailers
I have an article in The Writer about book trailers. Publishers are starting to make advertisements for books very much like movie trailers. I explored this phenomenon in the current issue of the magazine–check it out on newsstands if you…
Article: A Reliable Wife
My book review on A Reliable Wife, a first novel by Robert Goolrick, is up on PopMatters. A sample: A Reliable Wife is the first novel by Robert Goolrick, whose previous memoir The End of the World as We Know…
Twilight Was Hilarious
I watched the Twilight movie out of curiosity. At first I thought it was boring, and then I realized it was hilarious. I was laughing my head off throughout the entire thing. After all, it is little more than an…
But I’m Not Patient…
“Of course any novelist has difficulties. I don’t have ‘blocks,’ I mean I don’t get into a state where absolutely nothing can be done for weeks; I can always do something, though the something that I do may have to…