Barry Eisler submitted his completed manuscript to 50 agents.* 50. And he received as many rejections. Throughout the process he continued revising, continued submitting, and continued receiving those rejection notices.
He persevered, but it wasn’t getting him anywhere. Continue reading “When Perseverance is a Weakness”
About a week ago I received a real, live package in the mail from someone besides a book seller. There is a particular kind of elation that one experiences while trying (unsuccessfully) to disembowel a large envelope sealed tight with indestructible tape.
I gave up trying to open it at the end of the lane, in the car, especially when I realized my keys were not doing the trick. So I drove the quarter mile stone driveway to our little house, went inside, and made the announcement.
“Hey, I got something in the mail!”
Kids, wife, imaginary friends: they all came running. Continue reading “An Envelope I Couldn’t Wait to Open”
Halloween is less than a day behind us, but I’ve already got some great plans for next year.
First of all, I’m going to build one of these:
And when it comes to pumpkin carving next year, this is definitely the way to go (thanks to Brandon Fisher):
But if I tried to blow something up, this is probably what would happen (thanks to Katdish):
If you tell someone you’re a writer, what’s one of the first questions they ask?
Have you published any books?
Continue reading “God Never Promised You Fame”
I looked at Cade and explained the situation. His imploring eyes held just a hint of panic, as if he knew a difficult decision was about to be presented. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve had a lot of candy,” I said, letting that first sentence sink in. “You may have one more piece when we get out to the car.”
“But I want it now!”
I paused. Thought it over. Gave it the old parenting reconsideration, including the Bill Cosby mouth wrinkle. Continue reading “The Choice We Always Forget”
My Grandpa Beiler had a personality impossible to forget. I never witnessed his anger, though stories of it were legendary. What I remember of him is that he never let anyone stop him from doing what he wanted to do. I also remember that he always wore the premonition of a smile somewhere around the corners of his mouth. On Sunday afternoons he gave me a quarter to comb his hair, during which he nearly always fell asleep.
* * * * * Continue reading “Memories of a Man Who Died 20 Years Ago”
