So You Think It’s Easier To Write A Screenplay Than A Novel?

Even if you’re not a professional writer, you may secretly — or not so secretly — harbor the  ambition of writing a novel or a memoir. Whether it’s a rollicking good tale that you’ve created in your imagination, or it’s your own exciting/tragic/hilarious life story, you feel you have a tale to tell. And, if you actually sit down to write the book, you will quite likely reach a point when you decide to write your story as a screenplay. Continue reading “So You Think It’s Easier To Write A Screenplay Than A Novel?”

Indie Authors, Book Covers — And A Hollywood Drowning Mystery

Scott Eyman is a former book and art critic for the Palm Beach Post, and the author of 15 books. These include three written about, and with, Hollywood icon, Robert  (R.J.) Wagner, husband of the late Natalie Wood whose drowning death 37 years ago is under new investigation as of last week.  So of course when Eyman was scheduled as a speaker for the Palm Beach Writers Group this week, I signed up. Continue reading “Indie Authors, Book Covers — And A Hollywood Drowning Mystery”

What He Did Wrong; What He Did Right : How A.J. Finn Wrote A #1 Bestseller

You would think that A.J. Finn would know all the rules of writing genre fiction especially psychological thrillers. Just before his first novel hit the #1 slot on the New York Times bestseller list four weeks ago, he was an executive editor at William Morrow publishing company working on the novels of authors like Karin Slaughter and Val McDermid. Yet, in The Woman In the Window ( Rear Window, the movie, meets The Girl On The Train) Finn breaks a lot of big rules. Continue reading “What He Did Wrong; What He Did Right : How A.J. Finn Wrote A #1 Bestseller”

How A.J. Finn Landed At #1 On The New York Times Bestseller List

You may not be instantly familiar with the name A.J. Finn. But I bet you’ve heard of his book,The Woman In The Window ? Yep, that’s the one that catapulted straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list the week it was published.  Okay, now you know the one I’m talking about, right?  The NYT one-liner description of this psychological thriller is: “A recluse who drinks heavily and takes prescription drugs may have witnessed a crime across from her Harlem townhouse.” Continue reading “How A.J. Finn Landed At #1 On The New York Times Bestseller List”

What I Discovered About My Favorite Authors & The Holidays

I’m in the middle of reading a delightful memoir, Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat To The Craziest Campaign In American History by MSNBC-TV anchor Katy Tur.  It’s about the year she spent covering the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. The lovely thing about Katy is that she acknowledges that she got the job while still a relatively unknown TV reporter because no-one really thought that Trump would win either the Republican nomination or the presidency. Continue reading “What I Discovered About My Favorite Authors & The Holidays”