James D. Best

Elmore Leonard wrote great opening lines ... first sentences that immediately drew the reader into the story. Elmore Leonard The St...

Bender General Store and Inn In the early 1870s, the Bloody Benders were a family of serial killers on the Kansas prairie. The four m...

Steve Dancy has had a rocky romantic life in the first three novels. His mother pushed him to marry a young lady who would enhance the fa...

No! Well, that's the simple answer. I have a rationale behind my answer: If the friend doesn't like the character — bye, bye...

In 1944, Raymond Chandler wrote an essay for The Atlantic Monthly titled, "The Simple Art of Murder." It was reprinted in 1950...

C arson McCullers to Henry Miller I always like to get fan letters. Some writers write for themselves, but I write to be read, so a ...

The Washington Post has done an article on the perils (and rewards) of being a midlist novelist.  Interesting reading. Mary Doria R...

What famous author's real name was Howard Allen O'Brien? Unless you already know, you'll never guess.  11 Points (Because Top...

I love editors. The reason I love editors is they save me from embarrassment. I make errors and typos with punctuation and seem to miss ...

All I need is 70,000 words and a great head shot Supposedly, a good author photo can help you connect with the reader. I...

Hemingway ... presumably editing Emily Temple has posted on article on Flavorwire titled "Bad Writing Advice from Famous Authors....

Jack Kerouac Truman Capote Writing as contact sport. "That's not writing, that's typing...