Oscar Keye is dead and I am free: I just delivered my latest manuscript to the publisher. Freedom… Fiction always begins as escape, a jailbreak, a mad dash for wild, unknown quarters. Fiction itself is freedom, turning the mundane into the extraordinary! The bones of my being are loose-jointed things hooked by springs and oiled … Continue reading Oscar Keye Is Dead, Long Live Oscar Keye!
Month: September 2016
Thank You Hollywood, No Thank You
Dear Mr. Hollywood, I read with interest your letter and proposed film adaptation of Two Pumps for the Body Man. Though your concept falls short of my artistic vision for a film version of the book, I'm not opposed to exploring the matter further if you will concede a few preliminary points: 1. Our femme fatale needs to be younger than what you propose. True, … Continue reading Thank You Hollywood, No Thank You
Guy Walks Into a Bar
Guy walks into a bar. Orders a Preston Lang. Barkeep asks, “What’s a Preston Lang?” “Rye. With a hint of the barrel.” “Neat?” “Yeah. That too.” Anyone who missed Lang’s first two crime paperbacks, The Carrier and The Blind Rooster, ought to jump right in and read The Sin Tax. Hard, straight writing. Contemporary plot. … Continue reading Guy Walks Into a Bar
Tell Me Your Entire Name, Darling
Preston Langley. https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/70d34cd8-d3d1-4705-bb1a-06461f247cbe Review tomorrow.
Workshop: Stories of Peace
While the Pols and Poobahs dress in UNGA-wear and head for New York, the Peace Corps Community runs amok in the Nation's Capitol. Join Peace Corps Writers tomorrow at a workshop for writers in the DC area. The event, part of the annual Peace Corps Connect gathering (celebrating 55 years this year), will take place at the George Washington … Continue reading Workshop: Stories of Peace
20 Years On: Peace Corps & Writing
Today's the day 20 years ago that two score optimistic & good-willed Americans gathered at the 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to begin the most excellent adventure I know, a blend of humanitarian endeavor, mutual group support, and self-reliance in the face of a great unknown. We were to spend the next 27 months as Peace Corps Volunteers in … Continue reading 20 Years On: Peace Corps & Writing
Not Graham Greene
Amazon asked me if my novel, Two Pumps for the Body Man, met my expectations. "Well, the author's no Graham Greene," I say. "Please send me some of that." Why should I (or anyone) read a story about a foot-fetishist diplomat doing time in Saudi Arabia when I (or anyone) could be reading about a vacuum cleaner salesman making bank in Cuba? But then … Continue reading Not Graham Greene
Peace Corps Writer Awards for 2016
A few notable works recognized with various Peace Corps Writer Awards for 2016. Next week the Peace Corps community will gather in Washington, DC for Peace Corps Connect to celebrate the agency's 55 years. Activities will include panels and workshops featuring Peace Corps Writers. More. The Maria Thomas Fiction Award for 2016 (named after novelist Maria … Continue reading Peace Corps Writer Awards for 2016
The Ding Dong Reader
Ever since we moved in three years ago, visitors to our home have announced their arrival with a sick-sounding doorbell. Ding-Dunk, it sadly played. My reaction mirrored this dreary tune. Oh dear, who's come to see us now? When the button finally gave way---a crack became a hole became an entirely broken piece of plastic more likely to … Continue reading The Ding Dong Reader
What Would You Do About Bad Journalism?
I never thought I’d say this: Sarah Palin is right. “What would you do, if elected president, about Aleppo,” can only be described as Gotcha Journalism. The question is particularly egregious in a conversation like the one between Gary Johnson and Mike Barnicle on MSNBC. The two were talking about domestic politics, the role of … Continue reading What Would You Do About Bad Journalism?
Ben East Books 