I did something I haven't done in a very long time yesterday—I baked for the pure pleasure of it. Might sound weird to people who aren't into that sort of thing. But, for those who've come to appreciate the zen qualities of doing a load of dishes, mopping linoleum, dicing onion, peeling carrot, sifting flour, creaming … Continue reading The kitchen is my church

Not that long ago, a man named Eric, someone I don't know, e-mailed me asking how to break into the news business. I've worked a great number of jobs in my life so far. I've done everything from attack dog dummy to cook to mechanic to blackjack dealer to vacuum cleaner salesman. But, this is … Continue reading How to become a (paid) freelance writer

It was in the Spring of 2005, and on one of my first few days on the job. I’ll never forget the call from my boss, who was busy getting that week’s paper off to print. Editor: “Gohs, there’s a 10-77 on the north side of town.” Me: “What’s a 10-77?” Editor: “It means the … Continue reading Getting my first murder right

I originally wrote this guide to writing and submitting press releases to help the readers and advertisers of my newspaper Boyne City Gazette but much of the information applies to authors hoping to get the news of their new books out. I understand how important it is for you to share information about your group, … Continue reading Press release writing tips

Tony Soprano once told Dr. Melfi that doing therapy is like taking a shit. As a veteran of the DSM-IV style of shrinkage, I'm not sure I agree. But, I will say that writing a book is like trying not to soil your pants in public. Frantically hurrying to finish. Sweating and fussing. Trying like … Continue reading Here’s to clean pants and finished novels