Publishers Weekly Stories
August 10, 2019
I am the West Coast correspondent for Publishers Weekly, and I like to share my stories on this page…
Formerly Self-Published Italian Author Lands Netflix Series
27-year-old Antonio Dikele Distefano is the child of Angolan immigrants, and his formerly self-published novels explore the lives the children of immigrants. “I show Italian kids that there is not only one way of being black and that our reality is different from what is shown in TV … Second-generation children born in Italy to African parents who moved to Italy are isolated and considered suspicious by the Italian kids.”
The Netflix Literary Connection
The streaming service is on a book-buying spree as it seeks more content for its ever-growing global subscriber base. I interviewed a few executives at Netflix about how adaptation works at the company.
Community Writing Sites Draw Hollywood Attention
In their search for material, producers are forging new relationships with online platforms. From the Writing Prompts subreddit to Wattpad to CryptTV, I spoke with the people leading the best community writing platforms.
Steven Rowley Tackles Jackie O’s Book Biz Years In His New Novel
Steven Rowley’s The Editor tells the story of a struggling writer whose novel is acquired by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I profiled Rowley on the book’s release, exploring a couple literary sites in Los Angeles at the same time.
Free Born Reading Newsletter
March 23, 2019
In Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age, I share hundreds of books and apps that parents can use with kids. Now that the book is published, I still find great new apps and books every week.
To keep parents and kids informed, I launched a free newsletter for parents. Follow the link below to subscribe for free book, eBook, app and craft recommendations every issue.
May Swenson on the Sad Men Podcast
March 23, 2019
The third episode of the Sad Men Podcast is up, exploring the Great Depression writings of the great poet, May Swenson.
Swenson worked for the Federal Writers Project, a radical piece of New Deal legislation that put hundreds of unemployed writers back to work creating city guidebooks, cultural essays, and oral histories in the mid 1930s.
Swenson joined the folklore unit of the Federal Writers Project, interviewing a series of department store workers, immigrants and factory employees at the National Biscuit Company.
Best Writing Music of 2016
December 9, 2016
What’s your favorite writing music from 2016?
Over at Spotify, I rounded up my annual list of the best music that helped me write this year. That’s 21 hours of inspiring instrumental music for your writing pleasure…
During my days as the editor of GalleyCat, I created a collection of other Spotify playlists from some of my favorite writers. I’ve linked to them below…
Haruki Murakami Spotify Playlist
My playlist the Japanese novelist included songs mentioned in Murakami’s novels South of the Border, West of the Sun, Norwegian Wood, and 1Q84.
Writer’s Guide to Patreon
December 5, 2016
Are you struggling to find a way to support a long-term creative project?
Over at GalleyCat, I wrote an essay to help creators use Patreon to fund ongoing writing projects.
It’s called “What Writers Need To Know About Patreon.” Here’s an excerpt:
“Patreon helps creators of everything from web videos to novels to comics raise a “sustainable income” for their work, building a community of fans who provide monthly support. Horror novelist Aaron Mahnke has 2,204 patrons on his Patreon page, earning a total of $11,167 per month to make his popular podcast about scary stories throughout history.”