Summer is here, which is always a good time for reading. As a boy, I spent many afternoons in a Detroit library. It was free entertainment and free air conditioning as well. 😊
I love reading novels from the 1950s through the 1970s. The writing was so much richer then. Some of the books are overwritten, such as The Manchurian Candidate that I recently read. But a lot of the authors get things right. I’d say that applied to Harvest Home by Tom Tryon. I had never read a book by the painter turned actor turned novelist, so I thought I’d give it a try. I once watched the miniseries (The Dark Secret of Harvest Home) so already knew the ending. But even so, I found the writing to be tense, spooky, and richly descriptive. I would highly recommend it.
Sumer is also a time for writing conferences. I have two coming up this month. The first is The Imaginarium in Louisville, KY. I’m looking forward to this eclectic collection of writers, gamers, musicians, and independent film makers. I’ll be teaching a workshop on using research in fiction writing and will be sitting on two author panels.
I’ll only have a few days off before heading to the Midwest Writer’s Workshop in Muncie Indiana. I’ve attended this conference for several years and will enjoy touching base with writing friends and mentors such as Larry Sweazy, Matthew Clemens, and John Gilstrap. Always enjoyable and hopefully I’ll sell a book or three.
Hope to see you at a conference or elsewhere down the road.
Stay tuned!