Has anyone else read this book by Ian Spector? I admit I'm juvenille to begin with, just ask my wife and kids. I bought this slim tome in the San Antonio airport bookstore. I was laughing so hard on the flight I had people wondering what the dude in the last seat was up to. Here's a few observations from the book:



"Chuck Norris will eat your soul for a Klondike bar."



"Mr. T sleeps with a pillow under his gun."



"After hearing that Jesus had fed multitudes with… Continue

I was wondering how you come up with names of your characters? The most unusual way I come up with names is to walk cemeteries with paper and pen. Somehow, I feel I'm keeping the spirit of the person alive. Especially when I see an unattended gravesite. Perhaps this person has no more relatives or is forgotten by their ancestors. Is this stupid of me? Is it disrespectful? Anyhow, I'm sure others have unique ways of naming their characters. I'd be really interested to know.

I believe it was Hitchcock who coined the term, "McGuffin," which is an item in a thriller or crime that doesn't matter but helps move the story along. My favorite McGuffin was the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. There's been a thousand theories on what was in the case. I always thought it was a 1/2 dozen Royale With Cheese burgers. Anyhow, what is your favorite McGuffin?

When you're writing and you describe a gun sitting on the nightstand. . . does that mean it has to be used? Can we be unpredictable or do readers get upset at this? I do like skirting around the established "rules." After all, how are we to become unique literary creatures if we pale to copy? Then again, I read Naked Lunch I said to myself, "What the F- - - was that?"