When Kamal Abdel-Malek was a young student, he chose to study outside the Arab world, eventually becoming a professor at Brown and Princeton Universities in the US. It was the first step in the physical and intellectual journeys of this intriguing Egyptian writer. Born in Alexandria and now a teacher of Arabic…

According to the Association of American Publishers, ebooks became the bestselling category in American publishing for the first time in February 2011.

(Reference article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/15/ebook-sales-milestone/print)

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It is always a challenge to make characters seem real, but using your own experiences and emotions, like a method actor, takes them a long way.

LINK TO TODAY'S COLUMN:…

I have observed in this space before that author bios tend to be short on interesting detail and overfull of prize lists. Philip Roth, for example, doesn’t seem to exist, according to his bio. He doesn’t live anywhere, nor was he born. He simply receives prizes. This week I’m reading a very good historical novel by a writer who shall remain nameless. Perhaps it’s best that she…

If you were a book editor who wanted to create the perfect writer for a best-selling epic novel of an African-born doctor forced to take refuge in the U.S., you might pick someone from Ethiopia. Make him of Christian Indian parentage. Educate him in medicine and send him to the Iowa Writing Program. Make him work in top medical jobs with HIV patients who’d force him to examine…

In the Royal Navy, there’s only one kind of facial hair allowed. British Tars are either clean shaven or they sport a beard, known in the service as a “full set.” The antipathy to the mustache is no doubt because of its predominance among the rival landlubber officer class (although it could’ve later been its association with a different kind of “sailor.”)

Book authors now…

Recently attended the NWG Spring Conference at Mahoney State Park.  Heard informative presentations by Alex Kava (mystery/thriller author), Mary Colgan (editor, Chronicle Books), and Terry Burns (author/agent, Hartline Agency).  Over 80 area writers participated.  Lots of useful information...important as publishing is changing so rapidly.

If you are an author deciding what to do with your next manuscript, ask yourself, "What is my goal?"  It makes a big difference if you are…

Tess Gerritsen started with romance, but soon realized that dead bodies were where it’s at. At least, dead bodies handled deftly by the two most compelling female series characters in thriller fiction, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles. Her first books were romance novels, but after writing eight of them she switched to medical thrillers. The 25 million books she has…

It is challenging to keep coming up with original ideas for writer's group presentations. Today’s Spotlight in the Las Vegas edition of Examiner.com is about Sisters in Crime Southern Nevada met the challenge with the custom Mystery Jeopardy game presented by Sisters (and Misters) in Crime/Southern Nevada this past Sunday. What a hoot. Scott Duncan who has designed games for major accounts delighted everyone with his…

Move over cards, cocaine, and nicotine, Virtual Reality is the new addiction. It isn’t restricted to the realms of academe or science fiction. Whether you know it or not, it’s going to change your life. It already may have done so. Stanford University Professor Jeremy Bailenson is co-author of a new book,<a href="http://www.infinitereality.org/"> Infinite…

Susan Abulhawa is a unique voice in contemporary fiction. She’s a Palestinian, born in Kuwait to a refugee family. She spent some years in an orphanage in East Jerusalem, her ancestral city, before university education in the US and she now lives near Philadelphia. She’s the founder of a wonderful charity,…

The pace of a story is critical. It can keep the reader engaged or turn them off. Imagine pace as though you were driving a car. Part I deals with speeding things up.

http://exm.nr/fkqMXI 

Remember, writers should…

No author is thrilled to receive a bad review, and I’m no exception. Yes, I’ve occasionally gotten them, but a bad review doesn’t have to equal a meltdown. Read today’s Writers Tricks of the Trade in the Las Vegas edition of examiner.com.  LINK:…

Todays Writers Tricks of the Trade in the Los Angeles edition of Examiner.com is the second part of a three part series: CHOICES.

When used properly, dreams and delays can move a story along while keeping the…

Today’s Writers: Tricks of the trade column discusses the merits of spending hours, days and even months to craft that perfect phrase or sentence, while the novel languishes on the back burner. Lots of good advice in this one.…