My good friend, the late Betty Miles—who wrote many fine children’s books—once told me: “I have to work on a book for about six months before I feel like a real writer.” I also recall Thomas Mann, the early twentieth century German writer, saying something to the effect that “The amateur writer finds writing easy.
The California Gold Rush was indeed a rush. The United States had taken over San Francisco as a result of its war with Mexico. (1846–48). That aggressive war—fiercely objected to by many, including Abraham Lincoln—had, as one of its objectives, the annexing of San Francisco Bay. When gold was discovered, chunks of it went on
San Francisco is a city where I have lived often, visited, and have great fondness for. I first went there in the fall of 1961, having finished my graduate class time at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. A fellow I knew was setting up a new theatre, and he wanted to do a play I
I recently received a letter from a young fan concerning my Crispin books. The writer informed me that when he read the second book in the series (At the Edge of the World), he “fell in love” with the character Troth. Then, when he turned to the third book, and realized Troth was not part
Consider: what is the purpose of a book review? Is it simply to register a reader’s subjective response? Is it to evaluate the writing within the broader context of literature? Or is it the reviewer’s task to determine what the writer wanted to achieve, and evaluate if those goals have been achieved? Are reviews meant
When an author dedicates a book to an individual—sometimes to more than one person or even to a group of people—it is a gift of appreciation, recognition, or in some way acknowledging a very positive personal connection. (The detective book writer, Robert Parker, always dedicated his books to his wife.) The writer is bestowing a
While Shakespeare once wrote, “A rose by any other name will smell as sweet,” a good (or bad) title can make a difference for a book. The book’s title is the introduction of a book to the reader. It is enormously important. Curiously, you cannot copyright a title. That explains why some titles reappear for
I work on a book for a year, or more, rewrite it endlessly, read it aloud to my wife, share it with a friend whose criticism I greatly trust, rewrite some more, and it is, I tell myself, mostly done and not bad. I send it to my editor, and don’t hear anything for a
My thanks to J.B. Petty, who wrote in this Booklist starred review of Gold Rush Girl, “With his characteristically suspenseful style, Avi crafts a rousing historical adventure helmed by a spirited protagonist whom readers will love. Tory’s first-person narration further connects readers to the gold rush–era story, which concludes with room for future exploits. One
Questions I am often asked about my book, Nothing but the Truth. Q: Is the story based on something that happened to you? A: Not at all. Q: Then what gave you the idea for the story? A: I was living in the East Coast (Rhode Island) and read a news story about the turmoil that erupted in