Comments on: Down Dark Alleys

By: Madeleine Robins

Madeleine Robins — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:46:57 +0000

A couple of years ago I spoke at Avocado’s school about being a writer. “What’s the best part of being a writer?” I was, of course, asked.

I grinned. “Being able to learn stuff about whatever makes me curious.”

Blank faces. Most fourth graders tend to think of learning as something that is foisted upon them, and the fact that I can follow bits of information down dark alleys all day, to my heart’s content, and find it pleasurable, bewildered them.

“And making my own schedule,” I added, and they smiled. That they understood.

And Caroline: in the days when I was writing historical romances, someone would occasionally coo: “Don’t you wish you lived then?” To which I would reply: “No painless childbirth, no painless dentistry, funky plumbing and a social structure in which I would doubtless have been on the bottom rung and died young and disfigured? Hell no.” Romance indeed.

By: Caroline Spector

Caroline Spector — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:25:39 +0000

I spent two years researching my last book. It was heaven. Read all day long, The Dude would come home from work, and I could say, honestly, I’d spent the whole day working.

And I am always thinking about stuff like where did they poop, and how stinky was everyone, and how come all the women didn’t have yeast infections all the time.

Ah, romance.

By: Maureen McHugh

Maureen McHugh — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:36:20 +0000

This is the best part about writing a book, imho. It’s the part where you get to find out all sorts of cool stuff. In fact, for me, sometimes who chunks of book arise from the cool stuff you find (at least when I’m early in the book process.)

By: Ken Houghton

Ken Houghton — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:07:39 +0000

oops. That should be s/he was correct.

By: Ken Houghton

Ken Houghton — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:07:07 +0000

Not difficult, nancy u: ,a href=”http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sortby=2&sts=t&tn=Flushed+with+pride&x=0&y=0″>s/he was correct.

Waxing the cat? Hmmm, might help my allergies…

By: nancy u.

nancy u. — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:34:01 +0000

My 8th grade science teacher took great glee in telling us that Mr. Crapper’s biography is called “Flushed with Pride”. Of course, I took him at his word. Perhaps I should go research that…….

By: Steven Gould

Steven Gould — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:19:11 +0000

Some people do home renovations to avoid writing, some do research, and some do both.

Meanwhile, I’m sure your cat could use another coat of wax!