Fiction writers benefit from reading books on craft, but they also can learn from books about routine yet important activities we humans do—like eating. Even tongue-tied fictional characters can “talk with their hands” when they cook and eat. The scene I enjoyed writing most in Mortal Things features two such widowers, one old and one … Continue reading Tucci’s TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD Provides Food for Thought for Readers And Writers
First pre-publication interview to share!
Enjoyed being this week’s guest on The Brian And Lee Show on WWDB-AM Talk 860. Here’s the link for the podcast of Saturday’s show. https://wwdbam.com/episodes/the-brian-and-lee-show-interview-with-ned-bachus/ Hit Play then slide the little time cursor to 19:30, where the interview begins. Runs to 52:19. Had a great time talking with the father-son hosts about MORTAL THINGS and … Continue reading First pre-publication interview to share!
Your Work Space: In Three Words (or more)
I love the Tree of Life Tweet that shows the work space I used when writing MORTAL THINGS. Well, ONE of the places where I worked on the novel. Like most other writers and readers, I roam from room to room, nook to nook, sometimes from state to state, but this one anchors me in … Continue reading Your Work Space: In Three Words (or more)
Moments That Matter: A Look at Kent Haruf’s BENEDICTION
Years ago, a poet friend exclaimed, “How did he do that?” after reading a short story by the late Andre Dubus. He didn’t quite see how those relatively few pages had built to such dramatic effect. I’ve had similar reactions after I’ve read novels by Kent Haruf. Kent Haruf 1943-2014 Haruf’s fictional terrain was the … Continue reading Moments That Matter: A Look at Kent Haruf’s BENEDICTION
TURNING POINTS—”Finding Our Voices”
We all experience points in our lives that prove pivotal. Those moments are not always obvious to us at the time. For a woman in Maine’s town of Camden, it is not difficult to identify a particular occasion when everything changed. Patrisha McLean’s personal horror that night immediately and permanently impacted her personal life. Since … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—”Finding Our Voices”
TURNING POINTS—THE DIG: Two Ways
Every once in a while, Kathleen plants a book in my hands and gives me that You’d be a fool not to read this immediately look. “It’ll be a break from the other stuff you’re reading,” she said the other day, handing me her library copy of John Preston’s The Dig. “There’s a movie … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—THE DIG: Two Ways
TURNING POINTS—Mare Demands More Time!
This post about a script is a postscript to last week’s homage to the HBO series Mare of Easttown. When I saw this Philadelphia Magazine interview with Brad Inglesby, I had to share it here. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2021/04/03/mare-of-easttown-brad-ingelsby/?fbclid=IwAR1L_1krBuNBYfntALkeXIgk373PC3p9lHkneQwGiVuh4XtKrh95mCfOexQ Victor Fiorillo did a great job with this interview, and I’ll let him take it from here. Buzz is … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Mare Demands More Time!
Turning Points–Surprising Reads
We read to be surprised. We also read to have our preconceptions reinforced. But openness to new fictional worlds means we allow for the possibility of experiencing a turning point in how we think, how we see. Recently, I finished reading a novel that is described as a "thriller"--not my meat and potatoes as a … Continue reading Turning Points–Surprising Reads
TURNING POINTS—Location, Location, Location
Pictured above is the restored cliff-side village of Cill Rialaig on the west coast of Ireland. Recently, Irish TV ran this beautifully produced piece https://www.rte.ie/player/series/nationwide/SI0000001172?epguid=IH000400597about the amazing artist center that has benefited thousands of painters, musicians, writers, and artists from various fields in the last 30 years. The inside of one of the cottages Watch … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Location, Location, Location
Ned Bachus 