The mere idea of an audio book was precious to me. I couldn’t wait to hear my work — mine mine mine mine mine — fully embodied. I was also terrified: even it turned out well, what if it was different than I would do it? I found that following…

A great place to pitch a high-powered agent. I’ll be teaching twice: · Sunday the 24th BUILD TO A BOOK DEAL: a 1-hour workshop examining the whole of the publishing industry and how to maximize your experience in it to increase the chances of landing a traditional deal. o 9AM — 10AM o Northwest 2 · Saturday the…

From Steve Lipson of San Diego (of Proud Reader photo fame) asked me these two intriguing questions as we watched the Dodgers clobber the Mariners. (Boo.) “The title, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back — “ He thought for a moment. “She had to go that far, and then she had to go there, emotionally. When did you come up with the ‘coming back’ part?” Was that always the plan?” …

and a link to the minis! Cho’s grandmother, Yui Imai, grew up in a town that, in 1920, was absorbed by Shinjuku. Living in what was then called Naito-Shinjuku, the Imai family farmed muskmelons. They did as well as muskmelons allowed. Naito-Shinjuku was an energetic post town, though as inaka (country) as bumpkin could be. The…

Literary Arts in Portland Was hauling ass to get packed and get all the reading stuff together and friggin’ take a shower before I had to catch the train and — to your right is what I returned to. You can see that I am staining some Japanese-style furniture for the mini that I…

Only one more, after this! Japan surrendered on August 14th, 1945. The American bombings had decimated close to 90% of Shinjuku Station and its surroundings. Nevertheless, by August 20th — fewer than two weeks after the country suffered two nuclear strikes and only five days after witnessing the capitulation of…

Thank you, Joseph Gallivan.

Making dollhouse minis from my novel. About a year ago, I started making minis (basically, playing dollhouse), fashioning scenes from my novel or from its backstory. During an interview for The Portland Mercury, slated to run on September 6th, I shared my hobby. The reporter might include the info in the article (headline: Unproductive Novelist Prefers…

An interview on Freelance Writing Direct. Many thanks to Estelle Sobel Erasmus for the thoughts she got jumping around in my head: · a switched-on small press can work for you; · get the book into stores as well as how to set up events and other bookstore promos; · get it into libraries; · be…