EJ Ruek’s The Grimace and The Giggle

Way back when, Steinbeck was mandatory reading: Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, The Grapes of Wrath — all miserable books, hated by everyone in our class because the novels were so saturated with hopelessness, despair, and outright cruelty. “Oh,” but the teachers said, “it’s about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.” [...]

This morning I woke up, fed the cats and the birds, but not the fish.
This morning I woke up the computer after keeping it up last night way past its normal bedtime.
This morning I started my writing day by fielding a couple of requests, then grabbed my coffee and settled in for my morning ritual [...]

You ever heard ants chewing your house down from inside the walls? It’s this faint, constant crunching sound…like Lilliputians eating tiny bites of toast.
If you want to hear it, click this link.*
That’s what was going on inside my brain this weekend.
While this wonderful chewing was happening, I wrote a short story, something I [...]

The article is in the NYTimes here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/31/nyregion/31dith.html?hp

On a forum I monitor…but no longer participate in because of the she-trolls, this revelation came to light. And, folks, if this is publishing, anyone who doesn’t write “titties and beer” is in trouble. Here’s the gist of it, and, should you desire, here’s a link to the author’s post: http://querytracker.net/forum/index.php?topic=987.msg31321#msg31321

A reputable NYC [...]

I think I’ve just been introduced to the fastest literary agent in the world — Nathan Bransford. 
After spending a couple of weeks reading through Mr. Bransford’s blog and wading through everything I could find online and off concerning Curtis Brown, Ltd., I queried Mr. Bransford about my novel, T.W.  Seven minutes after my query left my [...]

In my agency research, I came across this statement by Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency:
“Your main character: I must love your protagonist. I need to relate to this person, male or female, on some sort of an emotional level, not just at the beginning of the book, where you’ve caught my attention, but all [...]

Seeking blood, she lures her victims in with subterfuge and false trappings of grace and good nature. Once sure she has her mandibles near pulsing vein, she strikes, all vestiges of “friendly” dropping to expose a viciousness that harbors ill-will toward all but her sisters in kind. 
Such was my encounter with a woman who names herself JeanneT. 
Lacking [...]

I love to write.  I don’t love wasting time.  I pack a lot into a day, starting my morning very early, at around 3:30AM and ending it around 8PM…after dinner and, sometimes, a good movie.  Lately, instead of writing, though, I’ve been researching literary agents, and, let me tell you, it’s frustrating as all hell. 
Used [...]

Jerome Bixby’s The Man from Earth
Watched this a couple of nights ago, and this is a great movie.  5 stars on Netflix from me. Superb.

Also,
Things We Lost in the Fire
was exceptional: excellent story, superior acting all the way around, brilliantly shot with superb lighting.