Reviving My Career
In September 2022, I flew to Minneapolis to attend Bouchercon, the annual convention for the mystery and crime community. It was my first Bouchercon in a while. To my dismay, when I entered the convention hall I found that I hardly knew anyone in attendance. A new...Influential Films
Storytelling of all kinds can influence authors and essayists. These are the films that influenced me most and why, listed by release date. The first four I saw originally on TV in my parents’ walk-up in Hoboken. “Double Indemnity” (1944) – In high school,...
No Autographs, Please!
Recently, I faced a conundrum in a bookstore: It had the book I wanted, but its only copy was a signed edition. I stood frozen by the cashier, unable to decide whether to buy it or to return it to the shelf. “Are you sure you don’t any other copies?”...
