Attending to details so that the bigger picture can emerge.
“Whither goest thou?” asks the Latin title to one of world cinema’s earliest blockbusters, “Quo Vadis?” When it comes to the film studio that made “Quo Vadis?” back in 1913, however, the question becomes not where was it headed but … Continued
Are you looking at this period of home detention as a golden opportunity to begin your novel? It is that, of course. But before you think seriously of getting started, here’s a word of advice: Make sure your subject will … Continued
January 16 marks the 100th anniversary of the law establishing Prohibition. Few people today can understand the grassroots fervor that made the 18th Amendment the law of the land on January 16, 1920. But it did not happen overnight, and … Continued
Watching the body count rise from the backlash over sexual harassment in Hollywood, one might think the days of the “casting couch” are now over. But the phenomenon didn’t start with the movies and it won’t end with Harvey Weinstein’s … Continued
My novels about early Hollywood are verbal time machines designed to lift the reader into a bygone era. When that happens to be the silent film era, it can be a challenge finding the right fictional “voice” for a character, … Continued
The question of “Who knows what?” is not just a question for writers of whodunnits. What does the reader know and when does he know it is crucial to success in every genre of storytelling. In early drafts, it … Continued
A lot changes in the course of shaping a novel. Early in the writing of “The Ben-Hur Murders,” I put more emphasis on the ex-cavalry soldier, Buddy Ardale. He had ridden with the Rough Riders in Cuba, but by the … Continued
I’ve always loved historical fiction. Historical fiction takes us as close as we can get to the people who actually lived through past events. Historians can’t do that; in fact, it’s not their job to do that. But within the … Continued