Here’s a literary challenge I can really support: one blogger has decided to mix himself every drink mentioned in Thomas Pynchon’s books. You can follow along at his site, Drunk Pynchon.
Drunk Pynchon
Spotlight on Matt Dojny
Year In Reading contributor Matt Dojny has his comics work highlighted by the good folks at The Rumpus.
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$200,000? Who Said Publishing’s On the Outs?
Aspiring novelists, take note: when you get a $200,000 advance for one of your books, don't buy any clothes.
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Tim Weiner Knows Every Secret Ever
Tim Weiner won the Pulitzer Prize for Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. Then, four years after its publication, he received a box of J. Edgar Hoover's "personal files on [FBI] intelligence operations between 1945 and 1972" from a well-connected D.C. lawyer. That treasure trove of information has since wound up in his recently published book, Enemies: A History of the FBI, and he sat with NPR's Terry Gross to talk all about it.
More Money More Problems
Spend too long in Screenplay Fantasy Land, and you'll incur Screenplay Fantasy Debt.
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Distraction-Free Writing Platforms
A new distraction-free writing platform has emerged. Can QuietWrite unseat WriteRoom as the best tool for internet-enabled authors?
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Deceitful Above All Things
Are you familiar with JT LeRoy (or rather, Savannah Knoop ... or wait, Laura Albert), perpetrator of one of the greatest literary hoaxes in recent memory? Author: The JT LeRoy Story is a new documentary by Jeff Feuerzeig that asks questions about whether or not existence is predicated on real-world physicality -- LeRoy's books exist, so doesn't LeRoy exist by association?
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Self-Published, Self-Promoted
Four days ago, The New York Times exposed the practice of purchasing five-star reviews on Amazon. So far, few have offered solutions. A Reddit user explains how to properly read Amazon review graphs through the cloud of purchased hype. Erin Keane calls for independent writers to hold themselves to higher standards.
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