I initially scoffed when my former agent Marly Rusoff suggested I attend a publicity seminar for authors. My reasons for scoffing were fueled by ego and insecurity (sides of the same coin, of course), but Ms. Rusoff is a publishing genius, so I figured what the hell. Something good had to come out of four hours in a room with publicists, agents, and media coaches. And lunch was included.

The seminar was called “Book Promotion 101,” created and moderated by the [...]

I have not been lost in the throes of my next book. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about my next book. It’s just…well, it’s just sitting there. Waiting for me to finish editing.

Editing what? Editing various unfinished projects–a few short stories, some articles, the latest draft of my Elvis book. It sounds kitschy, doesn’t it? Elvis book. Of course kitsch isn’t my thing–my pop culture obsession remains in the present, not the past–and there was a time when [...]

Dear Micah-

I’ve asked several authors this question and haven’t yet heard a good answer: How do you come up with your ideas? How do you ensure that the ideas you’ve come up with haven’t been used by someone else?

I’m always afraid that one of my stories has been written by someone else, and I’ll be accused of plagiarism. Since there’s no way to read every short story out there, I wonder if this has already happened.

Thanks for listening,

Shannon

You haven’t heard [...]

A few years ago, after reading Tobias Wolff’s novel Old School, I wondered what had taken me so long to discover his work. Fortunately I read Old School after finishing my similarly-themed first novel. Otherwise–and I can pretty well guarantee this–Wolff’s voice would have crept into my work, looked around, and asked: “Just what the hell are all these adjectives doing here?”

Which may not have been a bad thing. Anyway, I’m proud to announce I’ve been selected as a finalist [...]

It’s been a long time since I received any Gods-related fan mail. Back when it first hit the shelves, accompanied by a sprinkling of publicity, a few readers sent their praises and criticisms. Then it launched in Italy, and clawed its way to the top of the best-seller heap (courtesy of Sonzogno’s killer marketing team), and the fan mail I received was all in Italian. I didn’t understand a word of it. Well, maybe a few words. Mostly the good [...]

My essay “The Blonde or Brunette” appears in the newest issue of Boston Globe Magazine. Credit goes to my editor for giving it a better title than “Weird Science.” Evoking LeBrock, Hall, and Wells was not my intention. Give it a few days–it should hit the stands (do people use stands anymore?) by early next week.

It may be that “Murakami” is a common Japanese name, like Brown or Smith (though I’ve only met one Brown in my life, and two Smiths), and coincidence has nothing to do with the sudden entry of both these excellent artists into my life. Or it might be some sort of sign, which would be nice. It would mean the universe is actually paying attention.

Whatever the cause, fate-tinged or not, I’ve recently discovered both Takashi Murakami and Haruki Murakami. The [...]

So today finds me two weeks removed from finishing Michael Chabon’s Maps and Legends. I’d recently soured on the essay form—figured it was a stopgap between novels, easier to sell than poetry and slightly more relevant. Trouble was I hadn’t found anything that got me excited. Which should be the point, right?

Until this passage leapt from the pages of Chabon’s essay, Trickster in a Suit of Lights: Thoughts on the Modern Short Story:

I’d like to believe that, because I read [...]

It’s long overdue, but I’m finally attending this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, which makes me realize how long I’ve wanted to go. I tend to avoid conventions; my first was the BookExpo America in 2005, when Simon & Schuster launched Gods. It was okay, but I was too stressed to take it all in (highlight: dragging my publicist to the Wizards of the Coast booth, where I geeked out on D&D nostalgia with a fellow thirty-something).

In ages past, Comic-Con was [...]