An interview with, and a new dark thriller novel by, Eric Shapiro.

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An interview with, and a new dark thriller novel by, Eric Shapiro.

October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 464

“Red Dennis,” Eric Shapiro’s new novel, is out. I haven’t read it yet but the reviews are excellent, which isn’t news to me. Eric and I co-founded Ghostwriters Central in 2002. We were partners for some 15 years. While we had this business together, he did an astonishing amount of writing, so I can assure you Red Dennis won’t disappoint. He’s a passionate and supremely capable writer.

Stanley Wheeler interviewed Eric recently. One of his other books, designed to motivate writers to write, is “Ass Plus Seat.” What a great title. Sit down and freakin’ write. LOL

Read Mr. Wheeler’s interview with Eric Shapiro here.

Best wishes, Eric.

A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.

G.K. Chesterton

Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.

Robert A. Heinlein

It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil, trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.

William Faulkner

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

E. L. Doctorow

If you wait for inspiration to write, you’re not a writer. You’re a waiter.

Dan Poynter

A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.

Joseph Conrad

If you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, don’t let some idiot talk you out of it.

Stan Lee

Every writer with half a brain knows to surround himself or herself with editors who are smarter, far more articulate and infinitely better looking.

Chris Claremont

Books aren’t written, they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.

Michael Crichton

Do you know what a playwright is? A playwright is someone who lets his guts hang out on the stage.

Edward Albee

It is only natural to pattern yourself after someone. But you can’t just copy someone. If you like someone’s work, the important thing is to be exposed to everything that person has been exposed to.

Bob Dylan

The road to ignorance is paved with good editors.

George Bernard Shaw

No writer has ever yet been known to hang himself as long as he had another chapter left.

Thomas Wolfe

If you haven’t got an idea, start a story anyway. You can always throw it away, and maybe by the time you get to the fourth page you will have an idea, and you’ll only have to throw away the first three pages.

William C. Gault

Critics are people who sit on the mountaintop and look down on the battlefield. When the fighting is finished, they take it upon themselves to come down from the mountain and shoot the survivors.

Robert Altman

The reason 99% of all stories written are not bought by editors is very simple. Editors never buy manuscripts that are left on the closet shelf at home.

John Campbell

Work on a computer that is disconnected from the Internet.

Zadie Smith

Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it.

Truman Capote

When writing a novel, that’s pretty much entirely what life turns into: “House burned down. Car stolen. Cat exploded. Did 1,500 easy words, so all in all it was a pretty good day.”

Neil Gaiman

The fact is, I don’t know where my ideas come from. Nor does any writer. The only real answer is to drink way too much coffee and buy yourself a desk that doesn’t collapse when you beat your head against it.