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 463

“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.

My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.

Anton Chekhov

I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.

Stephen Wright

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

Stan Lee

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

Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade, just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.

Truman Capote

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

Robert A. Heinlein

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

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

Edward Albee

Just don’t be boring!

Robert Liebmann

Reading and weeping opens the door to one’s heart, but writing and weeping opens the window to one’s soul.

M. K. Simmons

It always comes down to characters, and individual stories about courage.

Steven Bochco

It is perfectly okay to write garbage — as long as you edit brilliantly.

C. J. Cherryh

I haven’t got 10 rules that guarantee success, though I promise I’d share them if I did. The truth is that I found success by stumbling off alone in a direction most people thought was a dead end, breaking all the 1990s shibboleths about children’s books in the process.

J.K. Rowling

If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.

Jim Morrison

I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as he finishes the book.

Roald Dahl

Biography should be written by an acute enemy.

Arthur Balfour

Anecdotes don’t make good stories. Generally, I dig down underneath them so far that the story that finally comes out is not what people thought their anecdotes were about.

Alice Munro

I have a structured songwriting process. I start with the music and try to come up with musical ideas, then the melody, then the hook, and the lyrics come last.

John Legend

A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it to be God.

Sidney Sheldon

Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river.