Author Archives: José Iriarte

Impossible Writing Prompt: Create a Believable Character Evil Enough to Pull Off the Writer House Hoax

Posted on July 27, 2011 by José Iriarte

I’ve seen several mentions this week, mostly over Twitter, of the vile hoax played by an individual posing as Jodi Reamer from Writers House. It sounded pretty crappy, but I didn’t go clicking on links to find out more about … Continue reading →

Posted in rants, writing | 2 Comments

Best Books on Writing

Posted on July 26, 2011 by José Iriarte

At writers’ group tonight*, the topic of books on craft came up. Always happy to hear myself talk, I began to expound on which books had worked for me, when our group leader suggested I share the list online instead. … Continue reading →

Posted in writing | 7 Comments

The Archetype of the Tortured Artist

Posted on July 25, 2011 by José Iriarte

I wasn’t particularly familiar with Amy Winehouse before her death. I knew the name, and I had the general impression that a lot of the people I respect admired her art and her intelligence. My days of keeping up with … Continue reading →

Posted in artist's life, close to home | 6 Comments

Heavenly Pizza

Posted on July 24, 2011 by José Iriarte

I have an unhealthy appetite for pizza. For me, it’s always been the perfect food. I’m not sure why a pizza is intrinsically more appetizing than a burger, or steak, pasta, or pretty much anything else; it just is. When … Continue reading →

Posted in food | 4 Comments

Online Argument Fatigue

Posted on July 23, 2011 by José Iriarte

If you’re not familiar with this XKCD strip, then you’re probably not geeky enough to be in my target audience. 😉 Just tonight* I was having a “Someone is wrong on the internet!” moment of my own. It was all … Continue reading →

Posted in assorted nerdom, rants, this I believe | 3 Comments

The Obligatory Space Shuttle Post

Posted on July 21, 2011 by José Iriarte

I was in third grade when the Space Shuttle Columbia took its maiden flight into space. I remember getting up early to watch the launch on our big old oak cabinet TV that took minutes to warm up and showed … Continue reading →

Posted in tech geek | Leave a comment

Bookvenirs

Posted on July 21, 2011 by José Iriarte

Tonight* a bunch of us writerly types were sitting around with some adult beverages, talking about writing, reading, and books in general, when the topic of used books came up. I’ve never lived anywhere where I haven’t visited every used … Continue reading →

Posted in bookish life | 8 Comments

The KidLit Dead Pool

Posted on July 20, 2011 by José Iriarte

I read a lot of Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. The official reason is because I write Young Adult/Middle Grade fiction, and it’s vital to read in the field you want to publish in. The unofficial reason is because … Continue reading →

Posted in bookish life | 8 Comments

Readers Without Borders

Posted on July 19, 2011 by José Iriarte

Today* I heard the news that last ditch efforts to find a buyer to keep the Borders chain open had failed, and that, pending judge approval, the chain could begin liquidating its remaining stores by the end of this week, … Continue reading →

Posted in bookish life | 7 Comments

Warming Up My Pipes

Posted on July 18, 2011 by José Iriarte

I’ve decided to take a cruise in the next few months–of course I’m not telling you when!–and I’m already engaging in my favorite pre-cruise form of daydreaming: selecting my karaoke song list. I know: nerdy, right? It gets a bad … Continue reading →

Posted in music | 1 Comment