Letters From Alex

Benjamin Franklin once opined: Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

To me, this speaks to the intersection of writing and life. The more fully you dive into life, the more pearls you’ll fetch up to tell us about.

Franklin fits the bill. He ran newspapers and published an annual best-selling pamphlet, Poor Richard’s Almanack—while also making a name for himself as a statesman, scientist, and inventor of such items as the lightning rod, bifocals, and swim fins.
Continue reading “The Colors of Life”

Those who know me know I’m a lover of the musicals of Stephen Sondheim who passed away last week at the age of 91, just days after watching two new productions of his shows in New York, a perfect way to go for the best of theater pros.

As the actor Josh Gad tweeted: Perhaps not since April 23rd of 1616 has theater lost such a revolutionary voice.
Continue reading “Send in the Sondheim”

I recently had a high time reading Susan Breen’s mystery novel Maggie Dove, the first in her Maggie Dove series. Susan (as some of you know) is a Gotham teacher extraordinaire, as well as a wonderful writer.

The books have an interesting history that illustrates Susan’s persistence. The first two books in the series were published as e-books by Penguin Random House, but the imprint folded. Rather than let Maggie fade away, Susan is self-publishing the series, reprinting the first and second books (Maggie Dove and Maggie Dove’s Detective Agency) and this November releasing a brand new one (Maggie Dove and the Lost Brides), each available now in e-book and paperback.
Continue reading “Publishing Persistence”