A monthly letter from Gotham’s president, Alexander Steele (writing advice and other musings)
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”
Throughout much of the world, the summer of 1816 was colder and darker than usual due to a massive cloud of dust released from a volcano the year previous. Famine and depression became everyday affairs.
A group of friends vacationing on the shore of Lake Geneva, kept inside by the dreary weather, entertained themselves by coming up with scary stories, an excellent pastime for such situations. The group included the famous poets Lord Byron and Percy Shelley, but the best story came from Shelley’s 18-year-old lover (and soon-to-be wife): Mary.