***This contains some spoilers*** Decided to check out the Netflix show Godless after hearing great things about it and finding out the writer/director, Scott Frank, is from Ft Walton Beach, which always makes it a bit more special when it’s someone from so close to your home town. I live in Pensacola, Florida for anyone reading this who might not know me. And I love … Continue reading Godless and Cormac McCarthy
For some reason every time I see Pensacola in a book I’m reading, a sense of hometown pride swells in me. For instance, I’m currently reading Tom Robbins’s Another Roadside Attraction and came across this line on page 61: “Despite his silly grin. He was accepted for pilot’s training and was graduated from the Pensacola air school, third in his class.” This line is from Barry … Continue reading Seeing Your Hometown in Novels
When I found out I was going to Chicago for Book Expo America, the first thing I did was google “what do writers do at book expo america” and different variations of that. I didn’t find too much out there to tell new writers what to expect. I read a really good blog post called “Don’t Pay Money for BEA Book Promotion.” After attending, I agree … Continue reading First Time at Book Expo America
Maybe a better question to start this conversation would be “did the picaresque novel ever have a place in American literature?” The picaresque novel is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero.” When I think of the picaresque the first story that comes to mind is Don … Continue reading Does the Picaresque Novel Still Have a Place in American Literature?
It’s pretty exciting to see Native Moments getting some press in the surfing community. The one I really wasn’t expecting showed up on Brazilian site. http://www.surfguru.com.br/noticias/2016/04/livro-explora-surf-trips-como-alternativa-ao-sonho-americano.html http://www.surfersvillage.com/content/sanch-murray-native-moment-all-about-traveling-and-surfing Continue reading Two new press write ups
I finished the 150 pages of edit suggestions from editor #1. I agreed with about 99% of them. Amazing what I missed. I thought I knew every word of that manuscript. I left out words, misspelled words, misused words and had some jumbled sentences that she helped me clarify. On top of her suggestions, I had some really great and brutally honest feedback from a respected … Continue reading First Round of Edits are Finished.
I’ve been doing a lot of starting and stopping when it comes to reading lately. Can’t seem to get fully invested into a book the last few weeks. A buddy of mine has been telling for a while now that I must read Stoner (New York Review Books Classics) by John Williams. It arrived in the mail yesterday. I skipped the introduction because I felt it … Continue reading Stoner, Preorder Contest and The End
You ever get stuck reading the Art of Fiction? Sometimes, I can’t enough. Even if I’ve read them before. Here is one I read today. John Gardner’s #73 from 1979. Enjoy. INTERVIEWER You have been called a “philosophical novelist.” What do you think of the label? GARDNER I’m not sure that being a philosophical novelist is better than being some other kind, but I guess … Continue reading Paris Review Interview with John Gardner
Just spent way too much time procrastinating by redesigning the blog, but I think it looks cleaner and hopefully easier for everyone to navigate. Also, a friendly reminder that Native Moments is now listed at #10 on the Good Reads Anticipated Books for 2016. With a few more votes it may be able to break the Top 5. Continue reading New Look
Someone on Good Reads created a list of the most anticipated literary fiction books of 2016 and Native Moments has been included. If you have a Good Reads account please follow this link and give Native Moments a vote. I promise I’ll ease up on the self-centered posts in the future, but I’m learning all these new websites that I apparently need to be active on. Up until about … Continue reading List of Anticipated Books for 2016
Nic Schuck 