As much as I love historical fiction—especially historical fiction set in Russia and Eastern Europe (assuming the authors know what they’re talking about, that is)—I also love mystery stories. Not the hard-boiled, high-body-count variety but the so-called cozy mystery exemplified by Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, and Dorothy Sayers, on whose books I cut my literary eyeteeth back in the day. So it’s no secret that discovering P. K. Adams, a writer who grew up in Poland and wr

It’s my great pleasure to interview Joy Castro for this Spotlight feature. With her permission I’d like to introduce her with her recent (and very attention- getting) Twitter quote: "Wear yourself out physically every day. Meditate every day. Make love every day, even if it's only—‘only’—with yourself. The art you make will be immeasurably better, the work you do in the world will be less anxiety- & ego-driven, & there will be much less bullshit in your life." Your range is e

With this post, Five Directions Press author Joan Schweighardt—the author of The Last Wife of Attila the Hun and Before We Died, among other novels—is reviving our Spotlight series featuring authors both inside and outside our coop. Read on to find out more about the multiple creative endeavors of Fay Rapaport DesPres as she juggles essays, poetry, children’s fiction and—yes—paid work. You have managed to balance a life of professional writing for a variety of clients with yo

Since newer writers are always asking us old-timers for hot tips, this month we are dishing about the psychology of villains, the importance of minor characters, the art of great dialogue, the importance of critique, and how to be the happiest writer on Earth. Courtney J. Hall: “Even the worst villain loves his mother.” I’m not sure where I first heard this; since I started writing seriously, I’ve read so many books, articles, and blog posts on character development that it