We’ve said it before, and will say it again: if you are writing for kids, or reading for kids, or ever were a kid yourself, it behooves you to be a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). That’s where we met Josh Funk.
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Paula Priamos on Writing, Saying “No” to an Agent, and Being a Shyster’s Daughter
We were lucky to receive a stack of books from Rare Bird Books, a publisher we love. We fell for Inside V by Paula Priamos, who also wrote the memoir The Shyster’s Daughter. So we thought we’d pick her brain about writing, thrillers, memoirs, and how she got published.
Eddie Muller, the Czar of Noir, on the Importance of Finding Empathy in Darkness
If you live in the Bay Area, which we did for many years, and you have a penchant for the dark side that draws you toward the underbelly of noir, you know Eddie Muller. He’s a legend. Let’s face it, you don’t get to be the Czar of Noir for nothing.
Barry Lyga on Freedom, Pizza, and Writing Dark Shit for Young Adults
We met Barry Lyga when we were waiting to sign books at the (thoroughly awesome) New England SCBWI conference. This guy is a powerful writer. His new book, Bang, is out, so we picked his brain about books and publishing and whatnot.
Todd Colby on Writing, Poetry, Art and Drunken Boat
We’ve been fans of Todd Colby for a long time. He’s one of the most creative people we know. He’s always making something: art, poetry, mayhem. So when we saw that his new book, Time for History, is out, we picked his fertile brain.
Anna Staniszewski on MFAs, Writing, and Not Teaching Kids Stuff in Your Kids’ Book
Anna Staniszewski is one of our daughter’s favorite authors. Our daughter is nine, with great taste in books, so we always pay very close attention to who she’s loving as a middle grade reader. We were all lucky enough to meet Anna at least year’s New England SCBWI Conference and had the chance to pick her brain after about writing, writers, MFA programs, kids’ books, and whatever else spilled out of our collective heads.
Kate Forest on Amputee Romance, Learning to Write, and the Superpower of Empathy
We’ve known Kate Forest for many years, and it’s been a joy to watch her come into her own as a writer. She has an unusual book out now, and we wanted to pick her brain about how she came up with this fascinating twist on the classic romance.
Joan Garry on Writing, Nonprofits, Online Platform Building and Bringing the Funny
We first met Joan Garry through Susan Weinberg, the publisher of Perseus Books Group. We would never have guessed that she is a top dog when it comes to consulting with nonprofits. Now that her book Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership is out, we wanted to pick her brain about books, writing, and nonprofits.
Jackson Michael on Publishing his Book, Getting his Radio Show, Making his Documentary, and the Houston Oilers
We first met Jackson Michael when he pitched a book to us at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. At that time he was just a guy with a dream and a proposal. Now he is the proud author of The Game Before the Money, a fantastic book about his passion. He has parlayed that success into a radio show and a documentary film. So we picked his brain on how the heck he did it.
J. K. Knauss on Bloody Cucumbers, NaNoWriMo, Bagwyn Books, and Violence
We first met J. K. Knauss when we did a Pitchapalooza at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois, one of our favorite bookstores in the world. We loved her idea for her book, but we were also impressed that she actually wrote a blog post that was very entertaining and formative about the event itself. And now that her new book is out, we wanted to pick her brain about writing, publishing, and all that jazz.
Jeannie Zokan on NaNoWriMo, Aerial Yoga, the Existence of Pity, and Getting Published
We first met Jeannie Zokan several years ago when she was putting together her young adult novel. Years later, it’s become a piece of women’s fiction. The Existence of Pity is out now, so we picked Jeannie’s brain on her travels through the rocky seas of publication.
Kevin Dann on Thoreau, Planet Earth, and Gnawing on Bones
We first met Kevin Dann when we did our Pitchapalooza (think American Idol for books) at the Brooklyn Public Library. He was so sharp, smart, warm yet professional. Now that Kevin’s book Expect Great Things is out, we thought we’d pick his brain on writing, publishing, books and our beautiful planet.
Tyler Knight, xxx-Black Porn God, on Writing Memoir, Sex, and Dangerous Writing
When David first met Tyler Knight, he was blown away by the combination of insight, intelligence, articulation, and smoldering black man porn star sexuality. They’ve been friends ever since. And now that his memoir is coming out, we thought we’d pick his brain on what’s harder, getting into porn or publishing.
Charlie Jane Anders on Writers Building Community, Smushing Genres, & Being an Outsider
It’s hard to be a writer in the Bay Area and not know Charlie Jane Anders. Besides being a prolific writer, she is an incredibly generous networker and runs an absolutely awesome reading series called Writers With Drinks. So we thought we’d check in with her and pick her brain about novels, writing, reading, and all that jazz.
Tamim Ansary on Memoir, Road Trips, Storytelling, Pain and Misery
We first met Tamim Ansary many years ago through an intern who went to the same college as David and Tamim. Having been a professional writer for four decades and taught hundreds of writers in general, and memoirists in particular, David thought he would pick Tamim’s brain about writing, publishing and storytelling, in anticipation of his new memoir Road Trips.
Cathy Camper on Lowriders, Graphic Novels and Diversity in Books
We first met Cathy Camper when she won our Pitchapalooza at the great Portland bookstore Powell’s. The first book in the series did so well that the second one is out now, so we thought we’d pick her brain about books, lowriders, outer space, libraries and diversity in books.
Debra Diamond on Going from Wall Street to Published Author
We first met Debra Diamond when at Pitchapalooza in Politics and Prose, one of the great book stores in America. She has completed an amazing journey from Wall Street money manager to artist, psychic and published author. We thought we’d check in with her and see what she has to report. To read this interview […]
Me & Sally: A True Interspecies Love Story
This was published at Animal: a beast of a literary magazine. It is a true story about when I fell in love with an animal. http://animalliterarymagazine.com/2015/06/01/essay-31/ Me & Sally: A True Interspecies Love Story by David Henry Sterry Sally and I are hired to act in a Michelob beer commercial. The theme of the spot […]
Stephen Mooser on Kids, Books, Writing, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
The Book Doctors were lucky enough to get to keynote the New England chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. If you are in any way, shape, or form interested in writing a book for kids, you’re crazy not to hook up with this organization. There’s so many smart, encouraging, inspiring, learned […]
David Henry Sterry Is In Best Sex Writing 2015
Cumming end of March. On Amazon Twitter: @BestSexWriters Facebook
6 Word Memoir: Abuse, Redemption & Salvation
Raped, survived, self-medicated, hyponotherapized, wrote, redeemed I was alone in Hollywood & a very charismatic man wearing a shirt that said SEXY asked me to his place for a steak dinner. Most expensive meal of my life. Steak was drugged, he raped me, & destroyed […]
Rainbow, the Hippie Yoga Chick Who Paid Me to Learn About Tantric Sex
From my new book Chicken Self:-Portrait of a Man for Rent, 10 Year Anniversary Edition I was 17, studying existentialism at Immaculate Heart College, when I got sucked into the sex business in Hollywood. I didn’t mean to. It’s not like I thought, “I have no money, I have no family, I have no resources, […]
What It’s Like to Get Hit By a Car on a Motorcycle
Weaving and gunning, he whipped it down Fell, timing it just right, so he hit the synchronized lights just as they changed, right on the edge of out-of-control. Divisidaro, Fillmore, Steiner flashed by: boom, boom, boom, George cruising Lili through each light as it turned green, one after another, like magic. Out of the corner […]
Feel the Heat (LA Riot) Poem
It’s raining acid cats and three headed dogs Long live the rat with the monkey on its back Rock candy and salt water taffy and daffy And goofy and dopey and dopey and dopey Feel the heat fell the heat can you fell it can you fell it Amerika amerika god shed her tears on […]
Dolores Has Lost her Clitoris
Dolores Has Lost her Clitoris words: d h sterry pictures: peter seward One Saturday morning Dolores Discovered she’d lost her clitoris. “Oh no! Oh my! Oh how can this be?” “How could I lose my clitoris? Seriously?” Her breath got short and her eyes grew wide She panicked wobbly and shaky inside She looked […]
Chlorine: A 101 Word Story About Murder & Beauty
Chlorine told me over breakfast that she was leaving me. She said she could never love someone with a face as average as mine. My worst fears confirmed, I wept and moaned inconsolably. Desperate, devastated, I wandered the streets until I found an astonishingly handsome man, and cut his face off with a very sharp […]
Black Sheep, A Poem
Black Sheep Deep gray clouds shroud England in mist over Craggy moors flexing Their rugged muscles If you listen hard Enough you can Hear Heathcliff crying CAAAAAAAATHY White sheep graze glazed Chomp chomp chomping On all that green green grass A ewe sits on a stone wall Staring into the infinite Like a fleecy buddah […]
All-American Erotica: 2 Inside Jennifer
2. In Jennifer. The picture in her mind made her melt into wet. William and Jennifer had discussed it. Many times. But neither thought the other could really go through with it. The sun felt good. Blood hot. Bones melting into wet. Smell of coconut oil baking on warm skin. Seasalty air floats on the […]
All-American Erotica: Father James Sins with Mary
James burned. With Mary. With God. With the Devil. With blood fever. Lately Mary came to him every night. Bathed in golden light. Sweet Mary, dripping love, dropping down with the wings of an angel as he lay on his small hard bed, Jesus on the cross behind him bleeding for his sinning. And he […]
Modern American Male: A Poem
Given Half a Chance, the Modern American Male Will a) remain unconscious b) swim to the surface c) discuss black holes
The Book Doctors Pitchapalooza Video: Surprise Teen Winner
This is a Video from when we did Pitchapalooza in our hometown, Montclair NJ. Watch for surprise teenage winner.
All-American Erotica: The New Coach Is Coming over & Gwen Is Wet
You know how you can feel someone staring at you? That’s what Gwen was feeling. It was the first day of soccer practice, and there’s someone staring at me, Gwen thought. Then she turned around and caught him. And he didn’t look away. Neither did she. Deep blue. I’ve never seen eyes that deep and […]