Since I launched my podcast, Inside the Writer’s Studio, in 2017, I have focussed on that medium for talking to you about writing, authors, and books. I’ve recorded 41 episodes now, and if you haven’t listened it, I hope you will. But now that the podcast is well established, publishers send me books to see if I’d like to have the authors on the show. They send me lots of books and pitch more authors than I can possibly interview (I interview one author on each episode and we have two episodes a month). Sometimes, I love the book, but jus don’t have space to fit the author into the schedule. So, I’m going to use this space for an occasional book review for those books. It’s also worth reminding you that I have a new novel coming out in early fall of 2020, so as the time draws near, I’ll keep you posted on that as well. But for now, here’s a review of a book that will keep you turning pages all night long.
My Encounter with a Superhero
My absence from blogging has been due in part to my presence in podcasting. For the past year or so, I’ve been recording and posting my podcast Inside the Writer’s Studio, in which I talk with writers about their lives, their craft, their business, and their latest work. With over 2500 downloads so far, the podcast has gone from a small outreach project for Bookmarks to a show with listeners across the US and around the world. I love talking with other writers and reading their books in depth and with a thought towards an upcoming interview.
Some Thoughts on My Holiday Gifts
I don’t like to complain about the generosity of my truelove in this season of giving, however:
Pears are not in season, so I have had to buy several bags of Purina Partridge Chow to feed my twelve partridges. Also, did you know that partridge guano does not wash out of upholstery?
It turns out that turtle doves are just high class pigeons and pigeons, as we all know, are basically rats with wings. I have twenty-two of them. This explains why the maids are more often running through the house screaming and batting turtle doves out of their hair than they are milking.
Inside the Writer’s Studio
Earlier this year, when I was discussing with the staff of Bookmarks how we could reach more people with our literary programming, I hit on the idea of starting a podcast. Long a fan of James Lipton’s Inside the Actor’s Studio, I floated the idea of a similar platform for discussion, Inside the Writer’s Studio, in which I would talk to writers about their lives, their craft, their business, and their latest work. I’ve been interviewed a lot over the years, mostly by journalists, and while I enjoy these discussions, I find that they often circle back to the same few questions again and again. I thought that a writer interviewing other writers might be able to dig a little deeper.
A Grand Opening
Below is the text of the remarks I made at this morning’s grand opening of the Bookmarks bookstore and community gathering space. Whether you live in Winston-Salem or elsewhere, be sure to stop by and visit this amazing space and check out the great literary events happening there all year round.
My name is Charlie Lovett and I am the president of the board of directors of Bookmarks, Winston-Salem’s literary non-profit. On behalf of the board, our staff, and our volunteers, I’d like to welcome you to the grand opening of Bookmarks’ new home. The building you’re about to experience is so much more than a bookstore. This is a gathering space to form community around the literary arts.
An Afternoon of Fairy Tales
These days I write a monthly column for a neighborhood magazine in Winston-Salem. As a huge supporter of the literary non-profit Bookmarks (I am currently president of the board of directors) I cover all sorts of Bookmarks events from author visits to summer reading programs to our annual book festival. I’m going to start re-posting some of those articles here, for readers who may not live in my neighborhood but would still like to know about some of the cool things that can happen when books are involved. This is from the April column:
Writing About Faith without Getting Preachy
I had the privilege to talk about The Lost Book of the Grail at St. Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia this past Sunday morning. Let me say right off the bat that, although the novel is set in a cathedral and there is a lot of ecclesiastical history and activity within its pages, I made a concerted effort to be sure the book was not preachy in any way. While its characters sometimes struggle with issues of faith or worship, the book takes no authorial stance on these issues. I’m not trying to tell my readers what to believe or what not to believe. I think I succeeded in this effort because I heard recently from a reader who told me she almost didn’t buy the book. She is not a Christian and not a fan of organized religion. However, on advice of a friend, she read the book and told me she enjoyed it very much.
Getting the Music Right
As I’ve been on tour with The Lost Book of the Grail I’ve been showing a collage-like image of a lot of the different books, magazines, places, and even furniture that inspired details in the book. One item in that collage is a CD of John Rutter’s Requiem. I almost always get a question about this—why is Rutter a part of my book?
Blogs, Blogs Everywhere!
It seems like I have been writing blog entries and articles right and left, but with the recent publication of The Lost Book of the Grail, a lot of those pieces have been for other people’s blogs. So, in lieu of a new blog here today, I will direct you to some of the many short pieces that have appeared on other websites and which discuss some of my inspirations, research, etc. for The Lost Book of the Grail.
How to Buy Signed Copies of My Books
Well The Lost Book of the Grail has been out for a couple of days now, so I’m sure by now you have bought a copy and are busily reading it. But just in case you haven’t: I often get queries from readers and collectors about how they can obtain a signed copy of one of my books. I’m sure a lot of authors get these. Some ignore them, some send out their tour schedules, and some have a local bookstore they work with to sell signed copies. I am the luckiest of the lucky, however. Not only do I have a local bookseller who will be glad to sell you a signed copy of The Lost Book of the Grail (or my other books) by mail order, but that bookseller is also a fantastic literary non-profit and when you buy from them you are supporting programs throughout our community.