What I'm Reading

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd decided to re-read Tony Hillerman's (and Anne's) Leaphorn and Chee mystery series set here in the southwest. I've made it through the first 14 of the 25 books and hope to finish around August. Then I think I'll start another series from the beginning.

Enjoying getting fully immersed in the setting. Even some of the smaller details. Like: The characters drink vats of coffee! Day and night! And Chee eats a lot of bologna sandwiches and mutton stew. And they drive a lot - no surprise given the landscape and how spread out everyone lives.

Makes me want a bologna sandwich and I haven't had one of those for decades.

And it's fun to see ho Hillerman developed as a mystery writer and the way he developed his characters.

YAY local libraries! 

Books 1-18 (by Tony Hillerman)

Books 19-27 (by daughter Anne Hillerman)

New Book Launch! Far From Ordinary

I’m delighted to announce that Far From Ordinary: Predicaments, Misadventures, and Illuminations is now available from Amazon in print and e-book formats. Find it at Amazon here. I hope you'll pick up a copy and that you enjoy it. 

Here’s a brief description:

 

Far From Ordinary: Predicaments, Misadventures, and Illuminations is my quirky collection of essays, poems, and short stories about unpredictable adventures and misadventures. Readers of my work will recognize my passion for juxtaposing well-researched, fascinating facts and eccentric tales about awkward experiences that went seriously sideways. 

 

Adventures provide the fuel for a fulfilling life while misadventures are life's tax for playing full out. To embrace one, we must wrestle the other. Like relishing breathtaking landscapes while on a 9,400-mile solo motorcycle trip around the country and then driving at 70 mph into a screaming, horny, miles-long swarm of fat cicadas on a Chicago highway. 

 

That really happened! Imagine cicada DNA on every surface and in all orifices. 

 

Far From Ordinary is a unique book and I’m super proud of it. If you walk into a bookshop, you’ll find essay collections, poetry chapbooks, and short story collections in separate sections of the store. I know this and have blissfully ignored conventions to offer what I believe is a refreshing and entertaining reading experience. 

I know what you're thinking, dear readers. Ignoring dumb rules is par for my bratty course. Thanks for supporting my work! I hope you enjoy Far From Ordinary. 

How to Write Humor: Learning from Funny Novelists Hiaasen, Evanovich, Moore, Leonard

I will be teaching a two hour workshop on writing humor in May. It will be delivered in person in ABQ and also online - more details coming in case you'd like to register. During the workshop, I'll lead a discussion about the comedic "secret sauces" that four of my favorite writers use to write clever and unique humorous novels. As you might imagine, their approaches and results are different. And ingenious! That's four secret sauces, and I can't wait to delve into them further.

To prepare, I'll need to re-read books by each author and then select the emblematic and secret-sauce-worthy passages I will share during the workshop. 

Poor, poor, me. :-)

What is Autofiction?

I've been seeing more classes and articles pop up that mention autofiction. It's a relatively new term that describes a very old writing practice. Short for autobiographical fiction, autofiction blends fictional and autobiographical story elements.

You might ask: Isn't most fiction a wee bit autobiographical? And isn't it common that nonfiction is sometimes embellished or dramatized?

Yes and yes. But autofiction is a wee bit more specific than this.

According to Brooke Warner in this Publisher's Weekly article, autofiction is not a genre or subgenre. It describes stories that are fueled by the truth. 

Masterclass.com describes autofiction this way, "Autofiction, short for autobiographical fiction, is a genre of literature that combines elements of autobiography and fiction."

I'm quite keen on this quote from storaenso.com: "As well as autofiction being an intriguing concept for the reader – “When you see that this is a novel but that the protagonist's name is the same as the author, you understand that something a little different is happening here,” says Koivisto – it can give authors something special, too."

And this post by Adele Annesi on the Jane Friedman blog is very good. "The writer then melds these realities with fictional plot elements, characters and events in a way that often reads like memoir or autobiography."

This notion that the author is a fictional or quasi-fictional protagonist is quite appealing to me.

I've written several autofiction pieces...well...depending on the definition. But one thing is for sure, it can be fun and freeing to include fictional elements in our autobiographical works. What's important, of course, is that we clarify whether it's truth, autofiction, or fiction. This is something I've done in my upcoming collection, Far From Ordinary. Each piece is labeled so there's no trickery. 

I'm thinking about making my next novel autofiction. Would be a blast to try! Will keep you updated. 

And if you're interested in reading some autofiction - other than mine - the storaenso.com piece linked above has a good list of autofiction novels. Also, a search on Amazon yields and interesting and eclectic list.

For writers: If you're a Lexington, KY based writer, the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning is offering a class on autofiction. And there are others online for those of us who live elsewhere.

Re-Reading Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee Series

I love reading mysteries set in the place I am or will be going on vacation. Now that we're back in New Mexico, I've decided to re-read Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee series. It has been so long since I read most of them and I'd bet I missed a book or two. I don't have any particular timeframe for this endeavor, I'll start at Book #1 and move forward based on my time and availability of the books from my library. 

I love Dark Winds, the TV series based on the books and am looking forward to the third season. Rereading the books will allow me to see more from the television show, I assume.

I met and interviewed Tony Hillerman many years ago while I attended the Taos Writer's Workshop. where he was the keynote speaker. Maybe I'll see if I can find my notes for that conversation and post it here on the blog. He was funny, gracious, and kind. 

I'm finishing the newest book in the Leaphorn and Chee series, now Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series, written by Tony's daughter, Anne Hillerman called, The Way of the Bear. I like the character development Anne has chosen for Bernadette Manuelito - she's stronger. More about the newer books later!