Soapbox


Climbing Goat Mountain: When art imitates life

Goat Mountain by David Vann is a dark, brutal, crackling story about a boy, his father (and his friend) and his grandfather who go deer hunting in the mountains of California in the late 70s. Kathleen read it, liked it, and then recommended I give it a try because she thought I would appreciate the similarities…

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Clark and Kathleen’s top 10 vampires of book and screen

We’ve been immersed in the world of the undead for so long now, we’re growing a bit allergic to the sun ourselves (or victims of polymorphic light eruption, as the undead might call it). A top ten list of the most notable vampires on film and screen is a dangerous undertaking because: one, it requires…

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What is western gothic? (Hint: Longmire meets Preacher)

Western Gothic is a style of fiction that transplants the moody, death-obsessed themes of classic Gothic fiction (think Castle of Otranto or, of course, Dracula) to the wide open, inspiring vistas of the modern west (Riders of the Purple Sage or All the Pretty Horses). We’re pretty sure we invented the genre with the first…

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A letter from John Updike to a young writer

In a classic example of “it’s a small world,” here’s a letter from John Updike to Kathleen from a few eons ago. Writing of the publishing world, the letter is equal parts encouraging, discouraging and raucous about breasts. Here’s the opener: “It probably isn’t a good idea to send mss. to other writers, even if…

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It’s complicated (when your writing partner is also your romantic partner)

Ever heard a writer say, “I’m my own worst critic.” Clearly, they don’t write with a romantic partner. We’ve been writing together for almost two decades now, dating back to a fateful meeting in a Madras, Oregon, truckstop after our fiery relationship exploded and collapsed in on itself. After a two-year forced separation to let…

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