BOY KILLS GIRL by Rob Lopresti I haven’t written here about folk music in a while, so let’s talk a bit about that great American tradition, the murder ballad. Specifically the popular type that follows this pattern: Boy invites girl to take a walk/ride Boy kills girl Boy is jailed/hung/threatened with damnation Why done it […]

SHUT UP by Rob Lopresti This is an editorial reply to the blog I wrote last week, and with which I entirely disagree. So there. – Rob Lopresti Due to an unexpectedly sharp turn on Employment Street a friend of mine recently found herself with some unwanted spare time. She decided to write a novel, […]

PLOTTING OUT LOUD by Rob Lopresti I have a predicament which is unusual, for me. As I’ve said before (and after two and a half years of blogging I suspect I have said everything before) I generally find characters easy and plots hard. I sometimes think my head is a little waiting room full of […]

TAKING DEDICATIONS by Rob Lopresti I’ve been reading Once Again To Zelda, Marlene Wagman-Zeller’s book about the stories behind dedications of novels. Among the tales she tells my favorites include: * Adam Bede, by George Eliot. In this case, the dedication did not make it into the book. Eliot wanted to salute her husband George […]

UFF, UFF by Rob Lopresti Here’s a pop quiz. Don’t bother to get out a number 2 pencil. There’s only one question. Who is the most popular author of fiction in Germany? I mean someone at a near-J.K. Rowling level of fame. An author whose ouevre is celebrated every year in festivals held near Bavarian […]

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS by Rob Lopresti I am not judging any contests this year so I can share my opinions with you sans abash. These are my favorite mystery short stories of 2009. I don’t claim they are the best, because I only read two magazines and one book. There […]

DEPARTMENT OF ODD SOCKS – VI by Rob Lopresti When you get your mitts on the current, March issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, be certain to spare an hour for the Mystery Classic department which features a tale selected and introduced by yours truly. It is “The Shape of the Sword,” by Jorge Luis […]