It Came from Plan B
A few years ago I had an epiphany about one of my life choices. I was a guest on my buddy Keith’s excellent podcast about… Continue ReadingIt Came from Plan…
Mark A. Rayner
Review: The Serpent of Venice
The Serpent of Venice is a mash-up extraordinaire of The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and The Cask of Amontillado, starring Pocket, the lead from Moore’s… Continue ReadingReview: The Serpent of…
Twain edits
Full quote: I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English – it is… Continue ReadingTwain edits The post…
Writing as Therapy
“Writers get a nice break in one way, at least: They can treat their mental illnesses every day.” ~Kurt Vonnegut Photo by Ruslan Alekso from Pexels The post Writing as Therapy appeared first…
Clown Apocalypse – the first flash fiction
Years later, the survivors discovered the Bozo Virus got its start at Escola de Clown de Girona, near the end of semester. The “Esclowna” was… Continue ReadingClown Apocalypse – the…
Wormageddon
In a playground war of worm-whipping debauchery, a boy must decide if he’s a bully or a Romeo. Continue ReadingWormageddon
Listicle: Ernest Hemingway’s 5 Surprisingly Easy Rules for Writing
Kill adjectivesMurder your darlingsSlaughter long sentencesExterminate repetitionWhiskey, but only after slaking your bloodlust writing
More plaudits for The Fatness
NEW YORK, NY – On June 3rd, New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons announced The Fatness won in the humor category of the annual IndieReader Discovery Awards (IRDAs). The…
Silver IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for The Fatness!
Hey, hey, The Fatness won a Silver in the humor category of the 30th annual IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award™ These awards aren’t well-known generally, but they’re quite prestigious and valuable…
Review: My Hands Were Clean
Tom Bradley is one of those writers who sends me running to the dictionary. That is praise and damnation at the same time, but more of the former. Because like…
Review: The Cache and Other Stories
I thoroughly enjoyed this new collection of short stories and poems, by Sherry D. Ramsey. As always, her fiction is rooted in authentic human emotions, problems and foibles, even when…
Roundup of more great reviews of The Fatness
Reviews continue to get posted about my new book. If you haven’t already checked out Joe Mahoney’s funny video review of The Fatness, you definitely should. There’s also a new…
Assorted Nonsense Reviews The Fatness
My buddy and fellow-writer, Joe Mahoney, has done a charming and funny video reviewing The Fatness. In addition to having wonderful taste, Joe writes fiction himself. You can check out…
IndiePicks Magazine Loves The Fatness
Great review in the January 2018 edition of IndiePicks Magazine! Keelan Cavanaugh has been sentenced to a very different kind of prison. Uncomfortably installed at the Calorie Reduction Centre (CRC)…
London media cover The Fatness
I was really pleased to see how the local media stepped up to cover my new release, The Fatness. On New Year’s Day, the London Free Press published an article…
Long guest post on Booklikes
I have a long guest post up on the Booklikes blog today, in which I describe the process of writing The Fatness. There’s also a giveaway of the book there.…
The Fatness is live!
My fourth novel is available as of today! It’s a satire about concentration camps for fat people and bureaucracy gone mad. (Don’t worry, it’s a love story.) This crazy book…
An Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair
Dear Boris Johnson’s Hair, It’s really not going very well, is it? But it’s not your fault. It really isn’t. In the history of British… Continue ReadingAn Open Letter to…