Author: Cliff

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.
June 10, 2013

Holding Forth: Story Cycles and Novels in Stories

I recently had business in North Carolina and was invited to participate in a gathering at the home of Marjorie Hudson, author of the…
June 10, 2013

The New Yorker Summer Fiction Issue: “Slide to Unlock” by Ed Park

“Slide to Unlock” by Ed Park Clever. We don’t know why until the end of the story, but the narrator (in second person) is…
June 9, 2013

The New Yorker Summer Fiction Issue: “Rough Deeds” by Annie Proulx

“Rough Deeds” by Annie Proulx In New France (Canada) in the mid 18th Century, Duquet does business with an Englishman to expand his trade….
June 8, 2013

The New Yorker Summer Fiction Issue: “An Inch and a Half of Glory” by Dashiell Hammett

June 10 & 17, 2013, Summer Fiction Issue: “An Inch and a Half of Glory” by Dashiell Hammett The theme of the Summer Fiction…
June 5, 2013

2013 Reading: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak

The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi by Elif Shafak I read this for one of the book clubs I participate in, and…
June 3, 2013

Audio of a Live Interview with Me

One of the oddest things about publishing and promoting a book is giving interviews. I’ve given several over the course of the last four…
May 29, 2013

2013 Reading: Cimarron Rose by James Lee Burke

Cimarron Rose (Billy Bob Holland) by James Lee Burke isn’t a book you should read for the writing. The story is compelling, if only because…
May 28, 2013

Tips for Writers: Talk to People

This isn’t a writing tip, exactly. It’s more of a marketing tip, and one that I expect many writers will find hard to follow….
May 27, 2013

The New Yorker: “We Didn’t Like Him” by Akhil Sharma

June 3, 2013: “We Didn’t Like Him” by  Akhil Sharma In the Q&A with Akhil Sharma we learn that this story was meant to…
May 21, 2013

Tips for Writers: Use Sentence Fragments Sparingly

I had been reading a draft story by a young writer who had fallen into a pattern of using sentence fragments. It was a…