by Jamie Chavez | Mar 2, 2017 | Books You Might Like
After the flurry of greetings, Liz found herself talking to Keith, who was congenial and, she quickly discovered, engaged to a woman finishing her medical residency in San Diego. By the time the chicken breasts had been grilled, and the potato salad, coleslaw, and...
by Jamie Chavez | Feb 20, 2017 | Your Editor Says …
A couple years ago my vet struck up a conversation with me while she was examining my cat. (Bean, for those of you who know my pets.) What do you do? she asked. I always enjoy this question, for a variety of reasons. First, I love what I do and enjoy talking about it,...
by Jamie Chavez | Jan 16, 2017 | Books You Might Like, The Writing Craft
I’ve already written about The Summer Before the War—which I read first (and which is, in fact, the more accomplished novel)—but I really enjoyed Helen Simonson’s novel-writing skills in Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand (the New York Times calls it “funny, barbed,...
by Jamie Chavez | Jan 2, 2017 | Words & Language
Sent in early December … Dear Kroger, Y’all spend a lot of money on these lovely multipage mailers with recipes and beautiful photography and coupons. (I have an idea about how much these things cost, what with the photo shoots and the graphic designers, the postage,...
by Jamie Chavez | Nov 28, 2016 | Words & Language
When I get to the end of an edit, I generally make a list of the author’s “favorite” words and phrases—words he or she used over and over without realizing it. It’s quite instructive. Usually they are words like so and well used at the beginning of sentences of...