How to market your unpublished novel… or not

I've been listening to the Ringo Starr song, It Don't Come Easy. The song is (forgive the pun) easy on the ears, and it's also kind of an anthem for anyone trying to do something extremely daunting. Like trying to get someone to represent, publish (or heck, read) literary fiction. So, ya want to be …

Introducing “But I Digress”

I'm very lucky. I know a lot of great writers. But like most writers, I'm a bit of a recluse, which means I don't see or talk with them very often. This is my avatar, Michael Missing, drawn by and given me by my late friend Michael Hoover. So I've had a wonderful idea: an …

The Factory: A Novel: The Pitch

What my brain looks like when trying to pitch my fiction. The good news is that I’m done with The Factory: A Novel. Now I need to pitch it (to an agent, a publisher, a movie producer, a doormouse… I suck at pitching my own stuff. There is a short pitch and a long pitch. …

Exquisite New Stories

I know it's just terrible to write so infrequently. As a child I was a terrible pen pal. I will try to do better. Now, I'm not bragging when I say Exquisite. These stories have been published in Exquisite Pandemic, an online magazine recently launched by Rick Whitaker, whom I have known for (Jesus, really?) …

Finally: I Lived in France and So Can You

I’m thrilled to announce that my new book, "I Lived in France and So Can You," is now available through Dzanc Books. Huge thanks to Dan Wickett, who continues to believe in and support my work! Thanks also to Molly Elliott for allowing me to write about part of her life, and to Carol Edwards Hickins for being the …

Baseball, Burgers, and Biere

I recently finished the first draft of a book about my experiences in France managing baseball teams and running an American restaurant. It's all true -- and I decided to write this book because every time I meet new people and they ask about my past, they seem fascinated -- you ran an actual business …

Well What Do You Know

I'm really excited to be able to share my latest novel, The What Do You Know Contest, which is now available as a Kindle book. The title, as those of you who grew up in New York in the '60s and '70s probably remember, is inspired by a contest held by the Board of Ed …

The What Do You Know Contest: Launched!

Mike's new novel The What Do You Know Contest is now available exclusively for Amazon Kindle. Drugs! Treachery! Painted toenails! In this story we follow Max's recounting of his crucible childhood spring and summer of '74, but while we do that, the now-grownup Max's current bullshit bubbles to the surface. A coming of age story …

The What Do You Know Contest

Mike has a new novel I'm hoping to finish up converting and release on Kindle this weekend, so here's a preview! I awoke and kicked off the covers, violently cursing myself under my breath. I had no idea how long I had been asleep or how late it was. I dressed rapidly in the light …

The Review that Got Away

While I'm on the topic of reviews remembered and best forgotten, there's one I just found today that I never knew about until today, and wish I had. (This was all pre-Internet, and I only learned about reviews that my publisher saw fit to send me. Fortunately, Jaz has my back.) Turns out that Spy …

Getting Panned

I had a conversation this afternoon about having a thick skin, and it reminded me of the one really terrible review I got for The Actual Adventures of Michael Missing. It's not really so bad in retrospect, but at the time it felt awful, especially because it came from Kirkus Reviews, which along with Publishers …

Michael Hickins Interviewed on Inside Scoop

Listen in as Michael discusses Blomqvist, religion, vioklence and more on Inside Scoop! Catch the podcast / archive at http://insidescooplive.com/author-pages/Hickins-Michael_Blomqvist.html