Never talk to a writer on a day when the writing isn’t going well.
NEVER TALK TO A WRITER ON A DAY THE WRITING ISN’T GOING WELL
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THE WEIRDEST BOOK EVER PUBLISHED
By Lisa Black Twenty-one years ago when I first picked up Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves from the library on my way to work, I couldn’t resist taking a peek at it after the office had emptied. By the end of the introduction I found myself reading aloud, delighting in the mesmerizing, lyrical...
MURDER AMONG THE RICH AND FAMOUS
By Lisa Black This week I saw House of Gucci—really liked it—and started to wonder: What fascinates us about rich people killing each other? Sure, every society is subject to celebrity worship, but why does that interest increase exponentially when the story involves murder? I have several...
THE BEST SCARY MOVIES EVER
by Lisa Black I love scary movies. I mean love. If you look at my streaming watchlist, it’s 90% horror movies and 10% British crime dramas. And I’m picky—if it doesn’t give me nightmares, it’s not scary enough (only 3 have ever given me nightmares)—and I’ve never found one scary...
WRITERS AND READERS IN MUSIC CITY: FINDING YOUR TRIBE
by Lisa Black Clay Stafford is an award-winning author, screenwriter, and filmmaker who created the Killer Nashville convention in 2006 to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans in order to educate and empower aspiring and established writers. I was asked to be one of the Guests of...
A VERY PRETTY PRISON
Lisa Black in front of the Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield Don’t worry if you recognize the imposing stone structure—it doesn’t mean you have a criminal record. The Ohio State Reformatory at Mansfield was used in several movies but particularly featured in The Shawshank Redemption. The...
TV TO DIE FOR
By Lisa Black A surprising amount of serial killers have appeared on television—and not on a perp walk. Turns out they long for their fifteen minutes on games shows and reality TV as much as the rest of us. Rodney Alcala Rodney Alcala’s father abandoned them when Rodney was ten. Seven years later...
INTO THIN AIR: Writing Thrillers and the Strange Disappearance of the Clinton Avenue Five
On August 20, 1978, five young men disappeared along Clinton Avenue in Newark, NJ. Three of the boys were sixteen, the two others seventeen. None had been in any trouble with the law or were likely to run away. None of the five were ever seen again…
MONSTERS AMONG US
Forensic specialist and author Lisa Black shares a first-hand account of holding hands with a convicted rapist and murderer.
MY BOOK-LESS 2021
I will not have a new book coming out in 2021. Last summer I finished what I thought would be the first book in a new series. My protagonist could be described as ‘like Jack Reacher, if Jack Reacher were a fortyish ex-housewife with no martial arts training.’ I loved it. My agent was enthusiastic...
