Habibullah Kalakani is a character from Afghan history whose life reads like an adventure film. Spanning the roles of bandit, soldier, rebel and finally king, his impact on Afghan history is undeniable, even though he is sometimes dismissed as a side note or aberration. Born in the 1890s in a rural Tajik village north of … Continue reading Habibullah Kalakani – The Bandit King
An Interview with Eddy Boudel Tan
One of the best things about being a writer is that you get the opportunity to connect with other writers. I love being able to see what other people are writing, and then to talk to them about the choices they made, things they tried, things they discarded, etc. Writing can be a very solitary … Continue reading An Interview with Eddy Boudel Tan
An Interview with C.S. O’Cinneide
There are a number of new Canadian writers who I’ve had the chance to meet in the past few years as my own debut novel came out. C.S. O’Cinneide is someone who stands out, though, because of the interesting breadth of the writing that she is doing. She’s not willing to be pigeonholed in any … Continue reading An Interview with C.S. O’Cinneide
Six Books I Think You’ll Enjoy
My new novel, Every Arm Outstretched, is about a month away from launching. Set during the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, it explores universal themes like truth, loyalty and whether the ends can ever truly justify the means. If you’re interested in those things, there are a number of other books that I think you would enjoy … Continue reading Six Books I Think You’ll Enjoy
War is not a genre
I’ve previously written about how the demands of the algorithms that drive online marketing have created more genres than ever (over 13000 distinct genres on Amazon!). But even before this proliferation of categories within literature, some commonly accepted genres were problematic. The “war” genre is one of these. The modern “war novel” as a genre … Continue reading War is not a genre
The Bizarre Story of General William Walker
The word “filibuster” case come to mean a political delaying tactic, using long winded speeches to cause a piece of legislation to fail to pass. But the origins of the term are much darker, as is the history of the most famous of the filibusters, William Walker. The English word comes from the Spanish filibustero, … Continue reading The Bizarre Story of General William Walker