Hello and Happy Friday,

I received an e-mail from a very nice fellow writer named Cindy, who is finishing up her second novel; that's always good news from a writer. Well, she mentioned how much she likes Stephen King novels and as you know I’m a huge fan too; he’s in my top three. It was surprising and ironic how she mentioned Mr. King because I’m right now reading the latest novel by his wife, Tabitha King and it’s a good one. The novel is called Candles Burning and it puts you in the mind of the work of another one of my favorite writers, Truman Capote, aided by a touch of Tennessee Williams with it’s southern backdrop and flare.

It’s funny how some writers can be so good, but so quiet; their work not given a parade or other fanfare (and to be married to a world-wide-writing-phenom on top of it yet they toil on and keep writing terrific work. I think it’s because they know they’re good, steady and don’t have to please anyone but themselves; so write what they choose and send it out when they want, an enviable place to be right. Most of us are writers like that I believe--or try to be--we want to please ourselves totally with our writing, more than we want to please any one else because we work so hard on trying to get it just right, again for ourselves.

I like the “quiet writers” like Tabitha King because I know when I stumble across one of her rare novels, I’m going to grab it up because there is no doubt in my mind it’s going to be well-written, with great details, believable characters and a terrific story line; adjectives we want other writers to someday say about our work don't we.

“Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason; they made no such demand upon those who wrote them.” – Charles Caleb Colton

If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: mathewsla@hotmail.com

Until next time, God willing,