The death two weeks ago of my father-in-law, Mark Rowland, got me thinking about where writing talent comes from. He was a respected judge, a pilot, and a legendary outdoorsman, and he crafted exquisite letters, written with a fountain pen on fine stationary, using elegant prose that despite its perfection also conveyed powerful emotions, connection, …
It was a weird feeling to have my former boss and old friend portrayed on television in an eerily perfect copy of his real look and mannerisms. Even the conference room where we used to meet was faithfully reproduced on the ABC series, “Alaska Daily.” Anchorage Daily News editor David Hulen is far from famous. …
For all the attention paid to keeping traditional media alive, not much has been said about how to keep an audience for the survivors. Even where newspapers survive, their readership has shrunk to a small, narrow fraction of what it was when democracy was healthier. And that could be decisive in the next presidential election. …
Dr. David Nash and I had thought Covid had killed our book idea. But in August of 2020, we simultaneously realized the opposite was true. Covid perfectly framed what we wanted to say. And so began one of the most satisfying collaborations of my career, as co-author with a brilliant mind whose skills and knowledge …
Among the great (and some hilariously awful) editors I have worked with over the decades, Rebecca Saletan was among the best. From her I learned how I should work with writers. An audacious move got my first book accepted and assigned to Becky at the most prestigious and storied independent publisher still around at the …
Christine Cunningham explained to me the choice she made between being a vegetarian and a hunter. For her, the two choices were not far apart: they were both about integrity. The integrity of Christine’s writing, and that of her partner Steve Meyer, lights the pages of their book, The Land We Share: A love affair …
Dave Rose had his wry smile even as he told me why we needed to finish up his book faster than we had planned. He was going to Texas for a heart operation, and he didn’t expect to survive. We were sitting across a desk in an office, the setting of many other meetings when …
Here are some of the rules I’ve learned from doing thousands of interviews. Real people are more interesting than famous ones. Preparation can ruin your interview. Lists of questions are worst of all. You’ve got to care about the person and be honestly curious. Interviews are among the most intimate conversations you’ll ever have. How …
During our second conversation, over coffee, it came out that what Dan wanted most at 36 was to grow up. He had been addicted to marijuana for so long he had missed out on maturing as a man. I thought we were going to talk about his public speaking club. I hadn’t thought that topic …
Eyes widen at parties when I tell people I am a ghostwriter, as if I’ve admitted I do something sneaky and slightly nefarious that’s barely legal. What could be more interesting? This happened the other night. I answered a lot of questions. People think this is rare and exotic. You are reading ghost writers all …
