Love Warps the Mind a Little: A Novel

Love Warps the Mind a Little: A Novel PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393285790
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
Reissue of a favorite novel by “a generous and lyric storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) known for his tragicomic voice and unforgettable characters. Ever since Lafayette Proulx quit his day job, left his wife, hauled his dog and his Royal portable across town to Judi Dubey’s house, and set out at last to be a fiction writer, his life has been a sordid mess. Judi’s exotically dysfunctional family isn’t all to blame. Sure, the murders are disconcerting. And, yes, Judi’s father’s gone off the deep end. Worse are the vicious rejection letters Laf gets from editors. To top it off, Laf’s falling for Judi at the same time he’s nettled with guilt, is in marriage counseling with his wife, and is writing his long-hoped-for novel. When Judi is diagnosed with stage IV cancer, they both struggle to find the memory that will comfort, the truth that will redeem in a world where everyone suffers some kind of love disorder. John Dufresne, called “a highly readable Faulkner,” will once again take the literary world by storm with this new tragicomic tale.

Love Warps the Mind a Little: A Novel

Love Warps the Mind a Little: A Novel PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393285790
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Get Book Here

Book Description
Reissue of a favorite novel by “a generous and lyric storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) known for his tragicomic voice and unforgettable characters. Ever since Lafayette Proulx quit his day job, left his wife, hauled his dog and his Royal portable across town to Judi Dubey’s house, and set out at last to be a fiction writer, his life has been a sordid mess. Judi’s exotically dysfunctional family isn’t all to blame. Sure, the murders are disconcerting. And, yes, Judi’s father’s gone off the deep end. Worse are the vicious rejection letters Laf gets from editors. To top it off, Laf’s falling for Judi at the same time he’s nettled with guilt, is in marriage counseling with his wife, and is writing his long-hoped-for novel. When Judi is diagnosed with stage IV cancer, they both struggle to find the memory that will comfort, the truth that will redeem in a world where everyone suffers some kind of love disorder. John Dufresne, called “a highly readable Faulkner,” will once again take the literary world by storm with this new tragicomic tale.

Louisiana Power and Light

Louisiana Power and Light PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0393330524
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A favorite novel by “a generous and lyric storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) known for his tragicomic voice and unforgettable characters. Billy Wayne is the sole survivor of his oddball line of marginal folk. When he acquires a priestly vocation it seems likely he will be the last Fontana, until hearing a young woman’s confession propels him into an impulsive marriage.

The Lie That Tells a Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction

The Lie That Tells a Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393078353
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
"This is the most practical, hard-nosed, generous, direct, and useful guide to writing fiction." —Brad Watson Finally, a truly creative—and hilarious—guide to creative writing, full of encouragement and sound advice. Provocative and reassuring, nurturing and wise, The Lie That Tells a Truth is essential to writers in general, fiction writers in particular, beginning writers, serious writers, and anyone facing a blank page. John Dufresne, teacher and the acclaimed author of Love Warps the Mind a Little and Deep in the Shade of Paradise, demystifies the writing process. Drawing upon the wisdom of literature's great craftsmen, Dufresne's lucid essays and diverse exercises initiate the reader into the tools, processes, and techniques of writing: inventing compelling characters, developing a voice, creating a sense of place, editing your own words. Where do great ideas come from? How do we recognize them? How can language capture them? In his signature comic voice, Dufresne answers these questions and more in chapters such as "Writing Around the Block," "Plottery," and "The Art of Abbreviation." Dufresne demystifies the writing process, showing that while the idea of writing may be overwhelming, the act of writing is simplicity itself.

No Regrets, Coyote

No Regrets, Coyote PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
ISBN: 1782830294
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
It's Christmas Eve in Eden, Florida, and Wylie 'Coyote' Melville, professional therapist and hobbyist forensic consultant, is called to the scene of a horrific crime at a quiet suburban address. Wylie has enough on his plate as it is, his father is slipping deeper into the clutches of Alzheimer's, his new kitten Django is wreaking havoc with the soft furnishings and a homeless man has taken up residence on his front lawn. But a local family has been found brutally slain in their own home, and Wylie's friend Detective Sergeant Carlos O'Brien wants him to use his rare ability to 'read minds', to see the clues. So he starts his own haphazard investigation, but with suspicions of mob involvement and the police strangely keen to shut down Wylie's amateur operation, he might be biting off more than he can chew. No Regrets, Coyote is a wild ride to the dark heart of the Florida underworld. For fans of Christopher Brookmyre, Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard, and introduces a brilliantly original detective with the crime scene skills of Sherlock Holmes and the personal life of Jeff 'the Dude' Lebowski.

Johnny Too Bad

Johnny Too Bad PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393057898
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
A cross between William Faulkner and John Irving, Dufresne masterfully charts the power of truth and lies and the magic hidden in the mundane in this collection of colorful stories.

Storyville!: An Illustrated Guide to Writing Fiction

Storyville!: An Illustrated Guide to Writing Fiction PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393608417
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
A smart and funny guide to writing fiction, with engaging infographics that bring storytelling techniques to life. Whether you are daunted by a blinking cursor or frustrated trying to get the people in your head onto the page, writing stories can be intimidating. It takes passion, tenacity, patience, and a knowledge of?and faith in?the often-digressive writing process. A do-it-yourself manual for the apprentice fiction writer, Storyville! demystifies that process; its bold graphics take you inside the writer’s comfortingly chaotic mind and show you how stories are made. In Storyville!, seasoned guide John Dufresne?whose approach “will anchor the newbie and entertain the veteran” (San Francisco Chronicle)?provides practical insight into the building blocks of fiction, including how to make the reader see your characters, create a suspenseful plot, and revise, revise, revise. Storyville! is a combination handbook and notebook, with original prompts and exercises crafted with Dufresne’s singular dry wit and Evan Wondolowski’s playful and illuminating graphics on every page.

The Word of Flesh and Soul

The Word of Flesh and Soul PDF Author: Ruthanna Emrys
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 1250213231
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
The language of the originators defines reality, every word warping the world to fit its meaning. Its study transforms the mind and body, and is closely guarded by stodgy, paranoid academics. These hidebound men don't trust many students with their secrets, especially not women, and more especially not "madwomen." Polymede and her lover Erishti believe they've made a discovery that could blow open the field's unexamined assumptions, and they're ready to face expulsion to make their mark. Of course, if they're wrong, the language will make its mark on them instead...in Ruthanna Emrys's stunning, dark fantasy story, The Word of Flesh and Soul. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Requiem, Mass.: A Novel

Requiem, Mass.: A Novel PDF Author: John Dufresne
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393069419
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
In the tragicomic mode of his best-selling Louisiana Power & Light, a hilarious and tenderhearted novel about a son's attempts to save his family. John Dufresne takes us to Requiem, Mass., heart of the Commonwealth, where Johnny's mom, Frances, is driving in the breakdown lane once again. She thinks Johnny and his little sister Audrey have been replaced by aliens; she's sure of it, and she's pretty certain that she herself is already dead, or she wouldn't need to cover the stink of her rotting flesh with Jean Naté Après Bain. Dad, truck driver and pathological liar, is down South somewhere living his secret life. And Audrey, when she's not walking her cat Deluxe in a baby stroller, spends her time locked in a closet telling herself stories. Johnny, meanwhile, is hell-bent on saving the family from itself. In his "truly original voice" (Miami Herald) and with the "miraculous beauty of his tale-telling" (New York Times Book Review), Dufresne brings his unparalleled eye for the tragic and the absurd to the dysfunctions and joys of family in this powerful new novel.

Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way

Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way PDF Author: Bruce Campbell
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250099285
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 439

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Book Description
What you're reading right now is known as the "cover copy," or “flap copy.” This is where the 84,951 words of my latest book are cooked down to 350 words or less to capture your imagination/download. I pondered how to do that. Should I cut to the chase and reveal pivotal plot points like the one at the end of the book where the little girl on crutches points an accusing finger and shouts, "the killer is Mr. Porter"? No. I have too much respect for you as an intelligent consumer to attempt such an obvious ruse. But let's not play games here. You clicked your way to this page, so you either: A. Know who I am. B. Like the cool smoking jacket I'm wearing on the cover. Or: C. Thought this was a secret link to Ashley Madison. Is it a sequel to my autobiography If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor? Sadly, no, which made it much harder to write. Is it an "autobiographical novel"? Yes. I am the lead character in the story (coincidentally an actor), and I am a real person, and everything in the book actually happened - except for the stuff that didn't. The action revolves around my preparations for a pivotal role in the A-list relationship film, Let's Make Love! My Homeric attempt to break through the glass ceiling of B-grade genre fair is hampered by a vengeful studio executive and a production that becomes infected by something called the "B-movie virus" - symptoms of which include excessive use of cheesy special effects, slapstick, and projectile vomiting. From a violent fistfight with a Buddhist to a life-altering stint in federal prison, this novel has it all. And if the 84,951 words are too time-consuming, there are lots and lots of cool graphics – all of which have been upgraded to vibrant color since the first publication. I hope you enjoy the book – and if you learn anything at all about making love, please share it with me! Regards, Bruce "Go Ahead and Call Me Ash" Campbell

The Answers

The Answers PDF Author: Catherine Lacey
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374714347
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
NAMED A TOP 10 NOVEL OF 2017 BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND VOGUE, A BEST BOOK OF 2017 BY ESQUIRE, HUFFINGTON POST, POP SUGAR, ELECTRIC LITERATURE AND KIRKUS, AND A 2017 NPR GREAT READ. ONE OF DWIGHT GARNER'S TOP BOOKS OF 2017 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES. A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE AND A FINALIST FOR THE CHICAGO REVIEW OF BOOKS FICTION AWARD. "Like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, [The Answers] is also a novel about a subjugated woman, in this case not to a totalitarian theocracy but to subtler forces its heroine is only beginning to understand and fears she is complicit with." --Dwight Garner, New York Times Mary Parsons is broke. Dead broke, really: between an onslaught of medical bills and a mountain of credit card debt, she has been pushed to the brink. Hounded by bill collectors and still plagued by the painful and bizarre symptoms that doctors couldn’t diagnose, Mary seeks relief from a holistic treatment called Pneuma Adaptive Kinesthesia—PAKing, for short. Miraculously, it works. But PAKing is prohibitively expensive. Like so many young adults trying to make ends meet in New York City, Mary scours Craigslist and bulletin boards for a second job, and eventually lands an interview for a high-paying gig that’s even stranger than her symptoms or the New Agey PAKing. Mary’s new job title is Emotional Girlfriend in the “Girlfriend Experiment”—the brainchild of a wealthy and infamous actor, Kurt Sky, who has hired a team of biotech researchers to solve the problem of how to build and maintain the perfect romantic relationship, casting himself as the experiment’s only constant. Around Kurt, several women orbit as his girlfriends with specific functions. There’s a Maternal Girlfriend who folds his laundry, an Anger Girlfriend who fights with him, a Mundanity Girlfriend who just hangs around his loft, and a whole team of girlfriends to take care of Intimacy. With so little to lose, Mary falls headfirst into Kurt’s messy, ego-driven simulacrum of human connection. Told in Catherine Lacey’s signature spiraling, hypnotic prose, The Answers is both a mesmerizing dive into the depths of one woman’s psyche and a critical look at the conventions and institutions that infiltrate our most personal, private moments. As Mary struggles to understand herself—her body, her city, the trials of her past, the uncertainty of her future—the reader must confront the impossible questions that fuel Catherine Lacey’s work: How do you measure love? Can you truly know someone else? Do we even know ourselves? And listen for Lacey’s uncanny answers.