Do-Overs

Do-Overs: The Bad Guy Has a Moment
|

Do-Overs: The Bad Guy Has a Moment

Complicated bad guys are nothing new. There’s something delicious about complex entertainment; we’re able to envision ourselves in the shoes of the antihero and exact revenge or serve righteous justice, but we’re also able to vicariously live through their actions that lie outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior. When it comes to our villains, we…

Do-Overs: 5 Books that Tell The Untold Story
|

Do-Overs: 5 Books that Tell The Untold Story

Some of the best rewrites of classic stories come to us through the author’s imaginings of what the original doesn’t say. Through original work that transcends “fan fiction,” these stand-alone novels and plays work best when they have their own story to tell. Whether this is done through expanding narrative summary into scene, giving complicated back…

Do-Overs: Four Strong Female Protagonists
|

Do-Overs: Four Strong Female Protagonists

Historical Fiction isn’t just a man’s world. In fact, several recent historical novels have featured, successfully, stories of bold women who defied odds. In April, I moderated a panel of these writers at the LA Times Festival of Books. Their novels are vastly different, but each presents an old story—a historical one—in an innovative way. As…