The Late Bloomer at 56

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At 1:38 a.m. today, I turned 56 years old. The thing is, I don’t feel fifty-six. Maybe this is because, for the past ten years, I’ve been writing about characters 16–17 years old and some of their sense of invincibility has rubbed off on me. All I know is, it really doesn’t seem possible that … Read more

3,697 Days (and Counting)

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For over ten years, or 3,697 days to be exact, I’ve been working on a novel about teens in the 1980s. The novel eventually became so long (over a million words, and twice the length of War and Peace) that I had to split it into nine books or episodes. The result, Bodaciously True & … Read more

The Controversy Begins … BRING IT ON

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Dear Reader, Early readers and reviewers have raved about Bodaciously True & Totally Awesome (to be published January 20, 2026), but a recent review from a Gen Z reviewer made it clear there’s a swath of young people out there who aren’t going to get it. Well, I’ve got news for those younger readers: I … Read more

It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done

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Greetings, Dear Reader. I’m dictating this blog entry while walking on my treadmill, so please excuse me if I ramble or my “smart” phone substitutes incorrect homophones (e.g., “there, their, they’re”). As you’ll soon read, I have a lot going on and need to multitask. I think it’s been over a year since I last … Read more

Another Draft Bites the Dust

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A month ago, I finished the third draft of what I’m calling my “teen epic.” Between December 2023 and the end of April 2024, I cut 175,817 words (or 11.4%) from the 1.5 million-word manuscript, trimming it down to 1,365,148 words. The epic novel is now actually 10 novels, and my aim is to cut … Read more

The Nuclear Submarine U.S.S. Bodacious Resurfaces After Six Months of “Deep and Silent”

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About five months ago, I bought a countdown clock that sits directly below my computer monitor, and for 157 days it’s been ticking down. It’s been ticking down to my self-imposed deadline for the second draft of my behemoth epic novel (a series, actually). Last December, I set a deadline for myself: I would finish … Read more

At the Dawn of a New Age in Art

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My friend Jason Scott and I have been friends since 5th grade–that’s over 40 years–and during that time Jason has continually introduced me to, and shared with me, the latest in computer technology. The other day, Jason shared with me some art that he’d created using an artificial intelligence (AI) art engine called Stable.Diffusion and … Read more

Livin’ the Dream

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A couple weeks ago, I finished the second draft of the third episode (or volume) of the epic-length novel I’ve been writing for seven years. I’m now headed into the homestretch with this draft, since the next episode will be the last one in the series. What this means is, I hope to be finished … Read more

The Seventh Year

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Chris Orcutt enters the seventh year of work on his epic novel.

One Decision that Changed My Life for the Better

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Last weekend, I attended a surprise party for my younger sister’s 50th birthday. The party, hosted by her husband and best friend, was a great success, mostly because she never had a clue about it. During the party, I found myself among some of my sister’s friends from high school. These women were a couple … Read more

Aloneness

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Lately, more than ever, I’ve been thinking about a quote by the late, great playwright Sam Shepard: “Aloneness is a condition of writing. You look at all the writers that have come up with something worth its own salt, and they’re utterly alone.” “Aloneness is a condition of writing.” I’ve come not just to accept, … Read more

F-ck Fifty-one

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Author Chris Orcutt cross-country skiing

This morning, to celebrate my birthday and the fact that I’m probably in the best shape of my life since I was 17, I went cross-country skiing alone at a local state park (James Baird). Anyone who knows me or has followed my blog for a while knows there’s nothing unusual about this. Indeed, it’s … Read more

The Social Distancing Champion Thrives in the Pandemic

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I have a T-shirt with a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald on it. The quote reads, “You don’t write because you want to say something. You write because you have something to say.” This is the reason why I so seldom write blog entries: because I usually don’t have anything to say. Well, now that … Read more

Hard(ish) Times

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Back in March, I wrote a cheeky blog entry about how COVID-19 wouldn’t change my work as a writer a single bit. Turns out, I was wrong. Despite people having more free time on their hands, my and other writers’ book sales are down dramatically. Because schools and libraries are closed for the foreseeable future, … Read more

The Hat

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During the COVID-19 crisis, in addition to writing and revising my magnum opus, I’ve been doing a lot of hiking and mountain climbing. The other day, as I was leaving the house to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail, I reached for my trusty hat. I wore the hat while climbing Mount Washington and … Read more

Come What May, the Writing Life Rolls Along

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This morning I overheard my wife on a conference call with her coworkers at the college where she works. They were discussing how the college plans to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, coming up with various contingency plans. Upon hearing the phrase “contingency plans,” I thought about my life as a novelist and how this … Read more

The Inspiration of New Places and New Spaces for a Novelist

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For a novelist, sometimes a minuscule change in routine, place or living situation can produce a massive shift in perspective that opens the floodgates of creativity. Having moved over 40 times in my 49 years, I’ve experienced this phenomenon often in my writing life. In June 2010, having been back in my high school town … Read more

Spark Joy: In Which a Novelist Applies the Ideas of KonMari to His Entire Life

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Inspired by my organizing genius wife, I recently watched the program Tidying Up with Japanese organization guru Marie Kondo. In the program and in her books (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy), Kondo explains the necessity of keeping in our lives only those objects that “spark joy” for us. If an object … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind The Perfect Triple Threat

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The idea for The Perfect Triple Threat, a collection of three Dakota Stevens mystery novellas, didn’t come to me all at once. Rather, the book grew out of tiny, interesting seedlings that got my attention and wouldn’t let it go. The first glimmers of the book appeared on my radar in the spring and summer … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind A Truth Stranger Than Fiction

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WARNING: This entry contains spoilers about the novel A Truth Stranger Than Fiction. Continue reading at your own risk! Most of my mystery novels, and my fiction in general, start from a kernel of an idea, a factoid, an image. I see or hear something that piques my interest, but whatever it is I sense … Read more

Chris Orcutt’s Favorite Short Stories

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Two weeks ago, I wrote about the backstory of my short story collection The Man, The Myth, The Legend, explaining what was happening in my life at the time to inspire me to write those stories about 10 larger-than-life men from all walks of life. This week I’d like to share some of my favorite … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind Chris Orcutt’s The Man, The Myth, The Legend

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Between 2010 and 2011, I wrote over thirty short stories, many of which appeared in The Man, The Myth, The Legend or as chapters of the novel One Hundred Miles from Manhattan. Back when I was writing them, I was still pursuing publication for them in magazines, including what I then considered the crème de … Read more

On the Virtues of Being Able to Write Anywhere

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Compared to other novelists I know or have read about, I’m something of an anomaly: I’m a novelist who can write just about anywhere. While I enjoy having a dedicated space for my writing, an actual home office, “a room of one’s own” as Virginia Woolf put it, I’m not one of those precious novelists … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind the Second Dakota Stevens mystery, The Rich Are Different — Part 2

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Last week, in Part 1 of the story behind The Rich Are Different, I described my experiences during 9/11 in Manhattan and the months following, and how they pushed me to quit my corporate job and focus on being a novelist full-time. Now, in Part 2, I’m going to describe the development of the novel that … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind the Second Dakota Stevens mystery, The Rich Are Different — Part 1

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The novel that became The Rich Are Different was written during the winter of 2001–02, over a year before I even conceived of the Dakota Stevens Mystery Series. In order to give you a clear understanding of the backstory behind The Rich Are Different, I need to tell you about what I was doing on … Read more

Writing in Asian Restaurants

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I’m writing this blog entry in one of my favorite Asian restaurants: Momiji in Rhinebeck, NY. I’m not exactly sure why, but I’ve been writing in Asian restaurants for over 25 years. Maybe it’s that when Chinese or Japanese waitresses get talking in their native tongues, their voices take on a soothing quality, surrounding me … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind the First Dakota Stevens Mystery, A Real Piece of Work

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A Real Piece of Work and the entire Dakota Stevens Mystery Series might never have happened were it not for a bad office chair. During the winter of 2002-03, I was laid up in bed with an extremely painful herniated disc in my lower back. In addition to writing every day and submitting my stories … Read more

FREE Giveaway! — A Sneak-Preview of the Prequel to The Dakota Stevens Mystery Series

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The story of how Dakota Stevens and Svetlana Krüsh met and became an investigative team is one that has haunted me for 15 years—ever since I opened a fresh notebook and began the “pre-production” that became the first novel in the series, A Real Piece of Work. I knew I wanted Dakota and Svetlana’s introduction … Read more

My Prodigiously Convoluted Yet Miraculously Productive Low-Tech Writing Process — Part 2 — With a Few Modest Writing Secrets

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In the first installment of this piece, I described the first half of my writing process: Writing the first draft in longhand or on a typewriter Storing the completed draft in a drawer Editing the hand- or type-written manuscript with a blue pen Retyping the manuscript into a word processor Now, hold on to your … Read more

My Prodigiously Convoluted Yet Miraculously Productive Low-Tech Writing Process — Part 1

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I’m writing this blog entry on my latest piece of low-tech equipment, an Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter. All told, I now have six typewriters: • The Lettera 32           • A Royal Quiet Deluxe           • An Olympia SM9 Deluxe           • An … Read more

Backstory: The Story Behind Perpetuating Trouble

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The opening sentence of Perpetuating Trouble is absolutely true: “I was told to write this book by a pair of alien girls.” That incident with the alien girls, along with everything else in my memoir about the writing life, really happened. Enter a Pair of Alien Girls On a glittering October morning in 2008, I … Read more

Do Less, Achieve More

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In recent weeks, there has been a lot of positive activity regarding my latest book, my memoir of the writing life, Perpetuating Trouble. But what makes this activity particularly pleasant for me is this: it came about more or less spontaneously, without my having to do much of anything. In fact, you could say that … Read more

Being a Novelist Isn’t a Job, It’s a Lifestyle

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Back in December, after having completed the first draft of a 550,000-word, 1,600-page novel, I took a nearly month-long vacation (my first in years). For one week of the vacation, my wife and I explored Quebec, stayed at at a ski resort, and went cross-country skiing, swimming and hot-tubbing every day. One afternoon in the … Read more

Perpetuating Trouble: I’m Livin’ the Dream! Or Am I?

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I’m pleased to announce the release of my personal memoir about the writing life, Perpetuating Trouble. I’ve been working on this book on and off since 2008, and am finally ready to send it into the world. If you’d like to read more about the memoir, check out this link, or simply read the press release … Read more

Procrastination as a Rarefied Art Form

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A brief excerpt from my new humorous memoir, coming out this fall: I can’t speak for all blocked writers, but when I’m blocked, I seek out conflict with people and institutions, and I channel my creative tension into distractions, raising my procrastination from writing to a rarefied art form. Over the past 25 years as … Read more

The Role of Scaffolding in Writing a Long Novel

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I’m currently 250,000 words into a novel that looks like it will go to 300,000 words. It could go as long as one of my favorite novels, Anna Karenina. Since my longest published novel to date (A Truth Stranger Than Fiction) is only 90,000 words, the novel-in-progress will likely end up being three times as long. … Read more

WANTED: A 21st Century Author Promoter

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I love writing. I love sitting down with half a dozen fresh Blackwing 602 pencils, sharpening them to a razor edge and filling up pages of a notebook with the words of a new novel. I love sitting in front of my Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter and banging out pages. I love typing those pages … Read more

The Ronald And Other Plays: A Political Satire of How Trump Won the Presidency

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Today I’m pleased to announce the release of The Ronald And Other Plays, a collection that includes five short plays and my first full-length play, The Ronald. The collection is available now as a Kindle ebook, and will be published as a print paperback within a week or two. * Summary of The Ronald “Fabulously Caucasian” billionaire … Read more

New Year, New Work

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Back in December I released the latest installment in the Dakota Stevens Mystery Series, The Perfect Triple Threat. I spent most of December and part of January doing promotion for the book, and while the number of reviews of the book so far is small, they have been overwhelmingly positive. If you’d like to learn more … Read more

The Writer with the Master Number Clears the Deck

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Two years ago, when I released the 3rd Dakota Stevens installment, I read one of those rare books that gave me a much-needed kick in the ass. Here is the quote from that book that had the greatest impact on me: “So many unfinished projects wait in drawers, in closets, and on hard drives. They … Read more

Only Have Time for Essentials

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Chris Orcutt walking in Vermont's Green Mountains, photo by Chris Orcutt

“At 46 one must be a miser; only have time for essentials.” — Virginia Woolf, diary, 3/22/1928 I stumbled upon this quotation earlier this week. What struck me most about it was that it expressed a thought I had back in February, when I turned 46 myself, although my version of the thought at the … Read more

Why This 2016 Writer is Going to the Woods

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When Henry David Thoreau went to the woods by Walden Pond in Concord, Mass. in 1845, he had his own, somewhat convoluted, reasons for doing so: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had … Read more

A Lovely Authors’ Luncheon with the Junior League of Poughkeepsie

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Today I attended an Authors’ Luncheon hosted by the Junior League of Poughkeepsie. The luncheon was a benefit to raise money for a JLP–Dutchess Community College scholarship—a cause I was honored to be a part of. I was one of three authors, the other two being historical fiction authors Alyson Richman and Kathy Leonard Czepiel. We … Read more

Out with the Old, In with the New

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A New Year demands new writing projects and a new workspace. And since I’m a writer who is deeply inspired or discouraged by his environment, I need a workspace that has a lot of inspirational quotes, pictures and objects around me when I work. Look closely and you can find all of my talismans and inspirational … Read more

A REAL PIECE OF WORK — NOW ONLY 99¢!

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Today I decided to price A Real Piece of Work, the 1st novel in my critically acclaimed Dakota Stevens Mystery Series, at just 99¢. This price will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. I’m hoping that avid mystery readers, reluctant to pay full price for the first novel in a series, will find the … Read more

Orcutt Books Holiday Sale!

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Since October, I’ve been back at work on a few new projects, including new Dakota Stevens adventures, and to celebrate how well the writing has been going, I’m putting all of my books on sale. From December 20 through January 3 (on most platforms), all of my books are on sale at the bargain price of … Read more

The Awesomeness that is Bond Day

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For about the past 30 years—or ever since I got my driver’s license—my best friend Jason Scott and I have attended the opening of the new James Bond movie together. This has entailed our playing hooky many times—from school, jobs, girlfriends and wives. Welcome to the awesomeness that is Bond Day.   Of course, like the … Read more

The Novelist Heals

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Forget any romantic images you might have of novel-writing: that it’s nothing but staring out big picture windows at the sea and autographing copies of your books. No, unfortunately novel-writing, even if you love it, is a draining, soul-sucking enterprise. While writing my novels, I strive so hard to make each one the very best it … Read more

Farewell, Facebook. Ta-Ta, Twitter. I’ve Got Writing to Do.

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I’ve been tired of social media for a long time. However, like a drug addict, I’ve continued to take hits off it, hoping to get a similar high as in the past, only to discover that no matter how much time and energy I invest in it, I’m never going to get anything substantial back from … Read more

“Almost Nailed It!” – My Appearance on Coast to Coast AM

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It was long. At 2 hours on the phone, it was by far the longest interview I’ve ever done. But it was worth it. To do the interview, I had to stay up way past my usual 10 p.m. (Eastern) bedtime, and I had to pound down half a gallon of coffee beforehand, but it was … Read more

A Helium-3 and Oil Timeline: Is There a Conspiracy Between the U.S. Government and the Fossil Fuels Industry?

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While doing research for my book A Truth Stranger Than Fiction, I found a lot of material on helium-3 and oil, some of which suggested the existence of a conspiracy between the U.S. government and the fossil fuels industry to suppress development of helium-3 and moon mining so that the resources in the Bakken Formation … Read more

Dakota & Svetlana ARE Going to be a TV Series

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I HAVE DECIDED that the adventures of Dakota & Svetlana are going to be a television series.     As I helped a friend with his screenplay today, something occurred to me: Ever since I wrote the first Dakota Stevens mystery, A Real Piece of Work, I’ve always imagined Dakota and Svetlana as a TV … Read more

Why I’m Selling My Books Everywhere Now, Instead of Just on Amazon

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Between January 2012 and this month (over 3 years), I sold my novels on Amazon exclusively. I did this under their KDP “Select” (Kindle Direct Publishing Select) program because I was convinced of the rumors: that if your books were in Select (making them ineligible to be sold on any other platforms), they would get … Read more

Paying Attention as a Fiction Writer

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I have been writing fiction since I was 13 years old, when I first read Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger and was swept away not only by the story, but also by Fleming’s eloquence. This marks the thirty-second year that I’ve been writing (not necessarily publishing) fiction, and one of the things about writing that has never ceased … Read more

Helium-3, Alternative Energy & The China Problem

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Recently I was interviewed by Alternative Energy eMagazine about an issue that plays a part in my most recent mystery novel, A Truth Stranger Than Fiction. The interview follows below, or you can read it on AltEnergyMag.com here.   What is helium-3? What I’m about to talk about might seem far-fetched. It might seem impossible. … Read more

A California Drive-Time Interview with Phil Cowan

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I just enjoyed a terrific 15-minute interview with radio talk show host Phil Cowan of KTKZ AM 1380, Sacramento, California. Before the live interview, I was under the impression that we would only be discussing alternative energy—one of the topics at the heart of my most recent Dakota Stevens mystery novel, A Truth Stranger Than Fiction. … Read more

A Brief Q&A About the New Dakota Mystery

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Is any of A Truth Stranger Than Fiction based in reality? Absolutely. Without giving any spoilers, I can tell you that the heart of the mystery in A Truth Stranger Than Fiction involves a highly controversial current issue—an issue that is inextricably intertwined with the Earth’s future. The novel also deals with corporate profiteering, corporate-government … Read more

Write to Support Your Writing: A Guest Spot on The Author Biz

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Whether you’re an aspiring author or a working journeyman writer, Steve Campbell’s podcast The Author Biz is worth your time and attention. And I’m not saying this just because he recently had me as a guest on his show—a show during which I talked about my experiences with the different kinds of writing I’ve done to … Read more

Why I Write a PI Series

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I wasn’t going to write the latest Dakota Stevens mystery. Back in June of last year, at a reading I gave from my then-new pastoral novel One Hundred Miles from Manhattan, an audience member asked me whether I would be writing another Dakota Stevens novel. I had written the first draft of what became A Truth … Read more

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas

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’Twas the night before the night before Christmas, And all through this writer’s head, Not a bad thought was stirring, not even dread. The writer was thankful, most of all for Alexas, And his many readers and fans, from London to Texas. Thankful, too, for advance readers Hillary and Tony, Upon whom he could always … Read more

A Truth Stranger Than Fiction — Book Trailer

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For the 3rd novel in my Dakota Stevens Mystery Series, I decided I wanted to juice up the book promotion. So, in addition to hiring a publicity company to drive the book launch after January 1, I made a little book trailer.

My thanks go out to Jill Cassidy—the talented voiceover artist who narrates the trailer—as well as all of the talented and generous photographers whose images I was able to use for free under a Creative Commons license. Following are the complete trailer credits:

 

Writer, Editor, Director: Chris Orcutt

Executive Producer: Alexas Orcutt

Narrator: Jill Cassidy
http://voice123.com/jilliancassidy

Theme Music: “La búsqueda de Ianna” by Epic Soul Factory
http://goo.gl/WJREBM

Sound Consultant: Tony Scotto

Book Cover: Lisa DeSpain

Original Dakota Stevens Cover Design: Elisabeth Pinio

 

PHOTOGRAPHS USED IN TRAILER:

* The following are listed in order of their appearance in the trailer. All photos were used under a Creative Commons license that allowed for commercial reuse and modification. Unless otherwise specified, all photos were color originally and were cropped for the trailer. Thanks go out to these talented photographers for making their works available under Creative Commons.

Remko van Dokkum, “MacBook Pro Backlit Keyboard”
http://goo.gl/E5s4zR

David Iliff, “New York Midtown Skyline at Night”
http://goo.gl/n7FMVq

Ken, “Guns & Ammo 1”
http://goo.gl/L8glx5

Kumweni, “Fifth Avenue, New York”
http://goo.gl/1N9res

Milosz1, “Microscope”
http://goo.gl/JUe4Aq

Aleksandr Doodko, “Cool Businessman Standing on Dark Gradient Background”

Adrian Askew, “Reflected Chess Pieces”
http://goo.gl/3UGXem

Gabriel Saldana, “Img_0055 (Runway Legs)”
http://goo.gl/521ySP

Cliffano Subagio, “Brooklyn Bridge Traffic Leaving Manhattan”
http://goo.gl/f7qvQd

Glenn Beltz, “New York Penn Station”
* Already B&W
http://goo.gl/lO9laH

HELVETICA, “The Waves of Maine”
http://goo.gl/U4PV9y

Katharine Shields, “Scenic Camden, ME”
http://goo.gl/HheeBV

Kim Carpenter, “At Schoodic Point, Maine 8607”
http://goo.gl/3qbV19

Colin, “Circuit de la Sarthe 2009_3”
* Car driving away at night
http://goo.gl/R3Zbjv

Angela N., “Upper East Side”
http://goo.gl/18HOOh

Dov Harrington, “11-24-09 (Madison Square Park)”
http://goo.gl/tPLBvd

David Simmonds, “Time in a Bottle (Woman Silhouette)”
* Originally B&W
http://goo.gl/i2heKN

Timothy Tsui, “A Special M4 Carbine for a Specialist”
http://goo.gl/A2StTR

Carol M. Highsmith, “Washington, D.C. – 2007 Aerial View”
http://goo.gl/OrMPSM

Andy Rusch, “Challenger 300 – N306MF”
http://goo.gl/e5Gmbn

Tim Evanston, “Long Long Road – North Dakota”
http://goo.gl/AY1Inx

Nic McPhee, “Sunset at the Buffalo Ridge Wind Farm”
http://goo.gl/8VL5f9

NASA Goddard, “Satellite View of the Americas”
http://goo.gl/yveW0x

Mike Lewinsky, “Autumn Moon No. 1”
http://goo.gl/C79P8R

Jason Scott, “Headshot of Chris Orcutt”
http://goo.gl/d7XD6w

On Recognition and Accolades: Why I Drank the Metaphorical Motor Oil this Year

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It came as a complete surprise to me last week when I found out that another one of my books had been chosen by IndieReader as one of the best books of the year. Last December it was my short story collection The Man, The Myth, The Legend, and this year IndieReader selected my modern … Read more

The Next Dakota Stevens Mystery is Done

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IT’S DONE. After 90,000 words, 6 drafts, endless polishing, and countless tweaks, spell-checks and fact-checks, the next Dakota Stevens mystery, A Truth Stranger Than Fiction, is finished. The novel will be available for pre-order by December 22, and will be released on January 1 or 2. The reason for the January release is so I … Read more

Kirkus Reviews Gives 100 Miles a Rave

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More than anything, we writers want readers—particularly discerning readers and critics—to get our work. We want readers to see the parallels to other literature and to make the comparisons without our having to point these things out. We want readers to appreciate the long hours that we put into making our books as close to perfect as our talent … Read more

Me and My Montblanc

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This is the very short story of a man and his pen. Around 1988, when I went to college to study philosophy, my forward-thinking uncle, Deal Waters, and my aunt, Laverne, knew that I wanted to become a writer and bought me a beautiful pen to encourage me. The pen was (and still is) a Montblanc … Read more

When Your Fetal Book Starts to Kick

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Since mid-June, I’ve been earnestly at work on the third Dakota Stevens mystery novel, but it wasn’t until last week that I felt the fetus that is the new book begin to kick. I’ve heard mothers, some of them friends of mine, describe the thrill of feeling the gestating baby kick for the first time. Many … Read more

To All So-Called Authors: Stop Doing This; You Look Like Idiots

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Maybe I shouldn’t be giving away my writing secrets. Maybe I should be like Ernest Hemingway, who, with the exception of a couple of Paris Review interviews in which he gave cryptic answers to questions about writing craft, was selfish with his knowledge throughout his life and shared very little of it. But there’s something that … Read more

Success at the Millbrook Literary Festival

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I can officially say that this past Saturday’s Millbrook Literary Festival was an unmitigated success. I was concerned about my reading, but it went fine, as did the Q&A afterwards. I also sold quite a few books. Here is a video of the event:   And now, a few photos taken by Alexas during my … Read more

High Stakes for Me at the Millbrook Literary Festival

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If you happen to be in Millbrook, NY this coming Saturday, June 21, drop into the library at 11:15 a.m. and you can hear me read from my new novel, One Hundred Miles from Manhattan. This year marks the 6th annual Millbrook Literary Festival, and I’m being featured in an “Author Spotlight” during the day-long event. My practice reading and … Read more

Thank You, Anne Bernay, Wherever You Are—A Writing Romance

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“Chris, whatever you do, just keep writing.” —Anne Bernay, 5/1994 Twenty years ago this month, I had no idea what I was doing with my life. I knew I wanted to write, and that’s it. That’s all I knew. Since graduating from college in Boston two years earlier, I had been working as a reporter for a … Read more

A Successful Interview with Pam Stack on Authors on the Air

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This evening, I did my first-ever LIVE radio interview, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Host Pam Stack asked me some thought-provoking questions and gave me the opportunity to give detailed answers. There was also a wonderful, unexpected call-in—my friend and colleague Hillary Leftwich, who praised my new novel, One Hundred Miles … Read more

A Written Interview with Authors in the Spotlight with Lucie Dunn

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In my blog post yesterday, I mentioned my upcoming internet radio interview with Pam Stack, host of Authors on the Air, on Wed., April 30 at 8:00 p.m. Well, as a corollary to that interview, Pam’s co-host, Lucie Dunn, does a written interview with authors appearing on Pam’s show and publishes them to her Authors … Read more

My Upcoming Interview with Authors on the Air Host Pam Stack

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On Wednesday, April 30 at 8:00 p.m. EST, I’m being interviewed LIVE on Authors on the Air with host Pam Stack. Besides my new novel, One Hundred Miles from Manhattan, we’ll be discussing my other fiction, the craft of writing, and anything else she decides to ask me. (I’m sure there will be surprises.) Some of … Read more

A Short Documentary on Why I Write in Pencil

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Back in February, my documentary filmmaker friend Jason Scott created a short documentary about me any my use of pencils for writing first drafts. The doc came out last month, but I realize now that it got buried on my “About” page, so many of you probably haven’t seen it.

Anyway, it’s about 3 minutes long, and if nothing else it proves that Jason can film anything—even a guy writing in pencil and talking about them—and it’s going to be interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

ONE HUNDRED MILES FROM MANHATTAN — A Novel by Chris Orcutt — Now Available!

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Please forgive the cumbersome title of this piece. I’m still sick and a little delirious, but I don’t want to put off my readers any longer. I also wanted the title of this to be easily noticed by search engines and such.   This is just a short announcement to let you know that, after … Read more

One Writer’s “Vacation” in a Psychiatric Hospital

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Last Monday, March 17, I said that I was going on a little “vacation” because I had exhausted myself while finishing the novel. The novel had exhausted me, but contrary to what I and others might have suggested, I did not go to a cabin in the woods, nor to a remote, sun-dappled island. The … Read more

One Hundred Miles from Manhattan—A Modern Novel by Chris Orcutt

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Recently I completed work on a book that began as a collection of stories, and which ended up being what I term a “modern novel.” The book is now with my ebook formatter, Lisa DeSpain, and, barring unforeseen complications, will be available for purchase sometime in the next couple of weeks. The title of the novel … Read more

Long Walk Brings Writing Epiphany

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Today, for the first time in weeks, I took a walk. A long walk. I put on my coat and my Boston Red Sox cap, and I walked a quiet road north of where I live. I passed a pheasant farm, which, if you don’t know Millbrook, probably sounds ridiculous. But trust me—around this rarefied … Read more

My Radio Interview on “Murders, Mysteries and Mayhem”

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Today my interview on the Murders, Mysteries and Mayhem program (part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network) aired, and it was a terrific success. The show is hosted by the friendly, knowledgeable and engaging Stephen Campbell, and as I mentioned a few days ago, I was taken aback by how well-prepared he … Read more

One of the Best Indie Books of 2013—THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND

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IndieReader, the trusted and informative web-zine about all things indie publishing, has included my book of short stories, The Man, The Myth, The Legend, on their list of the Best Indie Books of 2013. (Mine is near the end.) Back in July, IndieReader (IR) gave the collection a 5-star review and the distinction of being one of their … Read more

Chris Orcutt & Dakota Stevens Hit the Airwaves

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Today, I’m in my first-ever radio interview. I haven’t heard the completed, edited version yet, so you can bet I’m going to tune in to hear how I did. If you’re interested in hearing about the Dakota Stevens Mystery Series, my fiction, and writing in general, tune in today (Thursday, Dec. 19) at 6:30 pm … Read more

Crossing the Rubicon: Replying to a Rejection from a Literary Journal

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Today I did the unthinkable. In the literary world, what I did is tantamount to crossing the Rubicon. It’s something that, in 20 years of submitting my work to literary journals, I have never done before: I replied to a rejection letter. Actually, I replied to a rejection email (times have changed), but the substance of … Read more

Storytime: Chris Orcutt Reads “The Magnificent Murphy,” His Homage to The Great Gatsby

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Recently I did a radio interview with Stephen Campbell, the terrific host of “Murders, Mysteries and Mayhem” on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. The interview went very well, and it is slated to be available as a podcast sometime in the next few weeks. I will of course post an update about … Read more

The Adventure of the Sherlock Holmes Aficionado

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Thanks to the thousands of readers of my Dakota Stevens mysteries, in the past 18 months I’ve been able to fulfill two lifelong dreams. The first was going to Paris, spending two solid weeks exploring every inch of that gorgeous city, and walking in the footsteps of my literary idols—including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce, Flaubert and … Read more

Everything That’s Wrong With Ebooks

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So I was browsing Kindle books on Amazon earlier today and came upon one that thoroughly pissed me off. Truly, this book represents everything that’s wrong with ebooks. In the content, advertising and book cover, the author details how a writer can write a book a week, and how turning out such a quantity of … Read more

Orcutt Books Back on KDP Select

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This is just a quick entry to let readers know that my books—The Man, The Myth, The Legend; The Rich Are Different; and A Real Piece of Work—are back on the Amazon Kindle platform exclusively. For Amazon Prime members, this means that you can “borrow” any of my books for free. (And I get paid for the … Read more

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND is Now Available!

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After several months of getting the words right, working with my cover designer and ebook formatter, and ensuring that the book I ask readers to buy into is the absolute best  I can make it, I’m finally ready to publish my new story collection, The Man, The Myth, The Legend (MML). Over the past three … Read more

Sneak Preview of THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND

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My new short story collection, The Man, The Myth, The Legend, will be released in less than a week, but I wanted to give readers a sneak preview of the collection’s content, hopefully piquing people’s interest in the book before it appears. A collection of entertaining and unique stories about 10 men, The Man, The Myth, … Read more

Coming Soon: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND

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My new short story collection, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, will be released within a month. In the meantime, here are the professions of the 10 very different men featured in the stories: – African big-game hunter – Writer and bond salesman – Road sign “engineer” – Professional dog finder/dogcatcher – Global grain explorer – … Read more

My Second Office

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Writing full-time is a lonely enterprise. Especially in the winter, and especially if you live in the boondocks, have only one car, and the closest semblance of civilization is a mile away. I used to be content working alone from home all day long, but in the past year the silence has become oppressive. My only … Read more

Driving in the UK: A Survival Guide for Americans

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In June 2013, Alexas and I decided to use the earnings from my books to take another Big Trip. I say another Big Trip because in Sept. 2012 we used the first half of my earnings to spend two weeks in Paris and Normandy. For this second trip, we debated between the UK, Italy, Paris again, … Read more

Two Ideas to Get You Through (The 1st Draft)

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If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you already know that I began writing the third installment in the Dakota Stevens Mystery Series last Monday, and that I’ve written about 18,000 words so far. What you don’t know, because I haven’t spoken about it at all, is what a bitch this first draft has … Read more

Dakota Novels Get 5 Stars from IndieReader

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IndieReader, the popular and informative web-zine about self-published books, reviewed A Real Piece of Work back in February and gave the novel 5 stars. So when I published The Rich Are Different over the summer, I submitted the novel to them for a possible review. They were swamped at the time, but I followed up with them … Read more

Dakota Stevens #3: Starting from Scratch

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While writing the first two books in the Dakota Stevens Mystery Series—A Real Piece of Work and The Rich Are Different—I kept notebooks of other plot ideas, titles, scenes, characters and anything else that occurred to me for future installments. As a result of these notebooks, I had begun two more Dakota novels and created outlines … Read more

Publishing Your Ebook: Don’t Go It Alone

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A year ago, when I published A Real Piece of Work, I did it the hard way. I formatted and converted the book myself. Although I have some web design experience and am relatively comfortable with HTML and XML, and although the final product turned out great, it took me a solid month of 16-hour days … Read more

Thanks for the Incredible Year

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A little more than a year ago, I published A Real Piece of Work for the Kindle, not for a second anticipating the terrific success the book would have. In fact, when I published it, my only hope was to sell 1,000 copies, at which time I would release the second novel, The Rich Are Different. I thought it … Read more

How I Miss Paris

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I miss sitting in a cafe, sipping my cafe creme and writing, with no one looking at me strangely for it. I miss walking the streets alone at dawn, but never feeling alone because I had all of Paris around me. I miss leaning on the bridge railings and gazing out across the shimmering Seine … Read more

Gratitude

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As a writer, it’s easy to fall into the habit of focusing on what’s missing, on the goals you fail to accomplish, and to take for granted the victories you do have. In my own case, I’m in the middle of a major victory. My characters of Dakota and Svetlana are making it possible for … Read more