Lawrence De Maria
Lawrence De Maria, who began his career as a general interest reporter (winning an Associated Press award for his crime writing),eventually became senior editor at The New York Times, where he wrote hundreds of stories and features, often on Page 1. A regular contributor to the weekly Market Place column, he headed the Times’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated coverage during the 1987 stock market crash. After he left the Times, De Maria became Executive Director of the Forbes newsletter division. Then, following a brief stint in corporate America — during which he helped uncover the $7 billion Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme — he returned to journalism as Managing Editor of the Naples Sun Times, a Florida weekly, until its sale to the Scripps chain. De Maria, now a novelist and screenwriter, has published several thrillers and mysteries available on Amazon.com. His website is www.lawrencedemaria.com.
131 entries by Lawrence De Maria
It’s time to stop procrastinating, writers!
Dispatches from my new IG adventure.
Deep Freeze: A Novel
By Michael C. Grumley
This promising thriller ends up leaving readers cold.
A look back at my year in just about everything.
The Vicar: A Novel of Espionage
By A.J. Chambers
An action-packed, implausibly over-the-top MI5 thriller.
(Spoiler alert: Not always.)
What to do about AI-generated writing?
The pleasure of (re)reading James Lee Burke.
Graveyard of the Pacific: Shipwreck and Survival on America’s Deadliest Waterway
By Randall Sullivan
A memoir disguised as an adventure tale.
Beware the Woman: A Novel
By Megan Abbott
Is a mom-to-be in genuine danger or slowly going crazy?
*Unless it’s a bad word.
The Villages’ Daily Sun is more impressive than you might think.
How I became my own self-publishing conglomerate.
Not yet, at least…
Don’t ask me…
Because other writers actually said it…
Which books get to come to my new place?
I’m taking the plunge and selling my novels via multiple sites.
Seriously, that’s an order.
Recalling my time on “The Godfather” set.
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But keep those one-star reviews to yourself…
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A rundown of the best things I’ve read and watched.
How real-life events overtook my novel.
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...and from them, considering how long I’ve been at this.
Why I listen to experts (and why you should, too).
Project Hail Mary
By Andy Weir
Suspend disbelief — and clear your schedule — before tucking into this imperfect yet immersive tale.
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Turns out, Amazon isn’t the worst place to find your next summer read.
Is it finally time for me to write a memoir?
Words matter, but so does the intent behind them.
When the Muse speaks up, better write it down!
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Quote them instead…
It’s time for a little more pandemic reading (and re-reading).
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…What to read while you’re stuck at home.
Turns out, I know a lot about publishing audiobooks.
Not all photos are fake. Except the ones that are.
Like Flies from Afar: A Novel
By K. Ferrari
This thriller isn’t for the faint of heart (or stomach), but it might be the perfect read for quarantine.
Hold off on writing that apocalyptic novel!
Where do my craziest plots come from?
This time, I’m gonna get rich! And quick!
Navigating (or not) the hazards of nonfiction.
The Chestnut Man: A Novel
By Søren Sveistrup
This eerie Scandinavian thriller takes readers through the dark details of a missing-child case.
But only a hundred or so times…
Except when you’re emulating others…
The perils of too much connecting.
Is joining a critique group really a smart step?
…shadowing…boding…telling…warning
Why the things you love belong in your books.
In defense of my never-to-be-read pile
Looking for book recs? There’s a board for that.
Talking audiobooks on the golf course
How to be (effectively) outspoken on paper.
Putting the dreaded task at the top of the list
Loan Sharks
By Charles R. Geisst
Nefarious banking practices have long been with us.
...And why my research sometimes fails it.
When it comes to descriptors, hardly.
The Aisles Have Eyes
By Joseph Turow
If you feel like Big Brother is watching, it’s because he is.
Artemis: A Novel
By Andy Weir
This entertaining sophomore effort from the author of The Martian takes readers to the moon.
Which fiction titles survived?
Which books survived the Mass Culling of 2018?
It takes a lot to turn off my ideas.
Deep Freeze: A Virgil Flowers Novel
By John Sandford
Trouble’s afoot in the frigid North, so the intrepid investigator bundles up and gets to the bottom of it.
Dial down those *#%@& obscenities already!
The importance — and overuse — of backstory
House of Spies: A Novel
By Daniel Silva
Plot devices aside, this is a worthy addition to the Gabriel Allon series.
Authorial advice on making the switch to fiction
Big-screen blockbusters and paperback page-turners have a lot in common.
Loan Sharks: The Birth of Predatory Lending
By Charles R. Geisst
Nefarious banking practices have long been with us.
Following your favorite characters to TV
The nuts and bolts of doing it your way
The Aisles Have Eyes: How Retailers Track Your Shopping, Strip Your Privacy, and Define Your Power
By Joseph Turow
If you feel like Big Brother is watching, it’s because he is.
Why writers and actors should keep speaking their minds.
Serious self-published authors never stop promoting their books.
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack
By Steve Twomey
A riveting, page-turning addition to the WWII canon.
This post-election list has something for everyone.
Anyone still conscious after the presidential election want to hear what I'm perusing these days?
Dial down those *#%@& obscenities already!
When it comes to itemizing writing expenses, leave nothing on the table.
If my publisher calls, I’m under the bed…
It’s not all orange juice and heatstroke down there, you know…
There’s nothing wrong with co-authoring a book — or taking over a series.
Does a mega-author’s rising really raise all ships?
Where has Rex Stout — and his brilliant Nero Wolfe — been all my life?
Never let facts get in the way of a good story
A rundown of writerly tidbits both amusing and horrifying
When it comes to creating characters, good authors don’t discriminate
...is what the Internet is doing to print journalism.
It's not paranoia if everyone's out to get you.
Is your creative muscle all knotted up?
Rethinking Amazon’s pay-per-page system
Why electronic books are on the right track
A writer never really takes time off
Those breathless critics of Amazon doth protest too much...
Random musings on the world of books
The positives — and perils — of book-ranking systems
So many ways to die, so little time
Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam’s Firebase Kate
By William Albracht and Marvin J. Wolf
A debate about strategy — but not courage.
Too young for this, too old for that.
I wonder if my new kids’ books can capitalize on a trend…
The fundamental genius of a master storyteller.
Why manuscripts have so much muscle.