Dennis Palumbo, writer and blogger

NEW! MIRROR IMAGE Review

2010-12-15T13:44:00.001-08:00

FYI...

Here's nice new review of my crime novel, Mirror Image, by mystery author Mike Orenduff:

Dennis Palumbo is an established writer with a long line of impressive credits – staff writer for the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter; screenwriter for the film My Favorite Year; author of the fiction novel City Wars and the non-fiction book Writing from the Inside Out; and writer of numerous short stories, articles, and reviews for major newspapers, journals, and magazines.

This impressive background is evident in his first Daniel Rinaldi Mystery, Mirror Image. Rinaldi is a character right out of central casting - tough, troubled, principled, and street smart. Sam Spade with a psychology degree. He may not have come from a script, but I'll wager he's headed for one. This is the stuff movies are made of. The plot is as twisted as the antagonist's mind. The book opens with Rinaldi in a therapy session with Kevin Merrick, a patient trying to deal with the after-affects of being a victim of armed assault who has started to dress like his therapist and copy his mannerisms. As Rinaldi is walking to his car after the session, he hears someone dash away and finds his patient Kevin stabbed and bleeding. The police figure Rinaldi was the intended victim since he was dressing and acting like him. Then they discover that Kevin Merrick was actually an alias.

These are just the first two in a stream of surprises that keep you turning the pages. Mystery readers will have already guessed that Rinaldi soon goes from intended victim to suspect, receives death threats, and has to hunt down the killer himself. Did I mention there is another murder? Yet all these traditional elements have a different twist. Palumbo sets a great scene in Pittsburgh and peoples it with great characters, including the mentally tormented Noah and the femme fatale Casey Walters, right out of an SM dream.

Mirror Image is both thriller and mystery, reminiscent of Jonathan Kellerman but less artificially intellectual and more visceral. Perhaps along the lines of Andrew Vachss' Flood. Mirror Image is a solid, hard-hitting book, not recommended for the squeamish or faint of heart.

As always, I'm grateful to those who've taken the time to read and review my first crime novel.

Best,

Dennis

Fun Photo of MIRROR IMAGE posted by CJ West

2010-11-28T21:20:00.001-08:00

FYI...

Some nice comments and a cool photo posted by CJ West.

Click here: Jen's Book Thoughts: Crime Writers Caught Recommending Crime - Day 14

Take care,

Dennis

MIRROR IMAGE Review in ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE!

2010-11-16T08:26:00.001-08:00

FYI--

Here's a review of Mirror Image just published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, the largest-circulation mystery magazine in the world. Since the first fiction I ever published appeared in that magazine (in 1978!), it's a real thrill to have my first mystery novel reviewed there.

(***...highest ranking)

"A screenwriter turned psychotherapist draws on both areas of expertise in the first novel about Pittsburgh police consultant Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, one of whose crime-victim patients is murdered while dressed in imitation of his psychologist. The short-chapter, multi-reversal thriller offers much better prose, dialogue and characterization than many bestsellers' products and concludes with well-clued and deftly-executed finishing twists."

---Jon Breen, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

Thanks to all of you for your support...and indulgence!

Best,

Dennis

NEW! MIRROR IMAGE Review

2010-11-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

FYI...

Here's a nice new review of my crime novel, Mirror Image.

http://www.litfestmagazine.com/litfest/SUSPENSE_LIT/Entries/2010/11/7_MIRROR_IMAGEBy_Dennis_Palumbo.html

Thanks!

Dennis

BETWEEN THE LINES Interview

2010-11-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

FYI, here's a link to an interview I did for the PBS show Between the Lines.

Just go to the page and you'll see my episode listed first. Just click where it says "View video" and you can watch it.

Click here: Arts & Culture

Thanks!

Dennis

Bouchercon Appearances This Weekend!

2010-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

FYI, I'll be doing two events at this weekend's Bouchercon in San Francisco. Taking place at the Hyatt Regency, it's one of the premiere mystery conventions in the country.

First, I'll be part of the Continuous Conversation on Saturday, Oct. 16th, from 11:30 AM till 12:30 PM, joining a group of terrific fellow mystery authors for spirited conversation about the field.

Later that day, at 3:30 PM, I'll be doing a "30 on the 30" mini-presentation called "Page Fright," addressing writers' block, procrastination, and other perils of the writer's life. As a licensed psychotherapist specializing in creative issues, I've worked with hundreds of writers over the years on such dilemmas.

Signings of my new crime novel, Mirror Image, follow both events.

It's my first Bouchercon, and I'm pretty excited!

Dennis

BOOKLIST Review of MIRROR IMAGE

2010-10-04T14:03:00.001-07:00

FYI, here's a new review of Mirror Image from BookList. (And I didn't pay the guy--honest!)

Mirror Image.
Palumbo, Dennis (Author)
Aug 2010. 334 p. Poisoned Pen, hardcover, $24.95. (9781590587508). Poisoned Pen, softcover, $14.95. (9781590587522).

This debut novel from psychotherapist Palumbo features a psychologist, Daniel Rinaldi, whose client, a college student, is murdered. But here's the twist: the victim, for therapeutic reasons, has lately been imitating Rinaldi's appearance and manner of dress. So naturally Rinaldi believes that he, and not his client, was the intended victim. Wracked with guilt over the incident—he believes his encouragement of the victim's behavior got him killed—Rinaldi sets out to find the killer.

Palumbo, a screenwriter with credits as varied as Welcome Back, Kotter and the classic film My Favorite Year, does an excellent job of building suspense, and Rinaldi, who comes off as likable if a bit self-absorbed, makes a complex protagonist. A solid first novel, especially recommendable to fans of Jonathan Kellerman, Keith Ablow, and Meg Gardiner.
— David Pitt

FYI: My latest Huffington Post blog

2010-09-18T16:49:00.001-07:00

To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment, "I don't know, something about the Tea Party brings out the devil in me..."

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: The Problem with the World...

FYI: My latest Huffington Post blog

2010-09-15T18:10:00.001-07:00

Alert the media! Two Huffington Post blogs, only a week apart!

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: GUT CHECK: Living the Writer's Life

Seriously, I'm glad to be back in the swing of posting for Huff Po. Hope you like this one.

As always, if the mood strikes, please feel free to post a comment.

Thanks!

FYI: Another MIRROR IMAGE review

2010-09-13T08:57:00.001-07:00

Here's another review, just posted, of my new crime novel. Let's hope it's part of a trend...

Click here: Lesa's Book Critiques: Sunday Salon - Mirror Image by Dennis Palumbo

Take care...

Dennis

FYI: NEW Huffington Post piece

2010-09-10T08:37:00.001-07:00

I don't remember if I posted this here already (another sign of my rapidly dwindling brain cells!), but here's my latest Huff Po blog:

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: "MIRROR IMAGE"--Reflections on Fact and Fiction

Thanks!

Dennis

FYI: Nice new review of MIRROR IMAGE

2010-09-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

Just saw this new review of my crime novel, Mirror Image, posted on a very cool site called Bookpleasures.com. In the name of shameless self-promotion, I thought I'd pass it along...

Click here: Mirror Image Reviewed By Lois Henderson of Bookpleasures.com

Thanks!

Dennis

Here's my latest Huffington Post Blog

2010-09-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a while, but here's my latest Huff Po piece...

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: "MIRROR IMAGE"--Reflections on Fact and Fiction

Thanks!

Dennis

New Review of MIRROR IMAGE in Pittsburgh Magazine

2010-08-26T08:52:00.001-07:00

I just got back from Pittsburgh, my home town and the setting of my new crime novel, Mirror Image. Had a great time, saw some old friends, and signed some books at four different area stores.

FYI, here's a nice review of the novel from Pittsburgh Magazine...

Click here: 'Mirror Image' - Pittsburgh Magazine - August 2010 - Pittsburgh, PA

Thanks!

"BETWEEN THE LINES" Appearance

2010-08-12T13:36:00.001-07:00

FYI--

I'll be the guest on PBS' Between the Lines author interview show this Saturday, Aug.14th, at 8 PM. It's on KLCS-TV (which is channel 3 on my cable outfit). You can check klcs.org for schedule info.

Here's the press release they sent out:

LOS ANGELES

KLCS-TV – www.klcs.org

Saturday Night, August 14, at 8:00 PM

Dennis Palumbo - Writing from the Inside Out

Breaking through creative barriers is what this episode is all about. Dennis Palumbo co-wrote the critically acclaimed, Oscar nominated film, My Favorite Year and just published his first mystery novel Mirror Image. But it is his years as a psychotherapist, specializing in the creative process, which brings him to our program.

With his acclaimed book, Writing from the Inside Out, Dennis reveals that you already have everything you need within yourself to create your best work. Keep in mind that this book is not just for writers, but for anyone from artists to teachers and from lawyers to plumbers, who may get caught up fighting emotional wedges no matter what career or journey they are on.

In Writing from the Inside Out, Dennis shows how to transform those psychological blocks to free the creativity within us.

Also, here's some info from the show about another way to watch it:

Remember, you can catch us "On Demand" by visiting www.la36.org. Once there, go to Ch. 200, the Arts & Culture Channel, then scroll down the right hand side until you find the Between the Lines episode you'd like to see.

Hope you get a chance to see it (or Tivo it, or what-have-you).

Thanks!

Dennis

My Appearance on "Suspense Your Disbelief"

2010-08-01T14:32:00.001-07:00

FYI, here's a short biographical essay I was asked to do for Jenny Milchman's website. Thanks to Jenny for giving me the forum!

Click here: Suspense Your Disbelief » Made It Moment: Dennis Palumbo

Meanwhile, I'm gearing up for the release of my new crime novel, Mirror Image, next week...which includes books signings in Pittsburgh (my home town, and the setting of the novel) and a number of appearances at book stores and conferences here in Southern California.

As the blatant self-promoting PR machines chugs along...

All best,

Dennis

MIRROR IMAGE On Sale Next Week!

2010-07-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy these past few weeks, I haven't had a chance to post anything on this pathetic excuse for a blog.

That said, I'm naturally doing so now in the name of shameless self-promotion!

My new crime novel, Mirror Image, goes on sale next week. It's the first in a new series featuring psychologist Daniel Rinaldi, a trauma expert who consults with the Pittsburgh Police.

The publisher is Poisoned Pen Press, and I think they've done a wonderful job with the book. It's available in hardcover, trade paperback and as an audio book.

Moreover, I've been extremely gratified by the advance blurbs the novel has received.

For example:

"Dennis Palumbo establishes himself as a master story-teller with his first crime novel, Mirror Image. Using his background as a licensed psychotherapist to good advantage, Palumbo infuses his fast-moving, suspenseful story with fascinating texture, interesting characters, and the twists, turns and surprises of a mind-bending mystery. Very impressive."

---Stephen J. Cannell (writer/creator of The Rockford Files; New York Times best-selling mystery author)

"Mirror Image is a rich, complex thriller, built around a sizzling love affair. A compelling read, with surprising twists and characters that leap off the page."

---Bobby Moresco (Oscar-winning writer/producer of Crash and Million Dollar Baby)

"Mirror Image is a deviously plotted thriller with lots of shocks and surprises you won't see coming, and a smart, sympathetic hero-narrator who takes you along as he peels back layers of lies and wrong guesses to get closer to the truth."
---Thomas Perry (Edgar-winning, New York Times best-selling crime novelist)

"Dennis Palumbo's experience as a psychotherapist hasn't just helped him make his hero, therapist Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, authentic, human and a man in full, it's endowed him with the insight to craft a debut thriller filled with action, deduction and romance, expertly paced for maximum suspense."

---Dick Lochte, award-winning author and critic

"Dennis Palumbo's novel is stark and disturbing but there's a humanity running through the core of it that makes this book special. Maybe it's Palumbo's dual training – as a writer and as a psychotherapist – that allows him to plumb the depths and bring up not only darkness but those occasional diamonds of light that sparkle and illuminate and make a book worth reading."

---T. Jefferson Parker (Edgar-winning, New York Times best-selling author of The Renegades and Iron River)

"Mirror Image is a standout mind-bender! A wonderfully constructed novel that has you seeing double---and all through the eyes of an intriguingly fresh character: a psychologist. Dennis Palumbo knows his craft. This guy can write."

---Ridley Pearson (New York Times best-selling crime author)

"A gripping thriller, chock full of the desired twists and cliffhangers, with the added layer and intriguing access of a therapist narrator/detective. A page turner!"

---Aimee Bender (New York Times best-selling author of An Invisible Sign of My Own)

Again, the book launches next week. I hope you'll check it out---and if you do, please let me know what you think.

Thanks!

My Latest Column for "In Cold Blog"

2010-06-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've posted, but I've been back-logged with work.

However, FYI, here's my latest column for the true-crime site "In Cold Blog."

Click here: In Cold Blog: Deadline Dread

Hope everyone's having a good summer.

Simple, But Not Easy

2010-05-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted here on my blog, but I've been swamped.

My practice, writing deadlines, planning the PR push for my upcoming crime novel, Mirror Image. The usual suspects.

Anyway, FYI, here's my latest essay for the really cool true-crime site, In Cold Blog:

Click here: TheWrite Mind: Simple, but not easy

Hope you enjoy it!

Writing is Easy!

2010-04-27T08:49:00.001-07:00

FYI, here's the link to the first in a series of columns I'm doing for In Cold Blog, a terrific true-crime site:

Click here: The Write Mind: Real Life and Writing. Easy, Right?

Please feel free to forward to your friends, families, colleagues, mortal enemies, etc.

And, as always, love to hear your thoughts...

New Zealand Interview

2010-04-22T20:48:00.001-07:00

To my pleasant surprise, I was invited to do an interview for Crime Watch, a fascinating mystery-oriented website out of New Zealand. I hope you find it interesting.

http://kiwicrime.blogspot.com/2010/04/9mm-interview-with-dennis-palumbo.html

As always, I welcome your comments, questions, rants, etc.

The Joke That Wouldn't Die!

2010-04-21T14:28:00.001-07:00

FYI, here's my latest blog for the Huffington Post....

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: The Joke That Wouldn't Die

Better Late Than Never!

2010-04-20T13:09:00.001-07:00

When it first came out two years ago, I was gratified by the reviews my collection of mystery short stories, From Crime to Crime, received at the time.

However, to my pleasant surprise, this review of the book just appeared. If anyone's interested, here's the link:

Click here: From Crime to Crime: Mind-boggling Tales of Mystery and Murder Reviewed By Lois Henderson of Bookpleasures.com

I also want to thank those of you who attended my mystery-writing workshop this past Saturday afternoon at Vroman's Bookstore. As always, I was struck by the thoughtful, perceptive questions the attendees asked. Really made it a great experience.

And,of course, I'll keep you posted about the next one...

Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries

2010-04-09T13:26:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know, I'll be presenting a FREE WRITING WORKSHOP at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena next Saturday, April 17, at 3 PM. It's called "Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries."

In anticipation of that event, here's a link to an article of the same title that I did a few years back for The Writer's Store newsletter. Whether you're interested in classic whodunnits, crime thrillers or police procedurals, I hope you'll find it helpful.

Click here: Writers Store: Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries by Dennis Palumbo

BTW, if you'd like some info about the writing workshop, here's a link to the Vroman's Bookstore Events page, offering a description of the event, as well as the store's address and contact info:

Click here: Free Writing Workshop: Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries! | Vroman's Bookstore

Hope to see some of you there!

My Favorite Quote

2010-04-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's a growth industry--the hundreds of books, tapes and videos available on the craft of writing; the multitudes of conferences, seminars and workshops (some of which I've taught myself over the years); the teachers and coaches and gurus promising to reveal the secrets of the "can't-miss" premise, the "never-fails" plot structure, the "you-can't-help-but-love-'em" lead characters.

But in the cacophony of instruction and inspiration competing for the writer's ear, it seems to me a quote from Ray Bradbury emerges from the din. "There is only one type of story in the world--your story."

In all the writing classes I've ever taught, it was always the first quote I put on the blackboard. And now, as a therapist, the essence of that quote is what underlies my support for creative patients struggling to write out of the depths of their own particular truths, no matter how painful or contradictory.

I recall an incident, years ago, when I was Screenwriter-In-Residence at San Francisco State University. I was working with a group of young writers-to-be, one of whom had just read a scene from his script, a political thriller, to the rest of the class. Unfortunately, the scene--in which the hero is trapped by bad guys in a dingy back alley--was flat and uninvolving, though the writer clearly had talent. Moreover, the writing itself seemed tentative...careful, somehow.

I asked the writer what would happen if, instead of his hero, he himself were the guy trapped in that alley.

"You mean, if that were me?" He suddenly became quite animated, as he described the sequence of scary, funny incidents that would befall him. A scene that was unique and particular to a very specific sort of individual--a guy like himself. A human being.

"But this guy's gotta be a hero," he said afterwards. "Like in the movies."

"He is," I replied. "Your hero."

The problem with this student's scene was his attempt to portray what a hero "should" be like. The writing seemed tentative as a result of the tension within him caused by the effort to exclude his own feelings, doubts, and impulses, as though they were inappropriate for a movie hero.

The irony--and the point of Bradbury's quote--is that all writing is autobiographical. Even the student's attempt to write a hero "like in the movies" revealed an aspect of his autobiography, namely, his belief about how a hero needed to behave.

Like it or not, our writing reveals who we are. The story doesn't matter. The genre doesn't matter. Even if you're writing a pirate movie, taking place two hundred years ago, your autobiography informs that script: your own attitude toward heroics, vague memories of some pirate movie you saw as a kid, your fantasies about the "freedom of the seas" or whatever. Even your concern about whether or not your pirate movie is commercial is part of your experience writing it.

On the plus side, it's one of the paradoxes of writing that the more particular and personal a detail in character or story, the more powerfully its impact generalizes out to the audience.

(The specifics of Rocky Balboa's life in the first Rocky film were shared by few in the audience, I'm sure, but everyone understood what he meant by "going the distance." Nor did the reader of Frank McCourt's memoir Angela's Ashes have to grow up in the slums of Dublin to relate to that family's struggle with poverty. Nor did the viewers of the recent film The Blind Side need to have had any life experiences similar to those of the young black athlete to identify with the yearning for someone to appear who believes in you, even when you don't.)

I repeat: All writing is autobiographical. The more you can accept and acknowledge this, the greater the extent to which you can mine your own feelings and experiences to give shape and texture to your work.

Of course, to write from this place, the core of who we are, is damned hard. Often the results are just painful, ambiguous, unformed. Maybe there's something wrong with me, the writer thinks. Maybe I'm not enough...

That's why writing seminars and workshops flourish; why "how-to" books on writing are perennial sellers. Intentionally or not, they validate our belief in some "key" or technique that ensures success; some thing outside of ourselves that we need to learn, or to become.

And, yes, every writer needs to learn story construction, needs to develop craft. But the most important thing a writer needs is the awareness that he or she is enough. That one's feelings, enthusiasms, regrets, hopes, doubts, yearnings, loves and hates are in fact, the raw materials of one's writing talent.

"There is only one type of story in the world--your story." Which means only you can tell it, no matter what form--thriller, romantic comedy, sci-fi adventure--it takes.

It reminds me of another quote I like, from Ralph Waldo Emerson, a pretty fair writer himself. He said, "To believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for everyone--that is genius."

Fallen Redwoods

2010-03-31T14:13:00.001-07:00

Years ago, upon hearing of the death of iconic film director Stanley Kubrick, a friend of mine commented, "Well, that's another fallen redwood in a rapidly dwindling forest."

I was thinking about his remark the other day, in the wake of the recent deaths of two iconic crime writers, Robert B. Parker and Dick Francis.

With his 37 novels featuring private eye Spenser, Parker created a vivid character whose adventures not only were in the best tradition of the genre but also presented a wry picture of contemporary Boston society. The character's popularity was cemented even among non-book readers with the long-running TV series Spenser: For Hire, which starred Robert Urich.

Parker, who died writing at his desk at age 77, received the coveted Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1977 for Promised Land. The same organization named him a Grand Master in 2002.

Well-known for his mysteries set in the world of horse racing, Dick Francis was a former jockey himself and one of the most honored crime writers of all time. He earned three Edgar Awards for Best Novel, and was also subsequently named a Grand Master by the MWA. The salient feature in his stories was the fact that his heroes--men like Sid Halley--were depicted as completely ordinary, maybe even down-on-their-luck men. As in the best films of Alfred Hitchcock, Francis told stories about ordinary men caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

Luckily, the current mystery and crime writing field still has plenty of redwoods standing--from Michael Connelly to Sara Paretsky, Dennis Lehane to Sue Grafton, James Lee Burke to George Pellacanos.

But make no mistake--with the passing of these two great writers, the forest is significantly thinner. (Though the genre is so resolutely healthy, among both writers and readers, that new shoots are popping up every day.)

By the way, if you're not familiar with either of these fine authors, you might want to pick up Parker's first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript, or Dick Francis' Whip Hand, to remedy that lamentable situation.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Was Wrong

2010-03-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

The great American author F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, "There are no second acts in the American life." I think he was wrong.

To that point, here's a piece that ran last year in Written By, the magazine of the Writers Guild of America. Though it's primarily about ageism in the entertainment industry, I think it speaks to the broader issue of ageism in general, especially in these difficult economic times.

What do you think?

----------------------------------------

"Now what?" says the 50-year-old TV writer, sitting opposite me in my therapy office. In the past two staffing seasons, she hasn't even gotten a meeting with a show-runner, let alone a job. As her bills mount up, and her teenager enters an expensive private school, this single mother feels she's beginning to run out of options.

"Now what?" says the 56-year-old screenwriter, whose phone has pretty much stopped ringing. His agent dodges his own phone calls and emails, and his network of contacts keeps dwindling, as former friends and colleagues either struggle with their own career problems or leave the business altogether.

"Now what?...a pretty constant question nowadays from veteran TV and film writers in my practice, sturdy craftsmen who've had the poor taste to get older in an industry that worships youth. Ageism, it seems, has joined death and taxes as an inevitability of Hollywood life. (Though it has spread, like a contagion, to most other careers as well: business, law, advertising, technology.)

Ageism. It's a pervasive issue among the writers that I treat. Wedded with the uncertainty wrought by changing technology and the nation-wide economic meltdown, ageism can seem like just another nail in the coffin of a veteran writer's career. The problem with complaining about ageism is that, like the weather, complaining about it and doing something about it are two different things. Perhaps, as our distinguished cover model Larry Gelbart once said, "The only way to defeat ageism is to die young."

Of course, everyone knows that the marketplace's preoccuptation with youth is ridiculous. Even a cursory look at who spends how much, on what, and where, reveals that catering solely to the young as consumers is financially short-sighted, artistically bankrupt, and morally suspect.

But aside from marketplace concerns, the really insidious aspect of ageism is that it's based on certain "givens" that rarely hold up under examination. To most people, "youth" implies a more imaginative, more subversive, less rule-bound approach to creative work. Yet the facts say otherwise. Most young (or new) artists are often quite conservative, retro, and derivative. The way an artist learns craft is by apprenticeship, by using earlier artists as models. We admire Neil Simon, so our first efforts are very Neil Simon-ish. We love Wilder and Diamond, so our early scripts reflect their same wry, dubious view of the human condition.

It's my belief that the more mature, confident and experienced a writer is, the more likely he or she is to break with convention, to explore more deeply the difficult and idiosyncratic nature of narrative and character. A brief overview of history's most accomplished artists reveals that the majority of their best work was done during their middle-age years.

That said, what can writers do about the reality of ageism in the current market atmosphere? My guess is, not much, at least in terms of affecting the way the powers-that-be operate. After all, myths die hard.

Do I wish things were different? Sure. But as philosopher Stephen Levine reminds us, "Suffering is caused by wanting things to be otherwise."

Do I yearn for a return to an earlier time, when creative artists weren't judged by how much hair (and how few wrinkles) they had, but instead by the depth and relevance of their work? You bet. But, as novelist John Fowles reminds us, "All pasts are like poems. You can derive a thousand things, but you can't live in them."

Am I outraged that studios, networks and production companies cravenly pander to what they think the young consumer wants, instead of promoting writing that takes advantage of a wide range of talents, ages and points of view--meanwhile, ignoring the incontrovertible fact that good stories, well told, appeal to a cross-section of audience types? Yes, I am. But as author and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz reminds us, "You can't build a big business on truth."

In other words, there's no cure for ageism. It's a fact of life. So then the question becomes: what can you do about it?

Right now, writers in my practice seem to be exploring three paths: in the first instance, he or she can accept the rigged rules of the game and write anyway. Truly. About the issues, people and events that inspire the writer. Maybe the marketplace will respond. Maybe it won't. Maybe the writer has to investigate markets that hadn't been considered before—the Internet, the theater, independent films. Maybe the writer tries a new medium: novels, short stories, even non-fiction. Or finds work developing video games, or writing gaming guides. Which suggests casting even a wider net, checking out things like desktop publishing, self-publishing, blogs and newsletters. Not exactly a development deal from Sony, granted, but some writers just need to have their work read. Seen. Communicated.

The second path is one that takes him or her away from writing, as they've usually understood it. They teach, or run workshops. They design software. They work for makers of industrial films, or educational foundations. One former TV writer/producer patient of mine now does videologues for a major hospital chain. One produces promotional material for a large charity. In these kinds of endeavors, they've found a way to use their narrative talents in the service of different forms of story-telling, albeit not in entertainment in the traditional sense.

The third path, much less common, is the path that angles the furthest away from a writer's prior career. In this case, the writer will simply choose to go into a totally different kind of work, unrelated to creative endeavor. The family retail business. The law. One writer joined his brother in a huge import-export concern. But even then, the creative itch can still demand to be scratched. "Maybe," this writer confided to me soon after making this decision, "I'll get to write the company brochure."

But whether writers choose to keep writing in the face of ageism, write in different forms because of it, or find other ways to survive and thrive, they'll manage to keep going. They will. I know. I've seen it, in my practice and elsewhere.

Despite conventional wisdom about the emotional fragility of the artist, most of the ones I know are made of pretty stern stuff, despite---if not because of---the difficulties they contend with daily. Not only do they wrestle with the demands of a fickle and arbitrary marketplace, they have to wrestle with their own demons as well, their own fears and doubts. Yet they do it every day. Scripts get written. TV shows and films get made. Mortgages get paid. Kids get sent to their orthodontists.

I was reminded of this fact recently, in a keynote address given by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Shultz to an audience of dispirited, increasingly-unemployed journalists, most of whom are reeling from the quickening collapse of newspapers and magazines. She urged her audience to remember that they were first and foremost story-tellers, and that society would always need them. Speaking of the journalism industry itself, she said, "The business model may be broken, but you are not broken."

I think her words are equally fitting for Hollywood writers, whether working in film, TV, or online. Story-tellers all, they may be working in an industry whose business model is changing, but they will survive.

Fitzgerald may have said "There are no second acts in the American life," but I believe he was wrong. Hell, this country was built on second acts. And so, by the way, is show business itself. As the country seeks to re-invent itself in the wake of our current economic crisis, so does--and will--the entertainment industry.

Let's face it, every other story we tell is a comeback story. Hopefully, in the end, the struggle to outwit ageism will be a comeback story, too.

FYI: Today's blog

2010-03-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

With the recent release of the film Shrink, starring Kevin Spacey as a troubled psychiatrist, a number of people have told me it reminded them of a Commentary I did for NPR's "All Things Considered" some years back. It concerned the villainous depiction of male therapists on TV and film.

For those who didn't hear it, or would like to hear it again, here's the link:

Click here: A Male Therapist on Screen? Odds Are, He's a Heel : NPR

Feel free to weigh in on the subject, if the spirit moves you.

Practicing Therapy Without A License

2010-03-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

In the recent book about writing creative nonfiction, Keep It Real (Norton; edited by Lee Gutkind and Harriet Fletcher), I provided an essay about the new prevalence among nonfiction writers and biographers to "play therapist" when describing their real-life subjects' inner thoughts and motivations.

I don't believe that a writer can't do this, but only that he or she needs to be extremely careful. For those of you who might be interested in this topic, here's a slightly revised version of that essay. As always, I'd love to have your thoughts.

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In his nonfiction best-seller, The Devil in the White City, Eric Larson delves deeply and convincingly into the mind of the serial killer H.H. Holmes. In fact, making use of newspaper accounts, trial transcripts and other source material, he goes so far as to refute aspects of Holmes' own autobiography, written in prison before his execution.

Larsen even challenges many of the killer's descriptions of his feelings and motivations, inserting his own analysis of Holmes' state of mind.

In his notes at book's end, Larson makes a pretty compelling case for his justification in doing this. But this technique does raise a fascinating question for creative nonfiction writers.

What are the dangers of such "psychoanalyzing" when depicting the inner workings of a real person's mind? Is this not practicing therapy without a license?

It's a charge frequently leveled at nonfiction writers, especially those like Bob Woodward and Doris Kearns Goodwin, who specialize in "re-creating" the thoughts and feelings of historical figures. In the past two decades, biographers of famous individuals have been even more liberal--some would say audacious--in their attempts at psychoanalytic interpretation of their subjects. Hence, we've seen speculation that Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt were gay, famed child psychologist Bruno Bettleheim was a pathological liar and Adolf Hitler was sexually abused.

The point is, today's nonfiction writers delve more intimately than ever into the lives and subjective experiences of the real people they depict. And while this approach has always been a crucial component of the fiction writer's art, there's a specific danger involved when the people depicted actually exist: namely, that much of the authority behind the nonfiction writer's voice (and opinion) derives from the reader's belief that what's being described is "true."

Does this mean there are never circumstances when the thoughts, feelings and motivations of people you're writing about can't be creatively imagined?

Not necessarily. Narrative requires that people do things, and, in life as well as in fiction, people do things for a reason. Even if it's only a reason that makes sense to them. To be deprived of the opportunity to extrapolate what these reasons might be is to sacrifice much of what makes reading about these people interesting and compelling in the first place.

The danger emerges when the nonfiction writer assumes a false sense of objective distance from the inner world of the person being depicted. Whether reading the person's journal, scouring contemporary accounts of the person's actions, or talking with family members and intimate friends about the person's character and habits, it's important that the writer remember that he or she also brings something to the table; i.e., a wealth of personal experiences, prejudices and intentions of one's own.

For example, if you're interviewing someone about the details of his failed marriage, your own relationship experiences create a filter through which you see, hear and draw conclusions about what the subject is saying.

In other words, whether doing research about events that happened before you were born, or as a result of spending the past two weeks living in almost continual contact with your subject, you're bringing so much of your own history and beliefs into the mix that it's presumptuous to assume you're "seeing" things in a completely objective way.

(To take an extreme example, it could be argued that Richard Pollack's biography of Bruno Bettelheim, mentioned above, is undeniably influenced by the fact that Pollack's younger brother was a patient who died in Bettelheim's care under suspicious circumstances!)

Is there a way for nonfiction writers to explore the possible feelings and motives of their characters that makes narrative sense, is psychologically astute and persuasive, yet still respects the limitations of what the writer can truly know? The answer is yes, if done with skill and a real awareness of these limitations.

Among recent examples, perhaps the best is Sebastian Junger's, The Perfect Storm. Without much real information about the ship captain's decision-making process, nor the manner in which the ship was lost, nor even a clue about one single event that actually transpired during the fishing trip, Junger managed to convey his understanding of the physical and psychological rigors of sword-fishing, as well as the various navigational choices available to the crew as the storm approached.

He also presented a moving and vivid depiction of what the experience of drowning might have felt like. This was all accomplished by clearly stating that what he was describing was based on conjecture, the experiences of other fishermen he'd interviewed, and the utilization of his own imagination.

This presentation invites the reader to go on a journey into Junger's created impression of what might have happened. What results has the ring of truth, rather than the solidity of fact and is perhaps the more powerful because of it.

In other words, rather than practicing therapy without a license, the task for the creative nonfiction writer becomes, as always, about simply practicing the art of good writing.

A Recent (sort of) Q & A

2010-03-12T08:32:00.001-08:00

In case you might be interested, here's a Q&A I did a couple years back with Wendy Burt, who runs a very nice site for writers. It was in conjunction with my PR efforts for my then-new collection of mystery short stories, From Crime to Crime. But it serves as a nice intro to those of you who don't know me (and, probably, an irritating self-serving puff piece to those who do!).

Regardless, here it is:

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Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (My Favorite Year; Welcome Back, Kotter, etc.), I'm now a licensed psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in creative issues. My patients are primarily TV and film writers, actors, directors, novelists, journalists and nonfiction book authors. My office is in Sherman Oaks, California, not far from where I live.

Currently, I write articles and reviews for such publications as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Lancet and others. I also blog on The Huffington Post, do Commentary for NPR's All Things Considered, and frequently guest on radio and TV interview shows.

My short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Strand and elsewhere. My latest book, From Crime to Crime (TallFellow Press), is a collection of such mystery stories. Prior to that, I published a nonfiction book, Writing From the Inside Out (John Wiley), as well as a sci-fi novel, City Wars (Bantam Books).

1. Tell us about your latest book.

It's a collection of mystery short stories, as I said, but somewhat unique in that most of the stories feature a group of amateur sleuths based on real people—a California therapist (me) and three of my friends. I like to describe it as Desperate Husbands Meets Columbo.

There are also three stand-alone stories in the collection, one of which features a female police psychologist as protagonist. There's also a story involving a serial killer in Switzerland in 1904, whose path crosses that of a penniless patent clerk named Albert Einstein…

2. How did you get started as a writer?

Many years ago, in the early 70s, soon after I arrived in LA from the East Coast, I started writing spec TV scripts with another, much funnier guy named Mark Evanier. I'd also been writing jokes for Gabe Kaplan's stand-up act, so when his show Welcome Back, Kotter was looking for a new, young (read "cheap ") writing team, we were lucky enough to get the gig. Mark and I split up amiably after a couple years, and I went on to work on other TV series, and also started writing films.

After a good, successful run as a Hollywood writer, I went through a kind of mid-life crisis, which took me all the way to the Himilayas…yes, cliché that it is, I did the whole Razor's Edge thing and lived in Nepal for months, trekking with sherpas, staying in huts and temples…Really an amazing experience. When I returned to LA, I went back to grad school at night (while still writing TV and film scripts by day), until, six years later, I got licensed as a psychotherapist and retired from show biz. I've been in private practice ever since (about 19 years).

Funnily enough, I write as much (if not more) now than I ever did—books, articles, reviews, etc.—and enjoy it much more, too.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

Simple. I see patients from 9 AM to 6 PM, but write every day at lunch. If I'm on deadline, I write for a few hours in the evening. But mostly it's a daily task, at lunch, so I don't have time for procrastination! And as the saying goes, if you just write a page a day, at the end of the year you have a book.

4. Describe your desk/workspace.

I write at the same desk I've written on since I started as a young TV writer. It's an old public school teacher's desk, which I bought at a used furniture store in the early 70's for $100. It used to be in my house, but when I went into private practice I had it moved to my therapy office. I'm pretty superstitious about it…everything from My Favorite Year to articles for The New York Times to my mystery short stories have been written on it.

My office itself overlooks the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard (right across the street from the Sherman Oaks Galleria, made famous by such "Valley Girls" as Moon Unit Zappa). Four stories up, with a whole wall of picture windows, I have a great view of LA smog most days…though after a rain, I can see all the way to the mountains.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

So many, it's hard to pick any five (or ten, or a hundred). So I'll just stick with good books for writers. Off the top of my head, The Writing Life by Annie Dillard, On Moral Fiction by John Gardner, and Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman. Plus Life Work by Donald Hall, Mastery by George Leonard, and The Courage to Create by Rollo May. I also think every writer should re-read The Great Gatsby once a year, for its clarity of language and exquisite tone. 60,000 perfect words, as far as I'm concerned.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

1) Well, as I mentioned, I lived in the Nepal for a while…but prior to that I went to mountain-climbing school and ended up climbing Mt. Rainier and the Grand Tetons. Technical climbs, with ropes and pitons and the possibility of actually falling to my death. That's one.

2) I didn't know a soul in show biz when I got to LA, so I figured the only way to let people know I could write humorous material was to become a stand-up comic. Which I did. I became a regular performer at the famed Comedy Store, where I met, among others, Garry Shandling and David Letterman. (I don't know whatever happened to those two guys, though I hear they've gone on to do pretty well for themselves.) I was a lousy stand-up, by the way, but luckily Gabe Kaplan saw my act and hired me to go on the road and write material for him. He hired me with the encouraging words, "You're a crappy comic, but you write funny stuff." But, hey, it got me started…

3) The fact that I left a successful career as a TV and film writer to become a psychotherapist. It's either interesting or crazy, or maybe both, but either way I'm glad I did.

7. Favorite quote

Novelist Peter DeVries: "I only write when I'm inspired, so I see to it that I'm inspired every morning at 9 AM."

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

Best? You get to communicate what's in your mind and heart to others. It's a way to combat the existential loneliness at the heart of the human condition.

Worst: The above-mentioned loneliness.

9. Advice for other writers

The same advice I was given by a veteran show business friend about any creative endeavor: Don't try to follow trends, or change what you write because you believe it will sell. Just keep giving them you, until you is what they want.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience.

I went with my producer to a meeting, to pitch a film idea to a couple executives at a major Hollywood studio. It was a Friday afternoon, always a bad sign, but I gamely went ahead and started pitching to the two suits, one a male, one a female. After a few minutes, the woman excused herself to go to the ladies' room. I went on pitching. A few minutes later, the guy got up to return a phone call. Neither one ever came back.

Finally, after about 20 minutes of sitting anxiously and waiting, the producer and I got up and sort of wandered the now-abandoned hallways and cubicles (it was now after 5:30 PM). Turns out, we were literally the only ones left in the entire building.

Later, of course, we were told that each exec had just assumed the other would return and hear the rest of the pitch. But at the time, the producer and I just figured they'd skipped out. As we drove out of the empty studio lot, I said to the producer, "Gee, they missed the best part of my pitch…" But I said it a lot more colorfully…

Where can people buy your book?

You can pick up my new book, From Crime to Crime, at most major bookstores, or by ordering it from TallFellowPress.com, or, of course, amazon.com.

For more info on me and my work, including my earlier book, Writing From the Inside Out, I invite you to visit my website, www.dennispalumbo.com. There you'll find blurbs about both books, numerous articles and interviews, and a link to my personal blog.

I also write a regular column for The Huffington Post, on issues relating to creativity, the media, and where both intersect with psychology. Just go to www.huffingtonpost.com and type in my name in the search box.

Thanks!

My Latest Huffington Post Blog

2010-03-10T21:26:00.001-08:00

FYI, here's my latest blog from the Huffington Post:

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: Through a Glass Darkly: Crime Fiction as a Window on American Culture

Let me know what you think!

Envy: The Worst-kept Secret In Writing

2010-03-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today I want to talk about envy. As I've found in my work with writers, it's probably the worst-kept secret in the writing life.

For those who are new to this blog, here's my one-line bio: Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (the film My Favorite Year; the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, among others), I'm now a licensed psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in working with creative people.

But I also still write. My work has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Strand and elsewhere, and just last year a collection of my stories, From Crime to Crime, was published. My first mystery novel, Mirror Image, will be out in August from Poisoned Pen Press.

The point is, whatever creative concern you're struggling with, I guarantee I've been there, done that. I've been stymied by writers' block, grappled with procrastination and been brought low by rejection. As well as most other thorny issues writers deal with on a daily basis.

Take, as mentioned above, envy. I'm thinking about a patient of mine, a novelist, that I've been seeing for some months. Despite the gains he'd made in therapy, he felt his work was continually undermined by his envy of other writers.

He told me he had to stop reading his Author's Guild bulletin, as well as publishing websites, because seeing the deals being made by other writers angered and deflated him. He'd grown increasingly self-critical about his work habits--normally a source of pride and satisfaction--since hearing rumors about a best-selling author's penchant for "knocking out a new thriller" every six months. It had reached a point where learning of a friend's having lunch with a potential new agent could trigger a depression.

None of these feelings were unfamiliar to me. During my former career as a screenwriter, it seemed as though envy was the unspoken constant in almost every conversation with other writers. The dirty little secret of the writing life. And, as I said, the worst kept.

For some, of course, hearing of another's success can be a spur to greater efforts. For others, the result can be a crippling paralysis.

It took me a long time to understand, and to accept, that envy is a natural by-product of the achieving life. Throughout our childhood experiences in our families, and then our schools, and ultimately in the adult world, we strive to achieve in a matrix of others who strive to achieve--such that comparison is not only inevitable, but often the only standard by which to measure that achievement.

With time and maturity, we hopefully develop the self-awareness (and self-acceptance) to measure ourselves by more internal monitors; to enjoy the expression of our creative talents for their own sake.

But we also live in the real world and need the validation of that world. For a writer in a commercial marketplace, that means enduring intense competition and the almost daily spectacle of others enjoying extravagant rewards in fame and money, all while negotiating the often gut-wrenching peaks and valleys of one's own career.

In other words, that means living with envy.

The key to surviving envy, as is the case with all feelings, is to acknowledge it. By that, I'm not referring merely to the fact that you're envious, but also the meaning that you give to it.
For example, if a writer sees envy as a sign of some kind of moral weakness or character failing--a view possibly engendered and reinforced in childhood--the effect on his or her work can be quite debilitating.

Equally harmful is seeing your envy as a disparaging comment on your work, a confirmation of a lack of faith in your own writing. "If I let myself feel envy," one patient told me, "it means I don't believe in the possibility of my own success."

Another patient bravely insisted that "envy is counter-productive." So terrified of anything that might derail his firmly held belief in "positive thinking," the meaning he gave to envy--as well as any other "negative" emotion--was of an insidious obstacle on the tracks of his forward momentum.

Only by investigating what envy means to us can we risk acknowledging it. The plain fact is, it's just a feeling, like other feelings---which means it's simply information, data about what's going on inside of us.

If nothing else, envy informs us of how important our goals are. It reminds us of the reasons we undertook the creative life in the first place, and challenges us to commit once more to its rigors and rewards.

Moreover, in my own case, I find that I'm rarely troubled by envy if I'm writing well, if I'm truly engaged with my current project. When I'm fully "caught" by what I'm working on, intrusive thoughts about the creative and/or career triumphs of others usually don't enter my mind. Usually.

So the choice is yours. You can deny your envy, or use it to re-double your efforts. You can talk it to death among your friends (also a great procrastination ploy, by the way), or you can suffer in silence. Or, hopefully, you can accept it with humor and self-acknowledgment, and perhaps explore what its meaning is for you.

But one thing I know. For a writer, to coin a phrase, nothing's certain except death and taxes. And envy.

Then again, that's just my opinion. I'd love to hear yours.

The Next Great TV Detective...?

2010-03-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

For classic mystery fans, the TV landscape is looking particularly barren nowadays.

What do I mean by that?

Well, in my view, with the end of the series Monk, television is suddenly without any classic, clue-based mystery character. What I'm talking about is the kind of signature protagonist, long a cherished staple in mystery fiction, who approaches crime-solving with a unique personal style, and who eschews forensics and fisticuffs in favor of utilizing what Poirot called his "little gray cells."

You know the kinds of character I'm talking about. The legendary writers Levinson and Link created two of them: Columbo and Jessica Fletcher, the heroine of Murder, She Wrote.

In the late 1950's, all the way through the 70's and 80's, the most unique crime-solvers on TV were private detectives: from Richard Diamond and Honey West to Harry Orwell and Charlie's Angels; from Peter Gunn and Mike Hammer to Thomas Magnum and Jim Rockford.

And of course, thanks to PBS (and its importation of British series), we've been graced with such print-to-TV characters as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and the above-mentioned Hercule Poirot, as well as Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Morse, and Inspector Barnaby of Midsummer Murders.

As these last two series demonstrate, even those who work in an official capacity (as police detectives) can possess the unique characteristics we associate with the best amateur or private sleuths. Think of Helen Mirren's Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect.

Or Michael Gambon as Inspector Maigret. Or Raymond Burr as Ironside.

But now, as we bid good-by to Adrian Monk, is there any detective, pro or amateur, to replace him? Maybe we should consider Thomas Jane, The Mentalist, or Brenda Johnson of The Closer. Possibly. But I'm on the fence.

In fact, the only character I can think of who meets the criteria we've been discussing isn't a detective at all: Dr. Gregory House. Though he does indeed solve medical mysteries, and his creator, David Shore, has tweaked the audience throughout the series with his misanthropic character's uncanny resemblance to Sherlock Holmes.

Where Holmes had Watson, House has Wilson. House's apartment address is 221 B

(same as Holmes' address on Baker Street). And on one episode, Wilson plays a prank on the hospital's young doctors by explaining that House once had his heart broken by a singular woman...named Irene Adler.

Regardless, are we witnessing the end of the era of TV detectives? Maybe not. HBO has a new series called Bored to Death, in which a struggling writer works part-time as a private detective. And David Shore is apparently developing a re-make of The Rockford Files (though it's hard to imagine anyone other than James Garner in the role.)

So. Do we need another new, 21st Century TV detective? And who should it be? Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch? Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta? Or someone

created specifically for the small screen?

What do you think?

Best Mystery Novels of 2009?

2010-02-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it's awards season again---time for the Oscars, Emmys, and all the various guild awards in the entertainment industry.

However, for those of us who write and read mysteries, it's also an awards season. Most notably, there's the Mystery Writers of America's annual Edgar Awards dinner, which is just around the corner.

I was thinking about what a great year 2009 was for mystery and crime novels when the latest issue of The Strand Magazine appeared at my office. Not only is the editor, Andrew Gulli, a man of erudition and taste (he published two of my short stories, "Blood Lines" and "A Theory of Murder," didn't he?), he really seems to have his finger on the pulse of what's happening in the crime-writing world.

In fact, in his editorial in this latest issue, Andrew listed his choices for the best 12 mysteries of 2009. Here they are:

1. A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory
2. A Plague of Secrets by John Lescroart
3. The Fury by Jason Pinter
4. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Roadside Crosses by Jeffrey Deaver
6. Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
7. 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
8. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
9. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
10. Dexter By Design by Jeff Lindsay
11. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
12. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

Pretty impressive list, I'd say. But what do you think? Any novels you loved this past year that belong on a "Best Of" list?

Let me know and we'll add your choices to the list. And here's to more great crime (fictional, of course!) in 2010.

Great New Editorial

2009-07-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a great new editorial from my friend and colleague Hoyt Hilsman. I heartily recommend it.

Courier Journal Hilsman "Our Town"editorial. (now in paper's archives, registration required.)

FYI: My latest from The Huffington Post...

2009-06-19T08:37:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I do a regular column for The Huffington Post. Here's the latest....

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: Hate-Speech: The Real Pandemic

Philosophy On The Air!

2009-06-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

I missed this story when it first appeared in the Los Angeles Times, but it's a cool one. A couple of philosophy professors have a radio show in which they discuss--what else?--philosophy.

Here's the link to the story: Click here: Yeah, these philosophy professors will give it some thought - Los Angeles Times

In these uncertain times, people are struggling to make sense of their lives, to find sources of meaning and solace. I've read that so-called "philosophy clubs" are springing up all over the country, in which people get together to discuss the issues of the day in the broader context of idea and meaning that philosophy posits. There's even a guy going around hosting what he calls "the Socrates Cafe," a kind of philosophy seminar on the road.

More power to them. If the perennial treasures that the pursuit of wisdom offer were ever needed as a balm to a troubled world, now is that time.

Sorry...I meant JOHN Pinette!

2009-06-01T13:42:00.001-07:00

Regarding my previous post:

I guess I was laughing so hard at stand-up comic John Pinette, I mistakenly wrote his first name as "Jim." Sorry about that!

I "Discover" Jim Pinette

2009-05-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, in the midst of all the gloomy news about the economy, global conflicts, and pandemic scares, you just need a laugh. Not a chuckle, or a wry smile---I'm talking big, hearty, fall-out-of-your-chair laughs.

A few days ago, I happened to catch a Comedy Channel special featuring a cherubic, sharp-voiced stand-up comic named Jim Pinette. Maybe you know him. Hell, maybe he's been around for years. All I know is, I'd never heard of him.

But that's changed now. Believe me, I haven't laughed so hard, and with such real joy, in a long time. Tremendously at ease on stage, Pinette uses his rapid-fire timing, vivid word pictures and hilarious sense of outrage to puncture myriad sacred cows. And yet, while a truly modern comic in the usual sense, his booming voice and clownish facial expressions bring to mind the classic comics of vaudeville, the Borscht Belt and the Catskills. He's part Bert Lahr, part Jackie Gleason, and part Buddy Hackett.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that he's a paisan. Though, trust me, you don't have to be Italian to enjoy his hilarious riff on getting over-fed at a small, family-owned cafe in Italy. It's not only fall-down funny, it makes you want to jump up afterwards and find the nearest Italian restaurant.

Like I said, up until a few days ago, I'd never heard of Jim Pinette. If he's new to you, too, I recommend you go check him out. In my clinical opinion, it might turn out to be the most therapeutic thing you've done for yourself in a long time.

We found the real 'Hotel California' and the 'Seinfeld' diner. What will you find? Explore WhereItsAt.com.

The Dick Cheney "Problem": A Modest Proposal

2009-05-23T20:13:00.001-07:00

To my teenage son's chagrin, I'm kind of clueless about computers. In fact, I half-jokingly refer to myself as a Luddite when it comes to technology.

Well, I'm upgrading from Luddite to full-blown Quaker, because after watching and listening to former Vice President Dick Cheney's relentless attacks on President Obama's policies, I'm now in favor of bringing back public shunning. If anyone needs to be shunned, it's a guy who favors torture,

unnecessary wars, and outing CIA agents.

Hell, maybe shunning isn't enough. Maybe we should take a leaf from the Bush administration playbook and subject Cheney to the "enhanced interrogation technique" known as putting people in stocks. It could be that a couple days in an enforced sitting position, locked into wooden stocks in the public square, while outraged citizens and bemused school-children point and laugh would prompt an attitude adjustment on Cheney's part. Though, admittedly, I doubt it.

Seriously, what Cheney is doing with his frequent attacks is nothing less than attempting to undermine the presidency, which-—paradoxically, given his so-called concerns—-has the net effect of making us less safe. By emphasizing his lack of trust and belief in the current administration, he makes strengthening our ties to allies a more difficult task. It also makes Obama's goal of clarifying our commitment to national security, while maintaining our core values as a nation, all that much harder to attain.

After 9/11, former Vice President Gore admirably threw his support behind George W. Bush, and urged everyone, including his still-dispirited supporters, to do the same. Where is this same sense of patriotism and putting-America-first from Dick Cheney? Usually only too happy to wrap himself in the flag, Cheney apparently has no compunction about trying to undermine this new administration, even before it's been in office six months.

So I say let's put on our colonial peaked hats, break out the wooden stocks, and make a statement of our own. Maybe then Deck Cheney will have the decency shown by his former boss and just slink back to some ranch somewhere, start clearing some pesky brush, and save his self-serving vitriol for his inevitable memoirs.

Recession-proof vacation ideas. Find free things to do in the U.S.

If You Want My Opinion....

2009-05-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

...on the current economic meltdown, and its effects on my patients, here are two recent items. The first is a short interview I did for The Business, NPR's show about the entertainment industry. It comes about mid-way through the program. Here's the link:

Click here: New TV Season, New TV World; Taking Hollywood's Temperature - The Business on KCRW

The second is my contribution to a New York Times article from last week, highlighting how therapists are helping their patients deal with these career concerns.

Here's that link:

Click here: Therapists Get an Earful About Career Anxiety - NYTimes.com

Hope you find each of them of interest. Let me know what you think!

Recession-proof vacation ideas. Find free things to do in the U.S.

Mark Evanier, Gabe Kotter, McClean Stevenson and Me

2009-02-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

FYI, here's a link to a blog just posted yesterday by my former writing partner Mark Evanier. It's a wry look back at the beginnings of our TV-writing career (such as it was). Brings back a lot of memories of a time when network television was the only game in town, and everything seemed a lot simpler...and a lot more innocent.

If you go to this blog, just scroll down to the section headed "Today's Video Link." Not only will you get Mark's remembrance, you'll also get a video clip from the late, unlamented sitcom starring the late, and somewhat lamented McClean Stevenson.

Click here: news from me - ARCHIVES - February 09, 2009#016637

A Moving, Inspiring Story...

2009-01-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

Whether or not you're a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, or even of professional football, this story from The New York Times about the origin of the Terrible Towel is a must-read.

Click here: The Terrible Towel's Wonderful Legacy - NYTimes.com

Here's to an exciting Super Bowl this Sunday...with the Steelers coming out on top!

The Role of Mystery in Writing

2009-01-09T19:59:00.001-08:00

FYI, to start out 2009, here's a link to an interview I did with author and psychologist Dr. Susan Perry for Psychology Today Online. We discuss not only the writing of mysteries, but the role that mystery itself plays in the creative process.

Click here: Mystery's Role in Writing | Psychology Today Blogs

Also, for those who might be interested, I invite you to check out my blogs on Huffington Post. I'm a regular blogger there now, writing about---what else?---topics related to Hollywood, the media, and the creative process.

Here are a couple recent posts:

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: NBC Cancels Christmas!

Click here: Dennis Palumbo: The Male Therapist, Hollywood-Style

And, finally, here's my belated wish that 2009 is a happy, healthy and successful year for all of us!

NBC Cancels Christmas!

2008-12-18T19:41:00.001-08:00

As you might imagine, the entertainment industry patients in my therapy practice have reacted with shock, disbelief and outrage to the news that NBC has decided to put Jay Leno's new talk show on the air in prime time, five nights a week, at 10 PM.

That's 5 hours a week of scripted television literally wiped from the slate.

And what does that mean? Well, according to some industry analysts, the loss of about 1500 jobs. Not just those of writers, actors, directors and producers, but the hundreds of on-set production jobs, post-production facilities jobs, even support businesses like restaurants, drivers, etc.

Announcing the news right before the holidays, NBC laid a Grinch-like surprise on a helluva lot of people. Talk about lousy timing. Not only is the country in the midst of the worst financial meltdown since the Depression, Hollywood itself has been suffering from pervasive unemployment, a severely reduced number of production and development deals, and--especially in network television--a shrinking viewing audience.

What's particularly foolish about NBC's decision--which, I grant you, will undoubtedly result in considerable short-term savings for the network--is the fact that, in my opinion, viewers still want to see late-night talk shows in the time-slots that they've always held: namely, late at night. Since the era of the first Tonight Show, viewers have associated watching late-night talk shows with "winding down" after a long day. It's the time for settling down in bed, or curling up on the couch, and letting the loose, topical monologue jokes and fluffy interviews with celebrities ease you into sleep.

Trust me, there's some clinical evidence for this. For those struggling with sleep difficulties, behavioral therapists have long suggested using simple, repetitive routines to create a bedtime habit that the body associates with sleep. Like eating a banana every night before bedtime, or having a cup of tea while reading a book or listening to soothing music.

I believe that late-night shows like Leno's and Letterman's function in the same way. They're part of the habitual winding-down process for adults. They're a post-news- show, post-checking-that-the-doors-are-locked ritual that leads almost inevitably to preparation for sleep. (And after what we see most nights on the news, we need all the sleep aids we can get.)

Conversely, at ten o'clock, when prime-time shows like CSI: Miami, Law and Order and ER are on the air, people are still alert and engaged enough for a good story. In fact, they want one. The kids are in bed (hopefully), and their parents' brains usually welcome the idea of becoming involved in dramatic narratives thankfully unlike those that have occupied them, at work or at home, during their hectic day. As their children (and themselves) did when young, adults want to be told a bedtime story.

Now, at least at NBC, the familiar creature-comfort satisfactions of late night talk shows that actually air late at night (as God intended, dammit!) have been removed. I mean, do we really want to see some hyperbolic movie star plugging his latest movie at 10 PM?

Moreover, frankly, I don't believe this new programming ploy will work. Perhaps it will at first, in the way that ABC found initial success by running Who Wants to Be a Millionaire every night at 8 o'clock. But, as with that show, I think viewers will soon tire of a five-night-a-week diet of a talk show. When that happens, NBC, suddenly faced with five prime-time hours to fill, will have to scramble to come up with new programs.

Funny. When I was a kid, I always liked the NBC logo of a peacock, with eyes embedded in each of its colorful feathers. Who could have imagined that now, many years later, all of those eyes would end up being so...well...short-sighted?

Rest In Peace, Forry Ackerman

2008-12-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

As most sci-fans know by now, editor and genre enthusiast Forrest J Ackerman has died. As editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, the favorite magazine of every kid I knew growing up in the late 50's and early 60's, Forry almost single-handedly kept the interest in such hoary Universal screen monsters as Frankenstein, the Wolfman and Dracula alive...

Until the 70's, when in a remarkable twist of the zeitgeist, such luminous, dream-haunting characters became hip again. We saw Coppola's Dracula, Broadway musicals about Frankenstein, and Albert Finney tangling with werewolves in Wolfen...not to mention Blade, Buffy, The Lost Boys, then Kenneth Branaugh's Frankenstein film (with Robert DeNiro as the Creature), and Kate Beckinsale in Underground...all the way up to today's True Blood and Twilight.

Yet who kept the faith all those long, lean years between the Karloff and Legosi 40's, and the revisionist frenzy of today's entertainment world? Forrest J Ackerman, that's who. The world's Number One Fan.

How great was Forry, and how glorious his love for all things sci-fi and horror?

Ask anyone who ever got to visit his memorabilia-filled home, the Ackermansion in Horrorwood, Karloffornia. I was lucky enough to do so, soon after I first arrived in Hollywood in the early 70's.

I was also lucky enough to convince Forry to buy my first published writing, a short story called "I (Alone) Stand in a World of Legless Men." It wasn't very good, its title was a knock-off of Harlen Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," and it appeared as a back-of-the-book filler in the series of Perry Rhodan sci-fi paperbacks Forry was editing at the time. But, nevertheless, I was thrilled.

I haven't seen Forry in many, many years, but his death still is quite a blow. He represented something whose like we'll probably never see again: a true and dedicated and utterly sincere fan, who made it okay for all us geeky kids to love the genre stuff we did, and yet also encouraged us not to take it too seriously. It was fun, he insisted, and all the more valuable, important and memorable because of that fact.

In this difficult, complicated world, a lesson worth learning again and again.

Rest in Peace, Forry Ackerman.

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10 THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR...

2008-11-26T13:21:00.001-08:00

Pretty much an equal-opportunity Grinch, I find the way holidays are celebrated nowadays to be a disheartening orgy of consumerism, enforced gaiety, and familial anguish. Not to mention the traffic, and the pervasive TV commercials urging the purchase of items we don't need to impress people we don't like. (And, despite the current economic crisis, I, unlike President Bush, don't feel it's a demonstration of patriotism to respond to crises by "going shopping").

All that said, if I have to pick a holiday worth celebrating, I'd pick Thanksgiving. No gifts, no lines at the mall, no months-long build-up of gift expectations and complicated social plans. Basically, Thanksgiving is about eating and watching football, with the culturally-approved nap thrown in.

Seriously, though, I also like the idea of a holiday that's built around gratitude. And while I'm deeply thankful for my family and friends, for good health, and for being born in the time period that saw the invention of microwave popcorn, I think there are a few other things to be grateful for this year. To wit:

1) Barack Obama won the election. As Bill Maher said a few weeks back on his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher, "seven years after 9/11, we elect for president a black man with a Muslim name." Which is frankly amazing. And only goes to show that, with all its flaws (exacerbated during the painful eight years of the Bush administration), the United States, as a nation and as an idea, still has the capacity to astonish and inspire.

2) Sarah Palin is not our Vice-President in waiting. Yes, I know she's become a media and political superstar, with presidential aspirations for 2012. Yes, I know she's just signed one of those ridiculous book deals for $7 million. (Though, as my friend Garry Shandling remarked, she's probably under the impression that the fee is for reading a book, not writing one.) Yes, I know she's energized the GOP right-wing base (especially those impressed with her ability to shoot and field-dress a moose).

So, okay, she's going to be a splinter in the eye of progressives and moderates in the coming years (though personally, I think there's less chance of her running for president and a greater likelihood that she'll turn to the media, becoming the female Rush Limbaugh)...even if all this is so, we can still give thanks that she didn't make it into the White House. Symbolically, it would have been a disaster for the nation.

Pragmatically, given McCain's age and troubling health issues, it could have meant the possibility of something far, far worse...

3) Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin. In direct contradiction to what I wrote above, there was one good thing that came out of Palin's emergence on the national scene, and that was Tina Fey's SNL impression of the V-P candidate. As they say in those Master Card commercials, "Priceless."

4) The New York Times recurrent column featuring a conversation between two of their Op-Ed columnists, David Brooks and Gail Collins. Smart, funny, respectful of differences, their back-and-forth dialogue about the presidential campaign gave hope to those of us who enjoy reasonable people debating about unreasonable things with a degree of reasonableness. If that makes sense.

5) The NFL. Of course, I'm thankful for pro football every year, but never more so than at this time of year, when they stack the games up on the tube, and the only price for this gluttony of gridiron action is relentless truck commercials.

6) IPods. At my age, I'm rarely excited or moved by some new technological marvel, but when my family gave me one of these little touch-activated babies, with which I can down-load all my favorite (read jazz classics and 70's-80's rock) music and then listen to them on earphones...I mean, wow, how long has this been going on? Given how long my family and friends have been urging me to join the 21st century, especially when it comes to technology, and given my self-righteous refusal to share their enthusiasms, it comes as a great surprise to me that I LOVE MY IPOD!!!

7) Those new oatmeal cups at Starbucks. Great idea as the weather turns cool.

8) Writers who still write as if writing matters, including (among many others): Phillip Roth, Toni Morrison, David Rabe, Neil Labute, Ian McEwan, Ron Hansen, Anne Tyler, Annie Proulx, David McCullough, Timothy Ferris, Annie Dillard, and Michael Frayn. (I assure you, dozens more will come to mind minutes after I post this.)

9) Psychoanalytic Dialogues, still the best academic/clinical journal available when it comes to examining the latest thinking in self-psychology and intersubjectivity theory.

10) Did I mention those great new oatmeal cups at Starbucks?

Regardless of what's on your gratitude list, here's hoping you and yours have a safe, happy Thanksgiving.

Guess who supported Prop 8...?

2008-11-17T21:12:00.001-08:00

I'm sure I wasn't the only voter who was stunned, outraged and disappointed by the passage last Tuesday of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California.

What makes this obviously bigoted, probably illegal and morally repugnant proposition's success even more disturbing is that it was funded by coordinated, out-of-state money, much of which was supplied by the Mormon Church.

Of course, by now everybody knows this. What most of us didn't know, however, was the names of individuals and businesses that donated funds as well. Until now.

In recent days, a Blacklist has been posted online, listing the names of those who gave money in support of Proposition 8. And as heinous as it is for me to see how many names appear on the list, equally disturbing is the reaction of these people and businesses to seeing their names listed.

These donors are, believe it or not, offended that they've been "outed." Why?

Are they under the impression that financial contributions to political causes are supposed to be secret? Don't they support the transparency and open disclosure that are the hallmarks of a democratic society?

In totalitarian countries and dictatorships, which person or organization gave how much money to what cause is hidden, buried in secret files or disguised as something else. But here in the United States, such financial contributions are required by law to be disclosed, and subject to public scrutiny.

On a more personal level, as I perused the list of Prop 8 donors I was dismayed to see how many professional, obviously educated men and women gave money to support blatant discrimination and the abridgement of other Americans' civil rights.

To these people, I'd like to offer this simple lesson, one they should have learned in high school civics. Namely, in this country, people are either equal under the law or they're not.

I'll go one step further: either everybody is, or nobody is. That's the essence of the great American experiment. That's what underlies the hopes of the Founding Fathers.

Which is why they made sure that citizens had the right to assemble, organize and protest. And boycott. Boycott those businesses that donated money, those individuals who supported bigotry and discrimination behind what they wrongfully assumed was the cloak of anonymity.

Usually, money talks. In a boycott, money walks. That's why they're so effective. As a baby-boomer, I remember how effective boycotts were during the civil rights struggle of the late 60s.

As they will be this time around, I'm sure, in repudiating the miscarriage of justice that occurred on Election Day.

The Smart Guys Marching Society

2008-11-14T22:08:00.001-08:00

Many readers of my recent collection of mystery short stories, From Crime to Crime, have wondered about the origin of the group of unlikely amateur sleuths who are featured in most of the tales. Calling themselves "The Smart Guys Marching Society," they meet every Sunday afternoon for deli, debate and puzzling out the occasional whodunnits that come their way.

Just so you know, their exploits fall under the category known to most crime fans as "armchair mysteries." That is, they usually take place in one room, in which the clever main character listens to a story told by someone else in attendance, and, based solely on what's been related, solves a baffling crime.

I first fell in love with this style of crime story as a teenager, when I was introduced--alas, not formally--to Agatha Christie. Her "Tuesday Night Club" stories featured a recurring cast of characters who met on the designated night and tried to solve mysterious crimes. As one self-important person after another invariably failed to figure out whodunnit, it remained only for the beloved Miss Marple to shed light on the problem.

Soon after, I learned that Isaac Asimov, usually known for his science fiction works, had also tried his hand at armchair mysteries. His "Black Widowers" stories featured a similar set of erudite, articulate characters—-all men—-who met regularly for elaborate dinners, during which they'd attempt to solve a crime or untangle a puzzle. When they failed to do so—-as they inevitably did—-their patient, long-suffering waiter Henry helpfully provided the answer.

With these classic stories as inspiration, I decided to try doing such a series myself. But I also wanted to bring a modern-day sensibility to the form. "The Smart Guys Marching Society" is the irony-drenched name chosen by four reasonably successful baby-boomers for their weekly Sunday afternoon bull sessions. Embattled males all, with assorted wives and kids and mortgages, they seek to hang onto whatever dignity is left to them in middle age by contentiously debating the issues of the day.

At least, that's what they thought they were going to do. Somehow, though, what they often end up doing instead is solving crimes.

Or rather, trying to solve them. To their surprise, the newest member of the group—-a wry, somewhat mysterious old man named Isaac—-is kind of a whiz at it.

Of course, there's another difference between the Smart Guys stories in From Crime to Crime, and those by Christie and Asimov I mentioned earlier.

Namely, the Smart Guys Marching Society is real.

Many years ago, my friends Mark, Bill, Fred and I met weekly in my house in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles.

Though other guys joined us for short periods, or even as invited guests, we four made up the core group. As in my short stories—-and for similar, self-deprecating reasons--we called ourselves "The Smart Guys Marching Society." We figured the name would imply that we didn't really think we were all that smart—-which, of course, was exactly what we did think.

Every Sunday, we'd scarf down snacks, drink beer and discuss what Fred invariably called "the big issues."

Trust me, it wasn't as lame as it sounds. Okay, maybe it was.

In any case, there is historical precedent. A similar "conversation group" was formed in 1872 by Oliver Wendell Holmes, William James and John Dewey, among others. (Apparently, even Asimov's stories were vaguely inspired by a men's club of which he was a member.)

Not that I haven't taken some dramatic license in my own stories. For example, the dialogue and interactions among the characters, though loosely based on the attitudes and opinions of the four of us, are entirely fictional. The Fred, Mark and Bill are all, to a man, more intelligent, articulate and reasonable than my narrative needs required. Believe me, they'll be the first to say so.

Even more importantly, the only mystery we ever tried to solve involved a missing tub of artichoke dip.

However, the greatest difference between the real-life Smart Guys and the stories in my book is that there never was an Isaac. Part wish-fulfillment, part tribute to Asimov's tales, part memories of my own beloved grandfather, the Isaac that populates these stories is—-for better or worse--a figment of my imagination.

That said, the book wouldn't exist without the real Smart Guys Marching Society, and the friendship—-hidden under all the bad jokes, endless debate, and high rant—-that grew out of those weekly Sunday get-togethers.

So thanks, guys. I hope I did us justice.

POE SOCIETY and POE HOUSE receive MWA Award

2008-11-12T13:10:00.001-08:00

As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, this announcement from that organization caught my eye. Though my readers might be interested as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Mystery Writers of America to Honor Edgar Allan Poe Society, The Poe House at 2009 Edgar® Awards

November 12, 2008 -- New York, NY: Mystery Writers of America (MWA) has chosen the Edgar Allan Poe Society and The Poe House in Baltimore, Maryland, as the 2009 recipients of the organization's prestigious Raven Award.

To be presented at Mystery Writers of America's 63rd Annual Edgar® Awards Banquet at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on April 30, 2009, the Raven Award is bestowed by MWA's Board of Directors for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. Among past recipients of the award are the Library of Congress, Center for the Book, and two United States Presidents – Bill Clinton and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

According to MWA's President Harlan Coben, the dual choice of the Poe Society and the Edgar Allan Poe House is doubly appropriate: "Not only does 2009 mark the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday, but Mystery Writers of America has long-considered Poe a patron saint. In fact, the Raven Award, itself, is named after Poe's famous poem, and our Edgar® Awards -- or 'Edgars,' as they're more popularly known -- are awarded annually to authors of distinguished work."

Formed in 1923, the Edgar Allan Poe Society organized an annual series of public programs that included musical settings of Poe's poems, readings from his works, exhibitions of information and memorabilia, and lectures about his life and writings. In 1938, the Poe Society led efforts to save a house in Baltimore where Poe lived from 1833 to 1835. The efforts were successful and a bronze plaque was erected at The Poe House to commemorate the location in 1940. A full restoration of the home began in 1947, proceeding as funds and ingenuity permitted.

The Poe Society provided tours of The Poe House from 1950 until 1977, when responsibility for the museum was assumed by the City of Baltimore. Since 1977, the Poe Society has returned its focus to annual commemorative lectures and associated publications. They continue to maintain a website and respond to as many inquires about Poe's life and works as possible. Each year, the society receives letters from around the world, particularly from school children seeking general guidance for reports and other projects on Poe. The Edgar Allan Poe Society is a non-profit organization with no paid employees, relying purely on voluntary efforts.

"The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore is especially proud to receive the honor of the Raven Award during the bicentennial of Poe's birth," says Jeffrey Savoye, secretary/treasurer of the Poe Society. "Generally, we have been quietly carrying out our mission since 1923, promoting the best information available about Poe's life and works. It is gratifying to find that, occasionally, our efforts do not go unrecognized."

The Poe House is now under the control of Baltimore City's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) and continues to provide tours and education at the site.

"I'm honored beyond words to be chosen for such a prestigious award," says Jeff Jerome, curator of Poe House. "For 30 years I've been aggressively promoting the life and works of Eddie and this award has validated these efforts. The first thing I'm planning to do after receiving this award is to visit the Poe Grave and share it with Eddie."

# # # #

The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

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MURPHY'S LAW REPEALED!!

2008-11-05T09:58:00.001-08:00

...at least it was yesterday. Despite my innate pessimism, fierce dreads and occasional paranoid fantasies involving election fraud, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States.

Boy, am I ever happy to be wrong...!

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HAUNTED LEGACIES

2008-10-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

Since today's Halloween, it seems a good time to reflect on the haunted legacies of some of our nation's most notable figures.

For example, look at Ralph Nader. Instead of going down in history for his ground-breaking, courageous work on behalf of consumers everywhere, he'll probably be remembered as the "spoiler" in the Gore-Bush presidential contest.

Not only that, but watching his surly, bombastic media appearances during each of his successive, ludicrous presidential runs, the impression he's left is that of some political wing-nut, outside the mainstream of the average citizen's interests and concerns. Given his contribution to product safety and consumer awareness of corporate indifference to their customers' health, this re-tooled legacy is a real shame.

Then there's Alan Greenspan, whose near-legendary status as Fed chairman has taken a real hit these last weeks, in the face of our current financial crisis. Forget Sarah Palin and Barack Obama---I suspect more people would like to hang Greenspan in effigy than either of these politicos. Greenspan is another towering figure in the national consciousness whose legacy, if not exactly haunted, is at least tainted.

Next---though I'm not sure I agree---I wonder if many people feel that Bill Clinton's legacy has been damaged, at least in terms of his image among African-Americans. His contribution to the race-baiting ugliness of Hillary's campaign was a real blow to his long-regarded reputation among civil rights leaders. For a guy whose positive legacy as president survived even his impeachment, it would be ironic if his work on the recent Democratic campaign ultimately dilutes his memory in history.

Finally, in terms of a haunted legacy, I think the prize has to go to GOP presidential candidate John McCain. At least in his current incarnation. I kind of liked the 2000 John McCain, whose campaign was torpedoed by the same kind of divisive, right-wing attacks that he's now using against Obama.

McCain has gone from a guy who criticized the Jerry Falwell's of the world to a guy who embraces them. From a guy who prided himself on his independence from his own party to a foot-soldier in the socially-conservative "culture war." From a guy who claims to have regretted his role in the Keating Five scandal to a friend of Wall Street corporations. He's gone from being a relatively moderate statesman to someone who cynically chose Sarah Palin---pin-up girl for race-baiting, gun-toting, immigrant-hating right-wing religious zealots---as his V-P nominee.

Forget ghosts, goblins and werewolves---I think the scariest creature on the loose this Halloween is John McCain. Dragging his tattered, haunted legacy behind him like the chains that burdened Marley's ghost, he's become the candidate of anger and division. The Ghost of Bush Past.

Maybe, after the election, I'll feel badly about that. As I do somewhat for those others, named above, whose legacies have been tainted or diluted.

Then again, maybe not.

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A Master of Mystery Dies

2008-10-28T13:35:00.001-07:00

I was saddened to read of the death of mystery novelist Tony Hillerman, whose crime novels set in the world of Native Americans in the Southwest were consistent best-sellers, winning him both critical and popular acclaim. Hillerman's sympathy and respect for, and understanding of, the ways of Native American culture, particularly its spiritual beliefs, always informed his crime novels with a vivid sense of place and a unique perspective on issues of conflict, revenge and justice.

I've been a fan of his work for years, and think the Times did a fine job with its obit, which you can read here:

Click here: Tony Hillerman, Novelist, Dies at 83 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

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OBAMA SHOOTS, SCORES IN HOOSIER STATE!

2008-10-09T08:57:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama's speech yesterday in Indiana was, frankly, one of the strongest he's ever delivered. And for five very good reasons:

1) He presented a clear and incisive outline of how our current financial crisis occurred (or was allowed to occur, under the present administration). Unlike John McCain, who prides himself on being anti-regulation and still maintains that tax cuts to the wealthy will prompt movement in the economy, Obama stated convincingly his belief that in a complicated global economy, there is a role for government in providing appropriate oversight.

2) Obama emphasized that the government rescue plan, though flawed, was crucial if we were going to solve the credit crunch. Cracking that logjam is vital, since both the average citizen and the small business owner relies on credit to secure a car loan, or maintain employee payrolls.

3) As a baby-boomer, I well remember JFK's call to the nation to pull together, to set lofty goals, and to understand that each of us had a stake in America's future. I thought both Obama's rhetoric and the content of his speech reminded us of that shared vision, shared responsibility, and shared goals.

4) He spoke vigorously against fear and panic, and in favor of the value of leadership in the face of crisis. Quite a contrast to the fear-mongering approach of a desperate McCain-Palin campaign.

5) Overall, he spoke as someone whose time has come. Despite McCain's best efforts in the debate the night before in Nashville, he was unable to convince voters that Barack Obama was not fit to be president. And since the only remaining weapon the

McCain-Palin ticket has in its arsenal is attacks on Obama as a person, it's apparent that Obama is surviving that onslaught pretty well.

That's why my favorite line of Obama's speech, in reference to these personal attacks, was, "I can survive four more weeks of John McCain; but this country can't survive four more years of Bush's policies."

Tell me about it!

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FINGERS CROSSED...

2008-10-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

...re the Biden-Palin debate. Frankly, I'll be glad when it's over. Biden has to be careful not to seem threatening, patronizing, or even overly-knowledgeable, or else he'll turn off a lot of viewers.

One of my female patients---a liberal Dem, BTW---says she's worried he'll come off as a smug, know-it-all paternal figure, putting down the female Sarah. The dismissive Daddy to an ambitious daughter. My patient worries about the effect this might/would have on middle-aged white female voters, regardless of their policy positions.

Actually, now that I think about it, I'll be glad when the whole damned election is over. The suspense is killing me. Things look better for Obama....but as John Cleese wisely observed, "It isn't the despair that kills you, it's the hope."

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TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF WRITING MYSTERIES!

2008-09-24T17:37:00.001-07:00

In case anyone's interested, I'm teaching a mystery-writing workshop at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California.

It takes place on two consecutive Monday evenings, from 6:30-8:00 PM, on Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. Whether you're writing a cozy whodunnit or an edgy crime thriller, I think you'll find this hands-on, experiential workshop informative and inspiring.

For more info, here's the link to the Vroman's Writing Classes web page:

Click here: Vroman's Bookstore

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Farewell, Inspector John Rebus?

2008-09-16T08:31:00.001-07:00

Prolific mystery author Ian Rankin has just published a new novel in his hugely popular series about the Edinburgh police inspector John Rebus. The book is called, appropriately enough, Exit Music. But is this really the end of the line for the acerbic, unconventional hero?

That depends. The authors of iconic detective characters have tried almost since the inception of the mystery genre to rid themselves of their most noted heroes, but with mixed results. Remember what happened when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sent his beloved Sherlock Holmes over the falls, locked in a death-grip with Moriarty? First,

Holmes showed up eight years later in The Hound of the Baskervilles, a tale supposedly released "posthumously" by the faithful Watson. Then, Conan Doyle just bit the bullet and brought his detective back from the dead with "The Adventure of the Empty House," and many more stories in the series followed.

On the other hand, Agatha Christie took no chances with Hercule Poirot. He dies at the end of the final novel. Curtain. As does Inspector Morse, in Colin Dexter's moving finale to his detective series, The Remorseful Day. Had Ian Fleming taken the same care with James Bond, we wouldn't have had to endure the pseudo-Bond thrillers written by others after the British author's death.

But what about Exit Music? Is this really the end for John Rebus? According to early reviews of the novel, things are left a bit up in the air...which is fine by me.

As Mark Twain famously said, "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Thankfully, this is true for many of crime fiction's most beloved characters.

By the way, I believe the same might be said about Barack Obama's chances for victory in November. Things aren't always over just because they seem to be. That's what comebacks are all about, in crime fiction, sports, and---hopefully---politics.

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NEW DIAGNOSIS! Irrational Fear of Palin Disorder

2008-09-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As a veteran therapist, I'm using this forum to announce the establishment of a new clinical diagnosis: IFP Disorder (Irrational Fear of Palin Disorder).

Since the McCain campaign picked Sarah Palin as their V-P candidate, poll numbers have swung ominously in their favor. The gun-totin', Bible-thumping, anti-choice, book-burning "hockey mom" is America's newest sweetheart.

But that's not the point: what really has amazed me in the past week is the change that has come over my therapy patients. Without fail, they seem oddly uninterested in dealing with their usual issues---relationship conflicts, family concerns, career crises, substance abuse, etc. All they want to talk about is their Fear of Sarah Palin.

Since my practice specializes in creative issues, I have many artistic types as patients---and, true to the cliche, most are liberal Democrats. What I've seen in the last week in my therapy office can only be described as a clinical phenomenon:

hour after hour, patient after patient comes trudging in with shoulders bent, face a sickly pallor, and eyes buzzing with anxiety. Some personal tragedy? Some terrifying dream? Some horrible revelation from a spouse or significant other?

No...it's Sarah Palin's rise to prominence. It's the turn in the polls. It's the bracing fear that the McCain/Palin ticket may actually triumph in November.

Old issues of paranoia, depression, and inadequacy are re-emerging. Beliefs are being challenged. Old phobias reawakened.

And with good reason. Minnesota elected Jesse Ventura governor. Californians put Arnold in the state capital. Why not a vice-president (and potential commander-in-chief) who seems more like a runner-up in American Idol than a sober-minded policy maker?

The symptoms of IFP Disorder are depression, loss of faith in the political system,

obsessive viewing of cable news shows and Internet sites, and compulsive sending and forwarding on of alarmed (and alarming) emails to like-minded people.

The treatment options for IFP Disorder? Phone banks, donations, organizing, and getting out the vote. Will that work? Will it be enough?

Only time will tell. Because if IFP Disorder sprouts into a full-scale epidemic, we may indeed soon be seeing Vice President Palin field-dressing moose in the Rose Garden.

Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.

Nobody Asked Me, But...

2008-09-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

The focus of the GOP Convention this week? Flag-waving and racism. I wonder if it'll work. (It always has in the past.)

Sarah Palin as V-P candidate: the premise? Good ol' girl trumps policy experience. Also might work, even with pregnant teen daughter. And it will be hard for Joe Biden to debate her on issues and policy without seeming condescending or ungallant. Trust me, Palin could be a stealth weapon in the GOP campaign.

To Democrats: Underestimate her at your peril.

The surrealism factor: McCain is running as anti-establishment candidate, when his own party was the establishment for the past eight years. Only in America.

It seems as if, in all the sturm und drang in the aftermath of the Democratic primary fight, the die-hard Hillary Clinton supporters have lost sight of a significant fact: a McCain-Palin victory in November means essentially the repeal of Roe v. Wade. I hope the PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) folks are ready for that.

And, lastly, and God knows I'm not the first one to ask the question: Is this any way to elect the leader of the most powerful nation on earth?

I suspect that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, rivals that they were, would be joined in rolling over in their respective graves.

BARACK OBAMA AND HISTORY

2008-08-27T22:26:00.001-07:00

Tonight, Joe Biden accepted his party's nomination as Vice President, to run with nominee Barack Obama, who speaks tomorrow night in Denver.

However, as good a running mate as Biden is, I think Obama's real running mate is history itself. The first African-American nominee of a major American political party. A man whose father was from Kenya, and whose white mother raised him herself with the help of her parents. A black man with the unlikely name of Barack Hussein Obama, running for President. If this isn't the unfolding of history, a history with a new face, a new contour, a new expectation of how things go, I don't know what is.

History itself is Obama's running mate, and partner, and advisor. History itself is the thing with which he must contend, the thing he must convince with his oratory and policies, the thing he must both respect and challenge. But it's not his personal history that accompanies him on the upcoming campaign trail. It's our history, the history of the American voter, that stands with him on every podium at which he speaks in the coming months. It's our history that will be challenged, tested, wooed. It's a nation's history that will be made and, perhaps, re-made, in a new, 21st-century image.

Yes, history was made tonight, when Obama became the Democratic presidential nominee. And so he begins his campaign with his new partner, new constant companion, new (and truest) running mate: American history--as conflicted, complicated, disheartening, inspiring, and surprising an entity as any living, breathing person.

Only in November will we know whether the team of Obama and history itself can work together in such a way as to move them both forward.

Obama and Biden:Let the Games begin!

2008-08-23T13:25:00.001-07:00

Well, I did it.

I went ahead and signed on to Barack Obama's website, and sent in my two cents' worth of advice to the Democratic candidate: namely, not to let the GOP attack machine "define" Barack Obama, and to strike back forcefully when John McCain's campaign goes negative.

Now that Obama's chosen Joe Biden as his V-P candidate, I'm hoping the Democratic campaign will get back on track: clear, focused, and aggressive (when necessary) in the face of the coming GOP negative onslaught.

And that Bill and Hillary Clinton will get (without ambivalence) on the same page...

I guess we'll see about this last point, when the Democratic Convention begins next week. Stay tuned...

No Olympics Gold Medals for Commentators

2008-08-21T11:11:00.001-07:00

Like a zillion other viewers, I've been enjoying the Summer Olympics from Beijing. However, it seems to me the comments from the broadcast booth are more pointed, nationalistic and downright insulting than ever before.

I mean, is it me?---or should commentators refrain from using phrases like "She just didn't bring it," or "I don't see the focus there," or "I don't understand what he was thinking." After the years of arduous training these elite athletes have put in, I feel they all deserve a huge amount of respect and regard. The nit-picking and second-guessing of some of the commentators have made some of the most biased event judges seem rational and fair-minded.

Also, I'm tired of on-scene reporters shoving microphones into the faces of tear-stricken teenagers who've just lost a berth in the medal round. "What are you feeling right now?" the reporter routinely asks an obviously devastated competitor. Geez, there's a puzzler. What the hell do you think he or she is feeling?

Moreover, the way NBC has edited their broadcasts, you'd think there were only two nations competing for medals---the US and China. (Except for the amazing "Lightning" Bolt from Jamaica!)

But, admittedly, all these complaints fade in the face of the courage, tenacity and skill of the athletes themselves. No scripted drama matches the emotional heights attained by these international events, where the commonality of the human condition---regardless of country of origin---is demonstrated before the world. Triumph, failure, pain, loss, shame, envy, rage---they're all here, in rich abundance. The Olympics, at its core, is the world revealing its true face to itself.

And that's why the Olympics call to us every four years. And why, I believe, we respond.

Though it's become a cliche, I think nothing has expressed its essence as well as the opening lines from the old ABC Wide World of Sports: we watch because we remain riveted by "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat." Feelings we experience in our own lives, in big ways and small, every day.

It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here.

Foyle's War Comes to an End

2008-07-31T18:11:00.001-07:00

After bashing (slightly) a recent episode of Foyle's War on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery for its depiction of male therapists as thieves, blackmailers and killers, I have to admit it was hard to see the series come to an end this past Sunday.

The final episode was a strong one, and the interweaving of the war's end with the mystery itself was well done. As usual for the entire run of the series, the writing, acting and direction were first-rate. Plus the production designers did a great job evoking the world of WW II Britain.

I've been a fan of the series since its inception, and am truly sorry to see it go.

Perhaps creator Anthony Horowitz and his team will be entreated to give us a post-war glimpse of these characters in a stand-alone episode in the near future. After all, post-war Britain was a very different place than it had been during the five years of war.

In fact, so completely did the British public want to throw off the memory and deprivation of that time that they chose not to re-elect Winston Churchill as Prime Minister, even while acknowledging his crucial role in guiding the nation and inspiring the nation's citizens during the conflict. But the people wanted to move on...which might make for an interesting new angle with which to view Christopher Foyle and his friends.

Just a thought. Regardless, my appreciation to all involved for a wonderful series.

Next up from Masterpiece Mystery: the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, based on the series of novels by Elizabeth George.

KILLER SHRINKS STRIKE AGAIN!!

2008-07-24T09:51:00.001-07:00

As some of you know, one of my pet peeves--as both a therapist and a writer--is the abundance of TV shows and films in which psychologists and psychiatrists are portrayed as villains. From Hannibal Lecter to your garden variety culprit on any TV crime show, male therapists are often shown as capable of everything from serial murders to sexual exploitation to brain-washing.

Last Sunday's episode of Foyle's War, on PBS' Masterpiece Theater Mystery, was no exception. Now let me be clear: I'm a huge fan of this series of World War II mysteries starring Michael Kitchen. (In fact, next week's episode is the series finale, after five years, and I'm very sorry to see it go.)

But in last Sunday's show, centered around dark deeds at a mental health clinic, all three of the male therapists at the clinic were guilty of something...one of theft and blackmail, another of sleeping with a disturbed patient's wife, and the third of murder. (The second shrink committed murder, too, but since the victim was the blackmailing, thieving first shrink, I don't think we were supposed to feel that badly about it.)

You see my point. In a first-rate, beautifully-scripted and acted series, there's yet another story in which the male shrinks are all killers, crooks and adulterers. As my old Italian grandmother used to say, "Oy!"

As I've written elsewhere, I know why male therapists are ideal villains...all that education, supposed empathy and concern for humanity, turned to the Dark Side. The ultimate paternal figure turned evil, running amok. Irresistible to screenwriters.

But, c'mon, people. Let's give this on-screen stereotype a rest. At least until the second season of HBO's In Treatment airs, wherein depressed shrink Gabriel Byrne, despite his all-too-human foibles, struggles to do the right thing.

End of rant.

Robert Downey, Jr., Moves to Baker Street

2008-07-16T08:43:00.001-07:00

File this under the "That's More Like It" category: after lamenting recently that Sasha Baron Cohen was set to play Sherlock Holmes (to Will Farrell's Dr. Watson) in an upcoming spoof, I was pleased to learn that Robert Downey, Jr., has just signed on to play the Great Detective in a new straight film. Downey's a great actor, and an interesting choice.

The film will be directed by Guy Ritchie. Fingers crossed, I guess.

WHODUNNIT??---Why not YOU?

2008-07-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

In case you're interested, I'm teaching a one-day seminar on writing mysteries and crime thrillers at UCLA Extension on Saturday, July 26. For info, please call 310-825-9415 or (800) 388-UCLA.

Anyway, when the folks at Extension asked me to participate in a short Q&A about the seminar, I was only too happy to oblige. Here's an excerpt:

---------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Your upcoming one-day seminar is called "Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries." In your own work, what has been the most challenging element of writing mysteries?

A: Initially, years ago, the hardest element was the plotting. Then, as I grew more confident as a writer (fueled, in great part, by my years as a screenwriter, which requires diligent attention to plot and structure), I discovered that equally important to a good mystery is creating strong, relatable characters.

Henry James famously said, "Plot is characters under stress," and this dictum is never more apparent than when devising powerful, involving mystery and crime stories.

In fact, when you strive to develop interesting characters, who are struggling with relatable emotions---fear, envy, lust, etc.---the way they intersect helps build the foundation of the plot.

Mystery writers need to remember: crime stems from strong emotions, and strong emotions stem from interpersonal conflict. Kinda like life.

Q: As a licensed psychotherapist specializing in creative issues, what are some things from your psychotherapy practice that you bring into your teaching? What about to your writing?

A: After 19 years counseling writers who struggle with issues like writer's block, procrastination, and fear of rejection---not to mention anxiety and depression---I think I bring to my teaching both a real understanding of the difficulties of the writer's life, as well as some solid tools for addressing those problems.

That said, despite my many years as both a therapist and a professional writer, I come up against the same fears and doubts as any other writer. Except that now I just see them as part of the creative process, part of who I am when I'm writing, and trust in my craft as a writer. Most of the time.

Q: You were recently an inactive instructor, now returning to the Writers' Program to teach this fall. For those students who may not be familiar with your teaching or with your work, what is it that you'd like students to know about your courses? What would you like students to take away from your courses?

A: I'd like students to know that my workshops are interactive, lively and combine solid information with good in-class writing exercises. Also, because of my experience as both a writer and a therapist who counsels writers, I think I bring a unique perspective to whatever personal issues they might be grappling with that are impeding their work.

Q: Where do you find inspiration for your own writing?

A: Everywhere. How people interact with each other. My own passions, fears, concerns, interests. Frankly, however, I don't put much stock in inspiration. I think waiting and hoping to be inspired is a drain on a writer's time and energy. You're better served, I believe, by hard work and striving to cultivate imagination, which, unlike inspiration, is available to everyone and doesn't depend on divine intervention!

Q: What's your best advice for those trying to published mystery novels?

A: Read what's out there, just to get a general sense of what the industry's publishing, but don't try to slavishly emulate it. Now is not the time to write a novel like The Da Vinci Code. That trend is over. Which means, it's a mistake to try to follow trends. I believe your best bet is to mine your own life, your own passions and interests, and then write the kind of story you'd like to read.

For example, in my new collection of mystery short stories, From Crime to Crime, most of the tales are about a group of hapless amateur sleuths based on real people--a therapist (me) and three of my friends. Our relationship to each other, how we interact under stress, our humor and personal foibles---all formed the foundation of the story-telling. Though the mystery stories are of course fictional, I was curious as to how we would react if we stumbled upon crimes and tried to solve them.

Q: Who is your favorite mystery author of all time?

A: Too many authors to name, across a range of types of mystery stories. Conan Doyle, Hammett and Chandler, Colin Dexter, Patrica Highsmith, Ed McBain, Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Robert Crais. We literally don't have the space!

Q: Is there anything else that you'd like students to know about your upcoming class?

A: Just bring writing implements. Oh, and dress is formal.

Again, for info about this seminar, please call UCLA Extension's Writing Program at 310-825-9415 or (800) 388-UCLA.

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Cohen and Farrell as Holmes and Watson??

2008-07-03T22:56:00.001-07:00

Now I'm worried.

I just learned that Sasha Baron Cohen is going to play Sherlock Holmes in an upcoming film, assisted by Will Farrell as Dr. Watson. Hmmm.

Maybe it'll be funny, maybe it'll be...well, not so funny.

Not that I'm a stickler for high-minded seriousness when it comes to my favorite Baker Street duo. In fact, there was an underrated comedy some years back called Without A Clue, featuring Michael Caine as a totally clueless Holmes and Ben Kingsley as the brilliant though unheralded man behind the genius.

Plus, I'm a huge fan of Billy Wilder's Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Beautifully directed, written and acted, with a real affection for the characters even as they were being gently sent up.

I even enjoyed Gene Wilder as Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (with the wonderful Leo McKern, of Rumpole fame, as Professor Moriarty).

Then there's a real gem, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, with a screenplay by Nick Meyer, based on his best-selling novel of the same name. Again, distinguished by a wonderful cast and beautiful production values. With the unlikely but terrific team of Nicol Williamson and Robert Duvall as Holmes and Watson.

Now we have Sasha Baron Cohen and Will Farrell. Am I wrong to be worried about this pairing? Why can't I get my mind around the idea?

If you get a second, let me know what you think.

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Inspector Lewis On The Case

2008-06-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

This coming Sunday, on most PBS stations, the venerable Masterpiece Theater series Mystery! brings us a new mystery featuring Inspector Robbie Lewis.

Played by Kevin Whatley, Lewis is the former sergeant of the late Inspector Morse, whose own series of mysteries was among the most popular filmed crime stories in the world.

The character of Endeavor Morse--opinionated, passionate, easily irritated and relentless in the pursuit of the truth--is one of the greatest fictional detectives ever created. As originally conceived by novelist Colin Dexter in a series of books, and then brought to vivid, unforgettable life by the late great actor John Thaw, Inspector Morse was our skeptical and inquisitive guide to the world of a modernized, rapidly-changing Oxford. A place where venerable college dons and rare-books collectors coexisted with phony religious gurus and Internet porn. And the crimes themselves were almost always intriguing and surprising.

Without a doubt, it was my favorite filmed TV crime series. So much so that the on-screen death of Inspector Morse, followed regrettably by the real-life passing of John Thaw a short time after filming ended, brought a real melancholy and sense of loss.

John Thaw and Endeavor Morse were the perfect blend of actor and character; I doubt whether any viewer could imagine anyone else playing the cranky Chief Inspector. Nor would they want one to.

Then, last year, PBS ran the pilot episode of a new series of mysteries, in which a widowed Robbie Lewis, now promoted to Inspector himself, returns from abroad to Oxford to find his own young sergeant, a baffling case to solve, and echoes of his old mentor everywhere. I thought it was an excellent episode, and a much-needed return to those old Oxford haunts.

I hoped then, as I'm sure a lot of other viewers did, that more Lewis adventures would follow. Happily, that's now the case.

So, if you're a fan of modern-day British crime dramas, and haven't yet investigated a newly-minted Detective Inspector named Robbie Lewis, I recommend you do so this coming Sunday evening.

I know I'll be watching.

UCLA/Skirball

2008-06-09T22:29:00.001-07:00

In case you're interested, I'll be at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, June 11, for the UCLA Extension Faculty Published Authors event. Joining me for the reading and book-signing event (followed by a coffee and cake reception) will be many other UCLA colleagues with books out this year.

Here's the info:

Reading/Book Signing
June 11, 7-9:30pm
Skirball Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd (at Mulholland Drive)
Los Angeles, CA.
For info, call: 310-825-0107

Hope to see you there!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

In my view, Memorial Day ceased to exist some years back. Now the focus is only on the "Memorial Day Weekend," which means different things to different people.

To Hollywood, it's the weekend of the fourth Indiana Jones sequel.

To chain stores, it's a weekend selling barbeque grills, picnic tables and lawn dart sets.

To school kids, it's the last 3-day weekend during the school year. The Fourth of July weekend, coming during the summer break, doesn't count.

To the automobile industry, it's a 3-day blow-out sale of all the new models they've been having trouble moving off the lot since January.

To the news media, it's a 3-day vamp, re-treading old stories and controversies, until---Thank God!---Tuesday rolls around again.

And, of course, to countries outside the United States, it's just another 2-day weekend, followed by another Monday.

However, before it was merely embedded in a 3-day sale-a-thon, Memorial Day itself was a day when the nation reflected on those who died in various wars, here and abroad. Regardless of one's position on the various wars we've been involved in, I think it's still a good idea to remember the sacrifice of those who've served.

Not a highly original or controversial position, I know. But there it is.

Hollywood on the Couch: KCRW Radio Interview

2008-05-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

After reading an article of mine called "Hollywood on the Couch," NPR producer Matt Holzman asked me to guest on his weekly show about the entertainment industry.

In case you're interested, the first of that two-part interview aired this week on KCRW-FM's program "The Business," and is available for listening from their site.

Here's the link: Click here: Hollywood on the Couch — KCRW | 89.9FM

If so inclined, let me know what you think. Thanks!

A WRITER'S LIBRARY

2008-05-08T14:54:00.001-07:00

Everyone has a list of his or her favorite books on writing.

Everyone also knows the better-selling ones, and I can pretty much recommend them without reservation: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. And for the mythological underpinnings of narrative, Joseph Campbell's justly-famous Hero with a Thousand Faces.

I'm also a big fan of William Goldman's book about movie writing, Adventures in the Screen Trade. (I once mentioned it glowingly to a studio executive I knew, who exclaimed, "I hate that book!"--a ringing endorsement if I've ever heard one.)

However, I'd like to suggest some other books, personal favorites, that I think speak more powerfully and tellingly to the inner life of the writer. Though not all these books are about writing specifically, the issues explored are relevant to anyone living the writer's life.

In Praise of What Persists, edited by Stephen Berg. A collection of essays by a variety of writers detailing the personal experiences that influenced their work.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig. A great book on the dynamic--and often crazy-making---process of striving for quality, however you define it.

The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard. Elegant and personal, as well as hard-nosed and pragmatic. Wonderful reading.

Life Work, by Donald Hall. A beautifully-written book by the much-honored poet and man of letters, exploring his obsession with--and consolation from--a life devoted to the craft of writing.

Mastery, by George Leonard. A primer on the value of practice, the consistent doing of a craft. A strong rebuttal to a goal-oriented approach to creativity--and to life.

The Courage to Create, by Rollo May. The title says it all.

On Moral Fiction, by John Gardner. Densely written, frankly pedantic, and inevitably self-righteous--and those are the things I like about it. A stirring, sometimes maddening call-to-arms on behalf of writers taking what they do--and its effects on society--seriously.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sixty thousand perfect words. A masterpiece of lucidity, banked emotional fire, sustained tone, depth and heart. I try to read it once a year, just to clear out the cobwebs.

That's just a sampling of my favorite writing books, of course. An eclectic group, I admit. There are other worthy books I could've included, by writers as diverse as E.B. White and Ray Bradbury, Ben Hecht and Stephen King.

But for now, I'll stick with my list. Good companions on the writer's journey.

Naturally, if you have any favorite writing books to add to my list, I'd be happy to hear about them!

I Know I Have a Book in Me: Writing for Therapists

2008-04-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

In the name of shameless self-promotion, I'm making a pitch:

For those who might be interested, I'm teaching a workshop this Sunday, May 4th, at the California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists Annual Conference. The 3-hour intensive workshop is called "I Know I Have a Book in Me: Writing For Therapists."

Who might benefit from this workshop? Glad you asked.

It's perfect for therapists, psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists who want to write for either clinical journals or the general public.

This workshop addresses everything from writer's block and procrastination to the plain facts about editors, publishing and the changing marketplace.

Using anecdotes, examples, and in-class writing exercises, the mental health professional yearning to write will learn how to turn their clinical expertise--as well as the lessons of their own personal journey--into marketable material for magazines, newspapers and books.

The Conference takes place at the Marriott Hotel at the Los Angeles Airport. My workshop runs from 9:00 AM to Noon. For registration info, call 888-892-2638.

End of pitch. Hope to see you there!

LA Times Festival Of Books

2008-04-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from signing copies of my new book, From Crime to Crime, at the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA.

What a crowd of book-lovers, authors, Festival volunteers and food vendors. Pretty impressive gathering, given that the temp hovered around 100 degrees!

So much for the idea that Southern Californians aren't readers, or interested in literature. Some of the most eager attendees gathered around small press booksellers booths, or took a chance on books (and authors) they hadn't heard of.

The most exciting thing about the whole event was how happy, engaged and curious the attendees were. Glad to be among others who loved books. Glad to meet their favorite authors. Glad, I think, that such a festival exists.

I know I am.

ATTACK OF THE TEENAGE BRAIN!

2008-04-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

From the pages of medical journals to feature stories on the network news, there's been a swell of media coverage the past few years concerning "the teenage brain."

Despite sounding like the title of Hollywood's latest horror-movie blockbuster, the phrase actually refers to recent neurological research on adolescent brain chemistry. To the surprise of practically no one not wearing a lab coat, it's finally been demonstrated scientifically that the teenage brain is different from that of a mature adult.

According to the data, these differences explain the average teen's inclination to stay up late, sleep until noon, and exhibit extreme mood swings (for example, from sullen and defiant to really sullen and defiant).

Some researchers have even blamed these brain differences for the adolescent's inexplicable devotion to high-decibel music, low-decibel mumbling and the piercing of unlikely body parts.

As soon as these results made national headlines, the usual social pundits weighed in: This new research, they claimed, clearly suggested that we should ban teen driving and even raise the voting age. After all, we now had proof positive that today's teens are simply too erratic to be entrusted with such responsibilities.

This may be. But what about the midlife brain? Perhaps the next time we embark on exhaustive, heavily-funded research into what's in the human skull, we should focus our efforts on the average middle-aged person--because if my friends and I are at all representative, I'd argue that whatever's going on in our collective brains is equally suspect.

Though not without good reason. Most adults I know are over-worked, over-stressed and generally overwhelmed from their daily struggles with careers, child-rearing and relationships. They're forgetful, obsessed with their health (popping pills to an extent no teenager would even contemplate), envious of their neighbors and co-workers, and always--always--sleep-deprived.

Frankly, even on a good day, our brains are nothing to write home about. It's everything we can do to keep our complicated, must-have Starbucks coffee orders straight in our heads.

I think it's too easy to blame all this on brain chemistry. The truth is, life is hard, no matter how old you are. Whether you're worried about making the track team or paying the mortgage, about fitting in with the cool kids or impressing your new boss, it's all about trying to cope.

Granted, your average teen's coping mechanisms rarely extend beyond junk food and video games. But are adults' choices any better? Addicted to Internet porn, "Deperate Housewivess," Tom Clancy novels and golf. Running from their yoga class to a Parents Without Partners meeting to the latest Donald Trump get-rich-quick seminar.

And, between all this, compulsively checking e-mails and sending text messages on their cellphones (all while nursing fantasies of winning the Lottery or running off to Tahiti with the office manager).

Let's face it, teens have just two basic goals: having sex and getting into a good college. Both pretty laudable and straightforward aims, especially when compared with the confusing and relentless demands of contemporary life with which adults have to contend. It's no wonder that at the end of the day, most adults just want to collapse on the sofa and channel-surf.

Sartre once said that the state of man is incomprehension and rage. Okay, maybe he was a bit of a Gloomy Gus. But isn't the bewilderment and struggle to which he alludes true at times for all of us, particularly at certain crucial stages in our life?

As a psychotherapist, I see daily the unfortunate consequences of assigning a diagnostic label to practically every kind of behavior under the sun. We need to remember that people are too complex to fit neatly into categories.

And that includes teenage people.

In fact, before we start debating whether teens should be allowed to drive and vote, we'd better be able to defend letting us adults do so. It's not as if our record in either of these endeavors is anything to brag about.

In other words, give the kids a break. They're not responsible for the way their brains develop, any more than they are for the world in which they have to grow up.

If anything, the latter is a result of brains much older, and supposedly wiser, than theirs.

GRAVE SECRETS

2008-04-15T15:12:00.001-07:00

Given its obvious drawbacks, there aren't many good things to say about death. Sure, it's quiet, and you're unlikely to be bothered anymore by Internet spam and telemarketers. But, to many a noted person throughout history, perhaps the only real comfort of the grave has been the secrets you were allowed to carry to it.

Not anymore. A few years ago, a leading news story concerned the late Dr. Robert Atkins, whose popular diet has taken a bite out of the profits of bakeries, pizza parlors, and other purveyors of high-carb delights. Until a group of pro-vegetarian physicians obtained copies of Atkins' medical records and released them to the press.

Apparently, the happily-carnivorous diet guru's health was less than optimum for some years before his death.

Understandably, his supporters--including his widow Veronica--were outraged. "They're like the Taliban," she said. "The vegetarian Taliban."

Health issues aside, what I find alarming here is the increasingly common practice of violating the privacy of the departed. Just a few months after the Atkins story appeared, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' former priest broke his forty-year pastoral silence to disclose her private talks with him following her husband's assassination.

And he's not alone. In a parade of tell-all books, ostensibly scholarly biographies and TV show "exclusives," people are rushing to reveal the intimate details of the lives of (usually) famous friends and relatives no longer around to defend themselves. So much for the sanctity--let alone the silence--of the tomb.

It's as though we're in some new Age of Postmortem Debunking, a kind of sociological frenzy of hero-bashing that reflects our doubts about altruistic or intellectual integrity. Or, perhaps more to the point, confirms our cynicism.

How else to explain the spate of less than flattering portraits of formerly Great Men and Women that seem to be appearing weekly? Even such usually untouchable stalwarts as Einstein, Lincoln and Gandhi have taken a drubbing.

Lately, it's a truism of American life that privacy is under attack. From identity theft to "profiling" air passengers; from the inequities of the Patriot Act to the selling of personal information databases. But at least those of us troubled by these developments can complain about them. We can email our elected officials. Write scathing letters to the newspapers. Harrass radio talk show hosts.

Alas, these options are unavailable posthumously. Perhaps it's just the therapist in me, uncomfortable with the idea of confidentiality expiring just because the person in question has. Yet I can't help thinking of an interview I saw with Carl Jung, filmed shortly before his own death, as he politely but firmly refused to divulge the details of a painful dream Freud had disclosed to him.

In exasperation, the interviewer said, "What difference can it make now? He's dead."

To which Jung replied, "Because it was told me in confidence."

Bad television, maybe. An anecdote without a punch-line. Plus the fact that Jung--himself fodder for a number of recent idol-smashing biographies--was apparently something less than a paragon of integrity in either his personal or professional life. But in this moment he shone, merely by keeping silent.

For the rest of us, still above ground, not a such a bad model to emulate.

DATELINE HOLLYWOOD: Ageism vs. Dying Young

2008-04-06T14:57:00.001-07:00

There's an old joke about a man working in the circus, whose job it was to follow behind the elephants, sweeping up their droppings. When asked why he doesn't find some other line of work, he replies, "What, and leave show business?"

What makes the joke funny, of course, is the truth behind it. Creative and talented people, once having tasted the wild nectar of Hollywood success, find it almost impossible to quit the field, even when the odds are stacked against them.

And nothing stacks the odds higher than committing the one unpardonable sin in Hollywood--getting older. As veteran TV writer Larry Gelbart said in a recent interview, "The only way to beat ageism in Hollywood is to die young."

Which reminds me of a story, from my own practice as a therapist working with creative people in Hollywood: At 58, my patient Walter has been directing episodic television for most of his adult life--except for the past five years, during which, despite Herculean efforts to get work, he's been unemployed. He also got divorced and lost his house, and had to move to a condo in Thousand Oaks.

At a recent session, Walter announced more bad news.

"My agent finally dumped me," he said quietly, without rancor.

"I'm sorry, Walter. I know you've been his client a long time."

"Twenty-one years. Lasted longer than my marriage. And the sex was better..." He managed a rueful smile. "Hey, I can't blame him. He busted his ass for me. But let's face it, nobody wants to see a gray-haired old fart like me on the set. Everybody there looks like my grandchildren."

As is often the case with patients in his situation, we talked about options. Walter agreed that he could probably teach, but that even teaching jobs were getting scarce and the money wasn't very good.

But the money wasn't really what bothered him. Right now, at 58, he felt he was a better director than at any time in his life. He knew his craft, he understood actors, he could keep his head in a crisis. But it seemed clear that nobody wanted to see a face much over 45.

"I might as well pack it in," he said gloomily. "My life in this town is over."

"Your life isn't over, Walter," I said to him. "Neither is your career. Unless you're ready for it to be over."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you don't have to let other people decide what you can do. Or how to feel about what you can do."

"Shit, don't get all therapeutic on me now."

"I'm not. I'm being pragmatic. If you want to teach, go teach. But if you still love directing, go find something to direct. A play. A short film. Maybe something you can show on the Internet. Everybody else is."

I leaned in closer. "Listen. You told me once you still have a few bucks. Okay, then hire someone to write something. Or rent an Equity-waiver theater down on La Cienaga for a week and put something up on its feet."

"Forget it. I'm used to working for studios. Networks. Guys with parking spaces on the lot, who at least have to pay me for the privilege of pissing all over my work."

"And I know how much you'll miss that. But at least you'll be directing. If that's what you still want to do."

"Hell, it's what I am."

He sat back, stroking the edge of his trim, salt-and-pepper beard. Then he laughed.

"Hey," he said, "remember that joke about the guy at the circus, cleaning up after the elephants?"

"One of my favorites."

"You think I'm that guy?"

"Walter, I think we're all that guy. These are the lives we lead, the things we do. If it's who we really are, all we can do is keep doing it. As a colleague of mine said once, about trying to achieve in any profession: Keep giving them you, until you is what they want."

He paused. "You know, Alvin Sergeant is in his seventies, and he wrote those Spider-Man movies. Huge hits. For years, David Chase couldn't get arrested, and then he creates The Sopranos. Hell, John Huston directed his last picture in a wheelchair, sitting next to an oxygen tank."

"All true."

"I mean, maybe I'm just kiddin' myself, but..." He nodded toward the door. "There's gotta be at least one more elephant out there, right?"

I smiled. "I've never known a circus without one."

Sue Grafton's Integrity

2008-04-02T17:45:00.001-07:00

I just read a terrific interview with best-selling mystery novelist Sue Grafton in The Strand magazine. (Pretty terrific magazine, too---and I mean that sincerely, not just because they published two of my mystery stories!)

Anyway, the best thing about the interview was Sue's continual insistence on not selling the rights to her long-running Kinsey Milhone series of books to Hollywood.

Having worked as a TV writer for years before becoming a novelist, she's too well aware of what can happen when the Hollywood "development" process gets a hold of a beloved character.

As she reminds the interviewer, Strand editor Andrew Gulli, "From my perspective, they would ruin my series in a heartbeat. One of the lessons I learned many years ago was from Lawrence Block, who sold his Bernie Rhodenbarr series to Hollywood. Bernie Rhodenbarr is a white, male, Jewish burglar. They cast Whoopi Goldberg in the part!"

Sue goes on to point out that, regardless of which current "hot" actress was chosen to play Kinsey, many of her readers would be upset, or at least disappointed. And with good reason.

"They will cast anybody they think will sell tickets," she explains, "which means they most certainly would pick somebody totally inappropriate to play the part of Kinsey Milhone."

While I think Sue might be over-stating her case a bit--Kathleen Turner was perfect casting for the part of V.I. Warshawski; they just screwed up the movie--I do respect her integrity and allegiance to the character she created. As well as to her loyal fans who've supported her work over the past twenty years.

BTW, though I doubt she'd remember, Sue and I met many, many years ago, when we were both members of an awards selection committee of the Mystery Writers of America. I can't remember myself exactly what category we were deciding (best mystery short story, best TV crime show episode, etc.?), all I know is that at the end of a very pleasant--though long--afternoon at fellow writer Mark Schorr's house, we ended up giving the coveted Edgar award to something.

Anyway, I recommend the interview with Sue Grafton whole-heartedly. It contains a lot of great writing tips, as well as rueful advice about the writing life.

You can learn more about The Strand magazine by going to http://www.strandmag.com/.

It's worth the visit.

HOLMES AND WATSON IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

2008-03-29T19:00:00.001-07:00

A pithy little fable, for all you Sherlock Holmes fans out there (But I'll be damned if I can remember where I first heard it.)

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went for an outing one weekend far north of London. They pitched camp, ate a rustic meal over a wood-fueled fire, and sat contently as night fell, smoking their pipes and talking about nothing in particular.

Finally, they decided to turn in.

Some hours later, Holmes woke up his sleeping companion and pointed up at the ink-black sky, dotted with hundreds of luminous stars.

"Tell me, Watson," Holmes said. "When you look up at the night sky, what do you perceive?"

Watson blinked awake and contemplated the heavens above them.

"Well, meteorologically, I can tell from the striations of cloud that the weather will soon turn inclement. Astrologically, I can see that Orion's belt has shifted a bit toward the horizon. Astronomically, I understand that those stars twinkling above are actually roaring suns, giving off tremendous energy. Chronologically, I realize that the distances between those stars and our world are so vast, the light we see now actually shone from them millions of years ago. And, philosophically, I comprehend that in the limitless vastness of the universe, man and his works are quite small and insignificant."

Then Watson turned to his friend.

"Now, Holmes, what do you perceive?"

Holmes sighed. "I perceive that someone has stolen our tent!"

----------

I don't think a Zen monk could have fashioned a better story about mindfulness, and the seductions of over-intellectualizing the world we experience. Plus, it's funny.

Anyway, happy to share it with you. And if anybody has any information about the story's origin, I'd love to hear about it.

WHODUNNITS ON TV

2008-03-25T17:58:00.001-07:00

As the author of a forthcoming collection of mystery short stories (discreetly advertised just to the right of this post), I've been a long-time fan of TV crime shows.

So I was intrigued when TV Guide ran their listing of the 25 best TV detectives a few years ago. Though I had the usual complaints about some of the choices (for example, Charlie's Angels made the cut, while Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes didn't!), I thought they did a pretty good job. I even agreed with their number one choice: James Garner as Jim Rockford.

How about now?

I mean, there's a fascinating new crop of detectives and crime-stoppers on the job, from Monk to Dexter, from series like The Closer and Saving Grace to Psych and--okay, it's a stretch--Reno 911. But are there any would-be classics in the mix? Shows that will stand the test of time?

What do you think of today's crime shows, and today's crime-catchers? Feel free to weigh in.

Quotes For Writers---And Those Who Love Them!

2008-03-21T12:59:00.001-07:00

Over the years, I've collected some terrific quotes about writers and writing. Words to live by, as you navigate the perils and promise of the writing life. Here are some of my favorites:

"There is only one type of story in the world---your story." Ray Bradbury

"How do I work? I grope." Albert Einstein

"Good dialogue is not real speech--it's the illusion of real speech." Ernest Hemingway

"In the beginner's mind, there are many opportunities; in the expert's mind, there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

"All serious daring starts from within." Eudora Welty

"To believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men---that is genius." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Fiction reveals what reality obscures." Jessamyn West

"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning." Peter De Vries

"(Bad) writing is not easier than good writing. It's just as hard to make a toilet seat as it is a castle window. Only the view is different." Ben Hecht

"I have known happiness, for I have done good work." Robert Louis Stevenson

"Traveler, there is no path. Paths are made by walking." Antonio Machado

"I yam what I yam." Popeye the sailor

----------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that's a pretty good list---for a start. If you have any particular favorite quotes about writing, the writing life, or creativity in general, feel free to let me know.

Barack and the Preacher: What's the Crime?

2008-03-18T17:56:00.001-07:00

Like many Americans, I watched Barack Obama's speech this morning about race and was, once again, inspired by his erudition, clarity of thought, and unwillingness to minimize his relationship with Pastor Wright. While clearly labeling the pastor's words as wrong-headed and entirely at odds with his own, Obama made it clear that the anger and resentment underlying those words reflected a legitimate expression of the African-American experience that stretches from slavery and Jim Crow, all the way up to today.

Furthermore, I think his speech highlighted an issue that has been viewed quite narrowly in the media, especially by the representatives of the pundit class: namely, why is it a crime to know or even like someone who expresses views with which you disagree? Frankly, this is a kind of guilt-by-association that has harmed many a good and worthy person in authority, whether running for office or not.

For example, I know many liberals who found the late William F. Buckley's views incorrect, or even repugnant, yet valued his friendship and erudition. Certainly, among the many praising epitaphs written since his death, most seemed to have been written by those whose politics veered sharply from his, yet treasured the fact that they'd known him.

I think each of us has had a relative, teacher, or friend whose qualities as a person made a powerful impression on us. Yet--and with doubtless great remorse--this person's views about certain subjects began to create a serious rift, to instigate a growing "parting of the ways," that--while regrettably necessary--didn't invalidate all that we'd learned or experienced in relationship to this person.

Frankly, I believe the "crime" that Barack Obama has committed is simply that he's reinforced the reality that, despite the transcending of race that his campaign represented, he is in fact an African-American. For him to eschew this, and thus deny the myriad injustices, attitudes, and ancestral experiences that forged his identity, would be the worst type of pandering.

Though clearly not as bad as the kind of racist pandering this whole sorry episode will give rise to. Listening to those same pundits evaluating the effectiveness of Obama's speech today, and for the most part lamenting that it might do little to make this crisis go away, my heart sank. Because I thought his speech showed a degree of statesmanship, honesty about his own and his people's experiences, and acknowledgment of how far this nation has yet to go to heal its racial divide, far beyond that of most politicians today.

Can you imagine, for example, George Bush delivering such a thoughtful, candid speech? Or John McCain, whose reputation as a moderate and independent thinker is shrinking daily as he panders more and more to the Religious Right?

Okay. So Barack Obama had a long, intimate relationship with a pastor whose unfortunate racial rhetoric, on occasion, has reflected his post-WW II generation's experience of intolerance and bigotry. Whose intemperate words reflect the frustration of a whole group of people, whose struggle for freedom goes on even today.

Where is Obama's crime in this? Is he responsible for what another man says? Is he to be held accountable for another man's frustration and bitterness? Even for another man's seeming prejudice?

I suppose we'll just have to await the verdict of his jury, the American electorate. A jury of his peers.

Or at least I hope they behave, and react, as such.

Gabriel Byrne: He's No Hannibal Lecter!

2008-03-15T11:15:00.001-07:00

A lot of my therapy patients watch the new HBO series, "In Treatment," and many wonder how accurate the portrayal of the therapist is. Paul, the therapist, is very well played by Gabriel Byrne.

But is he really representative of what therapists are like? Do most therapists have similar struggles in their personal lives?...with their relationships, their children, their sense of themselves?

The answer is simple: therapists are people, and people have issues. Therapists, like everyone else, handle some issues better than others. Therapists, like everyone else, are both insightful and clueless, sometimes in awareness and sometimes in denial, have good days and bad days. Nobody has the key to a stress-free, problem-free, issue-free existence.

In other words, no matter what the self-help gurus say, there's no cure for life.

So I guess I like that the therapist Byrne portrays is a flawed, conflicted person. Even when he does (and says) things that make me wince. Even when he's too intrusive with his patients, or too knowing. Hell, even when he seems like a selfish, self-pitying jerk.

Why? Because at least he's not depicted as diabolical, manipulative, and psychotic. Or, worse yet, homicidal.

Think about it: have you noticed how often male therapists are used as the villain nowadays on TV and film? Hollywood used to see male therapists as models of the patriarchal system: wise, nurturing, compassionate. Like Claude Rains in Now, Voyager. Gregory Peck in Captain Newman, M.D. Lee J. Cobb in The Three Faces of Eve.

So how the hell did we get from there to Hannibal Lecter?

Well, I happen to have some thoughts on the subject... If you're interested, you might want to listen to the Commentary I did for NPR's "All Things Considered." Here's the link:

Click here: NPR: A Male Therapist on Screen? Odds Are, He's a Heel.
Let me know what you think. --Dennis

Dennis Palumbo
15300 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 402
Sherman Oaks, CA. 91403

Phone and fax: 818-386-2070, Email: dpalumbo181@aol.com
Website: http://www.dennispalumbo.com/

Barack? Hillary? SpongeBob? WHO CARES?

2008-03-14T17:57:00.001-07:00

If there's one thing all the pundits agree on, it's that this presidential primary fight has ignited the nation. More people are involved, debating--and voting--than ever before.

Except, it turns out, for some people. Which means...what, exactly?

Funny you should ask.

As a therapist, I read a lot of professional journals. Recently, one of them proposed that a new category of mental illness be added to the DSM, the clinical manual used by most therapists. They want to call this new condition Political Apathy Disorder, and its main symptom is showing a lack of concern for human suffering in the world.

In other words, you're not just an insensitive jerk, you're sick.

Do you have Political Apathy Disorder? The answer is a resounding Yes!--if, for example, you refuse to vote or, fail to consider the impact on the environment when making a purchase. Or buy something you really don't need, just because you like it.

Other symptoms include acting in an "elitist" manner--whatever that means--and telling ethnic jokes. Believe me, I wish I were making this up. But even as we speak, people with Ph.D's are actually debating whether to add this diagnosis to the growing list of things that might be wrong with you, that you didn't know about.

For what it's worth, I'm against it.

True, refusing to vote may be irresponsible. Perhaps a shirking of your duties as a citizen. But evidence of mental illness?

My concern here is with this growing trend of assigning diagnostic labels to literally every human behavior. And we're starting 'em young. For example, we've spent the last two decades diagnosing an increasing number of children with Attention Deficit Disorder. (Which, by the way, has already become passe. Nowadays, the fastest-growing diagnosis for kids is bipolar disorder. I guess that means screenwriters and rock stars will just have to come up with another one.)

What's next? Will we soon be labeling "problem" children as sociopaths, because they can't empathize with another kid whose toy they took? Or don't show sufficient remorse for licking the icing off their brother's birthday cake?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting we throw out the whole system. But let's face it: diagnostic labels exist for the convenience of the labelers. And that's fine. There's nothing wrong with convenience. Or with a common language that enables all us clinical geniuses to talk with one another.

But it makes me wonder: does every trait, behavior, or private thought have to come with a label? In our haste to understand the human condition, do we want to smooth off all the edges, quantify all the quirks? Should we really reduce the many contradictions that make up an individual's personality to a category in some manual?

This isn't a rhetorical question. I really wonder about it. A lot. So much so, in fact, that it might indicate the need for a new diagnostic category: Pervasive Wondering Disorder.

I can imagine others: Excessive Daydreaming Disorder. Insufficient Outrage about Eliot Spitzer Disorder. Or how about: Dogmatic Belief in Diagnostic Labels Disorder.

Bet they won't put that in the manual.

But, really, where will all this labeling end? (A question, no doubt, symptomatic of Apocalyptic Obsessional Disorder.)
Or am I making too much of the issue? (Reflexive Self-Invalidating Disorder, with Mixed Emotional Features.)

See what I mean? That's the trouble with labeling. Once you get started, it's damned hard to stop.

Eliot Spitzer: just another Crime of the Heart

2008-03-13T21:58:00.001-07:00

Why do people do the things they do? Good question.

As a former Hollywood screenwriter (My Favorite Year; Welcome Back, Kotter, etc.), now a licensed psychotherapist and mystery author, I figure I have as much right as the next guy to weigh in on the former governor of New York. Let's face it, Spitzer's story has everything a blogger could want: sex, crime, the downfall of the powerful, and a spouse standing by her man.

Not to mention the prostitute alleged to have been involved with Spitzer. Another case of Instant Celebrity: just add Fox News and stir. She's already being showered with book deals, talk show offers and speaking engagements. It wouldn't surprise me if she got her own cable reality TV show (maybe co-hosted by Heidi Fleiss?).

Wait a minute, I think I'm onto something...Get William Morris on the phone!

By the way, Instant Celebrity is just one of the things I'll be blogging about here---as well as creativity, the media, and psychology today. Or the latest trends in mystery and crime fiction. Or politics. Or---well, you get the picture.

I'll also try not to join the growing crowd of bloggers whining about the End of Western Civilization. Not that there isn't plenty of evidence for it. Like this current frenzy over Governor Spitzer. God knows, we've been here before. Where you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Where it's either another sad commentary on the human condition, or just more stand-up fodder for Leno and Letterman.

But what if it's neither? As the title of Beth Henley's play suggests, we're probably all guilty of "crimes of the heart." At least one time or another. So rather than make jokes about the Spitzer marriage, or demand that Mrs. Spitzer get a divorce, or guess how many times the word "hypocrisy" will be tossed around by media pundits, I'd rather just say this: let's hope the sorry couple get the professional help they need, and that the rest of us stay the hell out of their lives.

After all, don't we have our priorities screwed up, anyway? I mean, it's okay to lie to us about the reasons we're going to war, but our moral outrage is triggered when a penis goes astray? I guess that's one way to keep Iraq out of the headlines.

But that's just me. What do you think? Feel free to let me know.

And stay tuned.