I know a guy and he's a writer. A legit writer!

You ought to write a book. Really, you should. You're witty and well-read, nuanced and multi-dimensional. Problem is, writing a full-length novel isn't something that happens in those interstices when you're feeling witty, nuanced, and multi-dimensional; it is a grinding slog involving months of existential mirror-gazing, when the self-doubt and and less salutary brain chemistry embrace your every keystroke. That's why you've never even tried it.

I met this guy, Toby Barlow, through my lovely wife. He is witty, accomplished, and an excellent man to meet for cocktails. We spent a week at his place in Brooklyn once, and I saw that he had 3x5 cards up on his bedroom wall with Ideas. Not ideas. Ideas. The kind of Ideas that come to you from time to time that you would love to realize but probably won't, because you have to work or you're just too tired or there are errands you haven't taken care of. I won't say what was on the cards on his wall, except to say that they were grand and fun. I didn't make too much of them at the time, but I now know that Toby is the kind of fellow who isn't just whistling Dixie when he affixes 3x5 cards to his wall - he's actually finding the wherewithal to make good on his Ideas.

Like this epic poem/novel he has written. It's called Sharp Teeth and it's about werewolves in Los Angeles. Except that it's not just about werewolves in Los Angeles - it's about all sorts of untidy emotions and the people who have them. The people just happen to be werewolves. And it's good. And while the plot is a rollicking yarn, it's the stuff about love and loyalty and betrayal that's particularly fine. And I'm pretty sure that he wrote it because he had an original Idea and wrote it on a 3x5 card and then followed through. And that's really impressive.

He came through SF on a book tour some months ago, and someone asked him how he managed to write Sharp Teeth and have a demanding job and tons of other responsibilities. He said he worked on it in hotel rooms when he was traveling, and I thought about how I can't even work on the crossword puzzle after work most nights. And again, this book doesn't read like something someone was tackling in their off-hours at the Sheraton. Although there is a significant sub-plot set in a hotel.

So kudos to you Toby, and I'm unreservedly recommending that people check out this book. It is about a lot of things, but for me, it's mostly about the triumph of Ideas over all that stuff in daily life that usually holds Ideas in abeyance.