Telling It Like It Is

The Emerging Writers Forum lands an interview with Tom Bissell, in which we discover that God Lives in St. Petersburg was originally titled Death Defier and Other Stories from Central Asia. Tom explains the change: "It was concluded, after careful research and study, that no one in his or her right mind would buy a book titled Death Defier and Other Stories from Central Asia."

Oh, and here's a story I forgot to tell from the Bissell reading the other night. Tom came over to say hello to the Significant Other and me when he arrived, and we joked about whether his sworn nemesis would show up, and I mentioned said nemesis and his group by name at one point. So after Tom goes to say hello to other friends, the S.O. turns to me and says, "I didn't know those were the guys who hated Tom. Didn't they try to ruin [another friend's] reading years ago?" And I said, "Yep, same guys." So she asks, "What's their problem, anyway?" And I broke it down as simply as I could: "Tom and [another friend] have book deals, and they don't."