My first attempt at a novel followed a Steinbeck binge, my next-in-the-series of fiction-groupie crushes that began with The Iliad, went through Jack London, Saul Bellow, John le Carre, On the Road, and others, and picked up later with John Irving, Elmore Leonard, Nicole Mones, Cormac McCarthy, and Simon Mawer; I’m currently hot for Ian McEwan. That “first novel” failed through lack of discipline. I’ll try to explain why.
There had been two ...
Since my current interest is primarily the novel, I'll start by talking about long fiction. I believe that if you're going to write fiction, you have to respect it on its own merits. For some writers, storytelling is an art or an obsession or a blood-challenge with which to take up and become enthralled. For others it may be a working endeavor in pursuit of a livelihood, advancement, recognition, and so on, and getting words on a page is ...
A Proficiency in Billiards was on a pile on my table with Khaled Hosseini, Elie Wiesel and Salman Rushdie. Mason held his own. The racial tension was an evocative theme for me, a Chicano from a multi-ethnic neighborhood coming out of WWII.”
“Welcome to the world of Lance Mason, a writer with an intense, beautiful awareness of the danger and possibility in every moment of our flash-in-the-pan lives. “
“Your Grand Prize Bronze story “The Train to Harare” will be posted on http://besttravelwriting.com and as the Editors’ Choice on http://travelerstales.com. Congratulations for such a great story.”
What drives A Proficiency in Billiards—an engaging, wide-ranging mix of travel writing, sports writing, investigative journalism, personal essay, and memoir—is Mason's deep curiosity and spirit of adventure. The author’s ability to be both curious observer and enthusiastic participant also makes him a most companionable, informed, guide.
“‘The Get-Away Man,’ has been selected [for] upstreet No. 3. CNF Editor Harrison Fletcher and I both think it will make a wonderful addition to the journal.”
