Maisonneuve has interviewed me about The Warhol Gang. An excerpt:

AV: Was The Warhol Gang modelled after a city?

PD: It’s not modelled after a city because, other than the stuff that comes with your basic geography (like Vancouver’s got a different setup than Toronto) I don’t see any difference between them. When I step into a mall, it doesn’t matter, it’s got the same Banana Republics, it’s got the same Starbucks. Your social experiences are fundamentally unchanged, no matter what city you’re in. I could drive across the border and be in a completely different country in Seattle and my experience is going be largely the same. So I deliberately didn’t set it in a city because I wasn’t talking about Canada, I wasn’t talking about Vancouver or Toronto, I was talking about a particular type of lifestyle that has come to dominate us, no matter where we are.

Random iPhone shot from yesterday.

Actually read a book, that is. I’ll be taking part in the HarperWeekend Read-In, where Distinguished Authors sit in chairs they can’t afford and read books for the Indigo Love of Reading foundation. I’ll be at the Chapters on Robson Street in Vancouver at 10 a.m. Saturday. I’m looking forward to it, because I haven’t had a full hour to read a book in months.

For those of you who liked my writing tips at the Post this week, a couple of them were reprinted in the Saturday paper — page WP14. Finally, a blog-to-print deal!

Here’s the last of my writing lessons for the Post. Sniff. I’ll miss you guys.

Yes, the Kevin Chong in mentioned in the lesson is the same Kevin Chong ruffian from this postcard.

Previously:

• Write what you know
• Writing is editing
• Distribution is key
• Show, don’t tell

The other day I did a two-hour interview in a bar with Sean Cranbury of Books on the Radio. We talked about The Warhol Gang, DRM, iPhones, Stephen Harper and Canadian politics, why I hate American Idol, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The podcast is now up, along with this quick and dirty video. Check it out!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APNqPh09v9o]

The Post has published my latest writing lesson, in which one of my secret fantasies finally comes true. Check in tomorrow for my final lesson, in which Kevin Chong makes a guest appearance.

Previously:

• Write what you know
• Writing is editing
• Distribution is key

I had my first sighting of The Warhol Gang in a bookstore today — specifically, the Chapters on Vancouver’s Robson Street. It’s my second book, but this kind of thing still makes me giggle. I’m on the same table as Tolkien!

Today at the National Post I offer advice on how writers can get rich. Because that’s what it’s all about.

Previously:

• Write what you know
• Writing is editing

My second writing lesson is online now over at the Post. Follow my tips to success!

Previously:

• Write what you know