Steven Houchin - Writer’s Roost

Writer’s Roost Home Page

Last update: 28 December 2011

Welcome to Steven Houchin’s writing website. He is the author of novels, short stories, non-fiction articles, techincal papers, and also performs editing services for other writers. He was honored when his second novel won the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s 2007 Literary Contest in the Mystery/Thriller category. Also, he served as a judge in PNWA’s annual literary contest for both 2009 and 2010 in their Sci-Fi/Fantasy category.

Please check out his Writer’s Roost BLOG. It contains book reviews, announcements, and articles on the writing craft. Please post your comments on any of the articles. Also, take a look at our list of upcoming Literary Conferences and Contests.

News items:

** Steven’s article “A Journey Through Time” appears in the October 2011 issue of Northwest Prime Time magazine. It tells the story of a letter he wrote while in kindergarten that returned to him 49 years later, unopened.

** Steven gave an interview about his writing experience to local Seattle author Norma Nill, which you can read on her blog.

** Steven recently served as guest blogger at the Literary Liasons site with a posting titled “So, You Want to Win a Literary Contest?” In it, he explains some of the factors that will help your manuscript break through the clutter of contest entries to maximize the chance of winning.

** Steven’s non-fiction article “McGraw Square” was published in the Summer 2009 issue of Columbia Magazine, a publication of the Washington State Historical Society. It details the history of a statue in downtown Seattle that honors John McGraw, who served in the 1880s and 1890s as King County Sheriff and Washington’s second governor.

Book Review: Rogue Island

Rogue Island is a sarcastic alias used by Rhode Island locals; an affectionate reference to the state’s rampant corruption and mob influence. In Bruce DeSilva’s excellent crime novel, Liam Mulligan is a jaded Providence newspaper reporter who is losing at love, is harassed by his soon-to-be ex-wife, and chafes at his boss’s mundane assignment to do feel-good stories about dogs.

But somebody is burning down buildings in the Mount Hope section of Providence where Mulligan grew up. People are killed - civilians and firefighters. Mullgan knows some of them. Despite his boss’s objections, he sets off on his own investigation, not trusting the city’s arson investigators, whom he publicly belittles as Dumb and Dumber.

As the number of fires mount, Mulligan begins to doubt they’re dealing with a classic pyromaniac, despite a much-touted FBI profile of the arsonist. The fires are confined to a specific rectangle of the neighborhood. And a few obscure real estate companies have been buying up properties in the same area. Homeowners who have been approached to sell are among the arsonist’s victims.

Rogue Island lays on a heavy dose of hard-bitten language and wisecracking dialog. Mulligan find himself on everyone’s bad side as he steps on plenty of toes to push his investigation forward. The cast of characters, the clues, and the action keep coming at a brisk pace, urging the reader to keep turning the page. At about 300 pages, it is a thoroughly enjoyable quick read.

Steven Houchin -- 28 December 2011

To see previous essays and musing about writing, please visit my Web Log.