Michael A. Kahn

The Dead Hand and the Jewish Book Festival — 1:30 pm on Monday, November 14

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Michael Kahn

Should be a fun afternoon at the St. Louis Jewish Book festival on Monday, November 14. I will be one of three authors on the Missouri’s Own Panel, where each of us will have a chance to discuss our latest book, read a passage, and the participate in a panel discussion hosted by my friend…

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An Evening with Scott Turow–November 6th at 7:30 PM

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Michael Kahn

I have been a fan of Scott Turow and his writings ever since publication of his first book, One L, a work of nonfiction subtitled The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School. That book came out during my own first year at Harvard Law School. As you can imagine, I was hardly…

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A Delightful Evening with Two Great Guys Who Happen to Be Terrific Writers

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 by Michael Kahn

Writing a novel is, by definition, a lonely avocation. It’s just you and your computer–or just you and that legal pad. Thus any opportunity to hang out with a fellow writer is a welcome opportunity–but sometimes it can be a truly delightful opportunity. And that’s what I experienced last Monday night when I took the…

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Fun Book Event at the St. Louis County Library–October 10th

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Michael Kahn

I am looking forward to this Monday night, October 10th–and not just because the 2nd Presidential Debate will finally be behind us (although the cable news networks will no doubt still have their panels of “experts” seated around the table and bloviating on who won). No, Monday night is a special one for me because I…

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Groucho Marx versus Warner Bros. — A Social Media Smackdown

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Michael Kahn

While I am often described as “a lawyer by day and an author at night,” those two occupations have a tendency to blend into one another. All of my novels have featured lawyers and compelling legal issues, and much of my law practice involves the writing of what I hope are compelling works of non-fiction…

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God or Huck Finn: Who Should Tell Your Story?

Posted on September 15, 2016September 14, 2016 by Michael Kahn

An online discussion among several of my fellow Poisoned Pen Press authors got me thinking about the one decision every fiction author must make before typing CHAPTER 1 at the top of the page. That decision? Who will tell your story? “Huh,” a baffled reader may wonder, “doesn’t the author tell the story?” Only rarely….

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Meet Me in St. Louis: Toasted Ravioli, Hoosiers, and High School

Posted on August 15, 2016August 21, 2016 by Michael Kahn

If asked to name the key elements of their favorite novel, most readers would place at the top of their list vivid characters and an engaging plot. But when we think of our favorite novels, another vital element is the strong sense of place. Whether it’s Huck Finn’s Mississippi River in Mark Twain’s masterpiece or…

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The Law of Zombies (Crimespree Magazine)

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Michael Kahn

As news of the upcoming publication of my next novel, The Dead Hand, began to spread, the editors at Crimespree Magazine asked if I would be willing to share with their readers some insights into the types of research involved in writing such a novel. I was happy to do so–especially for this new novel. Though…

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From the Odyssey to the Unforgiven

Posted on July 15, 2016July 18, 2016 by Michael Kahn

Critics have long debated whether the correct number is six or nine or eleven, but they do agree that all literature–no matter the genre–can be reduced to less than 12 basic story lines. Whether you label Homer’s The Odyssey a quest story, a revenge tale, a picaresque adventure, or an astounding melange of all three, its impact…

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First Review of The Dead Hand

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Michael Kahn

Writing is a lonely pursuit. You spend all those hours on your own, writing and rewriting your novel, hoping that it’s working, hoping that your readers will enjoy it, worrying that maybe you’re kidding yourself, that maybe you’re producing the literary equivalent of the Hollywood bomb. Thus nothing makes an author more jittery than news…

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