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Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation

Note: In writing this, I realized that I appear on film with 2 of these writers, which is starting to make me wonder if I’m actually a fictional character myself. My girlfriend insists I’m real, but I’m still not entirely convinced, despite the fact that she poked me a lot and it really hurt.

It’s generally accepted that there’s a fine line between reality and fiction, but sometimes it gets particularly difficult to tell just where that line is — and these authors don’t help. We’re told not to confuse the artist and the art, that a first-person voice is not necessarily that of the author, that the views and opinions of the characters do not necessarily reflect those of the person that created the characters.

But then sometimes, the person who created the characters is a character, and then things just get all like super confusing and meta-heady-wackiness ensues and you’re not really sure where one thing starts and the other begins. And so without any further ado, I present to you 6 real-life authors who are also fictional (by their own pens, no less).

Jason Schwartzman as (fictional) Jonathan Ames

Jonathan Ames: Jonathan Ames the writer first appeared on the literary scene in 1989 in his debut novel I Pass Like Night, which recounts the narrator’s various sexual exploits in ways both shocking and hilarious. Some of these encounters are later recounted (albeit with some differences) in his debut graphic novel The Alcoholic, which explicitly features a protagonist named Jonathan A, who is also a novelist.

Later, Jonathan Ames (the writer) created a TV show called Bored To Death (based on his own short story of the same name) which focuses on the misadventures of a novelist-turned-amateur-detective named Jonathan Ames, whose debut novel is called I Pass Like Night (also you can totally see me in the Season 2 finale at the Brooklyn Comic-Con). As Ames himself has said in many interviews, “Whenever I wrote fiction, people always seemed to think that what I wrote was true, that it was entirely autobiographical. And when I would write non-fiction, they often accused me of exaggeration and fictionalization…so I decided to give it a try and thoroughly confuse my few readers.”

And I think he has succeeded at that.

Kurt Vonnegut: Much of Vonnegut’s work features, or at least alludes to, a fictional sci-fi writer named Kilgore Trout, who is generally believed to be a fictional image of Vonnegut himself. But then sometimes Vonnegut himself also ends up in his own stories — occasionally even accompanied by Kilgore Trout. He appears as a character in the novel Breakfast of Champions, observing and even interacting with several other fictional characters in the story.

But it’s Vonnegut’s final novel, TimeQuake, where things get trippy. As explained in the first chapter of the book, the original idea for the novel TimeQuake was that the universe began to momentarily shrink, but then changed its mind, forcing everyone to re-live the last 10 years (give or take) of their lives, precisely as they happened the first time. According to Vonnegut, he had some difficulty turning this into an actual interesting narrative, so the idea was scrapped, and the book that ultimately became TimeQuake was a combination of autobiographical anecdotes, and elements of what would have been his original intended story (with Vonnegut essentially telling readers what would have happened in the book he was trying to write).

However, Vonnegut still recounts the autobiographical parts of the book in terms of the timequake from the original plot — rather than simply recounting memories of the last ten years, he tells these personal stories in terms of having re-lived them on autopilot, thanks to the effects of the fictional timequake. And so, one presume that while the stories themselves are non-fictional, the timequake itself was a piece of fiction…or was it? (Image via Letters Of Note).

Look who came to the holiday party all prettied up, slathered in a rich, creamy cheese sauce, topped with crisp bacon and crushed Ritz? It’s a grand Holiday Mac & Cheese Pimiento Casserole!

Everyone’s favorite basic macaroni and cheese can be made festive, too. For the next holiday event, make this your signature dish. It’s simple, easy and perfect!

While fussing around on Quirk's Tumblr, I stumbled upon this wonderful video on the blog Lauren Reads YA. 

Lauren put together a great recap of Ransom Riggs' visit to Boekhandel Den Boer in Baarn, The Netherlands. Bestselling YA author Tahereh Mafi is also in the video. 

Have a look, and be sure to follow Lauren on Tumblr! 

Photo via Flickr

With all the running around for the holidays, sometimes you can forget the most important things. Sometimes it’s a kid, other times, it’s an important part of your holiday tradition.

If Hanukkah arrives and you are without a menorah or candles, you will have to make your own. So here’s an excerpt from the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays by David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven, to teach you how to make menorah candles out of crayons.

Yes, crayons.

The first two books in Charles Gilman's Tales From Lovecraft Middle School series are currently in bookstores everywhere, with the third title, Teacher's Pest, due out this Spring. 

We're currently hard at work on the fourth title in the series, Tales From Lovecraft Middle School: Substitute Creature, and we're looking for a model for the cover!

Here are the details from our art director, Doogie Horner:

We're looking for a woman to be the cover model on a book cover called Lovecraft Middle School: Substitute Creature. It's the 4th entry in a middle grade fiction series about a middle school where a bunch of the teachers and students are secretly monsters, inspired by the novels of H.P. Lovecraft.

Model Description: Female, 35-50 years old. Should look like a substitute teacher: bookish, shy, like a quiet librarian or cat lady. The kind of woman who wears her hair in a bun. Should be pretty, but also kind of average. Long face and thin nose a bonus.

Note: We will use Photoshop to turn you into a terrifying ghoul! The book cover is lenticular. Held at one angle, you will look like yourself. When the book is turned though, you'll transform into a terrifying ghoul [through the magic of Photoshop].

We're shooting sometime in December, or possibly early January, at a studio in Philadelphia. Should take about 4 hours. Pay is $150.

If interested please email two recent headshots to [email protected] Please write Lovecraft Middle School in the subject line of your email.

If you’re looking for a special event dish that doubles as a family meal, this Beef Stew Puff Pastry Pot Pie is the perfect all-occasion entrée.

This is a classic, wholesome, unpretentious stew with succulent cubes of beef simmered in a thick broth enhanced with wine. To make it even more inviting, top the whole dish with a crisp, flaky and buttery puff pastry crust. Make the beef ahead to cut the cooking time. Bake the pastry crust 20 minutes before serving. You will love the warmth and hearty flavors from this all-in-one simple and splendid stew. Serve with salad greens, a good bottle of wine and enjoy!