R.L. Maizes

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J. Lynn
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R.L. Maizes

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August 2012


R.L. Maizes is the author of the forthcoming novel A COMPLETE FICTION, the novel OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS, winner of the 2021 Colorado Book Award in Fiction, and the short story collection WE LOVE ANDERSON COOPER. Her stories have aired on National Public Radio and have appeared in Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading. Maizes's essays have aired on NPR and have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O Magazine, McSweeney's and elsewhere.

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Maizes currently lives in Boulder County, CO, with her husband, Steve, and her muses: Arie, a cat who was dropped in the animal shelter’s night box like an overdue library book, and Rosie, a dog who spent her first year homeless in South Dakota and thi
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R.L. Maizes My next book is a novel, Other People's Pets, that will also be published by Celadon Books (Macmillan). It's about an animal empath who must decide wh…moreMy next book is a novel, Other People's Pets, that will also be published by Celadon Books (Macmillan). It's about an animal empath who must decide whether to rob houses to pay her father's legal bills after he's arrested. I've had to learn to think like a burglar for this book, so if the whole writing thing doesn't work out...(less)
R.L. Maizes Getting to sit alone in a quiet room playing with imaginary friends called characters. Making them interact with each other, support and betray one an…moreGetting to sit alone in a quiet room playing with imaginary friends called characters. Making them interact with each other, support and betray one another, while I mull over human nature. Seeing the characters come to life and develop wills of their own, then sharing the work with an audience. When readers are moved and amused by my work, I couldn't be happier. (less)
Average rating: 3.66 · 2,206 ratings · 556 reviews · 5 distinct worksSimilar authors
We Love Anderson Cooper

3.75 avg rating — 1,065 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions
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Other People's Pets

3.57 avg rating — 1,115 ratings — published 2020 — 4 editions
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A Cat Called Grievous

4.47 avg rating — 17 ratings
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A Complete Fiction

4.56 avg rating — 9 ratings2 editions
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Tattoo

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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New Book: A Complete Fiction

I have a new book coming out this fall:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Here's what Bethany Ball, author of What To Do About the Solomons and The Pessimists, had to say about it:

“Fast-paced and tightly wrought, R.L. Maizes’ new novel, A Complete Fiction, goes right to the mercenary hearts of two writers and with humor and pathos manages to skewer the publishing industry and the pressure co Read more of this blog post »
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Published on March 08, 2025 13:14 Tags: literary-fiction-humor-satire
Alone in the Wood...
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The Emperor of Gl...
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The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
The Night She Disappeared
by Lisa Jewell (Goodreads Author)
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Loved it. Listened to the audio and Joanne Froggatt (of Downton Abbey) was amazing. Highly recommend.
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None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
None of This Is True
by Lisa Jewell (Goodreads Author)
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What a wild ride! So entertaining, so twisty. Not my usual genre and I loved it.
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None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
None of This Is True
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What a wild ride! So entertaining, so twisty. Not my usual genre and I loved it.
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The Wager by David Grann
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A Complete Fiction by R.L. Maizes
"Terrific character development, a true signature of how great a writer R.L. Maizes is. The nuance and conflicts throughout the book are so poignant, you find yourself rooting for these characters even with all that conflict. I felt like I knew them, " Read more of this review »
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The Wager by David Grann
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A Complete Fiction by R.L. Maizes
"I was lucky to get my hands on an early copy of this gem (full disclosure, I’ve pre-ordered a copy, but I asked the author for an early copy because I couldn’t wait). R.L. Maizes’s signature dark humor is on display in this clever take on the mob men" Read more of this review »
A Complete Fiction by R.L. Maizes
" So glad you enjoyed it! "
R.L. Maizes and 3 other people liked Julie's review of A Complete Fiction:
A Complete Fiction by R.L. Maizes
"As a writer, I enjoyed reading about other writers and their struggles in the publishing industry. P.J. has been trying to sell her novels for years without success. George has been revising and refining his book for over a decade. When George finall" Read more of this review »
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Alone in the Woods by Micah Perks
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Topics Mentioning This Author

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George Saunders
“Fiction is a kind of compassion-generating machine that saves us from sloth. Is life kind or cruel? Yes, Literature answers. Are people good or bad? You bet, says Literature. But unlike other systems of knowing, Literature declines to eradicate one truth in favor of another; rather, it teaches us to abide with the fact that, in their own way, all things are true, and helps us, in the face of this terrifying knowledge, continually push ourselves in the direction of Open the Hell Up.”
George Saunders

Neil Gaiman
“A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.”
Neil Gaiman

Lorrie Moore
“A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage. A short story is a photograph; a novel is a film.”
Lorrie Moore

Norman Rush
“The main effort of arranging your life should be to progressively reduce the amount of time required to decently maintain yourself so that you can have all the time you want for reading.”
Norman Rush

George Saunders
“Humor is what happens when we're told the truth quicker and more directly than we're used to.”
George Saunders, The Braindead Megaphone

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