In April 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.
This is the second time I’ve hosted Kevin Egan at the First Two Pages —the first time nearly a year ago with his terrific story “Becoming Ian Fleming” in the September/October 2022 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. His new story also appears in AHMM, and it has an equally gripping name: “Italian Alzheimer’s” (which Kevin explains in his essay). While I often try to give space to writers who haven’t appeared at the blog before, Kevin’s thoughtfulness in reflecting on his work has made his essays—like his fiction—stand out, and I’m always grateful to host essays that might help other writers as well as offer insight to readers too.
Kevin’s had a terrific track record at AHMM, with 18 stories in the magazine—and more than 20 other stories elsewhere. He’s also the author eight novels, and you can find out more about Kevin and his work at his website: www.kjeganfiction.com.
In the meantime, enjoy this glimpse at his latest story—and at the craft choices behind it too!
Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.
Egan-Italian-Alzheimers