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Normally I’m not much of a joiner, but… “EFF is gathering a group of authors (or their heirs or assigns) who are concerned about the Google Book Search settlement and its effect on the privacy and anonymity of readers. This page provides basic information for authors and publishers who are considering whether to join our group.”

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"The harijans up top [of the bus], who neither got to see that girl's incredible breasts, nor understand why they were flying through the air as the driver slammed the brakes at the edge of the ravine, which the bus did not go over, but the refrigerator did, taking all those chickens and bananas and rice sacks and wedding and funeral girts with it, and leaving behind it on the slope it door down sixteen shirtless brown men without an ounce of body fat between them but plenty, now, of broken bones."

That's a chaotic, hilarious set piece from novelist Tony D'Souza's new book, The Konkans.

This second-time novelist and freelance writer has been our guest all week, discussing everything from working with a literary agent to researching your novel.

For the conclusion of his interview, D'Souza discusses the fine art of writing action scenes. Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality conversations with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:

You have a real knack for describing how crazy events unfold in physical space-- a mix of propulsive sentences and slapstick. How do you write and re-write your climactic action scenes (like the escaped pig in The Konkans or the hero chasing a girl through a cornfield in Whiteman)? What's your advice for writers looking to write more action-packed prose?