Archive for September, 2005

You Had Me At Hello

Friday, September 30th, 2005

In the "things any author would love others to say about his or her work" category…
Author Lynn Freed wrote a memoir called Reading, Writing and Leaving Home.  When asked by The Week to name what she viewed to be the "Best Books", she pointed to The Lover by Marguerite Duras.  The pick isn’t all that [...]

Uh, What?

Thursday, September 29th, 2005

This sounds more like fiction to me, but I wasn’t there:
NON-FICTION: TRUE CRIMEAttorney Matt Dalton with Bonnie Hearn Hill’s PRESUMED GUILTY: What the Jury Never Knew About Laci Peterson’s Murder, and Why Scott Peterson Should Not Be on Death Row, to Peter Borland at Atria, for publication in December 2005, in a very nice deal, [...]

Good Job Nora

Wednesday, September 28th, 2005

We all joke about Nora  - okay, I do - and her ownership of the bestseller lists and romance awards and….everything.  This is pretty cool.  If you’re too lazy to follow the link or keep reading, she is donating $500,000 to a Katrina fundraiser.  She says:
Bear with me now. It’s generally my policy, when I [...]

Life Isn’t Fair And Publishing Is Worse

Tuesday, September 27th, 2005

Put this one in the read-the-entire-contract-next-time file: 
An ex-DEA agent writes a book and sends it to  University Press. All good so far, right?  Wrong.  He signs a publishing deal without an attorney and without knowing anything - anything - about book contracts.  And, here’s the ending you’re expecting:  he ended up giving away rights [...]

So Close I Can Almost Touch You

Monday, September 26th, 2005

This is not an Ode To Stalking.  It’s an Ode to, uh, something else.  See, I’ve always wondered about the thrill of seeing one of your auto-buy authors in person.  Readers go to signings, lectures and all kinds of fun wait-in-a-long-line things to see the people who write for a living.  I mean, we’re not [...]

Stephen King Talks Shop

Sunday, September 25th, 2005

Stephen King’s column in Entertainment Weekly centers on Bret Easton Ellis’s new book, Lunar Park, and the whispers about how the book is a type of Ode to Stephen King.  So, basically, this is King talking about someone doing an impersonation of King.  [Yeah, I know, but read the sentence again because it does make [...]

My Kingdom For A Book

Friday, September 23rd, 2005

Just as the rush of Summer Reading Lists dies down, the Fall Reading Lists arrive.  Me, well, I’m holding out for the mid-February Reading List ’cause February is cold and dull in DC.  I’ll need something to do to ignore a pressing deadline since going outside won’t be an option.  The newest list is from [...]

There’s Magic In The Air in DC

Thursday, September 22nd, 2005

This weekend is the 2005 Festival of Books sponsored by the Library of Congress.  It’s held in DC, not a publishing mecca, but that’s where the Library of Congress is located, so….
There will be speeches, booksignings and general book frivolity.  The list of attending authors is worth a look.  I like the way they’re divided [...]

Google Is Not Always Our Friend

Wednesday, September 21st, 2005

Please excuse this brief blogging break as I direct a message to someone in need.  Feel free to skip ahead to the *** sign.
Okay, to the person who keeps searching for Neil Strauss’ book The Game and the quote about Randall P. and keeps ending up on my site thanks to this ….you need to [...]

A Definition Of “Female Porn” By A Guy Named Mike

Tuesday, September 20th, 2005

Mike has found a new reason to be ticked at romance novels.  Actually, Mike and Hayley, who I assume is Mrs. Mike, appear to be in a rather accusatory mood regarding fairy tales, chick lit, chick flicks, romance novels and female porn.  Apparently, they view these as all the same thing, or one leads to [...]