Two Sentence Tuesday

Hello again! Thanks to you all for voting for me last week. My first sentence made it through the first round so I got to post the second. That's me, the troublemaker. My two sentences are available for voting in round two if you feel like voting. If not, that's ok--I really just wanted to get a good giggle out of posting the second one. (My sentences are entry #1 this week.)

This week I must admit, I didn't read much that was exciting. It was a very busy week, one of those end-of-summer-rush-to-get-everything-done times. I've been playing phone tag, sitting on hold, etc, when I would rather be doing just about anything else! So I'll give you a bit more food for thought(?) from Beyond Heaving Bosoms, The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels.

A curious facet of romance-cover art is that the male models are much more famous than the women. onsider the number of famous romance cover models who are male: Fabio. John DeSalvo. The late Rob Ashton. Nathan Kamp. Even people who are completely unfamiliar and uninterested in romance know who Fabio is, mostly because he built his career on a foundation of romance-cover modeling, be went on to embrace charitable work, parody, and whether margarine is, or is not, butter.

Personally, I don't recognize any of the names up there except Fabio's, but perhaps that's because he wore his Mr. Romance title with flair while the others are still just models? I don't know. But I do know that Romantic Times names a "Mr. Romance" cover model every year (or two?) and that there's a good deal of partisanship among fans of the various models.

Now for my two sentences. I've been gearing up, and though I *still* haven't begun to "fast draft" (heck, I may never begin...the book may be entirely written before I feel comfortable enough to do so), I have gotten some things down.

As Evie eased her car back onto the road, she recalled something Benny had told her when she first went to work for him. “Sugar,” he’d said, “you just never know who needs a little passion in her life.”

And you? Read anything interesting this week? Written anything interesting? As usual, let us know where to find it, or post it in the comments, and we'll link to you!

• David Cranmer plays along this week with more Cash in the comments.
• Leah J Utas has no Cash, as her blogged sentences this week are from her story Dead Broke.
  

WoM Kathy Guest Posting at FF Chronicles

Link over to Flash Fiction Chronicles where our own micro-fictioneer Kathy discusses her writing journey, what makes mystery writing special, while providing, as always, links to loads of interesting folks and info.

My Town Mondays: Giffnock, Scotland

I’m especially proud to be giving you a little tour of the lovely town of Giffnock, Scotland, a suburb of Glasgow. It’s in the beautiful Clyde Valley in the historic county of Renfrewshire.

I’m visiting Giffnock for the impending birth of my third grandson. My son, Scott, his wife Tina, and the lovely Princess Myla have lived here since Myla’s birth seventeen months ago. They have been in Scotland for five years due to Scott’s transfer with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

The name Giffnock is said to come from the Old Norse “geof,” which means hill or mound with the suffix “nuck,” for tree or shrub. It has a population of just under 10,000 people and is close to a number of interesting places to visit, including Edinburgh and Stirling.

One of the claims to fame for Giffnock is a visit from Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, who had to parachute from his plane near Eaglesham and was locked in the Giffnock Scout Hall during his “stay.”

Since Giffnock is so close to so many places, public transportation is very convenient. It’s a brief twenty-minute ride to Glasgow Centre and buses are very active throughout the day. The Giffnock Railway Station, which is part of the Glasgow South Western Line, is nearby and gives residents connection to any destination they desire.

My daughter-in-law, like her neighbours, walks most everywhere. I’ve never been much of walker so it has been a bit of a challenge for me, but I’m doing well and my jeans are loose now. There’s a small shopping area nearby with a bakery, post office, restaurants, a small hotel, and banks and such, which is very convenient. A nearby park offers plenty of play for Myla, who truly enjoys the outdoors.

Though Scotland is well-known for its rain, I have to say the weather had been quite nice since I’ve been here, with many sunny, warm days. I left the muggy heat behind in New Jersey and have enjoyed temperatures in the low sixties while here. There have been some dreary days but overall, it’s been nice.

During those beautiful days, everyone enjoys the local parks, Huntly Park and Rouken Glen Park, which provide a variety of entertainment options for residents. These include playgrounds, picnic areas, a pond with a cafe and boat rentals nearby, a skateboard park, and miles of walkways through the trees and large areas of grass for children and pets. At Rouken Glen you can also visit The Gatehouse Gallery.

Eastwood Park Theatre features local actors, the Giffnock Players, and hosts the Drama Workshop and the Harlequin Eastwood Theatre for Youth. Eastwood Park is also home to Eastwood House, once the home of Viscount Weir. He played host to many famous people, including royalty, prime ministers, and foreign diplomats and leaders.

Like Americans, the Scots love their sports, both local and national, and wear their team colours with pride. Not far from Scott’s home is a club that features tennis, lawn bowling, and a variety of other activities for the community. I often watch them bowling on lazy afternoons from my bedroom.

Just below the sports club is the Redhurst Hotel, which has a bar and restaurants and offers en suite bedrooms with the rustic country styling of wood beams and panelling and cozy fireplaces.


This turnabout keeps traffic moving smoothly through the center of town and provides access to convenient roadways in every direction. It sits in front of the historic Giffnock South Parish Church, which had a beautiful floral display out front thanks to the abundance of rain and bright sunshine.


At the end of the block, just before the turnabout, is the Kiltmakers shop, where you can get a kilt made or rent one, which Scott has done for formal events. In business since 1897, this little shop is a bright spot on the roadway.

Grocery shopping is a little different. Most items are fresh and have a “use by” date that is very accurate. Scott and Tina have also found a little grocery store that specializes in American brands and are able to get some items from home that aren’t available at the local grocery.


Bar Milano is just up the road for Scott and Tina and provides a nice place for a quiet drink when they get some alone time, like when I’m here. Miss Myla and I enjoy a lovely tea party while Mom and Dad are out.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit to Giffnock, Scotland, and that someday you get to see it in your travels.

For more about whiskey, way-off Broadway, burns, booms, and getting hot and bothered, visit the My Town Monday blog.

Short Story Symposium via Huffington Post

Today at the Huffington Post, Anis Shivani introduces the Short Story Symposium, an ongoing series that contains new short fiction and interviews with short story writers.

You can find it here.

Today’s inaugural installment contains conversations with and stories by Don Lee, Richard Burgin and Dawn Raffel.

As a short story writer, I especially enjoyed the final quote from Dawn: “I'd like to take a machete to the notion that writing stories is practice for "the real thing"--the novel. A story is not a miniature novel. They're two different forms.”

I'm looking forward to what other short stories writers have to say as this series progresses.

Illustration above is from Squidoo.

Terrie

Winners of City of Veils Giveaway

And our lucky winners of 5 copies of Zoe Ferraris's CITY OF VEILS are:

James Montgomery Jackson

Crystal Phares

Kaye

Krista (Lover of Books) and

Catherine Maiorisi

Check your e-mails for a congratulatory note from me to which you may reply with shipping directions. Thanks, as always, to everyone who visited and participated!

The Value of Pen and Paper or Computer

As part of my work as a freelance writer and editor, I review manuscripts. I have been working on a manuscript with a new writer recently and was astonished to learn she had been told she wasn't smart most of her life. Her manuscript, while having many of the mistakes new writers make, was humorous, articulate, and interesting. The story unfolded with suspense and anticipation.

I'm a picky reader so I don't hand out compliments easily. I won't be mean, but I won't tell you I like your writing just to make you feel better. This woman was stunned when I told her I truly enjoyed reading her book. She had written it more as a way to chronicle her journey through grief. Some friends had read and enjoyed it and encouraged her to have a professional look at it. I'm thrilled she picked me.

I've been in the writing business most of my adult life, but my desire to write dates back to my childhood when I delighted my much younger brother by making up stories about his adventures as a super kid.

As a magazine editor, I'd done numerous workshops at writers conferences, and I love meeting and getting to know fledgling writers. My handouts were usually the two most important items they needed to be a writer: pen and paper. That's all you need.

I leaned that many years ago from the husband-and-wife writing team that I went to for advice on become a writer. I was prepared to go back to school or work on the required certification when they looked at me smiled and said, "You want to be a writer? Write."

So I did and within a year I had sold my first story to a magazine. I eventually turned a desire to write into a great career and I still write something every day.

Of course once you start writing, you'll find you want to learn as much as you can about perfecting your craft. Head to your local library or bookstore. There are countless books out there about anything you have an interest in writing on. You'll find books for specific subjects like mysteries, private eye novels, nonfiction, and so on.

You'll also find writers are like werewolves--those who are part of a pack (think writers group) tend to do better. Writing is a solitary business but it doesn't have to be a lonely life.

Joseph Heller once said, "Every writer I know has trouble writing." That is absolutely true today, for me and my friends who write. Yet we treasure the joy of every success and wallow together in the misery of rejection.

Don't let what anyone else thinks determine what you do. If you want to write, sit down and write. Keep a journal. Write down what happened to you during the day and carefully map out your emotional responses to those events. Before you know it, writing them down will be easier and easier, and you'll see a story forming before your very eyes.

Sit down with a blank piece of paper and say, "What if . . ." Then let your mind roam where it will. There are no limits here, no walls popping up to block your path. All you have to do is think and put the words on the page in an interesting manner.

There's nothing better than finishing a book and wishing desperately you could read more of the story. What if someone felt that way about what you wrote?

"I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions," James Michener said.

How do you feel about it?

The Brain/Body Connection

I have a lot on my writing plate right now. I’m editing one story and writing another, while organizing and editing an anthology. My head aches a lot. I could sing, as Eliza sang to Freddy in My Fair Lady, “Words, words words, I’m so sick of words . . .” Or I could go to the gym.

Writing is a solitary occupation. During working hours most writers are alone with the characters in the current work in progress. Conversations go like this:

Character: “Are you crazy? I’m not doing that.”

Writer: “But the story arc requires . . .”

Character: “Maybe your story arc requires that, but MY story arc requires . . .”

And I know it’s not just me because in an email exchange I told Dana Cameron that my heart nearly stopped when I read something her protag had done in the multi-nominated short story, “Femme Sole.” Dana replied that her heart nearly stopped when she wrote it as she had no idea what the character had done until the words were on the page. (Click here to link to Dana’s website where “Femme Sole” is available for your reading pleasure.)

Back to the writer’s plight. After a few hours of this ongoing struggle, writers often suffer from brain drain, tight muscles and a yearning for innocuous conversation. When I cannot tussle for one more minute with stubborn, cantankerous characters, (Oh, I know. You’ve read some of them. You think they’re nice people, but I could tell you stories.) I slip into my shorts and tee shirt and hit the gym.

While the exercise is sorting out the kinks in my body, my brain, left to its own devices, is sorting out the kinks in my story. And to make it a perfect experience, perhaps a woman working out nearby will ask about my grandkids, or talk about hers. Maybe a young mother will be lamenting the end of summer and the start of school. Or someone else just saw a great show at the local community theater. Any conversation is possible and the ladies at the gym are far easier to get along with than my cranky characters.

So that’s what I do to try to stay sane. What do you do to refresh between writing bouts?

Terrie

Review and Giveaway: City of Veils

Zoe Ferraris' CITY OF VEILS is a wonderfully written, compassionate work of fiction about a complicated place and its people. However, as importantly for our purposes, it's also a refreshingly fine twist on the police procedural, which in my experience, is often tougher to find.

The action begins with the discovery of an unidentified woman's body on a Saudi beach. The detective inspector called to the scene, Osama Ibrahim, thinks: Please, not another housemaid. I learned why, then much more about the hierarchies, tensions, and practical accommodations that underpin life in the coastal city of Jeddah. This is Ferraris' second novel featuring these characters, the first of which, FINDING NOUF, won her an L.A. Times Book Prize. I hadn't read the debut, but enough background was given that I didn't feel lost or unable to catch up to the relationships.

An ensemble of investigators and civilians, both women and men, form a spectrum of religious observance, careerism, family devotion, and display how predominant gender roles affect them all. The daily behaviors required from, and restrictions upon, women excited my strongest emotional reactions, but they weren't portrayed histrionically or homogeneously. Conflicts resulting from these traditions simmer within each of the major characters, not only between them.

At times, the differing formalities of domestic life created, for me, a welcome comedy of manners. At other inequities, I had to put the book down and breathe a minute. As one character, another American woman, remarks, I am used to something different. There is cruelty and unfairness portrayed, but also spiritual searching, bravery, affection, and gentleness, just as occurs in every place I understand better. None of this derails the narrative drive of the investigation. The desire to see the crime solved drew me back in, always to the heart of the story, as the search wended its way through competing suspects and motives which sprang up in plausible and satisfying confusion.

Unlike other novels with settings in which I'm better grounded, I'm not able here to determine where Ferraris, as authors must, has amped up reality's frequency and severity for effect. She lived in the community she writes about, and her depiction echoes what I've read, but I already know no parent would send a child to Oxford if violent murder in the student body and faculty were as common as Inspector Morse finds it. I don't know how much fact I've absorbed with the dramatization. I can't assess the normality of Ferraris's interplay between the Saudi religious police and the occasionally fractious and lingerie-loving citizenry. However, admitting my own ignorance doesn't make me less fascinated by her particular perspective on this society, and I don't think you'll be able to turn away either.

In a detailed storyline with multiple POVs, there are often minor coincidences or plot conveniences that one reader finds less tolerable than another. I counted a couple. You'll notice different ones. Just so you're aware, lousy character motivation bugs me way more than circumstantial contrivance, and Ferraris' characterization is fan-freaking-tastic. I only stubbed my toe on her plot once, and early on. With selective labeling, the author places a gun upon a mantle in the first act, per Chekhov's possibly apocryphal quote, never to be fired in the third. For a reader who recognizes the references, and Ferraris may be unfairly depending upon readers not to, it's actually more equivalent to placing a nuclear weapon on the mantle. (Also, of flashing its candy-red ignition button at us every so often.) Given the intimate scale of this story, at a personal and societal level, the drawing of even temporary attention toward any global implication was jarring and unnecessary. For me, it was the only clam she blew, and though it may unfold further in future novels-- of which I hope there will be many--I would've been happier not to wrangle with what it did to my story expectations.

My romantic imagination always warms to the thought of camels trotting across the Empty Quarter, no matter how musky or deadly the reality, so I do award extra credit for that inclusion. I can't help myself. But even placing my idiosyncratic fascinations aside, CITY OF VEILS is the best, most engrossing crime novel I've read this year.

I'm delighted we have 5 copies of this excellent book to share with commenters here at Women of Mystery! All you need to be entered is a comment with either a valid e-mail address or a profile that links to one. Updates to the thread will verify your acceptance. We'll accept entries through midnight on Friday.

For added diversion, you might share with us whether the last 5 books you've read tended more toward the pleasures of the already-beloved or the thrills of the exotic. Why do you think that is? We'll announce our winners after noon on Saturday, August 28th. Good luck to all!

Come Vote For Me!

Last week on Tuesday I gave you all to the first few sentences of my newest WIP, so you know what it's about. I've been tweaking those first couple sentences, but really, the impact doesn't show up until the second sentence. A friend of mine is having a contest over at So You Think You Can Write, and all I want to do is get to the second round, so I can put up my second sentence where the adult toys make their appearance. Won't you pop over and vote for #28 so everyone can get a giggle at sentence #2? Thanks in advance--and you're guaranteed to get some entertainment reading the others as well!

Two Sentence Tuesday - Romance Edition

Can you believe it's been a week since I told you about fast drafting? I can't! I haven't begun the "fast draft" part because I can't conceive of doing that until I know a little more about the story, but I've been working away at that. In the meantime, I did add a paragraph or two, so here's one:

The road wound away before her, revealed a few yards at a time in the yellow glow of her headlights. She should have stopped hours earlier. Her vision was getting fuzzy and she had to keep shaking her head to stay awake. But Patricia’s house was only a few miles away, just on the other side of Fairview proper, and Evie hadn’t wanted to spend the money on a hotel. And the Civic, while a great vehicle, lacked something when it came to functioning as a sleeper sofa.

As for what I've been reading, it's Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels. It's been in my TBR pile for a while, since I love the Smart Bitches' sense of humor, and it seemed a good time to read it since I'm currently working in the genre. Here's a paragraph on plot devices so overused and clichéd they even have shorthand names among readership like "secret baby books" or "amnesia books" or "twin books."

Secret baby? A secret baby plot in the hands of skilled writer can rock one's socks right to the dryer. Noblemen disguised as pirates? Better yet, noblemen disguised as pirates who kidnap the absurdly perfect, plucky heroine? Revenge sex? Virginity in absolutely ludicrous situations? Scarred hero healed by the power of love and a dashing good plastic surgeon? Seen it, read it, and while some of them blow windy donkey balls, other romance novels that embrace with both arms the hoary plot cliché work it and work it well.

Mysteries and thrillers have similar kinds of plot devices that appear over and over, though they're not usually identified as such. The cyanide murder only discovered because the sleuth happens to have the gene for smelling cyanide when no one else does, for example.

OK, so those are my lines for the week. What about yours? What have you been reading and writing? As usual, let us know in the comments, and we'll update the post as the day goes on with links to your sites!

• David Cramner "Cashes in" in the comments this week with two sentences from his western WIP.
• The sentences on Leah J. Utas' blog left me curious and anxiously awaiting next week when I hope she gives us more!
• Dorte H plays along in the comments with intriguing sentences that leave us hanging.
  

My Town Monday: Still Standing in Bound Brook, NJ

These days, you hear a lot of talk about writers needing platforms and about finding unique ways to make yourself known. For WoM blogpal, Peggy Ehrhart (see posts on her debut and Kindle adventures here) one answer is to rock the libraries!

Recently, WoM Laura and I braved the small gods of NJ traffic, who despise us in combination, to reach the very respectable-looking library above (click any picture to enlarge) Can you say Bound Brook buys brown, bound books 5 times fast?

Still Standing has its roots in the blues, and we were there to hear that sweet, sweet music and get our lives saved by rock-n-roll.

Peggy plays lead guitar, and sometimes bass. Between solos, there's plenty of good stuff to read on the racks behind her.

It makes for an interesting scene, and proves librarians like hearing more than Shhh. The picture above was taken mid-way through the section of seating, and the library let the band take over the whole main reading room.

Steve Wortman plays harmonica.

He also plays keyboards. Because lead vocals are shared, and only one mic present was working right (technical difficulties are the rule in live gigs, not the exception), every couple of songs, he'd have to leave his seat to set up the mic for the bassist. This is what's known as making special memories.

Howie Bowe shared the vocals, mostly playing bass and occasionally busting out on guitar. If he looks comfy, it's because this isn't the first library the band has played, even doing an outdoor, patio show earlier in the summer.

Guest drummer J.K. smiled through the whole set, and why not?

They worked through 14 songs (my faves were "High-Heeled Sneakers" and "Wine Spo Dee O Dee"), and either because of Peggy's academic background or the brainy venue, she delivered interesting, pithy background on the origins of every song.

Her next blues mystery, Got No Friend Anyhow, is due next January from Five Star, a publisher that focuses upon the library market. (See how genius she is?) I even spied Peggy dispensing and being invited to sign a few of her first title. Best of all, Bound Brook's already requested a return engagement.

So what's up in your neighborhood? Let me know here or at the official My Town Monday blog. I'll be updating all day...don't forget to tip your waitress.

UPDATE: Barrie Summy pulls a WWII Bomber from San Diego's briny deep, and Evil J Winter reviews Cincinnati's history with the mighty Ohio River. Debra, of the From Skilled Hands blog, posts an exceptionally gorgeous group of birds and beasts from along the Cuyahoga Valley. Clair Dickson (aka Bo Fexler) gives us a moving update on Brighton, MI's controversial naked guy. If Ken dolls do it for you, prepare yourself for paradise! Gabriele Goldstone catches today's river fever and tells us about the tenacious Red River carts of historic Winnipeg.

Bizarro Fiction and the Memory Theater

More stuff and things.

Among the many new flavors of squiggles to read against contrasting surfaces, have you heard of bizarro fiction? Campy and witty and over-the-top, Damien G. Walter of Guardian.co.uk says it's terribly good.

The memory theater is what Nathan Schneider of Open Letters Daily calls the bookshelves of readers, those very personal collections of a mind's travels. As a memory-sieve myself, I related to the following [image from article and snips mine]:

Ever since the habit of writing first took hold of me as a teenager, I knew precisely why I did it, and why I did it so compulsively: to hedge against the terror of having a terrible memory. Though still young enough to expect no sympathy, I constantly feel the burden of this handicap. Confirmation of it, and that writing is its cure, I discover every time I pick up something I wrote years, or even months ago. Reading those things puts me in an uncanny state, like a past-life regression. Meanwhile, unrecorded impressions, sayings, old friends, and good books vanish without warning or trace. Some read and write to win eternal life; I would be happy enough just to keep a hold of this one...

In the age of inexpensive, printed books, our memory theaters have become both richer and more banal; we have entrusted them to our bookshelves rather than to tricks of mental contortion or cosmic schemata. As I look over my own shelf, I see my life pass before my eyes. The memories grafted onto each volume become stirred and awakened by a glance at the spine, which presents itself to be touched, opened, and explored. Without the bookshelf’s landscape to turn to, that manifest remainder from a lifetime of reading, how would one think? What would one write?

It's a lovely essay about progress and pain, about optimism amid modern chaos. Try it out.

FBF: Dear America

Dear America, subtitled Letters Home from Vietnam, was edited by Bernard Edelman, published in 1985 and reprinted in 2002. And no, I wasn't 18 to 23ish in 1985 but I think this book meets Patti's guidelines for this week because most of the letters were written when I was in that age range--mid to late '60s and very early 70's.

I was sitting in my living room on Wednesday night watching the troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division cross from Iraq into Kuwait. They are the final American troops assigned to a combat mission in Iraq. Finally they are coming home. I stayed up long into the night and watched these young people. I prayed for their future and worked in a few prayers for the 50,000 support troops left behind to train the Iraqi Army. And, being of a certain age, my mind went back to my generation’s war, Vietnam.

Well past midnight, I went to the bookshelves and pulled down Dear America. I flipped through well worn pages and re-discovered what I loved about this book. The words expressed the real feelings of the men (mostly) who were experiencing that war on our behalf. One of my favorite letters is from Company D, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, operating in I Corp. In 1969 the entire company signed a letter to then President Nixon with copies to their Congress Members outlining their grievance. Officers rotated in and out of combat more quickly than enlisted personnel, and rarely spent more than half their tour incountry, while most grunts spent their entire tour in country. D company wanted the officer/enlisted man inequity addressed. The White House never answered, and most of the Congress Members ignored them as well. Such was the plight of the soldier in those days.

Sgt. Tom Oathout expressed the Vietnam soldier’s reality best in a poem, found on page 130 of Dear America. He called it Lament. Here is the end of that poem: “I’m a soldier in an age when soldiers aren’t in fashion.”

God Bless all who have served, are serving or will serve.

For more forgotten books, stop and visit Patti Abbott, keeper of the list.

Terrie

Not Just E-tips, Ones for the Meat World, Too!

In case I've been tilting posts to far to the virtual, how about something more personal? How about Writers' Conferences, to be specific, and why they still matter, according to Jane Friedman's blog for Writer's Digest.

You may wonder: Isn't social networking supposed to replace all that?

No.

It's a supplement. It can help keep relationships strong after you meet in-person, or it can spark an in-person meeting.

I tend to agree with number 5, and usually feel recharged by these events, even if I didn't hit every panel or even every party. However, I haven't gotten to a single one yet this year, and the one I'd planned for sure filled up before I got registered, so maybe I'm talking through my hat.

The pic is of sea otters holding hands. If not personal, it's at least otterful. Sue me- I like cute animals.

My Little Writer's Haven Holds Endless Electrons

Lately, we've been discussing e-books and online what-have-you, and I'm afraid there will be a little more from me before there can be less.

There's some good news about the kind of casual online network that really may be helpful to writing careers. All this without sucking one's e-soul completely dry.

(Wouldn't this 12 x 14 Writer's Haven from Jamaica Cottage Shop be an adorable place to tweet. Heck, their outhouse is!)

Fauzia Burke at The Huffington Post reports the effect of Twitter upon building reader communities based upon interviewing editors at Algonquin and Knopf. Read their tips for fitting this activity into the rest of life, and Ms. Burke's follow-up on whether selling books through Twitter is a quantifiable truth. Spoiler: sometimes.

Unfortunately, this New Scientist article has gone behind the pay wall, but Richard Fisher, as I paraphrase from memory, was specifically evaluating the power of Facebook's "weak ties." These are the casually-maintained contacts of other contacts that work measurably above their time investment when getting results. The gist of the weak tie concept is linked via Peppers and Rogers strategy group. The upshot: Should you need to brand or market yourself, even if you're admittedly lazy on Facebook, it may still be well worth persisting in your slackitude.

Jennifer Crusie posted 6 Myths about Publishing on her blog Argh Ink. Much will be stuff you recognize-- I hope-- but I'm especially delighted she includes the gospel truth that NO ONE wants to steal your manuscript and that bestseller status is about velocity, not volume. There are authors whose books sell millions of copies and who never peek over the bottom edge of the bestseller list, not even on tiptoes.

When Journalism's Fiction Instead

Self-publishing (with Publish America, no less!) *cue my eyes to goggle and my tongue to unspool* is a hot trend, reports Melissa Pinion-Whitt of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

If the parenthetical PA above doesn't set off screaming klaxons in your head, do a simple internet search-- as I fear this journo did not-- and catch yourself up on its unpalatable practices and reputation first. If the hint of a whiff of PA made you start gagging pre-emptively, you're already primed for this story. There's enough contradictory good sense in the comments to keep any ombudsman busy.

This equally stunned chameleon via FactZoo.

Hint Fiction Writing Contest

Gotham Writers' Workshop in NYC is holding a Hint Fiction Writing Contest that will be final judged by none other than Robert Swartwood, the editor of the upcoming Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer.

Submit your unpublished 25 word story and you could win:

10-week writing workshop
$100
One-year subscription to The Writer
Publication of your winning entry in Gotham's Winter 2011 course catalog
Bragging rights

The top five finalists will each receive a copy of the anthology and a copy of Gotham's Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide.

There is no fee to enter the contest, and the deadline is October 11, 2010. Limit one entry per person. The entry form and further details can be found here.

Come follow me on Twitter @katcop13.

Two Sentence Tuesday - Drafting

So a while back, when Clare was talking about writing challenges, I mentioned that I might try something a friend of mine mentioned called Fast Drafting. It's twice as insane as NaNo. You write an entire draft in 2 weeks. Why would I do such a thing? Well, my romantic suspense needs an overhaul, and my agent and I are at a bit of an impasse over my mystery, so I want to do something new. But I don't want to invest a huge amount of time in it in case it's something I'm phenomenally bad at. I like the idea of trying out a different genre, but I have no idea whether I can make it work.

For my two sentences read this week, here are two (very boring) sentences on Fast Drafting, which was created by Candace Havens and which she teaches in workshops:

The premise behind fast drafting a novel is simple. Unplug the Internet, turn off the phone, and write 5,000 words a day for two weeks. It can also be done by page count at twenty pages a day. In two weeks, a 70,000 word rough draft of a novel will be finished. In twenty days, a 100,000 word first draft can be completed.

The genre of the book I am playing with is contemporary romance, but as usual it has a dose of mystery. Here's a taste:

They say you can't go home again, but then they've probably never been down to their last hundred bucks when home called demanding their return. Which was how Evie Bell found herself driving back into town in her ancient Civic with one suitcase and a giant box of "toys" her best friend had given her as a going away present.

And yes, for those of you who are curious, those toys are sex toys. (Just imagine the hits we're going to get on the blog now. *sigh*) What about you? Did you read anything this week? Write anything? How are your August challenges going?

• Karin Huddleston plays along this week with two on a few of my favorite things.
• DorteH has posted two...climatic...sentences in the comment section.
• Leah J Utas has some Godfatheresque sentences up this week
• Crystal Phares has hilarity on her blog.
• David Cranmer is talking Cash and bordellos in the comment section.
  

UPDATE: One of my favorite authors, Roxanne St. Claire, plays devil's advocate to the "words per day" crew today on her blog.

Free Dating Site for Bookworms

Alikewise is a free dating service based on similar tastes in books. The site includes a blog.

Flavorpill has put together a list of 25 pickup lines to use on Alikewise.

According to Lauren Indvik's post on Mashable, one of the founders, Matt Sherman, said that after breaking up with his girlfriend, he wanted to meet a woman who had read The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and he began working on the site, along with co-founder Matt Masina.

An interview with Matt Sherman appears on Guttersnipe. National Post interviews both Matts and they talk about how the site's working out so far.

A hat tip to GalleyCat for this story.

Come follow me on Twitter: @katcop13.

Cartoon of the Week

Our pal BV Lawson has posted a great cartoon of the week over on In Reference to Murder. It may make you laugh, or it may make you cry. Click here to take a look and find out.

Terrie

Suspense Magazine Writing Contests

Suspense Magazine is holding their third annual Writing Contest. Original stories between 1,500 and 5,000 words must be in the suspense/mystery/thriller genre. You can submit as many stories as you wish.

The deadline is December 31, 2010.

The grand prize is twelve books (some autographed) from each of the authors of the month for 2010. Second place is a $50.00 gift card to Amazon.com; Third place is a $25.00 gift card.

Winners will be announced in February/March 2011.

During August, Suspense Magazine is holding its very first Poetry contest. Poems, up to 32 lines, with a suspenseful/mysterious/horror/terror/thriller feel to them, may be sent to editor@suspensemagazine.com.

Come follow me on Twitter @katcop13.

Transforming at the Speed of Hype?

A Doomsday post for Friday the 13th!

Don Linn's tallied the scores on publishing predictions, and it's great reading. (via @sarahw 's Tweet)

He reminded me of an Illinois friend who watches video tapes. Gasp! Because they still work well enough, and she paid good money for them. Some people can be backward like that when they don't write off media as a business expense. It took Gutenberg almost half a millenium to get serious competition. And in fact, for the world at large, there still isn't enough e-competition to be a mote in the eye of physical books.

I don't say that because change isn't coming. I say it because, especially in the media-obssesed coastal enclaves, it's encouraged to overestimate how fast billions of habits and pieces of pulp technology will be heaved-ho. NYC commands e-books and Twitter, or you suck. *finger snap* But lots of people don't care, the moronic knuckle-draggers.

That these readers don't talk DRM doesn't mean they don't also deserve and want to be served as contemporary book consumers. What I see though is physical book fans dropping out of the new-title retail market for the friendly liveliness and value of the used book scene. E-books are great and wonderful, but they have vulnerabilities and disadvantages, too. In a dark, scary publishing landscape illuminated only by the occasional blockbuster, the friendly glowworm of e-book sales is a welcome spark. But perhaps it shows up even more brightly because of the rest of the murk?

There is a price and a process at which physical books make sense to produce and sell. Fix the remainders problem. Fix the perceptions of quality-length/pricing mismatch. Provide just-in-time inventory. Then what shall we do next week?

Mr. & Ms. Independent

Facing competition from the big chains, the web and e-readers, Independent Bookstores should be an extinct species by now. Not so fast, says a recent article in New York Magazine. Independents are on the rise all over the city and they’re filled with the kind of selection, community-mindedness and services that set them apart from the big-box guys.

The article lists the newest Indies, some famous author favorites and discusses the economics involved in setting up shop.

Image from New York Magazine http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/indie-bookstore/

Unwritten Letters Project

"Is there someone, anyone, alive or deceased, that you want to write a letter to or have been wanting to say something to?"

So starts the "About" page of the Unwritten Letters Project web site by Alex Boles. A collection of the letters submitted to her blog were published by LeClere Books last November, available on Amazon. A review of the book appears on Our Little Books.

The Mission Statement reads: "The Unwritten Letters Project works to empower others by providing a safe, judgment free outlet that encourages participants to articulate, heal from, and overcome hardships."

The Unwritten Letters Project is on Twitter @UnwrittenLetter and Facebook.

I think the premise of this site is fantastic; you can pen a letter to someone who cut you off on the roadway; an old love; a deceased friend or relative, etc. If you always wanted to right a wrong, get something off your chest, let someone know how you felt, confess, profess -- here's your chance. Some letters received will be considered for future publication of additional books.

I have several ideas for some letters already....how about you?

You can submit a letter here, anonymously if you wish.

Come follow me on Twitter @katcop13.

Two Sentence Tuesday

OK, I could TOTALLY bore you to tears this week if I wanted. I've been writing a book proposal (yawn) and reading non-fiction. Doesn't it all sound just fascinating? Actually, some non-fiction is great, but this stuff has been quite dry. On the other hand, I got my hands on a review copy of MaryJanice Davidson's forthcoming Me, Myself and Why, which is anything but. I can't say it's the best thing I've ever read, but it's definitely new and different!

The protagonist of this book (the first in a trilogy) is an FBI agent with a special branch of the FBI that employs only the certifiably insane. Candace/Shiro/Adrienne is--if you couldn't tell--a woman with multiple personalities. Here's a taste:

"Oh, nuts," I groaned. It'd be nice if once, just once, Shiro or Adrienne would warn me before she took over the driver's seat.

As I said, I've mostly been working on a book proposal (thus the non-fiction reading). I do have a couple of sentences that I forced myself to write this morning. They're the introductory sentences to a second mystery in my beadmaking series. If my writing goes the way it usually does, the entire first three or four pages will be completely rewritten and these sentences will never be seen anywhere but right here.

She was huddled against my door when I got home from grocery shopping, trying futilely to stay dry. Annie Laughton. My former sister-in-law. The last person on earth I'd have expected to seek me out. After all, when your husband blows his brains out with your gun, it tends to rather abruptly sever your relations with your in-laws.

So that's the two interesting excerpts I have from this past week. What about you? Any interesting? As usual, let us know and we'll link to you!

• David Cranmer plays along this week, offering two in the comments from his story The Great Whydini.
• I can't even begin to describe Leah J. Utas' sentences--you have to read them yourself.
• Terry Odell has a prequel up on Smashwords, so you can check that out this week!
• Karin Huddleston has some ceremonial-sounding sentences up on her blog.
  

Ideal for Cannibal Rabbits

This isn't much of a My Town Monday, heck, it isn't even much of a post.

One of my dogs has sensitive, allergic skin. To prevent flare-ups, we have to feed him protein types to which he hasn't developed hyper-reactions. Basically, that means weird dehydrated meats and organs. Duck and salmon jerky might not seem too unusual, but what about the bison lung puffs and kangaroo nuggets?

This week at the fancy pet store's aisle of dried flesh, I discovered a whole new category of lagomorph carcass strips! What you can't see in my cell picture is the nosebleed shelf of cages a foot above this, which some detractors would call evidence that the sign poster was merely stepstool-challenged. However, duplicates of this same sign dangled all down jerky-rawhide row, so you know what I think?

Monty Python was right about them all along!

If you click over to the official My Town Monday blog linked in the top line, you'll find better stuff to look at, including a cool visit to a US Olympic training facility with Barrie Summy!

UPDATE: ...not to mention the bridges and hippie coffee!

Leave Off the Date, Logan

*WARNING: Readers discomforted by the aged, click away now! The image below contains of some of the 23rd century's most withered and crusty citizenry. Just the sight of these grizzled old carcasses makes my flesh creep. (Yes, there's a Logan's Run remake already in the works. No, Hollywood doesn't think addle-brained old writers can be trusted with new ideas. But of course, it'll be in 3D. Kids love 3D!)

Paste reports that the Writers Guild wants writers' ages removed from profile listings at film site imdb.com, due to Hollywood's understandable gag-reflex upon being forced to confront bleck-ptooey birth dates earlier than 1970. I feel a little queasy myself. I thought we'd already given the Logan's Run treatment to all those nasty old items like Jerry Bruckheimer... Wait, you mean it only applies to writers and actresses?

What about the apparently growing trend among producers and directors not to let prospective actors read full scripts at all? The scoop's from deadline.com. It surprised me, because I'd thought, given the recent spate of releases, that it was long out of fashion actually to read scripts. Pesky words and narrative logic only distract from the immersive spectacle, don't they?

To round out this dump re: visual media, PBS's venerable TV series (now Masterpiece) Mystery! has posted interviews with Sue Grafton, Faye Kellerman, and Tess Gerritsen as part of their celebration of that preeminent, ageless woman of mystery, Agatha Christie.

Piloting Your WIP Through an August Challenge?

The wonderful gals over at Jungle Red, and specifically Jan Brogan, rolled out a challenge yesterday to combat the August doldrums.

One page a day, that's all, just a weensy little page for six weeks. However, this snip of a nothing will get written before you venture online or even check your e-mail. If the one page didn't scare you, you're wincing now, aren't you? I'm hissing like I just bit down on foil.

I'm producing this much new material, but not first thing and not weekends, too! However, if a couple of you WoM or blogpals also think it's an inspiring idea, I can always saddle up for an adventure with friends.

All the terms and conditions are here, and you can enter officially in the comment thread. There will be prizes at the end, as long as you've commented on your progress occasionally. Of course, the real prize is your sense of satisfaction and accomplis...I just can't.

I do, however, thank an entire pantheon's worth of forgotten deities that the terms don't demand we forego coffee before finishing that page. Might as well ask a jet to forego propulsion. Mental liftoff under those conditions isn't possible.

FBF: Legacy

James Michener wrote Legacy as a work of fiction. He used the story to drive home a point, in a much less subtle manner than fiction writers usually do to get their political, social, economic, etc. messages across. This slim volume tells the story of Norman Starr, an honored military officer, who, in the 1980s, is about to testify before the United States Congress regarding his activities in South America.

Grappling with what he should and should not reveal, Major Starr ponders the long history of his family in America, beginning with Jared Starr, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, his son Simon, a signer of the United States Constitution, and assorted ancestors, including a Supreme Court Justice, a Confederate General during the Civil War, a Feminist and a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

Legacy was published in 1987, the two hundredth anniversary of the United States Constitution, and because Legacy includes the theme that the Constitution has an impact on every American’s life and that every American has an obligation to the Constitution, Michener uses the Starr family to show us the impact both ways during the progression of those two hundred years. And, since the Constitution is the document I hold in the highest esteem over all others, I love that the entire Constitution is included at the back of the book. Often fiction alludes to historic documents but the document isn’t handy and the reader is left to wonder about opinion v. accuracy. Not with this book.

Perhaps you differ with Michener politically, but you may well admire his ability to show us the impact of individuals on the history of the United States over a two hundred year span. I marvel that he accomplished that in less that one hundred fifty pages, which was practically the length of chapter one of his book Hawaii. Or did it just seem that long?

For more forgotten books, please visit Patti Abbott here.

Terrie

RWA National Conference 2010

I'm finally beginning to recover from RWA 2010. This is the second year in a row I've gone, and the second year I've been completely wiped out by the time I got home! This year's conference was in Orlando and it was brutally, hellishly hot.

Last year, I went to workshops all the time. This year, I felt less pressure to go to something every minute of every day. (For a post about how the conference is organized and how the workshops function at RWA, see last year's wrap-up.) Instead, this year was more laid back, more social than last year. I should have realized things would be different because the first thing I attended was the karaoke party my agent's agency threw for their clients. That's my agent singing on the right. You can see the words to their fabulous song on their blog.

Don't get me wrong. I still learned a lot. But I had a different agenda. Not only did I meet with my karaoke-singing agent, but I also met with a woman for whom I am working on a non-fiction project and introduced myself to a lot of people, which usually isn't in my nature. There were people I'd met online, on blogs and on Twitter, that I really wanted to meet in person, and I actually managed to find about 2/3 of them, which is saying something when you consider that someone told me attendance this year was close to 2500.

I went to the "Spotlight" on St. Martin's Press, just to hear what was up over there and I learned that last year they published approximately 300 hardcovers, 300 trade paperbacks, and 150 mass market originals. That intrigued me because I'd have thought there would be more mass market and less hardcover in the mix. I also found it fascinating that they have only one separate imprint--Minotaur, their mystery imprint--and that everything else goes under St. Martin's proper. I asked the editors which line would be appropriate for a mystery with romantic elements and they laughed and said sometimes they aren't sure how to make that decision themselves.

I heard Sarah Frantz of (Dear Author and the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance) and Suzanne Brockmann give a really cool workshop on the use and meaning of theme. The other outstanding workshop I attended was Susan Elizabeth Phillips talking about how to keep readers in the story. SEP is just as funny in person as she is in her books, which is important at a conference!

One of the astonishing things about RWA is all the free books. I try not to bring home anything I am not actively interested in reading, but even so I brought home some 10 brand, spanking new books. I rarely go to the signings (the publishers host these and authors sign free copies of their books), but I had to go to the Grand Central Publishing signing because they have so many authors I like and two of my faves--Dee Davis and Karen Rose--had brand new books out. So even though I already had Dee's book pre-ordered on my Kindle, I got a free copy so she could sign it.

While I was there I ran into editor Amy Pierpont, whom I had sat next to on the plane on the way down. I swear, we were the only two people on the flight not on their way to Disney, so it was pretty obvious where we were both going! She had a look of dread on her face when I asked her whether she was going to RWA and I think she might have been afraid I was going to pitch her on the plane or something. (For the record, people, don't do that!) We didn't end up talking on the plane as we both had our headphones on, but when I saw her at the signing we had a nice chat. This goes to prove the one thing I have to keep telling people: agents and editors really are people, too.

At the end of the conference, my husband came down because it was his birthday and we drove to Tampa to see the Yankees play. (He's a Yankees fan, I'm a Sox fan. Conflict? We have it in spades.)

We got home Monday night and my brain's still spinning!

Beach Reads

Surf. Sand. Summer. Put them together and they can only add up to one thing, at least literature-wise: Beach Reads.

Yes, it’s that time of year, when we sit on our favorite beach slathered with sunscreen, noses buried within the pages of one of summer’s Beach Reads.

There’s no definitive data on what actually makes a book a Beach Read. It could be the novel you’ve been dying to delve into, the block-buster you missed, a great story filled with suspense, or just an easy read for a lazy day—you are lounging on the beach, after all!

Whatever your pleasure, it can be fulfilled. As to this season’s hottest crop of Beach Reads, there are several lists filled with offerings from some of the usual suspects as well as few surprises.

To pick your next beach bag book, take a look at the lists from Bookreporter.com, Amazon.com and O Magazine online, then kick back with a cold drink and relax.

Image from: free-beach-screensaver.smartcode.com

All A-Twitter about Barnes & Noble

Possible sale of the B&N chain, driven, in part by desire to hook the Nook?

I read it here after every dang bibliophilic nerdburger started tweeting about it. If you didn't yet, you know now, too.

Two Sentence Tuesday: Centuries of Difference

So, I'm still reading all things Regency-related, and it's been a darned good time, I must admit. It's interesting to read the different approaches to plotting, description, and language from authors who are considered to be tops. Some writers have researched a lot, and sneak in facts and historic events often. Even if these don't precisely pertain to the story at hand, I don't mind a little woolgathering, especially in a slower-paced story. Some of these writers use the period as trimming for character-based, relationship stories that might happen anywhere with strict social customs or a caste system.

Another interesting one used a unusual conceit for this genre- practically the entire story occurs within a day's party. The author, Claudia Dain, has a wonderful ear for witty conversations, a great ability to convey manners and subtext, and took a chance which I appreciated, even if the story did lose me after a time. I respect the degree of difficulty, and enough people enjoyed Daring A Duke that I can comfortably put down my reaction to personal taste. No matter the genre, large casts in extended conversations tend to numb me after a while. A preliminary morsel:

She'd finally been allowed to leave America and see something of the world and all she was seeing was a back garden. There were more back gardens in New York to have satisfied every urge for back garden exploration by now. She was twenty-one and ready for an adventure.

It's always a delicious moment, and I'm reaching it now, when I've gotten deep enough into a new area of reading that I stop feeling completely confused and outclassed, and I start being able to define differences and my own preferences. When I first read this genre, way back in high school, it's fair to say I couldn't much tell one from another and didn't care anyway. But that's not me anymore, and it's not today. Here are two from my slightly Gothically-flavored version.

"We must look our tidiest to impress the ghosts, mustn't we?" she whispered. This bit of silliness appealed tremendously to Henry, who patted his cowlick and rubbed his filthy palms against his pants, while Jemma tried to imagine what might lie within the structure she'd assumed abandoned.

What have you educated yourself upon recently? What are you writing? Leave your 2s in the comments or tell us where to link. We'll update all day!

UPDATE: Huddlekay, aka Karin Huddleston, leaves two in our comments, but also over at her place.

Dorte's left some taxonomical tailoring in our comments.

Crystal Phares joins in with some loud and hormonal characters at her place.

Taryn Kincaid adds more Regency goodness in the comment thread!

Monday Morning Crack Up

Well, I got pictures from Saturday's log ride and screaming roller coaster, but I don't have them digitally handy yet. And I took my dogs to the beach as well, but was too busy shepherding them to be a photo hound. I have nothing but sandy shoes, aches, and a sore throat to show for my fun, so please allow me to run a few miscellaneous links up your Monday flagpole.

Here's how independent bookstores across the pond stay afloat, via the Guardian.

A friend just recommended I read Linnea Sinclair's series, because she knows I can appreciate 2 fun genres being funner together. It relates, I think, to Heather Massey's question via Tor.com's website: Why can't Romance and SciFi be sittin' in a tree more often?

More from the Guardian's Patrick Kingsley about the qualitative changes experts observe in skimming and what is now emerging as a labeled reaction against it, so-called slow reading.

Per digital spy, a famed psychic had to cancel a Scottish appearance due to "unforeseen circumstances". No offense to the disappointed fans, but that phrasing's just funny!

Be entertained, intrigued, or depressed, but the above image looks just like Monday to me, and comes from this trove of old police photos from Salem, Mass. via Hemmings blog.