Acquiring Magic

Winding Down this Blog

2011-06-30T10:09:00.001+08:00

I have an awesome record at resisting commonsense, but sometimes even I have to bow to it. My blog needs to be part of my website, and not simply feeding into it.

From today onwards, you can follow my blog at http://authorjennyschwartz.com/blog/ .

Also, depending on how active tech gremlins are, my new blog will feed into my Facebook page (please work, Networked Blogs app) and my Goodreads page.

If you have any problems adding my new blog to your feed reader, please let me know.

Elyse Mady, Guest Author

2011-06-28T07:22:00.000+08:00

I love having Elyse Mady visit. Not only does she write great books (no, I'm not biased. Check out this review from Drea at Judging a Book by Its Pages), she's a wonderful interviewee -- did you know about Jane Austen's "borrowing" tendencies? Also, there's a ***giveaway***. Elyse has generously put a digital copy of her latest book, Learning Curves up for grabs. So share your favourite title in the comments and go in the draw to win!

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Well, first off, thanks for having me to visit, Jenny! I'm glad to be back. I'm really excited to be talking about my new novel, Learning Curves. It's a departure for me, because my first published book was a historical novella and this story is a sexy contemporary. With a hero who takes his clothes off for a living! Yum.

“Learning Curves” is a fantastic title. Do you have any title favourites? (I like “Pride and Prejudice”.)

I think titles are so important - after all, before a reader can even flip over to read the back cover copy, they've read the title and if doesn't draw them in, they're not going to be interested in what's between the covers. Some of my books title themselves really easily. Others are more challenging. Happily though Leanne and Brandon's story seemed to know what it wanted to be called right from the rough note stage.    Much more appealing than calling it "Untitled" all the time!

Some of my favourite titles are Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel "Love in a Time of Cholera" and the wonderful poetic autobiography "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept" by Canadian writer Elizabeth Smart.   Both authors explore love but their viewpoints are so different, it's really fascinating. One so visceral and uncontrolled, the other this carefully paced and elegant dissection of what love and marriage are throughout the characters' lives.

P&P is a great title, too, although I think I'm a smidge more partial to "Persuasion". Did you know that Jane Austen actually borrowed the title of "Pride and Prejudice" from Frances Burney? Burney used it first in her novel, "Cecilia: Memoirs of an Heiress"?

How about favourite places of learning, given the setting of Learning Curves? (Oxford? kindergarten class? archaeological dig?)

I've always loved school. Setting the story at a university seemed a really natural fit for me. After all, university campuses are these odd little microcosms, with thousands and thousands of (usually) young people, contained and in close proximity.   Romance is going to happen, which comes as quite a surprise for Leanne, the heroine, who's been focused on nothing but her books for a long time. Meeting Brandon throws her off balance and it was so much fun watching both of them struggle to regain their equilibrium in the face of falling in love when they are both convinced it's the last thing they want right now. I used many of my own experiences as a graduate student when I was writing this book but since I went back and did my Masters after I was married (and had two very young children), my student life was obviously different than Leanne's. No male strippers for me. ;) But that's why I'm a writer - what doesn't happen in real life, I can just majick it up with my imagination for somebody else.

But my favourite place of learning has to be a library. Public, school, university stacks: I love wandering the aisles, hunting for a book.   And I'm on a first name basis with my Interlibrary loan coordinator at my local library (*waves* Hi Stacey!). What's not to love when you can track down any title and have it delivered right to you, for free?? Just last week I finished a biography on Beau Brummell and another on the courtesan, Harriet Wilson. I think librarians are one of the most important people in all of the educational system - they bring the written word - electronic, printed, ephemeral - to everyone who wants to learn.   That role can't be underestimated.

Name your favourite word in any language, and why.

"caoutchouc"

It means "rubber" in French. It just rolls off the tongue. It's like a nonsense sound, that actually means something.

I sincerely hope this doesn't provide some horrible Freudian insight into my subconscious minds, btw. :) I just like words that sound good, too.   I'm actually reading my words out loud as I type - I find writing silently difficult, because for me the sound and the rhythms that the words make are integral to my writing process.   I read everything out - it helps me distinguish characters' voices and tells me if my pacing is appropriate, too.

Caoutchouc :)

Favourite food to eat while writing?

Well, I don't know if *I* have a favourite writing food, but I know where my food's favourite place to go is...straight to my hips! :)

If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be? and what would you ask them? (well, that’s almost a favourite question).

A fictional character I'd like to meet.   Hmm...I think I'd chose Newland Archer, from Edith Wharton's gilded age novel, "The Age of Innocence". He's someone who's always fascinated me, in large part because of his control and his deep-seated need to behave appropriately.   I'd ask him why, at the end of the novel, he decides against going up to Ellen's apartment in Paris. He's loved her his entire life and yet he prefers the Ellen of his memories than to the possibility of the Ellen in his here and now.   That's a really interesting choice for me, and obviously for the character, a deeply personal one. Newland and Ellen love each other. They've loved each other their whole lives and yet when they are both finally free, he retreats. Why?

Finally, share one of your favourite moments from Learning Curves.

From her miniscule office window, Leanne saw students, well wrapped against the fall chill, hurrying across the quad below. Located in an old, cramped building near the center of campus, the English department was understaffed and overcrowded.

And while she’d tried to make the space a little more cheerful, bringing in a small plant and hanging some funny—well, okay, relatively funny—quotes from great writers, the window remained the only perk in an otherwise awkward space that was sweltering in summer and damp in winter. But Leanne knew that as a graduate student, she was lucky to have secured any office, even this one.

Sighing, she abandoned the view and sized up the thick stack of term papers she’d collected during the last lecture. Determined, she opened one, but before she’d corrected the first run-on sentence, memories of the weekend hijacked her thoughts.

Brandon.

Ever since their wild encounter and subsequent humiliating discovery, she’d undertaken some serious soul searching, asking herself again and again what kind of person would abandon her so-called principles at the drop of a hat—or a bathrobe—for a pathetic thrill with some guy she picked up in a strip club. Even if he did have washboard abs and a killer smile.

And was hung like a Greek god…

Her devil-may-care side had chipped in a lot over the past forty-eight hours.

Until Saturday, she hadn’t even known it existed. She’d always played it safe. Done the expected and never strayed outside the lines. Now, she was discovering that she also had a Leanne-cares-a-lot side too.

The aftermath of their encounter had been awkward and tacky. Although the other dancers apologized profusely for their ill-timed interruption, there was no ignoring the subtle signs of approval they telegraphed their coworker. Or Brandon’s stony embarrassment, clearly conveyed despite his near-catatonic silence.

Dressing hurriedly, trying not to meet his eye, knowing the scorn and condemnation she would see in his face, she’d barely been able to look up from the floor. Only as she left the room had he spoken.

“Are you okay to get home?”

She’d turned, perplexed, all her thoughts focused on escape. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you have a way to get home? Will your friends make sure you get there safely?”

She shook her head and tried to overcome the after-effects of their incredible sex. There was no way she could face Gillian and the bombed bridesmaids. She’d rather be drawn and quartered. “No. But I can grab the bus or find a taxi…”

His lips thinned. “You’re not walking alone at this time of night,” he’d said angrily and picked up the radio from the dressing table. “Jay…Jay…come in…”

“Hey, Brandon. What’s up?”

“I need you to do me a favor.”

In the end, the bouncer waited with her out front until the taxi arrived. And when she reached her apartment, she discovered Brandon had also arranged for the fare to be taken care of, the driver making a show of the brightly colored chit he’d collected at the club.

Yet as she lay awake in bed that night, her body still thrumming with the incredible sensations he’d awoken, it hadn’t been his sexual prowess she remembered as much as his thoughtfulness, his protectiveness. He’d made sure she’d been looked after.

Maybe, she thought, if I went back to the club, we could meet again…

The notion of returning to the strip club brought her back to earth like a cold dash of water. What the hell was she thinking? Brandon was an exotic dancer; she was an academic in training. The sex might have been great but what would they ever talk about outside of bed? They had nothing in common. Nothing at all.

Now, as she shifted restlessly in her rickety office chair, she knew she had to put Saturday night behind her. She’d been over this and over this all weekend and the conclusion was always the same. So what if she’d had the greatest sex of her life? For him, it was probably just another anonymous sexual encounter. She should treat it the same way.

Trying to muster her willpower, she turned her attention to the next paper.

Bryon’s poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” is an important poem because it’s a really romantic poem about Harold and not the crazy sister that Bryon liked to sleep with.

Oh boy. Not an auspicious start, when even the poet’s name was spelled incorrectly.

The office door opened, and Cassandra Murphy, a fellow doctoral candidate and Leanne’s best friend, rescued her from reading another torturous line.

“Tell me again why earning this degree was a good idea,” she moaned as she laid a stack of books on the adjoining desk. “I’m in debt up to my eyeballs—I should be clear of it shortly before retirement—and Julia and I decorate with milk crates while eating no-name macaroni. My comps are in two months and I already feel like flinging myself from the observatory tower.” She threw herself dramatically into a chair. “I have been reading, I am reading, I will be reading.”

Leanne smiled sympathetically. She remembered how harried and emotionally drained she’d felt when she faced her own monumental two-day comprehensive exams last year.

“You’ll more than survive. You’ll blow them all away and get the green light to begin writing your thesis, which will wow the entire academy and make them say ‘Judith Butler who?’”

At the mention of the oft-controversial lesbian theorist, Cassandra grinned.

“I’d be willing to share the stage with her. As long as I get top billing in the conference programs.” Reaching for the shelf where they kept their not so emergency cookie stash, she continued between mouthfuls, “Julia had good news, though. She’s had her abstract accepted for the next MLA conference. It’s in St. Paul.”

For a moment, Leanne was distracted by the great news. Only the best humanities scholars were accepted to present at the Modern Language Association’s annual conference and being chosen was a huge feather in Julia’s cap. “That’s fantastic. I hope you took her out to celebrate.”

“I never need a reason to celebrate with the woman I love.” Cassandra laughed. “But yes, I let her supersize the fries and the drink. If that ain’t love, I don’t know what is.” Her eyes sharpened. “Wasn’t this the weekend for the ghastly Gillian’s hen party? Did you end up going? How was it? Really, really awful or just sorta-kinda awful?”

I had the best sex of my life and three orgasms, all within half an hour of meeting a perfect stranger.

“Not bad.”

“Right.” Cassandra snorted. “I’ve met Gillian. Fun and Gillian don’t usually travel together. So, tell me, did the bride-to-be get falling-down drunk and do something tacky and embarrassing? And if she did, puh-lease tell me you got pictures.”

“Well, Gillian didn’t…”

“Ooh, that sounds promising.” Cassandra rolled her chair over, straddling it with her long legs. Leaning over its back, her chin resting on her arms, she smirked. “Let me guess. You went to the strip club, got wildly drunk and had noisy, kinky, public sex with a total stranger before being discovered in a compromising position.”

“Um…yeah. That’s about the size of it,” she admitted before hastily qualifying her statement by adding, “but I wasn’t drunk.”

Dead silence.

Thanks again for having me, Jenny. I'd love to give away a copy of my book to one of your readers. I've been blabbering on about my favourite things so I thought turnabout is fair play. I'd love to know what their favourite title is and why, too? You can choose one lucky winner and I'll send them a copy of my new book, Learning Curves in their choice of e-format!

Learning Curves by Elyse Mady

Leanne Galloway has no time for dating; her focus is on launching her academic career. Dragged along to her childhood frenemy Gillian’s bachelorette party at a male strip club, she just wants to get through the evening—but she can’t help interfering when Gillian sends a note to a sexy dancer proposing a hot hookup.

Brandon Myles is working backstage at the Foxe’s Den to fund his post-graduate studies in dance, but he’s forced onstage when the headliner fails to show up. He feels a surprisingly strong connection with a quiet woman watching from a table full of tipsy bridesmaids, and he’s delighted when she appears backstage after his set.

After a scorching spontaneous encounter, Leanne and Brandon agree to go their separate ways. But they’re both grad students on a small campus, and avoiding each other and denying their attraction won’t work for long, especially when a jealous rival appears, determined to ruin both their academic careers.

Learning Curves by Elyse Mady available from Carina Press and other fine e-book retailers June 20th, 2011

Museum Alert

2011-06-25T08:00:00.003+08:00

You might have guessed from this blog that I like virtually visiting museums -- all that free travel, great visuals and info, and no tired feet! I think I have a new favourite museum. Have you seen the J Paul Getty? Yeah, I know it's famous, but I hadn't looked. Fantastic -- if you have a few spare hours :)

Its shop is pretty amazing, too. Shopping!

A Steampunk Elephant

2011-06-24T08:00:00.002+08:00

No image here (copyright and all that) but it's totally worth clicking through to the Les Machines de l'Ile site. I originally saw a photo of the amazing steampunk elephant in The Steampunk Bible. Great book -- reading it I also fell in love with James Ng's steampunk art.

Romance Round the Net -- Not Quite

2011-06-23T08:00:00.001+08:00

I've got nuthin'.

Yes, authors, editors, readers and reviewers have been their usual insightful, witty selves -- the mea culpa is mine.

I've been busy and although I've read stuff, none of it's sunk in, nor have I remembered to bookmark it.

Rather than throw random stuff at you from my Google Reader, I'm just going to send you off to follow Nathan Bransford, author and ex-lit agent. If you're not following him and reading posts like, "There's no such thing as too early" (he's talking social media), then you're missing out on insider insight into publishing. Get your stalk on and follow him!

Hmmm...Improbability Wednesdays?

2011-06-22T08:00:00.009+08:00

Wave 'em good-bye. I've had enough of improbabilities for the moment.

I'm not quite sure what to replace them with. I'm self-indulgently thinking of Whinging Wednesdays, but do you really want to hear me complain and snark and generally carry on? Thought not.

Soooo that leaves me with space on this blog to try something different.

Ha! Inspiration. Twitter has #WW which stands for Writer Wednesday. I'm going to borrow it. Every Wednesday the post will be a cryptic one line -- an awesome author's website.

Simple, classy and building community. I knew I'd have a good idea, one day :)

Author sites will appear in no particular order -- except for Terry Pratchett. I have to kick off with my author hero.

Writing Update

2011-06-21T08:00:00.002+08:00

Celebrations! Carina Press has accepted my Steampunk novella, Support Your Local Suffragette, and will publish it December 2011. I am so happy it's a wonder I didn't interfere with local air traffic, floating up to Cloud 9.

But now I'm down from Cloud 9 and writing busily. I want a first draft of Dark Oasis finished and tucked away to prove (to use a baking analogy) before I hit hard the revisions on Support Your Local Suffragette.

Attn: Free Books!

2011-06-21T07:00:00.002+08:00

I knew that would get your attention :)

Carina Press is giving away one free digital book a day this week. You still have time to sneak in and snaffle Monday's (since lazy old New York operates 12 hours behind this blog).

***

It's FREE BOOK WEEK at Carina Press!!!

Every weekday, all week, Carina is offering a spectacular title for free download. And when they say free, they mean ACTUALLY free. Not "sorta free", or "free with a $50 purchase" free, but actually, totally, no strings attached FREE! So, get thee to Carina press to download a free book every day! Here are the books being offered, and the links and promo codes for your free download:

Monday's FREE BOOK is:
The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady
Just type in the promo code DEBUTANTEFREE at checkout

Tuesday's FREE BOOK is:
Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee
Just type in the promo code DEMONFREE at checkout

Wednesday's FREE BOOK is:
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Just type in the promo code TWISTEDFREE at checkout

Thursday's FREE BOOK is:
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Just type in the promo code GALAXYFREE at checkout

Friday's FREE BOOK is:
Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
Just type in the promo code FRIENDLYFREE at checkout

TBR, Indies and Maria Zaninni's "The Devil to Pay"

2011-06-20T08:00:00.002+08:00

I used to be smug about my TBR pile. It was always manageable. Sometimes it was even non-existent.

Then came the Kindle.

Ooh boy. My TBR pile has exploded. It's that damn one click, impulse buy and the seriously good authors I'm discovering.

But now I'm venturing into new territory -- independently published books. Will I or won't I love them?

First indie book is Maria Zaninni's The Devil to Pay. Are there any Indies you love? would recommend?

Venice Biennale

2011-06-18T08:00:00.002+08:00

The Guardian takes a look at the Venice Biennale. You know, I think this is what quality journalism provides -- insight and a guide into unknown worlds. Someone else makes sense of it so we only have to consume. I really liked the short piece on Gothic as Modern.

Space Opera?

2011-06-17T08:00:00.002+08:00

I couldn't resist sharing this lithograph that was picture of the day over at Wikimedia. Gorgeous!

Romance Round the Net

2011-06-16T08:00:00.002+08:00

This is a good time to be an author -- so says Alan Rinzler.

Of course, the people who read your book will forget it. Mind Hacks on biblioamnesia.

Philip Isles posted about Rejection and Recovery on Nathan Bransford's blog. If your heart is strong enough to hope for the stars, then it's strong enough to survive, regroup and try again. Don't underestimate your own strength. Or to put it another way, live with courage, not doubt.

No More Laundry

2011-06-15T08:00:00.003+08:00

I'm sure a few years ago I read about scientists developing clothes that would never need washing. I admit, my response was "Ewwww!", but ... wouldn't it be nice if some chores could just vanish?

Even better, I want a fabric which dealt with clinging dog fur by vaporising it! I'd walk around in a haze of dog fur smoke :)

The Fur Factory

Writing Update

2011-06-14T08:00:00.004+08:00

I have a number of cool books waiting for me to read them -- in the name of research, of course!

Research is definitely the Step 2 in my writing process. Step 1 is inspiration and a rough outline of an idea.

Research tells you if your original idea is possible. It also opens up new possibilities.

So I have a ton of reading to do (and that doesn't count the fiction I want to read!) and a ton of writing. "Dark Oasis" is turning very interesting -- thanks to characters with strong beliefs and a readiness to live them. At the back of my mind, a steampunk story is stewing -- that's the one that needs the research.

Scandal by Amanda Quick

2011-06-13T08:00:00.004+08:00

I just read "Scandal" by Amanda Quick over the weekend. It's a regency romance, sexier than Heyer, but a lot of fun.

Amanda Quick is one of several names Jayne Ann Krentz publishes under (Jayne Castle is her futuristic romances. She's also written as Stephanie James and Jayne Taylor).

A lot of people think of romances as having a formula. Plug a few variables into that formula and you have your story.

Ha! Do those same people tell you it's easy to retile your bathroom? -- just cement a few tiles down, doesn't matter if its waterproof or grows mould.

The joy of reading Jayne Ann Krentz's books is her engaging style, clear characters and the fresh energy she brings to a formula that works for her, book after book. Strong, lonesome hero. Feisty woman with a problem (the problem could well be the hero).

For the reader, that means you have a guarantee that you'll enjoy the story. It's familiar yet ever new.

I have immense respect for Jayne Ann Krentz.

And if you haven't read "Scandal", consider it. Good book!

Australia at the British Museum

2011-06-11T08:00:00.001+08:00

I'm living in Australia, so I don't really need to fly to Britain to experience it at the British Museum. Still, the collection of exhibitions fascinates me, as does the Museum's use of social media. I love how they've shared photos of the garden build on Flickr.

Anyhoo, to celebrate, here's an Aussie's photo of Australia. Happy weekend!

Coastal dune

Frogs

2011-06-10T08:00:00.002+08:00

I understand that when you're starving you'll eat anything ... but frog legs on a fine dining menu? *shudder*

What is it about frogs that humans pick on them so? The first electrical experiments involved reanimating frogs (or at least, making their legs twitch).

Fortunately, some frogs fight back.

May I introduce the blue poison dart frog...

Photo by Adrian Pingstone
via Wikimedia
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue.poison.dart.frog.arp.jpg

No Romance Round the Net

2011-06-09T08:00:00.001+08:00

Yes, it's Thursday, but after yesterday's Tweet avalanche of Carina-related blog posts, I don't want to test your patience with yet more links -- they'll wait till next week *grin*

So just because it's funny ... Family Hour!

http://www.lolcats.com/view/12041/

Alien Questions

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000+08:00

So I was thinking ... say a spaceship landed in the street and an alien wandered into the yard intent on conversation (and possessing a xenotranslating gadget or some such nonsense), what questions would it ask and what questions would I ask it?

'Course, if the conversation began with the alien asking if I was good to eat, I wouldn't hang around to pose a question. But if it was friendly...I guess I'd have to ask if it had met God.

I'm curious whether aliens would believe in a god, and if so, in what form and how that belief impacted their space travel and contact with other species.

Writing Update

2011-06-07T08:00:00.001+08:00

Do you remember I mentioned the possibility of a demon and djinni story? Well, I just can't make the myth-altering work. My demon will have to sink back into my subconscious until I can find a twist to the myth to enable her to love (and for readers to want her to have a happy ending).

But I can't be too disappointed, because an angel and djinni story is demanding to be told -- and it has everything. No, I'm not going to share yet. I find the blurb for a story has to wait till it's stewed a bit or I'm ramblingly incoherent. But I have a rough outline and I've started the first draft. Working title: "Dark Oasis".

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

2011-06-06T08:00:00.001+08:00

Last week I read Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (twice. What can I say? It's good).

What interests me is that it's book 5 in a series, yet fresh. Strong voice and fast pacing are part of the reason. But I think the stand out factor is the character development. The conflict grows naturally out of characters maturing (and revelations of their backstory).

Character development is a challenge. Readers need to know enough about a character up front to engage with them, to care what happens to them, but if you reveal all of a character's secrets right away--where's the fun? You've squished tons of potential conflict by just dumping the info. Far better to remember that at the heart of most stories is a quest. Characters learn about themselves (and readers with them) on the perilous journey.

Still, there's no getting away from it. A lively, engaging book 5 is a fab achievement.

Not Hobbit Homes...

2011-06-04T08:00:00.010+08:00

By Roland zh (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Amazing underground houses. Weirdomatic has a photo collection of underground and weird houses that are totally awesome. People who can imagine the fantastic and then build it have my sincerest admiration.

Kestrel, a car made of hemp

2011-06-03T08:00:00.000+08:00

Totally bizarre. A car made of hemp. Meet the Kestrel.

The article mentions Henry Ford's interest in hemp in cars, which reminds me of a Phoebe Atwood Taylor novel from WWII in which one of her characters says they'll know the world is back to normal when they can stop eating soya beans, and instead, Henry Ford can put the beans in his cars.

Bioplastics are fascinating.

Romance Round the Net

2011-06-02T08:00:00.006+08:00

Courtney Milan on Self Publishing over at Dear Author. Post and comments both fascinating. Lesson: Editors are vital.

This study from BPS is fascinating. Apparently all those times we're urged to visualise success...we're defeating ourselves! Positive fantasies make it less likely you'll achieve your dream. So I'm thinking our doubts spur us on. Good thing that, since authors are riddled with worries.

And something more for writers to worry about -- money! Patricia Wrede breaks down the difficulties and unreliability of an author's income.

On the upside, Kensington Brava has a novella comp open, Writing with the Stars.

Also check out the helpful links Kimberly Killion has assembled -- and shared! True generosity.

Why people feel the need to attack romance novels, their readers and their authors, I don't know. But in defence of readers Sarah from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books makes a really important point. It's about happiness. Everyone has a right to their happiness--and romance novels make people happy.

Win!!! Sizzling Summer Reads at The Romance Reviews

2011-06-01T08:00:00.001+08:00

Prepare to Sizzle!

Over $5,000 prizes up for grabs!

Total of 8 pairs of tickets to RomCon 2011 to be won!!!

(each pair worth $490)

Sizzling Summer Reads (Romance)

From June 1 to 28, 2011

at http://www.theromancereviews.com

(Look for the Sizzling Summer Reads event button)

Play the games. Explore new books.

Chat with authors. Rack up your points!

CAN YOU UNLOCK THE PUZZLE?

Visit everyday to increase your chances to win awesome prizes!

PRIZES

Weekly Prizes

2 tickets to RomCon 2011 worth $490

$10 Gift Cards – 4 winners

Over 100 Book Giveaways in total

(paperback, ebook)

Main Sponsors

RomCon 2011

eTreasures Publishing

Astraea Press

Participating authors

(in no particular order)

Barbara White Daille Elisabeth Naughton JL Oilder Autumn Jordon

Marie Treanor Teresa Bohannon Anne Patrick Edie Ramer

Caroline Clemmons Missy Jane Sibel Hodge Jenny Schwartz

Mary Eason Sarah Grimm Louise Crawford Jess Mountifield

Toni C. LoTempio Ann Tracy Marr Suzanne Barrett Brynna Curry

Jennifer Wells Stacy Juba Gini Rifkin CJ Archer

Staci Brush Lisa Beth Darling Christianne Charles Sheri Lewis Wohl

Natasha Deen Nadia Lee Roni Adams Raquel Byrnes

Samantha Hunter Joely Sue Burkhart Rebecca L. Frencl Dianne Duvall

Rae Renzi Greta van der Rol Sharon Buchbinder Dora Hiers

Dana Stevenson Anna Small Terry Campbell Tiphanie Thomas

Lisa Kumar Myne Whitman Phillip Thomas Duck Laura Kaye

Cherie Le Clare Elizabeth Lang Robin DeJarnett Tarah Scott

Ednah Walters

Writing Update

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000+08:00

"Persian Flames" is a much stronger story for listening to Deb's criticism. Love it when revisions are so evidently right. Question is, will Carina want it?

Jess Nevins wrote a post on Lost Race stories for Beyond Victoriana and now I really want to write a steampunk story of a forgotten people. You know the mantra I need? Focus.

Winner of "Three Wishes"!

2011-05-30T09:50:00.000+08:00

I wish it was a for-real 3 wishes ... but the winner of a digital copy of my paranormal romance novella, Three Wishes, is Seleste!

The Urge to Jump by Trisha Ashley

2011-05-30T08:00:00.003+08:00

I've mentioned before about how much I like "The Urge to Jump" by Trisha Ashley. Seems it's not quite as easy as it once was to get hold of, but it remains the one and only book I've read which, written in the present tense, I still love.

Present tense, how you bother me.

Some people enjoy the immediacy of the present tense. Not me. I like the reflective nature of the past tense. It is familiar, comforting.

And then comes synopsis writing -- which demands present tense. Argh! It's unnatural!

But, back to "The Urge to Jump". Why do I like it so? Well, apart from the strong narrator and splendid wry humour, the heroine is a bossy, opinionated writer. Ha!

Food as Muse

2011-05-29T09:06:00.000+08:00

I'm visiting Wynter Daniels' lovely blog and talking about the food that inspires my writing. Do you find yourself eating certain foods appropriate to the place you're writing about?

Going East

2011-05-28T08:00:00.003+08:00

Palmyra Amphitheatre by Hovic
Some rights reserved
http://www.flickr.com/photos/200000/344808931/
Thanks for sharing your photo. It's gorgeous!

I thought I'd wind up my release week celebrations for Three Wishes with a nod to the Near and Middle Eastern archaeology/ancient history that started my interest in the Middle East, its cultures, landscapes and histories. Archaeology.org has a list of website links you could lose yourself in for hours.

Or, Jackie Burris interviews me at her blog. It's a great interview. Everyone has been so supportive through release week for Three Wishes -- thank you!

Synthetic grass

2011-05-27T08:00:00.004+08:00

Why buy a house with a yard if you're just going to roll out the carpet? Honestly, synthetic grass/lawn is bizarre. I can live with it on minigolf courses. Anywhere else? Nope.

That's it. I'm taking a stand. Just say "No" to plastic grass.

But to put me in a better mood ... I'm visiting Taryn Kincaid and talking about favourite places to write. Come and share yours.

Romance Round the Net

2011-05-26T08:00:00.004+08:00

For other wish-you-were-there conference attendees, Armchair BEA takes in Book Expo America and Book Bloggers confs. I'm so grateful to people who share their experience of these conferences, the industry news and a general sense of where things are at.

Nathan Bransford talks about reversals in story structure. Up and down, up and down.

Jenny Bent, literary agent, has started a series of posts on authors and agents and finding one another, plus selling that first book.

I'm fascinated by the idea of a news network training citizen journalists.

Small Reviews has a great post explaining how to include a signature in your Blogger posts. May be old news to some people. The tech-challenged, like me, need all the help we can get.

Greed is ... um ... Good?

2011-05-25T08:00:00.003+08:00

Okay, so maybe I'm a touch greedy. I'm definitely lucky. I'm posting at two cool blogs today -- Manic Readers on "Dressing a Djinni" -- it's tough -- and Carina Press on celebrating happy ever afters.

But this is Improbability Wednesday at this blog. The day when I rid my brain of weird ideas (by inflicting the musings on you) and so, enable my brain to continue sensible(ish) plotting on the next story.

Greed. I got thinking, what if neuroscience discovers the particular chemicals/brain stimulation/pleasure feedback response/whatever they call it, and greed becomes a behaviour we can manage chemically rather than with willpower.

Would people choose not to be greedy? And what would be the result? Would our sense of possessiveness vanish? How would our motivations alter? Would we be blissed out or depressed if consumption and possession for their own sake ceased to be rewarding?

I can't imagine giving up my greed for new books to read. One of the joys of life.

Writing Update

2011-05-24T08:00:00.002+08:00

My primary focus this week is the release of Three Wishes. But revisions for Persian Flames are well underway. The ending is now so tense, I got worried writing it -- and I knew there'd be a happy ending!

Mid-release week is not the ideal time to be planning future projects -- or maybe it is? Either way, I'm thinking about a fifth Out of the Bottle novella, staying in the Middle East but ... whisper it ... adding in a demon heroine. Question is, can I alter the mythology to allow a demon to love? Not sure. Yelena, on the other hand, has no such doubts and is demanding her story. I have to admit, I want to meet the djinni who'll fight for her.

As for steampunk...I'm fiddling with ideas. Would you believe the Scots ruled the nineteenth century British Empire, but stayed behind the scenes? How about a Scottish villainess? Lots of ideas, but I have to choose one to run with. Maybe I won't go Scots at all. India might be more appropriate, geographic proximity to Australia and all.

Release Day! "Three Wishes" -- Win a copy!

2011-05-23T08:00:00.016+08:00

She is the Bringer of Death

Cali, a djinni, has sworn to twist the wishes of humans so they die by their own greed and evil. Her latest master is arms dealer David Saqr, a man Cali believes deserves the fate she has in store for him. But this time she finds herself up against Andrew, David’s guardian angel.

He is a Protector of Life

Andrew believes David can yet find redemption. He fights Cali for the man’s life, even as he tries to persuade her to give in to the sizzling attraction between them. He shows Cali another side of David, and invites her to trust again, to hope. But centuries of being enslaved have hardened Cali’s heart—it’s going to take all of Andrew’s love to convince her to open it and let him in.

***

For your chance to win a copy of Three Wishes, just leave a comment. "Happy Release Day!" would make me smile :)

And can I say the hugest thank you to Deb Nemeth for being the best editor an author could wish for, and to the whole Carina Press team (authors included!), you rock! I'm honoured to work with you.

Plus, if you're curious about the mythology behind the world I've created in the Out of the Bottle series, check out my post at Love Romance Passion in which I talk about Lilith -- who knew Adam was divorced?

Wherein I dig up almost sensible answers

2011-05-22T08:00:00.001+08:00

Christine Bell invited me to be her blog guest and answer some interview questions. Things I wish I'd known about the writing/publishing game. Where my Out of the Bottle series is going. What I would eat on a desert island.

I had a lot of fun, but also reflected on my writing journey -- how far I've come, how the future terrain looks. Not all of it made it into the post, but it's useful to take stock now and then.

The Interview

Unfamiliar and Beautiful

2011-05-21T08:00:00.003+08:00

Woman with a Spray of Flowers, Iran, 1575
Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian

Islamic Art has meanings and nuances that I (a non-Arabic speaker and non-Muslim) completely miss, but I can appreciate the beauty, the passion and the sheer talent of the artists. If you're looking for an introduction to the field, check out the Museum of Islamic Art.

***I'm visiting Christine Bell today (thanks, Christine, for inviting me!) and answering questions. Lovely questions that made me stop, think and laugh. Join us!

Where do pets come from?

2011-05-20T08:00:00.002+08:00

With huge thanks to Lulu for sharing her gorgeous photos on Flickr

Given the release of Three Wishes next week (squee!) I've been thinking of things Syrian -- since Syria's the setting for the story. And of all extraordinary things to discover, the hamster is from Syria.

Now, the rational part of me knows pets have to originate somewhere, but the irrational part of my mind insists that pets have always been pets. Silly, I know. Especially when the cute budgerigar is wild here in Australia.

Romance Round the Net

2011-05-19T08:00:00.006+08:00

Today I'm guest posting over at Dark Side Down Under AND giving away a copy of Three Wishes. Just leave a comment at my DSU post to go in the draw. What am I talking about? Hats and villiany.

I guess you know I scrapbook pretty pictures over at Tumblr. Well, Harlequin recently set up their page over there and in addition to their gorgeous cover images, they're also sharing great tips and insights into the writing/editing/publishing world. I like this paragraph by editor Patience Bloom on how to write romantic suspense. Looks like Tumblr is going to mean more than pretty pictures.

Lynn Jordan talks about finding subjects to blog about. I think this is both easy and hard. Easy for me, since I don't worry about popularity and simply blog about what interests me. Hard because part of me knows I'm not making best use of my online time if I'm not *jargon alert* driving traffic to my blog. But you know, really, I look at my blog as a long term part of my online presence and I'd rather be interesting and interested than chase SEO.

Patricia Wrede starts an interesting discussion on truth and fiction. In fact, it's sparked so many ideas for me, I might end up with a whole blog post on it. Y'see, once upon a time I studied Sociology and that (along with Literature courses) exposed me to the whole idea that there is no one truth and that we all "read" (interpret and create) the text we're, ahem, reading. It's a totally confusing idea (deconstruction), but also useful. Patricia goes at the issue from a different direction, that of the author knowing they can't discuss every truth in their fiction and how they choose and deal with the fall out of readers not finding or disputing the truths included in a story. Hmm.

Breaking with Routine

2011-05-18T08:00:00.002+08:00

Usually Wednesdays are improbabilities. Today, though, it's all about celebration.

Three Wishes releases from Carina Press on Monday!

My third paranormal romance novella with Carina! It's so wondrously exciting and improbable I can't think of anything else :)

Writing Update

2011-05-17T08:00:00.009+08:00

So...revisions.

I could weave you a doleful story about how dreadful and dreadfully hard work revisions are -- and all without a guarantee the manuscript will contracted at the end. I could -- but that would be lying.

I love revisions, and Deb Nemeth is responsible. Her crit of Persian Flames caused little light bulbs to ping all over my brain and the story will be so much stronger as a result. Plus, brace yourselves, with one thing leading to another, I now have an idea for a fifth Out of the Bottle novella. Such a good idea, if I can swing the myth-building.

But for now, it's revision time. Richer character development. Agonising tension. What more can a writer ask for? (the chocolate is in the fridge!)

10lb Penalty by Dick Francis

2011-05-16T08:00:00.002+08:00

Yes, there are horses in 10lb Penalty. What Dick Francis novel lacks equines? But in many ways, they are irrelevant. This is a story of father and son -- and politics. It's a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading -- and re-reading. But as a writer, what particularly intrigued me was its timeframe.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say the book covers years. Years -- yet it's a thriller. So often, tension is ratcheted up by decreasing the timeframe. Look at the success of the tv show, 24. But in 10lb Penalty, Francis uses the leisurely timeframe to develop the tension. Sure, it's not highwire stuff, but it works. The book is an interesting, comfortable read.

Huntington Desert Garden

2011-05-14T08:00:00.002+08:00

By Pamla J. Eisenberg from Anaheim, USA [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

A very prickly stroll, but aridly beautiful, Huntington Botanical Garden.

Damascus Fashion

2011-05-13T08:00:00.002+08:00

Les Costumes Populaires De La Turquie, en 1873
A collection of photographs by the famous photographer Pascal Sebah
on the occasion of the universal exposition in Viena in 1873
(via Wikimedia)

Oh my goodness. Can you see the shoes on the lady on the right? Wow, and I thought stilettos were tough to walk in.

Romance Round the Net

2011-05-12T08:00:00.003+08:00

Maria Zaninni interviewed Deb Nemeth and the result is advice for writers to live by. Deb is a fab editor.

Lori Lake makes a valid point about the increasingly crowded world of self-published books. Early adopters have an initial advantage, but will they be able to continue to build name recognition and sales in a crowded arena? Let alone the situation for non-early adopters.

How do readers find authors and their books? (Sorry, no answers. Just musing)

Do's and don't's of blogs and website presentation by Paula Roe.

Neuronal Recycling and Sleep

2011-05-11T08:00:00.002+08:00

Usually when I post about improbabilities I'm talking about SF story ideas that strain even a reader's willing suspension of disbelief. Today is a bit different. I'm leaping off from an actual scientific hypothesis -- neuronal recycling. "Human 3.0" by Mark Changizi in SEED got me thinking.

True, I probably haven't understood the hypothesis fully or correctly, but the idea that speech, writing, drawing are adaptations of existing human hard-wired capacity to understand and function in the world is intriguing -- that culture has taken our abilities and value-added.

So, what existing functions of the brain could we value add, and thereby, change what it means to be human? Could there be a shift in our future as radical as speech?

The trick would be to look at something we do all the time, and overlook, and change it. Sleep comes to mind.

What do we do in our sleep that we could tap into to achieve something very different, something communicative and connective (because that's what speech, writing, etc are -- they support and define our sociability)?

As a believer in the benefits of a good night's sleep, what if the function of sleep that we overlook is healing? What if there's a way for a healthy mind to heal a disturbed one during sleep?

Writing Update

2011-05-10T08:00:00.002+08:00

Submitting a manuscript is scary.

That's all!

The Steampunk Bible

2011-05-09T08:00:00.001+08:00

The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer and S J Chambers is great fun.

I reviewed it over at Goodreads, so I don't feel this has to be a sensible review. But nor am I going to descend into simply squee'ing over the great photos -- though I easily could.

I thought I'd have a little ramble about one of the points brought up in the book, the idea that Steampunk celebrates an elimination of obsolescene and a return to creativity and craftsmanship.

I detest the built-in obsolescence of mass produced junk. Not only is it wasteful, it fails to respect how I interact with inanimate objects -- I build relationships.

If we interact with something on a daily basis -- like the toaster (evil stainless steel genius), the computer, the car -- we wrap it into our animate life. I really think that's how the human brain works. That's why, at distracted moments, I thank a vending machine for a chocolate bar.

Built-in obsolescence destroys those relationships, makes them insecure, forces us to re-learn our habits (oh, how I detest upgrades).

Steampunk, on the other hand, celebrates the inclusion of the inanimate into our lives. I think de Chardin was the first person I read who said something like "we are everything we affect in our lives".

Dogs, dogs and more dogs

2011-05-07T08:00:00.002+08:00

Dog breeds at Wikimedia.

Purina offers a Dog Breed Library.

The American Kennel Club has its own list.

and after all that, you'll probably conclude (like me) that the best dog in the world is the one you love the most!

Happy Weekend!

Looking for royalty cheques

Staying in a Five Star Cave

2011-05-06T08:00:00.002+08:00

The Wadi Rum Resort in Jordan has to be seen to be believed. What an eco lodge!

Romance Round the Net

2011-05-05T08:00:00.002+08:00

Kylie Griffin is a very generous author who shares great links on the Romance Writers of Australia discussion groups. Just recently she shared the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood's Liz Bemis's advice on authors' websites.

Media Bistro explains a Twitter conundrum, why the people you've followed haven't followed you back.

Keira at Love Romance Passion has a great list (actually it's a poll) on hero titles -- laird or sheikh? tycoon, perhaps? all alphas

And Evil Wylie balances that list with the job titles no romance hero admits to.

David Niall Wilson at Storytellers Unplugged makes an important point about saving our words. Yes, I know (hope) you have back ups of what you're working on. But can you get hold of your earliest work? Do you have those files stashed somewhere accessible?

Patricia Wrede on fiction as a model of the real world -- and what have you left out?

No, It's Not Reincarnation

2011-05-04T08:00:00.001+08:00

Ever walked through a building or garden or looked a magpie in the eye and felt as if you've encountered a human presence?

Well, probably not with magpies -- vicious, swooping monsters.

I was thinking of heaven ... as you do when the brain is too tired to fall asleep (ah insomnia, source of so much weirdness) ... and I thought "What if heaven includes experience passes?" So, like a travel pass, you can choose to experience earthly phenomena from the perspective of a rock or a tulip or even a blue whale. You don't become any of them, but you pass through them.

Yup, I probably should try counting sheep instead *grin*

Writing Update

2011-05-03T08:00:00.002+08:00

Fortified with chocolate, I tackled promo for the May 23 release of Three Wishes. I love visiting people and chatting about interesting topics. It never fails to amaze me, the weird stuff people know. However, it is work preparing those posts. Writing them is the fun part. Getting the links to work and the photos to post and every other fiddly detail in place -- that's where my non-techie mind explodes. Still, as I said, I had chocolate and that soothed me when Blogger did something weird (let's not even mention Wordpress *shudder*).

I'm crawling to a definition of the writer/author divide that says "writers write, but authors write and do promo". And I'm tempted to think that's true even of unpublished authors. But (you object) what sort of promo is required if you don't have a book/story/poem in print? Well, being part of the writing/publishing community, membership of author groups, Twitter and Facebook participation, a blog, even a website. Promo is about telling anyone who is interested (and even those who aren't) that you're serious about your writing. If you take it seriously, so do other people.

My Family & Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

2011-05-02T08:00:00.002+08:00

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell has long been one of my favourite books. Durrell recalls the sun-drenched, leisurely life of Corfu before the Second World War where his expat British family has time and space each to pursue their own obsessions. He enjoyed the sort of childhood dreams are made of.

It is a comfort read book, a celebration of eccentricity and a reminder that the small pleasures of life are the ones that remain with us in memory and, perhaps, shape our lives.

Wikitravel

2011-04-30T08:00:00.001+08:00

I had no idea Wikitravel existed. What a glorious way to learn about and virtually visit amazing places.

Happy travelling!

Romance Underground

2011-04-29T08:00:00.001+08:00

What's under old cities can be just as intriguing as the history of its streets. I remember reading "The Dead Sea Scrolls" by Elizabeth Peters and marvelling at the thought of travelling underground, through forgotten thoroughfares and buildings, beneath the heart of Jerusalem.

The photo below is of El Jadida cistern, Morocco, but doesn't it capture the romance I'm talking about?

By Axel Rouvin from Bordeaux, France (El Jadida : Citerne portugaise) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Romance Round the Net

2011-04-28T08:00:00.002+08:00

Jim Macdonald has guru status for me. He taught me so much about writing in his "Uncle Jim" thread over at Absolute Write. The other day I saw his post on Yog's Law at Making Light. Important point that even in self-publishing, money has to flow to the author. Sounds obvious, but I know in my own life enthusiasm can outweigh caution and leave me crying.

Over at Bookends, LLC Jessica makes the short, sweet and true point -- if you're on Twitter, be interesting. *sigh* for some of us (looking in mirror) that's a tough ask. And when writing a query, keep it brief.

Kaz at Fusion Dispatches has a necessary beware for tech dumbies like me and trusting our data to The Cloud.

Finally, from history (via Past Horizons) an article on the power of stories (ie propaganda) and Prince Rupert's dog.

Magic Carpet

2011-04-27T08:00:00.001+08:00

by Victor Vasnetsov

I'm well aware that in this litigious age, no one could risk selling a magic carpet. Imagine if someone fell off! No guard rails, it actually flew above the ground, no seat belts. Horrors!

But imagine if we could get something that floated along, like a hovercraft but less temperamental. Imagine how it would change our lives, especially if it came with voice control and drove itself. Just imagine flying to work or home from a party. Do you think birds would start hitching rides on the carpets?

Writing Update

2011-04-26T08:00:00.002+08:00

Fingers crossed, I'm going to get my steampunk novella in to Carina Press by the May 15 deadline for winter themed novellas. I've pushed it aside, hoping for enough distance that I can objectively revise it before then.

Meantime, promo posts for the release of Three Wishes on May 23 are going well. Once the buy link goes up on Carina's website, I should be able to get the posts out to the lovely people allowing me to visit their blogs. I'm aiming for May 1.

(and as a side note, I'm finding American style increasingly creeping into my writing. Look at me -- putting the day after the month)

Children's Encyclopedias

2011-04-25T08:00:00.003+08:00

It was Dad's old set of Richards' Encyclopedias (complete with a monstrous squashed butterfly -- why?) that first taught me to value children's encyclopedias. They're a window into a world and world view long gone, an idealised world in many ways.

But they have fantastically clear and simple introductory explanations on a great many things that don't go out of date and best of all, they have stunning black and white photos. I have limited to non-existent artistic talent, but I enjoy drawing based on these old black and white images -- not that I've done so for ages.

A few years back I picked up an entire set co-edited by Enid Blyton. Sweet.

It makes me wonder how in 40 or 50 years time people will try to look back on today's kids' entertainment. How will they check into 2011's internet world?

Off to Kew

2011-04-23T08:00:00.002+08:00

To wind up a week that somehow became very plant-oriented, I thought we'd visit Kew Gardens. Isn't the gingko-inspired jewellery gorgeous?

Rock Garden at Kew
by Istvánka (Transferred from Hungarian Wikipedia) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-B

Carnivorous Plants

2011-04-22T08:00:00.003+08:00

What could be weirder -- or more beautiful?

With thanks to Alan carnivorasland.com via Flickr. And I think it's a pitcher plant -- sounds innocuous, doesn't it?

Romance Round the Net

2011-04-21T09:14:00.000+08:00

Late post this morning. I think I need the Easter long break. Not to do anything exciting, just to maybe do nothing. Oh, that sounds blissful. Perhaps find time to indulge in Lisa Shearin's latest, "Con and Conjure".

Anyhow, it's not the weekend yet, so ... here's the news:

I guess I'd call it a Writers' Collective, authors getting together to release digital books. I'm interested in Walk on the Wild Side Books, though they aren't the first to go this path. Will there be more collectives in the future?

Ilona Andrews explains best-seller lists, supporting favourite authors, and the bottomline ... buying the book (any time) is enough to make most of us euphoric :)

So you've all heard Amazon and Overdrive are getting together to do library lending via kindle (and please let this come to Australia!), but what are the details? How will it work? and how will it impact libraries? readers and authors? I think the Librarian in Black's discussion is a great place to start.

Thinking of self-publishing? Read Kathleen Dienne's experience so far. Tech challenges, lies and doing it for yourself!

I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah Allen's short post on Quintessence.

Maria Zannini throws open her blog to comments on Facebook's Pages. Do authors need an author page (as opposed to a personal profile like a normal person)? How do they use it? How do people like interacting with a page-person?

Steampunk Flowers

2011-04-20T08:00:00.002+08:00

If I had photoshop and photoshop skills, I'd have included an image of a rose wearing brass goggles. Since I have neither, can you imagine it, please?

And after all that, I'm not even posting on intelligent roses (all perfume and thorns) taking over the world.

I have a steampunk idea (it's not original, just intriguing) of plant breeding -- hybrid plants that drug people with their perfume, produce strange food (like the breadplant being sweetened to produce bread and butter pudding fruits) and generally contribute to mayhem and good times.

The Victorians were adventurers and brought back exotic specimens. Anything could be possible.

It's an idea I dearly love (and I should admit a bias against genetically modified food, so the moral lesson implicit in these steampunk hybrids is clear). Unfortunately, it doesn't fit in my current steampunk novella, nor the one I'm contemplating writing. So, I've stuck the idea here, on Improbability Wednesday, to remind me.

Who knows what a cactus could be capable of?

Writing Update

2011-04-19T08:00:00.002+08:00

Great news this week!

First, Deb (my wonderful editor) sent back Persian Flames with a "No, but..." and a fantastic critique, which means I have a chance to revise and resub, with the benefit of her expertise. Am I happy? You bet.

But before jumping back into my angel and djinni world, I have a steampunk novella to submit to Angela by May 15. How's that going you ask?

Beautifully. I finished the first draft Friday. I'd have danced with joy, but was too tired, it being Friday and all. So I settled for a quick trip to the library, which somehow grew to include a newsagent pit stop (must buy The Guardian Weekly) and as always, "just a few things" from the supermarket.

Third, Three Wishes (releases May 23) is already available for review at Netgalley. Some of my writing time this month will have to go to promo posts -- and I love writing them!

Hope y'all are having a brilliant week, too :)

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

2011-04-18T08:00:00.002+08:00

A Short History of Nearly Everything is the first book by Bill Bryson I've ever read, and I'm enjoying it. Clear explanations (imagine the research!), great style, ... but is it a history book? I have two answers.

The first is that flat out, yes, it's a history book, a history of science.

The second answer is that it depends how you define history. Is it the story of beginnings (which is what I thought the title implied)? No. It's the story of how humanity (and by humanity, read scientists, varily defined) reached its understanding of the world, and what that understanding is. The actual history of the world is something very different (scientists may argue with me on this point).

For someone like me, unscientific, the book is a nice window on an unfamiliar world. And Bill Bryson has collected some mind-blowing stories, scattered them with effective personality sketches (remember the scientists) and written with style. He has a strong voice.

I've been reading the short history over the weekend and it's full of oh-my-goodness-not-really? moments. Taken out of context they probably don't have the same sort of impact as written into Bryson's narrative. He really is an effective writer. Take this fragment:

"fog is no more than a cloud that lacks the will to fly."

If you're looking for an enjoyable science book for non-scientists. This fits the bill (ha ha, made a pun! dearie me, really need my coffee this morning)

360 degree panoramas -- Venice!

2011-04-16T08:00:00.003+08:00

I mentioned 360cities.net on Twitter a week or so ago, but honestly. How wonderful. And how generous of the photographers to share their experience. Here's Venice.

Giant rhubarb

2011-04-15T08:00:00.005+08:00

Giant rhubarb at Giethoorn, with thanks to Elsa for sharing on Flicker :)

Romance Round the Net

2011-04-14T08:00:00.001+08:00

So I've been talking (obsessing) about Steampunk, but have I defined it, shared the magic/appeal? No. Fortunately, there's a great article by Dru Pagliossotti that breaks it down into steam and punk -- gaslight fantastic tech and social critique. The suggestion is also out there that without the punk (the social critique) what a lot of people are writing -- and reading! -- is actually Steampulp. I've read some stuff I'd call Steampulp, and it's pretty good. No, I won't be naming names because some people think "pulp" is an insult. The thing is you don't always want to read sharp, insightful social critiques. Sometimes you just want a rollicking adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books "Overheard at RT". Read to the end. Romance writers really are wonderful people.

Numbats

2011-04-13T08:00:00.002+08:00

Numbats -- think brown marsupial squirrel, but they eat termites.

Anyway, I was pondering, what if West Australian settlers never brought cats with them (which swiftly went feral and ate up the indigenous wildlife), but instead adopted numbats as pets.

How long does it take to domesticate a species? and do we want to change species' status from wild to pet?

What would you have as a pet if you could have any animal?

Me? A tiger.

Writing Update

2011-04-12T08:00:00.002+08:00

The steampunk novella is so much fun. I love writing an Aussie Wild West with civilisation intruding and new inventions changing everything. Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of Steampunk is its optimism. The confidence of the Victorian era combined with modern sensibilities.

At the back of my mind I'm beginning to turn over ideas for a category romance. We'll see. The ideas can stew while I steampunk, and then, I'll see if they're worth pursuing. Do I want to write a hot, hot alpha male? Are you kidding? 'Course I do! The issue is will the story have enough conflict.

London. A Biography by Peter Ackroyd

2011-04-11T08:00:00.003+08:00

London. The Biography was one of the rare books that exceeded my high expectations.

If you're into social history, you have to read it. If you write fantasy that involves historical detail, and simply how people live in cities, you have to read it. If you plan on visiting London ... well, this book will make your "must visit" list much vaster.

I was seduced by the enduring nature of London. It changes and yet remains timeless. It is made of stones and buried mammoth bones, of rotting timbers and waiting wildflower seeds. It's been burned, bombed, hated, loved and above all, lived in. This book brings alive the fact that a city is the people who live in it. Yes, the structural elements endure far beyond ephemeral human lives, but they are given meaning by those human lives.

Peter Ackroyd has created a social history so effortless and intriguing to read that you hardly notice just how much information is pouring from the pages. People's lives, their dreams, fights, failures. Religion, politics, health, wars, taxation, trade, architecture, revolution, ... you'll find everything in London.

Pedal Boats

2011-04-09T08:00:00.001+08:00

One of the real joys of writing Steampunk is the combination of wild imagining and research, and inadvertent discoveries. I hadn't thought of pedal boats in years. Now I can't resist sharing this fantastic photo from Ross (via Wikimedia). I hope I've got the attribution correctly. It should be there if you click the photo.

Happy pedalling!

Maybe this isn't weird to anyone else...

2011-04-08T08:00:00.001+08:00

but why the heck do people like garlic? Yuk.

And don't tell me it's good for me!

Romance Round the Net

2011-04-07T08:00:00.004+08:00

A few months from now Harlequin will launch its second "So You Think You Can Write" program. If there's something you'd like included in it, check out their call for questions.

I recently joined the All Romance ebooks Cafe. It's such a lovely space. If you're over there, feel free to friend me. Otherwise I shall hunt you down and friend you anyway! :)

What else? Here Be Magic is plotting. No, we're not aiming to take over the world (although we'd make a damn fine job of it if we did -- Carina Press Co-dictators Unite!). A fantasy blog needs some fantastic events, so we're plotting. Stay tuned.

This is the first time I've seen a book directly inspiring a dress. I read "The Egg and I" years ago, and was delighted to stumble across the dress on Tumblr. (And yes, I have already tweeted about this, but I can't resist sharing it again)

Robot Hairdressers

2011-04-06T08:00:00.001+08:00

Hairdressers -- we all have horror stories. People in charge of sharp instruments who are suddenly struck with selective deafness.

"No, I did not say chop of eight inches. I said, trim the ends!"

In fact, given that I wear my hair long, I pretty much cut it myself. Any mistakes just get bundled back in a ponytail.

But I used to be reliant on hairdressers. It was brilliant when they were a friend of a friend or you'd been going to the same salon for years. It was all so relaxing. Some easy gossip, a relaxing sense that they knew what to do with you hair better than you, time out.

But remember the horrors of a new hairdresser? The anxious scrutiny of every action in the mirror, while striving for the appearance of relaxed chattiness.

So I think this Improbability Wednesday I'll advocate for a robot hairdresser. Something like Edward Scissorhands, but automated. It measures your face and head shape visually and cuts the perfect hair style. No fuss, no conversation, and you don't even have to leave home.

Of course, I'm not sure what I'd do for the gossip part of the traditional haircut. Maybe I could Twitter while the robot hairdresser clipped?

Writing Update

2011-04-05T08:00:00.001+08:00

I am steampunking along. Talk about job satisfaction. Writing steampunk is so joyous it's probably illegal.

And I had a lovely surprise last week. Two of my poems published online at Every Day Poets are to be reprinted in their second anthology.

A short and sweet update, but that just means I'm hard at work. I hope you are, too!

Changes

2011-04-04T08:00:00.003+08:00

A blog is a work in progress. Even a quiet one like mine evolves. I try new things. Some work, like having a posting framework of Tuesdays for writing updates, Thursdays for a round up of romance publishing news/advice, etc. Some don't, like Guest Author Mondays.

I love having guest authors visit and that won't change. But I'm no longer going to lock in Mondays. Guest authors will simply be a lovely surprise any day -- which releases Mondays to be a different sort of day in my posting framework. In fact, I'm thinking Mondays will be Book Day.

Yes, I post my two sentence reviews over at Goodreads and enjoy following group discussions there. But sometimes it's not really a review I want to share, just some rambly thoughts sparked by a particular book. So, from here on, Mondays are Book Day -- and we'll all see how that works!

And no, I'm not telling you what next week's book will be -- because I'm mean that way *grin*

Gold

2011-04-02T08:00:00.003+08:00

For the history of gold in Australia, SBS has put together a great starting point. But I bet you haven't seen gold in quite the same way as the weird and wonderful collection of objects Money Choice put together -- they're not for sale, they're just mind boggling. I can't imagine sitting on a golden loo.

Gold Rush!

2011-04-01T08:00:00.003+08:00

Sutter's Mill, California, via Wikimedia

This is where the California Goldrush started. According to the Wikimedia link, the carpenter building the mill found gold nuggets -- and the rest is history.

Romance Round the Net

2011-03-31T08:00:00.003+08:00

First, flinging hat in air and yahoo'ing, Shannon Stacey's popular Carina Press published trilogy, Exclusively Yours, Undeniably Yours and Yours by Design will be published as paperbacks by Harlequin at the beginning of 2012!

And while Shannon's books move from digital to paper, Samhain is calling for romance books from the 70s, 80s and 90s to be digitally reprinted -- so, look out for old favourites!

Leah Braemel has some excellent writing advice on the subject of writing advice! I agree. Listen, learn, but know that what works for some writers, will not necessarily work for you. Just be sure that when you ignore advice, you're not being lazy, stupid or arrogant (which I think covers the key writer sins -- though my editor might include the over-use of commas!).

For anyone curious about the Dorchester debacle, Making Light has an excellent sum up. I don't read Making Light all the time, but I'm reassured, knowing it's there :)

Steampunk

2011-03-30T08:00:00.009+08:00

No, I know it's not a carpet python. But I like it.

Steampunk is dangerous. I keep thinking of ideas for the alternate history I'm creating -- Western Australia in the 1890s was never like this! Maybe all the ideas won't make it into the final draft, but what do you think of a solar powered oven? or maybe the settlers never introduced cats. Maybe they kept the rats and mice population in check with pet carpet pythons? and then there's the whole goldrush deal. Can you imagine the steam-powered pianolas, the automated dancing girls, the pubs with no beer ... hang on, Slim Dusty, what are you doing in my mind? ...

Writing Update

2011-03-29T08:00:00.002+08:00

Happy busy at the moment. Last week I submitted the complete MS for "Persian Flames" to Deb, my editor at Carina Press. I'm hoping she'll love this fourth outing in the Out of the Bottle series. And who can't love a djinni afraid of freedom? Like Niki (the djinn heroine) I think we all have times when we're afraid of the possibilities open to us.

So, with one MS sub'd, I'm working on my Steampunk novella. In a way I'm grateful for the tight deadline (subs in by May 15 for this open call from Carina Press). It means that rather than lose myself in research -- which is very tempting -- research time has to be rationed, and the emphasis on writing like a demon.

I have to admit, re-writing West Australian history is huge fun. I'm having a blast. But busy, very busy.

I'm thinking, though, that I'll have to find time to buy a copy of The Steampunk Bible.

Win a copy of "The Price of Freedom"!

2011-03-28T08:00:00.003+08:00

As part of The Romance Review's Grand Opening celebrations, a digital ton *grin* of digital books have been up for grabs. Today, pop over and answer a simple multiple choice question and you'll go in the draw to win a copy of my angel and djinni novella, The Price of Freedom.

And if you want a clue -- the only thing sexier than a billionaire sheikh is, obviously, a djinni!

The Price of Freedom

Of course, when I say "today", it's not quite today yet over in America. So the question won't go up for a few hours -- then again, by the time you read this, it might be. Anyhow, if it's Monday 28 March we're you're reading this post, check out the link :)

Winner!

2011-03-27T12:46:00.002+08:00

The winner of a copy of Laird of Darkness is Kathy Ivan! Congrats, Kathy, and happy reading :)

Coffeetable Adventures

2011-03-26T08:00:00.002+08:00

I've never been able to afford many coffeetable books. I adore the gorgeous photos, but the high price is pretty much unjustifiable. But the Net has opened up that world for armchair travellers. The photos of amazing places that I enjoyed in coffeetable books are now free online, shared by amateurs and professionals on sites like Flickr.

Wikimedia Commons has a page on World Heritage sites by country. If you have a few hours to spare...enjoy.

Pink diamonds

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000+08:00

I'm not a jewellery person. In fact, I can only remember one piece of jewellery I absolutely had to have, and it was an amber and turquoise necklace. Orange and green. Yes, there's something a bit strange about my fashion tastes, but that's a whole 'nother post.

No, I'm not a jewellery person and in particular, I'm not a diamonds person. I think they're an expensive cheat on glass. But, I am willing to make an exception for pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in north west Australia. Partly this is parochialism. Partly it's the whole blood diamonds issue. And partly it's my preference for colour!

There is also the romance of the Kimberley region where the diamonds are mined, an ancient landscape with dramatic scenery, unrecorded species and a seductive sense of timelessness.

All of which leads me to share the Argyle Diamond Mine's photo collection link here on a weirdness Friday -- because it is weird, assigning so much value to lumps of rock no matter how shiny.

Romance Round the Net

2011-03-24T08:00:00.001+08:00

Dana Stabenow is one of my favourite mystery authors. Over at Sisters in Crime, she gives great advice on using Google Alerts.

The Boston Globe has an intriguing article on The Power of Lonely. Solitude isn't necessarily a bad thing, and may actually be a healthy part of living and socialising. [article via @vaughanbell who shares the most interesting neuroscience/psychological stuff] In fact, the article makes me wonder if the power of solitude is why serious writing requires the internet (and all its social engagement) to be off -- for me, at least.

On the other hand, what's the point of starving in an attic? Cafe Poets is a program to get poets out, into coffeehouses and starting conversations.

People Cease Wanting Stories

2011-03-23T08:00:00.002+08:00

Stories are the way we make meaning. They interpret and explain the bewildering world of our senses. They give us a way to navigate complexity. They give us courage, comfort and community.

Imagine a world where people ceased wanting stories -- no movies, no games, no books, comics or songs. In that world, we'd be no more than zombie slaves.

Writing Update

2011-03-22T08:00:00.001+08:00

I'm finishing up the third draft of Persian Flames. The fourth Out of the Bottle novella has been a challenging writing journey. Lots of internal conflict and a decidedly magical external conflict. Plus, any story with a child in jeopardy tugs at my heartstrings -- even when I know there will be a happy ending.

It's taught me something about how I write, though.

The first draft is where I get the story down, untangling motivations and developing character, roughing out the action. The second draft is all about structure. Have I got the pacing right? enough description? does it work? The third draft is language: over-used words, passive sentences, punctuation, italics for present tense thoughts.

Nicole North

2011-03-21T08:00:00.088+08:00

Ever wanted to know what a Scotsman wears beneath his kilts? Me neither *grin* But some men do have sexy knees and gorgeous muscled calves (cyclists, whoo baby) and ... um ... maybe I am curious about those kilts.

Nicole North is my guest author, today, and it's her paranormal novella, Laird of Darkness, that inspired my kilt curiosity. Laird of Darkness has also inspired some great reviews. I love Eva's summation, "This is a story of love, passion, sex and magic." How can anyone resist?

And talking of irresistible -- Nicole has generously donated a copy of Laird of Darkness to giveaway. Leave a comment to go in the draw to win a copy of this hot novella!

Anyway, enough with my havering (ha! I speak Scots). Here's Nicole...

***

What is Laird of Darkness about and what inspired this story?

Laird of Darkness is a paranormal erotic romance novella just released from Carina Press.

Half-Fae Laird Duncan MacDougall is cursed. His nights are haunted by Otherworld creatures sent to kill him. The only way to stop them is to possess the magic bow currently in the hands of his enemy half-brother, Kinnon MacClaren. In desperation, Duncan plans to take MacClaren’s bride-to-be hostage and exchange her for the bow.

Lady Alana Forbes has never met her intended, but she hopes he is handsome—and a good lover, for Alana is no innocent virgin. On her way to Castle Claren, Alana and her escorts are intercepted, and she is kidnapped by a man with extraordinary abilities—and every attribute she longs for in a mate.

Duncan didn’t expect the woman he thought of as a mere pawn would be so beautiful, and so arousing. Alana is drawn to him as well—but Duncan still needs the bow, and Alana is betrothed to another. How far will Alana go to save the life of the man she’s come to love?

As for inspiration, an ancient Scottish legend or fairy tale, Combats that Never End, inspired me to write this story. I love fairy tale retellings and had always wanted to write one, but I wanted something unusual that hopefully hadn't been used before. Combats that Never End turned out to be the perfect subject and situation for me because it contains a lot of natural conflict, and an opportunity for some hot scenes (very important in erotic romance). ; ) But I also put a twist from the middle to the end, so my story doesn't end like the original fairy tale. And I made the original "bad guy" the hero and showed his motivation for doing what he did.

Okay, Nicole, time to trot out your best Scottish accent. Some people loathe dialect in a novel, I love it. So, what’s your favourite Scottish phrase?

It's difficult to say what my favorite Scottish phrase is, but I LOVE listening to a Scottish accent! I find that a lot of dialect in a written story is hard to use because it makes it difficult for the reader to escape into the story. I've noticed it myself when reading Scottish historicals. I keep focusing on those words that are spelled differently. In my earlier novellas I used more dialect. I've gradually gone to less and less. At one point I simply got sick of writing the word "ye" and said no more! LOL In Laird of Darkness I didn't use much dialect. I like to use things like "aye" "nay," "ken," "'tis," "daft," etc. I love the word "wee" but I try not to overuse it. Just simple things that don't cause the reader to slow down but still give a Scottish flavor. My favorite way to convey historical Scottish speech is through rhythm and syntax.

Who is your favourite side character in Laird of Darkness?

Aside from the hero and heroine, my favorite character would have to be the hero's enemy half brother Kinnon MacClaren. He is also half-Fae like the hero but he has different magical abilities such as controlling the weather to a certain extent and he has a magical bow. He is one of those characters that you can't figure out at first... is he good or bad? In the original legend, he was the good fairy king. But in my story from the hero Duncan's point of view, Kinnon is bad, even murderous because he attempts to kill Duncan and almost succeeds. But Kinnon will be the hero of his own book where he gets his comeuppance. : )

Setting is so important in a novel. I’ve been looking at your photos over at the Fierce Romance blog. They’re brilliant. I can’t resist asking, has any place you’ve visited been particularly inspirational?

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures! Scotland is very inspiring in every way. On my recent visit I found Dunnottar Castle especially inspiring for the sheer majestic beauty of its setting, on a cliff that juts out in the North Sea, and for the atmosphere surrounding it. As I was exploring all the nooks and crannies of the near deserted ruin with my friends, I thought I HAVE to set a story here or a place like this. Another place I found inspiring was Dunvegan Castle on Isle of Skye. While there, we learned about the history of the MacLeod Clan and their belief in fairies and the supernatural. I write paranormal so of course I found ideas taking shape in my head and feeling the excitement that goes with that.

Do you have any writing rituals? Lucky pens? Comfy chairs? Music?

Although I'm not sure if it's a ritual, I love to have chocolate coffee as I'm sitting down to write. It's a delicious treat that perks up my brain cells and creative side. Since I have a back problem and have a difficult time sitting for long periods of time, I prefer to write sitting in a chair that reclines to take the pressure off my spine. Sometimes I write while walking on a treadmill too. That really gets the ideas flowing. Sometimes music is incredibly inspiring to me and other times not. It depends on my mood and what I'm writing. I have a large collection of Celtic new age music which is mostly instrumental so this is nice to set the mood when I'm writing historical or paranormal Scottish stories.

Finally, what do you hope readers enjoy/remember about Laird of Darkness?

I hope readers remember the characters most of all. To me, the characters are the life and magic of the story and I want them to be as real and likable as possible. I want the reader to fall in love with them and identify with them. This is especially important when writing a dark character like Duncan who is misunderstood and has a bad reputation. I like for the reader to experience what a troubled character has gone through and to fully understand why he would take extreme measures to acquire what he needs. It's almost like walking in their shoes for a day if you can make the reader feel the character's emotion and know what he wants and why. I also hope the readers enjoy the erotic and emotional connection between Duncan and Alana. Amazing and beautiful things can happen in the darkness. : )

Don't forget to leave a comment to go in the draw to win a copy of Laird of Darkness!

***

Nicole North's erotic romance novellas have been described by reviewers as “exciting, high octane, captivating, scintillating, sinfully delicious and pure romance.” Her stories contain “heart and heat, killer love scenes, magic and extraordinary characters.” She has sold four stories to Red Sage Publishing. Laird of Darkness is her first novella for Carina Press. Nicole’s stories usually focus on her favorite things: Scotland, Highlanders and hot men in kilts. She and her husband live in the Southeastern US, but she wishes she lived in the Scottish Highlands at least half the year. As she puts it, Scotland is a beautiful, magical and enchanting place where anything seems possible. She teaches online workshops about various aspects of writing, including sexual tension and how to write great love scenes. Though she has a degree in psychology, writing romance is her first love.

Website: http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nicolenorthnewsletter/

Blog: http://fierceromance.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NicoleNorth

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nicolenorth1

eHarlequin http://community.eharlequin.com/users/nicole-north

Fairies and fairytales

2011-03-19T08:00:00.002+08:00

If you love the whimsical and slightly disturbing work of artists such a Maxfield Parrish and Kay Nielson, you'll love artpassions.net A wonderful collection of fairytale art.

Dog Attire

2011-03-18T08:00:00.002+08:00

Do you like Toby's fetching new look? I can laugh about it now, but it's been hideously annoying, trying to keep him from scratching. Here in Western Australian we're at the tail end of a long, hot, humid summer; ideal for developing hot spots (euphemism for staph infections on a dog's skin -- staph are normally on a dog's skin, but they shouldn't cause reddened, itchy spots). Anyhow, Toby got over his hot spot, was freed from the do-not-scratch collar, and immediately bashed his head into something (a tree? a wall? who knows, but he bumped and scratched it) and so, out came the collar again while the small wound healed.

As you can see, Toby now thinks the collar is normal dog attire. Just goes to prove that any weirdness can become normal.

And one final photo to show why the collar is essential wear: "Toby, stop scratching!"

Romance Round the Net

2011-03-17T08:00:00.018+08:00

Writers write ... if only it were that simple. Chuck Wendig explains. [link via @tdelene - thanks!]

Attention reviewer: Carly Chow, from Carina Press, gives her take on how she decides who receives requested review copies via Net Galley.

Jessica Hart provides advice on plotting, and it's not what you might think. Not a storyboard in sight. (But lots of stunning photos).

Did you know Carina Press has a new "Coming Soon" page and Three Wishes is listed for May? And talking of Three Wishes -- cover bliss! Thank you, Carina Press and Monika Krzewska!

Dark Time Compression

2011-03-16T08:00:00.000+08:00

Dark Matter Halo

Imagine if we discover the nature of dark energy, how to harness it -- and the side effect is that time accelerates. Would it be worth the trade off? What could dark energy do? Free energy?

Writing Update

2011-03-15T08:00:00.003+08:00

Steampunk is fascinating.

Not that I'm reading/researching/dreaming about steampunk. No, not me. Whistles innocently. I'm working hard on finishing the second draft of "Persian Flames".

Too many visions

2011-03-14T08:00:00.002+08:00

Trawling through my list of interesting-sites-stumbled-across, I rediscovered this page of work by artist Karen Seapker. Gorgeous. Clarity, violence and colour.

So how did I forget I had the site bookmarked?

I'm wondering whether the huge visual smorgasbord of the Net is creating indigestion. I don't have time to enjoy one meal before moving on to the next. If I can see this with visual art, is it the same situation with the books I'm reading. How many do I actually remember, and how many blur into forgettable entertainment? Does it matter?

I guess it matters if I'm reading for something more than entertainment--which I do, on occasion. But, given the amount of time lost to mindless TV, I'm not going to beat myself up for enjoying books and art that then slip my (ageing!) mind.

Do you like looking at houses?

2011-03-12T08:00:00.002+08:00

It's my secret addiction -- with no plans (and no money!) to build a house, I still can't resist looking and dreaming. House Plans is a fabulous collection of designs in pretty much every size and style. Irresistible.

Zombie Ants

2011-03-11T08:00:00.004+08:00

We've all heard the story of "The Ant and the ~~Caterpillar~~Grasshopper". The ant works all summer and is set for winter. The grasshopper sings and plays, and then, has to ask the ant for food when winter hits. But what if the moral of this story was seriously flawed at the very beginning. What if the ant didn't work hard because it wanted to or because it saw the long term value of its activity, but because a fungus had zombified its brain for its own purposes?

I saw this National Geographic article on zombie ants on Facebook and can't resist sharing the weirdness of it.

Edit: LOL so funny. I just saw I'd called a grasshopper a caterpillar??? Um, no...can't think of a single excuse.

Romance Round the Net

2011-03-10T08:30:00.000+08:00

I'm a bit late, today, in sharing links I've found around the Net this week. In fact, I've spent the week obsessed with my plans to buy a Kindle. I've been hoping Amazon would drop the price in response to the IPAD2's launch, but if they haven't by Saturday, I'm buying anyway! I have a list of wishlist books and I'm raring to go. Yup, even though the rumours are that in November, Amazon will be giving kindles away! [Do I believe this? not sure]

Speaking of kindle obsession. I discovered (belatedly) the kindleboards.com Great place, fantastic (and some familiar) people :)

And carrying on the digital reading experience, Carol Stephenson shared this exciting article -- autographing your ebook! Woohoo!

Sara, Librarian in Black, posted on the activism of librarians re access to digital content. It's not the first time librarians have been heroes. Remember when they fought to refuse the government access to borrowers' records post 9/11?

The problem with only sharing links once a week is that by the time I get 'round to it, the most exciting news has been chewed over so much it feels like last year's news. So, I haven't mentioned the launch of Avon's digital line, Impulse.