TT: A fugitive tweet

post from About Last Night on 30 April 2012 03:36:59 PM. © About Last Night

When life gets complicated, craftsmanship is a refuge.

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Writers Beware of the Second Option Clause

post from GalleyCat on 30 April 2012 02:58:19 PM. © GalleyCat

Nothing makes an author happier than scoring a book deal. But before you sign on the dotted line, it’s important to read through a book contract with a fine-toothed comb.

While it’s a good idea to shell out some money to have a lawyer read the contract, it also helps to educate yourself about these contracts. As a resource guide, Mediabistro’s AvantGuild page has created a list of “The 7 Biggest Red Flags in Book Contracts.”

One red flag to look out for is the “second option clause.” Here is more from AvantGuild: “A ‘second option’ can sound like a dream. After all, that’s the publisher saying it wants a first peek at your next work of art, which is nice to hear when you haven’t started your first project yet. But this can also be a red flag, especially for authors working with smaller publishers. Why? Well, what if a bigger publisher wanted to offer you a more generous advance for that next title? If you sign over your second book option rights, you could miss out.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/writers-beware-of-the-second-option-clause_b
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Cities as fictional characters

post from NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS on 30 April 2012 02:30:33 PM. © NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS

Novels in which cities are the main characters: Peter Ackroyd: The House of Doctor Dee. London Arturo Azuela: Shadows of Silence. Mexico City Honoré de Balzac: The Human Comedy . Paris. Andrei Bely: Peterburg (Petersburg). St. Petersburg Guillermo Cabrera Infante: Three Trapped Tigers. Pre-revolutionary Havana Camilo José Cela: La colmena (The Hive). 1940s Madrid [...]

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10 Cities that star as Characters in Novels

post from NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS on 30 April 2012 02:30:33 PM. © NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS

Novels in which cities are the main characters: Peter Ackroyd: The House of Doctor Dee. London Arturo Azuela: Shadows of Silence. Mexico City. Andrei Bely: Peterburg (Petersburg). St. Petersburg Camilo José Cela: The Hive. 1940s Madrid Joseph Conrad: The Secret Agent. London Alfred Döblin: Berlin Alexanderplatz. Berlin John Dos Passos: Manhattan Transfer. New [...]

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Inimitable Jeeves - PG Wodehouse

post from Great White North on 30 April 2012 02:16:00 PM. © Great White North

"I flung open the door. I got a momentary flash of about a hundred and fifteen cats of all sizes and colours scrapping in the middle of the room, and then they all shot past me with a rush and out of the front door; and all that was left of the mob scene was the head of a whacking big fish, lying on the carpet and staring up at me in a rather austere sort of way, as if it wanted a written explanation and apology."

Bertram Wilberforce Wooster, known as "Bertie" to his friends, belongs to the upper crust of Edwardian society. Unfortunately he's not very smart and is forever getting himself into embarrassing situations. Luckily for him, his valet, Jeeves, is tactful, brilliant and possessed of a wit that usually flies over Bertie's head. Together they form an odd partnership that carries them through a variety of events, encapsulated in 18 short stories.

I had never read Wodehouse before and had only vaguely heard of 'Jeeves & Wooster' the tv show starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Boy was I surprised. All the stories link together to form a cohesive whole; there's a variety of situations that involve different characters and there's a light tone to the book that keeps the reader from getting bogged down in detail or exposition. I was also very impressed with the slang and diction used in the book. It felt modern and fresh, echoing the feel of the twenties yet I could still understand it. For example:

"The good old persp. was bedewing my forehead by this time in a pretty lavish manner. I don't know when I've been so rattled."

Another aspect of the book I loved was the humour and Wodehouse isn't just funny, he's laugh out loud hilarious! Also, it wasn't just slapstick run of the mill humour, it was intelligent and visual. Here are just a few choice snippets of what you'll find in the book.

"She had a penetrating sort of laugh. Rather like a train going into a tunnel."

"He chuckled like the last bit of water going down the waste-pipe in a bath."

"Jeeves lugged my purple socks out of the drawer as if he were a vegetarian fishing a caterpillar out of his salad."

The fact that this book was published in 1923 yet is still funny today and uses slang familiar to a 21st century reader, is extremely impressive. It's rare to find a book almost 100 years old that is still so accessible. It is also very intelligently written and the fact that it does so many things right makes for an amazing story. If you're looking for a light, funny read, pick up one of the books in the 'Jeeves' series. I highly recommend this book in particular and can't wait to read my next Wodehouse!

Rating: 5/5

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These Are Your Kids on Books Poster Goes Viral

post from GalleyCat on 30 April 2012 02:03:20 PM. © GalleyCat

The Denver, Colorado nonprofit literacy group Burning Through Pages has gone viral with a gorgeous black and white poster encouraging parents to share books with their kids.

The poster (embedded above) has earned more than 3,500 Facebook likes, 2,500 online shares and hundreds of comments. Follow this link to donate. The poster was designed by Mike Anderick. We’ve embedded more of his work below…

Here’s more about the group: “the literature assigned by public and private schools, while important, contains dated prose and often antiquated ideals. While the classics are classics for a reason, they are not always easily relatable to the current generation reading them. That’s where we come in. We are here to introduce new and updated literature to Denver’s youth. We buy books, give them away, and take the time to talk about them.”

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/these-are-your-kids-on-books-poster-goes-vir
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Literary Paris: Novels set in Paris

post from NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS on 30 April 2012 01:24:21 PM. © NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS

Here’s a far from complete list of novels set in Paris: Stephen Clarke: A Year in the Merde Catherine Clément: Voyage de Théo (Theo’s Odyssey) Jean Cocteau: Grand écart (The Miscreant) Paulo Coelho: O Zahir (The Zahir) Colette: Claudine à Paris (Claudine in Paris) Colette: Chéri (Chéri) Abha Dawesar: That Summer in Paris Honoré de [...]

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CWA Ellis Peters (Historical) Dagger Speculation

post from Euro Crime on 30 April 2012 12:37:04 PM. © Euro Crime

Following on from my posts about the International Dagger and the John Creasey Dagger here are the titles that are eligible for the Ellis Peters/Historical Dagger award. The eligibility period has been brought into line with the other Daggers ie June-May and the shortlist will be announced at Crimefest in May.

The list below contains over 100 titles and this is only those titles with a "Euro" interest...:

Boris Akunin - The Diamond Chariot
Michael Arnold - Devil's Charge
Elizabeth Bailey - The Gilded Shroud
Carrie A Bebris - The Deception at Lyme
Nancy Bilyeau - The Crown
Benjamin Black - A Death in Summer
Richard Blake - The Sword of Damascus
Sam Bourne - Pantheon
Alan Bradley - I Am Half Sick of Shadows
Conor Brady - A June Of Ordinary Murders
Gyles Brandreth - Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders
Simon Brett - Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of Riviera
Frances Brody - Murder in the Afternoon
Fiona Buckley - Queen Without A Crown
Fiona Buckley - Queen's Bounty
Kenneth Cameron - Winter at Death's Hotel
Cassandra Clark - A Parliament of Spies
Rory Clements - Traitor
Barbara Cleverly - The Blood Royal
Peter James Cottrell - England's Janissary
Kate Darby - The Whores' Asylum
Maurizio De Giovanni - I Will Have Vengeance
David Dickinson - Death at the Jesus Hospital
Paul Doherty - Bloodstone
David Downing - Lehrter Station
Nick Drake - Egypt: The Book of Chaos
Carola Dunn - Gone West
Jeremy Duns - The Moscow Option
Patrick Easter - The River of Fire
Sam Eastland - Siberian Red (apa Archive 17)
Mark Ellis - Princes Gate
Gordon Ferris - Bitter Water
James Fleming - Rising Blood
James Forrester - The Roots of Betrayal
Guy Fraser - Tomb of the Serpent
Margaret Frazer - The Murderer's Tale
Juan Gomez-Jurado - The Traitor's Emblem
Philip Gooden - The Ely Testament
Jason Goodwin - An Evil Eye
Dolores Gordon-Smith - Trouble Brewing
Susanna Gregory - The Piccadilly Plot
Susanna Gregory - Mystery in the Minster
Patricia Hall - Death Trap
Cora Harrison - Deed of Murder
Cora Harrison - Laws in Conflict
Tony/Anthony Hays - The Killing Way
Anthony Horowitz - The House of Silk
Claude Izner - Strangled in Paris
Dan James - Unsinkable
P D James - Death Comes to Pemberley
Michael Jecks - King's Gold
J Sydney Jones - The Silence
Susanna Jones - When Nights Were Cold
Philip Kerr - Prague Fatale
Laurie R King - Pirate King
Bernard Knight - Grounds for Appeal
Alanna Knight - The Seal King Murders
Alanna Knight - Deadly Legacy
Bernard Knight - Dead in the Dog
Deryn Lake - Death at the Wedding Feast
Janet Laurence - Deadly Inheritance
T S Learner - The Map
Giulio Leoni - The Crusade of Darkness
Shona Maclean - Crucible of Secrets
Susan Elia MacNeal - Mr Churchill's Secretary
Adrian Magson - Death on the Rive Nord
Edward Marston - A Bespoke Murder
Edward Marston - The Stationmaster's Farewell
James McGee - The Blooding
Pat McIntosh - The Counterfeit Madam
Shirley McKay - Time & Tide
The Medieval Murderers - Hill of Bones
Danny Miller - The Guilded Edge
Mark Mills - House of the Hanged (apa House of the Hunted)
Aly Monroe - Icelight
Ian Morson - A Deadly Injustice
Colin Murray - September Song
Chris Nickson - The Constant Lovers
Felix Palma - The Map of Time
S J Parris - Sacrilege
Ben Pastor - Liar Moon
Caro Peacock - Keeping Bad Company
Caro Peacock - When the Devil Drives
Anne Perry - A Christmas Homecoming
Anne Perry - A Sunless Sea
Anne Perry - Dorchester Terrace
Imogen Robertson - Circle of Shadows
Jean Rowden - Gone Astray
Rosemary Rowe - A Whispering of Spies
Norman Russell - Bills of Mortality
William Ryan - The Bloody Meadow (apa The Darkening Field)
Mark Sanderson - The Whispering Gallery
Alex Scarrow - The Candle Man
Kate Sedley - The Tintern Treasure
Lloyd Shepherd - The English Monster
Lynn Shepherd - Tom-All-Alone's (apa The Solitary House)
Sara Sheridan - Brighton Belle
Philip Sington - The Valley of the Unknowing
Dan Smith - The Child Thief
Tom Rob Smith - Agent 6
Roz Southey - Airs and Graces
Sally Spencer - Blackstone and the Great War
M Stanford-Smith - Sea of Troubles
Sara Stockbridge - Cross My Palm
D J Taylor - Secondhand Daylight
June Thomson - The Secret Archives of Sherlock Holmes
Peter Tremayne - Behold a Pale Horse
M J Trow - Silent Court
Nicola Upson - Fear in the Sunlight
Christopher Wakling - The Devil's Mask
VM Whitworth - The Bone Thief
Kate Williams - The Pleasures of Men
Elizabeth Wilson - The Girl in Berlin
Laura Wilson - A Willing Victim
Robert Wilton - The Emperor's Gold
Jacqueline Winspear - A Lesson in Secrets
Jacqueline Winspear - The Mapping of Love and Death

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http://eurocrime.blogspot.com/2012/04/cwa-ellis-peters-historical-dagger.html

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A Rising Thunder by David Weber

I've followed the Honor Harrington series since On Basilisk Station and have loved many of the books in the series. Others have been less appealing, and unfortunately, A Rising Thunder falls in the less appealing category.

The Solarian League, manipulated by Mesa, becomes more and more foolhardy in its attempts to hold on to its power. Manticore and Haven make an alliance, previously supposed impossible. New weapons, many characters, machinations by the Mesan Alliance, nanotechnology....

Strangely, I was involved as I read this one, while at the same time thinking that there was nothing much to hang on to.

Honor has taken a smaller role in recent novels (perhaps this is a good thing), but the number of characters has increased exponentially over the thirteen or so books in the series.

The result (for me, at least) is that by giving approximately equal time to all characters and situations, it becomes difficult to develop a rapport with any of them, to latch on to their particular stories, to even sort them out as to planet, star system, history, etc.

Someone mentioned that A Rising Thunder is a kind of "bridge" to the next H.H. installment. Hopefully, the next one will give us some time with a set of characters.
---
Don't get me wrong, Weber is a mastermind in creating characters and worlds. Having my attention spread so thin, however, didn't allow me to become attached to a particular plot wrinkle or its participants.

Fiction. Science Fiction. 2012. 464 pages.

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http://bookgarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/rising-thunder-by-david-weber.html

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Stephen King to Mitt Romney: you couldnt have
made it in America without America

In an expletive filled essay at The Daily Beast, novelist Stephen King warned wealthy Americans to pay their “fair share” of taxes before civil unrest deepens in the United States.

Do you agree with King’s bombastic essay? His essay also took aim at Presidential candidate, author and fellow wealthy person Mitt Romney. Check it out:

Mitt Romney has said, in effect, ?I?m rich and I don?t apologize for it.? Nobody wants you to, Mitt. What some of us want?those who aren?t blinded by a lot of bullsh** persiflage thrown up to mask the idea that rich folks want to keep their damn money?is for you to acknowledge that you couldn?t have made it in America without America. That you were fortunate enough to be born in a country where upward mobility is possible (a subject upon which Barack Obama can speak with the authority of experience), but where the channels making such upward mobility possible are being increasingly clogged. That it?s not fair to ask the middle class to assume a disproportionate amount of the tax burden. Not fair? It?s un-fu**ing-American is what it is. I don?t want you to apologize for being rich; I want you to acknowledge that in America, we all should have to pay our fair share.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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