secrets_and_lie

03:00 pm: 100 best (?) books
Borrowed from arabianbecause I'm avoiding work and it looked fun. The Big Read figures that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. I have apparently read 53. So who's pulling the average down? Aren't some of these required reading in high school?

The list includes some absolute classics and modern classics but others are, um, huh? And there are some glaring omissions. But hey. That's always true, right?


1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you started but did not finish.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them

( da list )

Tags: books

11:21 pm: book reviews (mostly romance this go-round)
I haven't posted this kind of round-up for a while, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

I went digging in some boxes of old books in the basement and found a bunch I hadn't read. Since I was on a Julia London kick, I started with her novel, Ruthless Charmer. ( Once again, historical romance, though this one was a trifle less light and a trifle better. )As per usual with London, she writes better than she plots.

Next, I read another historical romance, The Black Angel, by Barbara Samuel. ( This one was a winner. ) Samuel switched to women's fiction a few years ago; I'm going to pick up one of her newer books and see what her writing is like outside the romance genre. I admire her intelligence and compassion as a writer. I bask in it as a reader.

Next up, an epic historical fantasy, the first in a trilogy: Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. ( I loved it. )
Two satisfying reads in a row. Wow. That may be some kind of record!

Next book, plucked from my published-more-recently TBR pile: If His Kiss is Wicked, by Jo Goodman. I bought this after reading glowing reviews on Dear Author and All About Romance. Some reviewers on AAR declared it their favorite book of the year. ( I'm far more mixed. ) I found the storytelling clunky but the story-building intriguing. Go figure.

Next up, a sample from the subgenre that's absolutely taking off, paranormal romance. The edges between this and urban fantasy are, um, fuzzy. To say the least. Extremely fuzzy. The main differences between the two: paranormal romance has a Happy Ever After and is shelved with romance, while urban fantasy usually has a romantic storyline – and main character – that continues for several books throughout a series and is shelved with SF/F. Anyway. This one: Shadow Touch, by Marjorie Liu. It's the second in her Dirk & Steele series, about an, um, detective agency (sort of) which recruits only agents with some sort of paranormal ability. These books are as much thriller as they are fantasy as they are romance. ( This one starts off with a bang. ) I guess my overall reaction is: talented writer, but I wish someone would edit her better or that she'd get better beta readers. With an in-depth rewrite, this book could have truly kicked butt.

Next up, a historical romance that's gotten great buzz: The Spymaster's Lady, by Joanna Bourne. It takes place in France and England during Napoleon's rule. Annique is a French spy, Robert is an English spymaster (ie: spy who bosses other spies). They cross paths early on in a dungeon and commence a book-long game of cat and mouse, only she's mostly the mouse, albeit a very clever one. ( I usually love this cloak and dagger stuff, and this novel was nicely written. ) It was a fun read, a well told story, but I felt a bit too distanced from it to completely go along for the ride. Still, I will happily read more from this author. She writes quite well.

In my ongoing effort to find a romantic suspense author I can embrace, I picked up Die in Plain Sight, by Elizabeth Lowell. ( Boy, what a mess this book was. ) It was competently written, but felt very much like someone trying to get a book in on deadline with little to no passion or investment in the story she was telling.

Plus, I was stuck in an oral surgeon's waiting room for three hours (not the guy's fault, and I wasn't mad). I had no other book with me. I finished the damned thing.

While I was recovering from the oral surgery, I wasn't good for much. I reread an oldie I'd pulled out of a box, An Offer from a Gentleman, by Julia Quinn, a fluffy historical romance. ( It wasn't as good as I remembered. One of those JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER, FOR GOD'S SAKE! plots. ) But Quinn, as usual, was a pleasant read, and it got me through the Vicodin haze.

Next up, The Leopard Prince, by Elizabeth Hoyt. Historical romance. I was still on Vicodin when I read this. I remember little. I do remember that I liked the characters, her writing is clever and moves well, but the story itself stretched credibility. And the ratio of sex to story in Hoyt's work is, um, well, it leans toward the sex. Which is fine, if that's what you want. But I prefer more story development in the books I read.

I've already reviewed Private Arrangements, by Sherry Thomas. Very strong writing. Some minor (yes, minor, Toni) flaws. Great characters. Highly recommended.

I've been reading a lot of romances lately, have you all noticed? That's because I'm going to a big romance writers convention in SF at the end of July. I thought I should catch up on the genre before I go, so I can nod when I meet authors and say "Oh, yes, I've read your work." But I'm growing weary. I love a good romance imbedded in a compelling story, but genre romance novels by their nature focus intently on the main twosome and their interaction, on their arc from strangers (usually) to attraction and growing (and often similarly described) lust to grappling with deeper feelings and intimacy and obstacles, both inner and outer, to a final coming-together and a Happy Ever After, curtain closed and children gamboling around on the lawn. I'm not going to say there's too much sameness because I think you can say that about any genre, when it comes down to it. Even literary fiction. But I do think that the books I've been reading lately have had too few standouts, too few times when the formula is made to stand on its ear, when the characters come alive and begin to exist outside the confines of their dyad. I guess that's it, really. It can feel claustrophobic, this emphasis on two people in a relationship. What about the rest of the world?

Ah well. I'll start mixing it up a bit after this. Time for some mysteries, I think.

Tags: books

09:40 pm: book review elsewhere, plus RT
I have a half-finished post about shipping and non-shipping, particularly in relation to Lost. I also have a longish post with a rundown of books I've read lately. I'll definitely put the latter up very soon, and finish and post some semblance of the former. Truth is, though, I've been working hard on a rewrite and all I want to think about are writing-related subjects. Which probably makes me a dull person, but so goes it. And I don't know that I should post that stuff here, because really, who wants to read about someone else's process?

(Well, I've also been obsessed with the election, but I'd just be regurgitating what I've read elsewhere, and what's the point of that?)

Anyway. What I'm here to say now is that I wrote a book review, but posted it somewhere else instead of here. See, I won an ARC (advance review copy) of Private Arrangements, by Sherry Thomas, which is a debut historical romance coming out tomorrow (Tuesday), on condition that I write up a review. So I did. Thankfully, I enjoyed the book a lot. Best current release I've read in a while. One of the two or three best books I've read so far this year.

(The others are Black Angel, by Barbara Samuel and Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey, in case you were wondering. And yes, my next book post includes mini reviews of both.)

Anyway, if you feel like it, go follow that link and read what I have to say. Or, y'know, not. Either way. But I thought I'd let you guys know.

Oh, and what do you think of the latest Rob Thomas news? A pilot script for a 90210 retread spinoff AND a pilot script for a Cupid retread remake? I wonder if he'll pull either/both off. I have no intrinsic issue with his doing either. I think he's probably a great choice for the 90210 stupidity show because if anyone can add bite to an insipid high school drama, he probably can. Just beware the unintended ship! The man can't steer through those uncharted waters!

Tags: books, tv

09:53 am: quarterlife -- or not
So NBC just cancelled the Zwick/Herskovitz big experiment, Quarterlife, after just one showing. In case you don't know, this is the show Z & H created for internet broadcasting after ABC gave them the thumbs down to put it on their network. It's sort of a twentysomething version of thirtysomething, only for the 21st century, with video blogging as externalized naval gazing.

I loved thirtysomething. Loved My So-Called Life. Loved much about Relativity (didn't love the lead actress) and most of Once and Again. I was so happy to hear that Zwick and Herskovitz were coming back with another layered interpersonal drama.

When it premiered online, I watched the first eight minute segment on the website. It wasn't terrible. Had all the Zwick/Herskovitz dialogue and characterization earmarks. I meant to come back and see how it developed. I never did. When it premiered on TV, I forgot to set my TiFaux.

Apparently I'm not the only one who didn't bother. I read that it got the lowest rating in that time slot in something like seventeen years. Um, wow.

I'm still trying to figure it out. The best I've got right now is that the shows that worked back then don’t necessarily work now. What shows currently on air excite me right now? Dexter. Battlestar Galactica. Damages. In Treatment. On network TV, I like Chuck, Lost (yes, Lost, sue me), Life. What do they all have in common? They're about people, about interpersonal relationships and quirks and the things that make us human and the things that make life hard. But they're also about something else. They have some high concept hook that sustains tension and gives the action some larger scope, some broader canvas. Veronica Mars did this superbly in its first season.

I wonder if an intimate drama between self-involved characters living out their very normal lives can work on TV right now. Maybe so. I have Brothers and Sisters in my to-watch queue. Maybe there's some other element to the quarterlife formula that fell flat. But I'm guessing that this is at least part of it. It's harder now to produce a simple drama. Better to give it a twist, make it fresh, give it bite.

Tags: tv

11:09 pm: books, part two of a series
( You Can't Hide, by Karen Rose. Romantic suspense. )

I'm still in search of a strong romantic suspense author to love. Tess Gerritson comes closest so far. Gerritson writes very well, but I found her gory serial killer scenes and intense suspense a little too effective for me to handle after a few books. Next up in this genre: Anne Stuart and Elizabeth Lowell. Any other suggestions more than welcome!


Next, I tried a thriller.
( The Cleaner, by Brett Battles )

Now I needed a palate cleanser. So I went for (  Julia London's Highlander in Disguise, a historical romance. )

Is anyone reading these? Just curious. It's useful for me to keep track for myself in any case. Inevitably, I find myself threading my writing philosophy through the reviews. If that's of interest.

Tags: books, books 2008

08:57 am: books, part one of a series
First books read in 2008:

The Serpent Prince, by Elizabeth Hoyt. Historical romance. A country lass finds a man in the road, naked and unconscious. Brings him back to her father's house. Turns out he's an urbane Viscount with a dark secret.

Hoyt writes beautifully. Her prose, her dialogue, her characters, the environment. She has a real mastery of craft I find extremely satisfying. That said, I was disappointed with this one. The hero's darkness / revenge plot was weak and not organic to his character, when it desperately needed to be. And there was pretty much nothing standing in the way of these two getting together and making a go of it. I want my romances to have plausible, emotionally-charged challenges standing in the way of a HEA (happily ever after, if you're not familiar with the acronym). The conflict and tension in this one only worked because the writing was strong, not because the story was. I far preferred her first in this series, The Raven Prince (my main complaint with that one was that there was too much focus on sex! good sex, well done sex, but not all that much plot otherwise). I want to check out the middle novel, The Leopard Prince, see how Hoyt does with that one. She's also coming out with a contemporary romantic suspense this month under the name Julia Harper; it'll be interesting to see how she pulls off that genre.

Working For the Devil, by Lilith Saintcrow. Urban Fantasy (or paranormal romance? more the former, I think). Futuristic. Dante Valentine is a necromancer: she raises the dead and lets them talk to the living. Kind of like Ned in Pushing Daisies, only more work involved. The Devil (yes, him) wants to hire her for a job that apparently only she can do cuz she's mighty talented an' stuff. (I have little patience for the Main-Character-as-Da-Bestest-Evah syndrome even though I understand the plot-related need for it here.) He assigns her her very own personal demon, named Japhrimel. She's very bitchy to him but he likes her anyway.

Lots of things happen and it's very exciting and yeah, I really didn't fall in love with this book. In fact, I skimmed large portions of it. I wanted to like it. I liked a lot about it. But the style grated and the main character was just so angry, I wanted to slap her. I think it's an authorial cop-out. Want tension in a scene? Make your character walk in pissed-off, whether or not it makes sense for the situation. Voila, instant tension. Pfft. It also suffers from repeated epiphany syndrome, wherein the character realizes something about herself or someone else but forgets it, only to realize it all over again. (Think: Veronica Mars, Season 3.)

All that said, I took Book 2 (Dead Man Rising, I think?) out of the library. Mostly because Book 1 ends with a mighty big cliffhanger and I wanted to see the resolution. Saintcrow has a wonderful imagination and her world building is good (though I wish she didn't feel the need to tell us so much about it; it stops the action dead), but her writing isn't smooth enough or complex enough to keep me interested in the series beyond this next book.

Onward.

Tags: books, books 2008

04:33 pm: hi and Buffy pilot
I've been seriously AWOL, haven't I? In part, I'm incredibly busy finishing the first draft of my new novel. In part, well, I began this LJ because VM got under my skin in a very particular way. Even though it wasn't objectively the best TV I'd ever seen, nothing else ever has had that specific effect on me. Rewatching episodes, wanting to talk about them, read fanfic, write fanfic... well, it's not exactly me.

So now that the show is over, what is me? I'm not quite sure.

I've had some thoughts about TV and other matters, though. And I do want to write a bit here and there about it all. The whole sweep of BSG, now that I'm up to date. The delightful Chuck, which is my new favorite non-cable show. Dexter S2 compared to S1. The itchy, uncomfortable but often painfully good AMC show Mad Men.

Y'know. Stuff. But they all take time to think through and articulate. And any time I have goes to my novel right now.

Still, I do want to write about two things right now. First, I'm going to post about every book I read this year. I meant to do it last year but didn't think about it till partway through, so, whatever. Be advised, I'm on a genre tear right now. Romance and mystery, mostly. I'll post my read-so-far books in a different post.

Second, part of my Strike TV Watching Schedule includes finally getting around to Buffy.

( Buffy pilot -- shallow thoughts )

One warning: I love comments and I love you guys. But know I'm not going to be up for in-depth conversation in my comment responses. Not right now. Carry on.

Oh yeah, one last thing: if you're annoyed that I'm not posting all the time about TV matters, feel free to unfriend me. My feelings won't be hurt. (Well, only a little.) I'm not exactly a huge LJ fannish person these days. I understand the desire to trim your f-list.

Tags: buffy, tv

05:45 pm: Alaya and Damages
Thanks, guys. I'm feeling much calmer. Concerned, but more for other people. Including (very much) the writers out on strike. It's turned cold in NY, that can't be fun for the WGAe picketers. Maybe I'll go into the city and offer them hot chocolate to show my support.

Anyway. On to other pop culture matters.

First, did you know that utsusemia has a novel out? As in, on the bookshelves right now? As in, click on that link and order it from Amazon? It's got the same haunting beauty and poignance as Nightfall and A Feather's Weight, plus wonderfully original and tangible-feeling world-building. She's a lovely writer and I feel lucky to call her a friend.

Second, Damages didn't get a Season Two order.

Instead, it got a Season Two AND a Season Three order!

Party time! (And a great big "whew" of relief!)

Tags: alaya, books, damages, news, tv

09:14 am: WGA strike
In case you were wondering, I'm entirely freaked out about the Writer's Guild strike.

I fully support the writers, and I think what the moguls are doing -- trying to cut the writers out of all internet profits -- is chickenshit and ultimately union-destroying if they succeed. But this strike scares me.

I keep thinking about how fucked we'd be if we were still in LA, with my husband no doubt on a fall series, just a few months in, after a money-sucking summer hiatus. I know so many people who are going to be affected by this if it lasts a long time. So very many people out of work. People who don't make that much to begin with, who may not have any financial cushion. I remember the 1988 strike. I remember the foreclosure signs dotting West Hollywood and West LA. I remember the feeling of living among desperate, scared people.

I gather from Deadline Hollywood Daily that the last minute negotiations fucked everyone and left nasty scar tissue, partly because the backchannel mogul offer was rescinded once they were offically negotiating and partly because the writers refused to delay the strike while talks were in process. It's going to be hard to get the two sides back to the table.

This is what scares me more than anything. My husband may be able to get reality / documentary jobs or he may be unemployed for the duration. I don't know which, and he's still too exhausted from his last gig to care yet. But me, I'm worried. It could be a long, hard winter, on into spring.

Tags: tv

12:03 pm: show rundown
Some random thoughts on what I'm watching...

(The longer ones cut for length and potential spoilerness)

I'm nearing the end of my Battlestar Galactica spring-and-summer marathon. (Oh, wait, it's fall. I guess that makes it a very slow marathon, huh?)

( BSG )


( Damages, oh my Damages. )

( Dexter. I adore this show. )

( Moonlight. Oh man. )

( Friday Night Lights. Not sure yet. )

( Heroes )

Chuck. Again, a week behind, but this show is cracking me up. It feels like it has just the right mix of self-conscious humor, over the top outrageous action, and sincere interaction. Fun.

Pushing Daisies. The second episode made me think I might get tired of this brightly colored world with the constant deadpan delivery and absolute wackiness sooner rather than later. Oh well.

Dirty Sexy Money. A week behind (are you tired of that refrain yet?). Still liking, not loving. But liking enough to stick with it. More on that if I ever think of more to say.

Mad Men. I'm several weeks behind now. I think I watched up to episode 8 and now they're about to show episode 13. I look forward to catching up and then I'll talk about my love-hate relationship with this fascinating show.

Nothing hooks me the same way VM once did, but then, I don't expect it to. For me, that was a unique experience, as much about my own narrative quirks and kinks as about the objective reality of the show itself. But there are some kickass shows on cable right now, and I'm enjoying that a lot.

Tags: bsg, chuck, damages, dexter, dirty sexy money, fnl, heroes, mad men, moonlight, pushing daisies, tv

11:05 pm: Moonlight and Dirty Sexy Money
Not a new show roundup, exactly. Just a few thoughts on two new shows.

( Moonlight )
I'll keep recording this, hoping it gets better after the ascendance and later departure of Greenwalt. The pilot was, after all, cobbled together from something old and something new. But I don't plan to watch an entire episode straight through unless it gets significantly better.

Is it wrong to hope for a slide in the ratings, followed by cancellation after the first 13 episodes? I want Jason Dohring to get a better show than this. And I want him to be the lead this time. Is that too much to ask, oh TV gods? The kid can act.



( Dirty Sexy Money )
All in all, I don't know yet how I'll like it. What I saw was just a pilot, setting up the dynamics and flavor of the show. Which holds some promise. As do Chuck (though I hear the second episode disappoints, I haven't seen it yet) and Pushing Daisies. Otherwise a disappointing freshman class. No textured dramas, little realism. Everything new feels glib these days. Or at least this season. Nary a Homicide or thirtysomething or Friday Night Lights in the bunch.

And finally, before I forget -- I'm sorry that I've been so bad at responding to comments lately. I don't have much of an attention span these days, except for my writing (and my kid). I'm at the halfway point in my new novel, my first novel is now out on submission to a more suitable set of editors (long story there), and I may be writing some articles for magazines soon. But I love you all, I hope you know that.

Tags: dirty sexy money, jason dohring, moonlight, pilots, tv

12:16 pm: my summer of TV (and YA books)
I'm having trouble posting to LJ. No, not in a technical sense. In a "my mind drifted off, I meant to write about something but then the days slipped past and oops, didn't." sort of way.

So here's a greatest hits, short blurb version of my summer in pop culture (or, well, some of it, anyway).

( Am now up to S3 in BSG. )


Finished the first season of Dexter. ( Loved it. )


Nearly finished watching S3 of Lost. It was hard to switch from BSG; Lost is so contrived in comparison. (And yes, I can't believe I'm saying a SF show with humanoid Cylons feels more real than a bunch of people marooned on an island, but it's true.) I read an article about Jeffrey Lieber, the third credited creator of the show. It sounds like his original conception was grounded in reality, the Lord of the Flies-esque interactions that tear apart a makeshift community of airplane survivors. It might have been a good show, though I suspect it would have run out of steam pretty quickly. But it does throw the existing show into sharp relief. I understand why people are sick of it. It's pretty out there, outrageous and silly, with countless twists that don't get explained till way later, if at all. It feels as if the producers are writing by the seats of their pants and are as lost as any of us.

And yet…. I enjoy it. Oh, not the beginning of this season. Those cages. *shudder* But late this season it has started getting interesting in its absurdist way. Much like Heroes, it's a graphic novel of a TV show, all the emotions writ large and in your face, all the characters this shade off archetype. But yeah, I'm enjoying it.


Damages. Intense, twisty, operatic, larger than life. The producers do know the arc here, and it shows. They have a lot of control over this material, and I'm still enjoying the ride. I wish it were less emotionally cool, though, that I felt more connected to Ellen, the ostensible main character. I fault the writing some but more the actress. She's reactive, natural, but not making strong choices, and this is (supposed to be) a strong character in her way. Still, the show is fabulously twisty and smart.


Saving Grace. Sampled the pilot. Turned it off halfway through. It bugged me.

Pilots: I started to watch Bionic Woman. Meh. Bored now. Stopped watching. Cliché ridden, emotionally hollow. Meh.

Chuck, OTOH, surprised me. Alias meets The Office, with a big heaping of cluelessly adorable but not entirely bumbling hero. I'm in, at least long enough to see where it's going.

Why hasn't anyone leaked Dirty Sexy Money? That show looks like fun.


That's it for my summer of shows. Two books I wanted to mention (though I've read more than that -- not reading fanfic has a nice side effect of more time to read ink-and-paper bound books):

( Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. )


( Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. )

So that's been my summer. How was yours?

Tags: books, bsg, chuck, damages, dexter, hp, lost, tv, twilight

11:38 pm: Pilots: Reaper, Pushing Daisies and Damages
No, I don't have my copy of the new Harry Potter book yet (though I've gotten myself deliberately good and spoiled and I'm happy with the spoilers -- the main ones are exactly as I expected, and that's a good thing).

Instead, I've been watching leaked pilots. So far I've seen Reaper and Pushing Daisies. And I saw the Damages pilot last week at a premiere screening complete with (amusingly short) red carpet.

( I discuss my opinions of all three under the cut, but in a shockingly spoiler-free way )

Damages, by the way, premieres in the States tomorrow, Tuesday the 24th, at 10 pm on FX. Just saying…

Tags: damages, pilots, pushing daisies, tv

12:33 am: the mystery man (or woman) behind the curtain
So a little while ago, I promised sowell I'd explain what a film/TV editor does. ( Here it is. )

Tags: film tech, production

12:01 am: something for JD to sink his teeth into
So you may have heard? Jason Dohring just got cast in a secondary role on the new CBS fall show, Moonlight, about a vampire detective. He plays a 400 year old vampire who happens to be a hedge fund trader. Heh. (Thanks, Wendy, for posting this news.)

I have to admit, I had no intention of watching this show. It didn't sound terribly good, nor exactly original. I'll watch it now, of course. (Or, if it's bad, fast forward to his scenes.)

But mostly I'm delighted that JD is on a fall show that happens to be produced by Joel Silver and Warner's, the same folks that did Veronica Mars. The show is on CBS, to boot, co-owner of the CW.

Though this is the season for retooling shows that need help (or just different casting), there still aren't anything like the number of parts available right now that there are in March, when pilots bloom like dandelions in a lush Beverly Hills park. What this means to me, Jason Dohring landing one of these few roles, and on a show that's produced by his old bosses, is that he's in the game. He's on their radar. He's their boy.

And think about it. Before Veronica Mars, what did his resume look like? A really bad Disney TV movie, an unreleasable indie film and a small handful of (largely stellar) guest roles on procedurals. Not exactly high profile stuff. VM gave him a solid (and mesmerizing) role as second lead, but on a marginal show. This cements the second lead status, and grooms him (I hope!) for a full-on lead role in the (near) future. I think this happens a lot, actually. Actors become part of the go-to crowd, they get groomed and cast enough, and, if they're good and charismatic enough, something clicks. The important thing right now is that this proves he's in that group.

To me, the best thing that could happen is if he gives an eye-catching performance in this (and I'm sure he will), but the show tanks before the back nine so that he's available for pilot season. Then he can land a truly juicy role on something else. Maybe a lead, maybe a strong role in a small ensemble (a la Heroes or FNL or Lost, there's usually plenty of this kind of show on TV).

A full season would be okay too, as long as they know early on that they're a no-go for fall '08. I'm just saying…

Anyway. For now, it just means more Jason on our screens sooner than I expected. Snarky vampire cutthroat (or is that bitethroat?) hedge fund trader Jason, to boot.

Tags: jason dohring, tv

09:58 pm: Logan picspam silliness
Does it count as a picspam if it's two pix? Think of this as an addition to embellished_me's minispam from earlier today. Go see what she did and then come back here.

( LOL Logan )

I'll try to add a few more tomorrow. I am braindead and dizzy from exhaustion from the past week's activities. Can't do meta analysis or respond to meta analysis to save my life. But this? This is fun!

Tags: logan, picspam, silliness, vm

10:52 pm: not an entry
Just a short apology for not responding to all your fascinating, insightful, thought provoking comments on my VM finale meta post yet. This has been an insanely busy week, and will continue to be for the next few days. But I love my flist; you guys make me think.

03:36 pm: VM ep. 20 The Bitch is Back (and now she's gone)
( So the finale. )

Tags: vm, vm episodes

10:15 pm: FanLib fanfic
So I've only been following this FanLib thing extremely peripherally, watching as it's taken over metafandom links, but apparently two guys want prominent fanfic writers across various fandoms to post fic to their new site (FanLib) in exchange for, um, some small meaningless tokens of their appreciation so that the FanLib guys can make oodles off ads and such. Commercializing fic, essentially. People (ie: fanfic writers) are in an uproar because, among other things, the FanLib folk want to claim rights over the fics on their site. And also, y'know, make money but not pay. Or something.

(Disclaimer: I may have gotten most or all of the facts wrong in the above description. I really haven't been paying close attention.)

Anyway. There's this ad they've put up. You'll see it in the link I'm about to give. The link in which someone wrote a series of drabbles based on the ad.

It made me laugh. A lot. Thus the above. I wanted to share the merriment.

Fic cures everything. I'm convinced.

(BTW, did you know there's a whole community devoted to fic based on the Mac/PC ads? I love ficcers.)

Tags: fanfic, fic, heh

03:29 pm: Bobbie Faye wants your attention
I have a friend. Her name is Toni McGee Causey. She's a really good friend. She's also a kickass writer who has written a very funny book called Bobbie Faye's Very (very very very) Bad Day, with nonstop action and a fabulous, one-of-a-kind, take-no-prisoners (well, except for the hunky hostage she inadvertently acquires) main character. And it's not just me saying this is a great, fun read. Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, two of the top trade publications for the publishing business, gave it glowing starred reviews (which you can read on the book's Amazon page, linked below).

I tell you all this because I want to encourage, no, urge you to go buy the book and read it and then, if you like it (and you probably will), tell all your friends and write about it in your LJs and generally spread the word.

You see, here's how it works in publishing. You're a writer yearning for a career. You write a novel and yay! But then you have to find someone to champion your work, ie: an agent. This is a terrifying process, which I won't go into right now. Let's just assume it works, and finally, after a lot of stress and effort, you land an agent. Yay you!

But then your agent needs to cultivate relationships with all the right editors for your book, the people at the various publishing houses who might fall in love with your story and (once again, yes) champion your book in-house. (There's a lot of championing involved in this business.)

Then an editor reads your novel and falls in love and makes an offer and yay! You're a sold author! Go you! Thus commences a year of revisions and copy edits and galleys and Advance Reader Copies and marketing hopes and dreams and fears, but then one day your book appears in bookstore and yay! You're a published author! Look! There's your book!

And that's the end of the story, right?

Wrong. Because your book is nestled among thousands on the shelves in the bookstores, easily lost among a sea of brightly colored pressboard covers. And you're a newbie, not a name author. People have to pick your book up, flip through it, laugh or smile or sigh, carry it to the cash register, and take it home. They have to make that decision, that commitment. But how do you get them to do that? How do they find it?

The stakes are high for you as a beginning author. If your book doesn't sell enough copies, if people don't hear about it from their friends and friends of friends and book groups and the general communal gestalt, whatever it is that makes some books sell and others, equally good, tank, if that amazing alchemy doesn’t happen for you, you may find that your publisher isn't so nice the next go-round. Your second book may get lost in the shuffle or, worse, may not sell at all.

This is where that championing thing comes in again. I'm touting my friend Toni's novel because it deserves it. It's fun and funny and smart and sassy and fast-paced and delicious. I'm touting it because I think you guys will like it. I'm also touting it because I want her to do well.

If you think this book might be up your alley, go buy Bobbie Faye's Very (very very very) Bad Day, okay? And, if you like it, tell your friends. Toni thanks you. I thank you. And Bobbie Faye will thank you as soon as she jumps clear of the exploding truck and then convinces her ex-boyfriend not to arrest her just yet.

Tags: books, books 2007