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Sh*t Book Reviewers Say

2012-02-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

Here's your Sunday fun-day!

Pretty Young Things

2012-02-11T17:22:00.000-05:00

According to the NY Times Magazine Culture Blog, there are some hot young lit mags on the scene that are taking up the mantle. Despite what many people view as the death of print, these mags are flourishing by utilizing POD technology and the like. Click the link above to see the list. I'd like to specifically steer you towards The Coffin Factory, which is no. 4 on the list. A classmate from

A Room of One's Own

2012-01-31T23:44:00.000-05:00

I am exhausted! Exhausted and excited, because I just submitted the first draft of my thesis today. This is a creative thesis, so the focus is on quality, not quantity - maximum 75 pp of quality. I have spent hours upon hours doing revisions, something that I haven't spent a lot of time on before now. Revisions terrify me - or, they did terrify me. I'm catsitting for some friends right now

Under the Gun

2012-01-25T17:55:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. You want to know why? I'll tell you why. 1. The first draft of my thesis is due is six (six!) days and I'm nowhere close to being finished with my revisions. I submitted my thesis planning form a month ago, and I'm waffling about my story selection decision. I'm almost certainly going to change it, but I really need to make up my mind because

Les Jeunes de Paris

2012-01-22T01:03:00.001-05:00

SNL was replaying Emma Stone's Fall 2011 episode tonight, which included a French dance off skit that I love. So I thought I would share. Enjoy!

NYR Update

2012-01-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty happy with my NYR progress thus far -- I'm well ahead of my Publish at least 52 blog posts by December 31, 2012 goal. This is my fourth post into 2012, and it's only January 8! When I first decided on this particular NYR, I wasn't so sure how it would work out. I didn't know if I could come up with enough interesting things to write/discuss to post once (or more) a week, but it seems

Fun with Poetry

2012-01-05T15:09:00.000-05:00

My work PC went down today, the victim of multiple trojans. All my work is on my computer. if my computer doesn't work, I might as well go home. So while IT was working on my computer, I decided to play on my Nook Tablet. For some reason, I thought it would be fun to tweet in haiku about my computer problems - and my cousin (@the1skelly) decided that he would tweet back, in haiku. I was so

My Nooky Nook

2012-01-03T15:03:00.000-05:00

So, I'm super excited because I got a Nook Tablet for Christmas, sort of. ("Sort of" refers to the Christmas part. My husband and I received an Amazon gift card for Christmas, and he simply can't resist the look I give him when I really want something. I do a wonderful impression of Puss in Boots. So I got my Nook Tablet.) I am completely enamored with this gadget. It does SO MANY THINGS!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T12:23:00.001-05:00

New Year's Resolutions (aka NYRs)

2011-12-31T09:00:00.004-05:00

This time every year, people start thinking about their New Year's Resolutions (aka NYRs). Some seriously ponder the idea and try to come up with deep, introspective thoughts about how they can improve their personal well being, and others simple recycle the same old list from the previous year. And a LOT of people fall off the wagon and give up before February 1 rolls around. I believe that

Beware The Hawk

2011-12-28T10:59:00.001-05:00

No, not me ... I'm talking about my friend A.J. O'Connell, who I had the privilege of meeting at the 2011 AWP Conference. She's not a hawk, and you don't have to be wary of her. She's quite nice, actually. She recently finished her MFA at Fairfield University, and she has an ebook coming out in January titled Beware the Hawk. It's a novella about ... well, I can't describe it since I haven't

Book Review: The Last Town on Earth

2011-12-21T15:20:00.003-05:00

The Last Town on Earth Author: Thomas Mullen Paperback: 432 pages Published: July 31, 2007 The Last Town on Earth tells the story of a secluded mill town in the Pacific northwest, and the ensuing events when the town decides to quarantine itself against the Spanish flu pandemic of 1917-1918. Mullen does a wonderful job of weaving the three archetypal conflicts: man vs. man, man vs. the machine

I love Billy Collins, especially when recited by a 3-year-old

2011-12-19T22:46:00.002-05:00

November Is Upon Us ...

2011-10-29T10:33:00.000-04:00

So, It's that time of year again ... it's almost time for NaNoWriMo. November is only a few days away, and I am determined to do NaNo again this year ... despite the fact that: I have no idea what I'm going to write My last two attempts were thwarted by my perfectionist nature and my desire to write something GOOD I am a horrible procrastinator Every year, I think that I am going to write

Camp NaNoWriMo, Anyone?

2011-08-06T19:36:00.001-04:00

If you're a writer (or maybe if you know someone who is a writer, you've probably heard about something called NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated, that stands for National Novel Writing Month, aka November, during which thousands (millions?) of writers across the globe scramble to write 50K words in a month. It's exhilarating, it's exhausting, and it's triumphant when you actually cross that 50K

So You Want To Write a Novel

2011-01-04T15:07:00.001-05:00

Thanks to David Kazzie for putting together this awesome video ... everybody thinks that it's so easy to be a successful writer! David posted his video as a guest blogger on Pimp My Novel yesterday, and I thought it was so fantastic that I had to share! You can read David Kazzie's humor blog at http://wahoocorner.blogspot.com/. And thanks to Eric at Pimp My Novel for allowing David to share!

Is it OK to look for an agent before you've even started writing your novel?

2010-10-10T19:19:00.000-04:00

I've been busy over the summer, finishing my class. I'm not taking any classes this fall due to extensive travel for work, but I'm using this time to write and plan for the NaNoWriMo novel. If you've ever dreamed of writing a novel "someday", why don't you do NaNoWriMo with me this November? Yesterday, I volunteered to help out at a small freelance conference that was being held on campus

Apparently ...

2010-07-20T09:45:00.000-04:00

I write likeVladimir NabokovI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! Not too shabby, right?

Back Stateside: My Italian Adventure!

2010-07-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

My most recent Tweet - 19 days ago - proclaimed, "I am on vacation!" Being ever conscious of my safety and security, I did not publicize where I was going or when exactly I would be gone, but now that I am back I can write about it freely. I spent fifteen days in Italy - my first international trip (apart from Canada, which - and I dearly love you, Canada - isn't truly international) - and it

For My Writer Friends ...

2010-04-30T16:28:00.000-04:00

It has been a crazy, crazy spring! I have been swamped with work, school and writing, which has left little (NO!) time to even think about my blog. But I came across this today, and I absolutely had to share. It's a Writers Flow Chart: http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/node/3595363. Enjoy!

Book Review: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

2010-02-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

Now a quarter of a centry old, Bright Lights, Big City does occasionally come across as a little dated in 2010, but this does nothing to diminish the humor and sharpness of the writing. If anything, the pure 80s atmosphere lends an unintended level of humor to the narrative. However, some of the references may be lost on Gen Y readers; for example, The New Yorker is regarded differently now than

I am Scarlett O'Hara!

2010-01-06T11:14:00.004-05:00

Your result for The Literary Character Test... Scarlett O'HaraGood, Epic, Straight Forward ThinkerYou are basically good. Overcoming selfish desires or cruel ways, you focus on doing the right thing, when possible, and acting in a way to benefit everyone. You think like a champion. Regardless of your skills, you strongly feel you can use them to their greatest ability. Your persona is

Tim Gunn is My Hero

2009-12-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but ... Simply put: Tim Gunn is awesome. I don't watch Project Runway, but after seeing Tim Gunn do various TV spots over the last year, I might have to start watching just to get more Tim Gunn. I would like to present the two following examples of Tim Gunn's awesomeness and why every writer should love him: Tim Gunn: Dictionary 10 Questions for Tim

I Am A Winner!

2009-11-30T23:47:00.002-05:00

I have participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) several times over the past few years, but this is the first time I can say ... I am a NaNoWriMo WINNER! Despite the fact that I work full-time and attend graduate school part-time, I have successfully written 50,000+ words in 30 days. The exhilaration of finally completing NaNoWriMo is more than I expected. I didn't think I

NaNoWriMo FAIL

2009-11-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

OK, so not entirely FAIL. But I am behind. VERY behind. We are at the halfway mark, which means I should have 25,000 words. I only have 12,708. Which means, in order to catch up by next Sunday (because there is no way that I am writing 12,300 words in one day - I need to pace myself) - I need to double my word count. That's right, I will need to write 3,334 words per day for the next seven

I Felt the Need ...

2009-11-09T11:05:00.002-05:00

... to change my layout. What do you think?

Year of the Flood Event

2009-11-01T21:17:00.002-05:00

I was very fortunate this past Friday to have the opportunity to attend one of the few Year of the Flood Events. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is the promotional tour for Margaret Atwood's new book, The Year of the Flood, and it's unlike any promotional book tour you've ever seen or heard. Rather than a typical reading and Q&A, The Year of the Flood Event is a multimedia

Save the Black Rooster Pub!

2009-10-02T12:08:00.002-04:00

Hello, readers.I know that this isn't writing-related, so please forgive me.This is something that is very dear to me and I am reaching out to everyone I know through all the various social-networking sites and in-person groups that I belong to, in an attempt to try to affect some sort of change.As some of you may know, for the past three years my husband has worked as a bar manager at the Black

A New Discovery

2009-09-24T10:40:00.005-04:00

Oprah: she can be a dividing force - some people love her, some people hate her. Me? I'm on the fence. I'm certainly not an avid follower, but I'm on her e-mail list and sometimes I find cool stuff on her website. And, of course, I hope that one day she will select one of my books for her book club and make me a millionaire so I can quit my day job and focus on my writing. But I digress.Thanks to

Finding the Time (To Read)

2009-08-19T12:14:00.003-04:00

My friend Gwen blogged the other day, “Are You Addicted to Reading?” It was almost a silly post, but it made me take pause to think about reading time.Both Stephen King and Richard Russo say that they devote several hours a day to reading, and all writers will agree (or most writers will agree, anyway) that exhaustive reading is a key component to being a good writer.For me, a student of letters,

Richard Russo Reads @ Politics & Prose

2009-08-13T11:45:00.013-04:00

And I'm back! The first two months of summer have been hectic, hectic, hectic for me, and I'm enjoying August and trying to unwind a little bit before fall semester starts up. I may blog about my summer adventures in a future post, but right now I want to write about Richard Russo. I had the opportunity last night to attend a reading by Richard Russo at Politics and Prose. (That's him reading in

Silence

2009-05-07T09:39:00.003-04:00

I apologize for not posting much lately - I have been in over my head lately with school-work and work-work. On the upside, I discovered that I had a lot more readers than I knew! (Some of you asked either myself or my husband why I hadn't posted anything - thanks for making your presence known!)Class ends this week, so I will have more time to post in the coming days, weeks, months ... in the

Boycott of Digital Books Over $9.99

2009-04-07T09:42:00.002-04:00

This news posted by Dawn over at Literary License. See it at:http://litlicense.blogspot.com/2009/04/amazon-customers-boycott-digital-books.htmlThanks for reading!

The Work of the 'Shop

2009-04-01T13:06:00.002-04:00

I go to a writer's group regularly. Last fall, I was in the Jenny McKean Moore Fiction workshop at George Washington University, and I participated in a number of fiction workshops in undergrad. And now I'm in a graduate program, and I'll be doing my first workshop session in a few weeks.Needless to say, I am familiar with the concept of a workshop. I diligently read and critique each piece,

Book Publishers (and Authors and Customers) Breathe a Sigh of Relief!

2009-03-31T12:03:00.002-04:00

I LOVE Borders Books! I do the majority of my book shopping there, as it is on my way to the Metro, they always send me great coupons and they have the best Bargain Section around.Apparently the company has been struggling in these tough economic times (you wouldn't know it if you went to my local Borders!) due to lagging sales. But have no fear, book lovers: Borders Group and Pershing Square

Getting to Know the Biz

2009-03-29T14:11:00.000-04:00

After an almost refreshing Spring Break, I am back! I say "almost refreshing" because a week off from classes meant that I got stuck working late nearly every evening last week. So much for reading and research!I had the opportunity yesterday to attend a meetup group in my area, the Write To Publish Group. I mention this because to be a writer today, it's not enough just to write. You need to

Books as Decoration?

2009-03-14T12:36:00.006-04:00

" A home without books is like a room without windows "—Henry Ward BeecherThe Strand bookstore is taking this to the extreme, offering a service to compile libraries for clients based not necessarily on content, but aesthetic appeal as well! (Although they can compile a library based on subject as well.)Check it out on their website at http://www.strandbooks.com/app/www/p/bbtfoot.They also offer

The Catch of the Day

2009-03-11T12:35:00.000-04:00

Do you like to fish? Do you like to write poems? You might be interested in the following article that caught my eye recently:For a Weekend, Fishermen Measure Haul in VerseFor all the people out there that think poetry is a frou frou art all about love and flowers, think again. Poetry is what you make it - and some people make it about fishing. The annual Fisher Poets Gathering is, well, exactly

Want To Read Books On Your iPod? Now You Can!

2009-03-04T11:17:00.003-05:00

It's true! According to Brad Stone in a recent article for the NY Times:"Shaking up the nascent market for electronic books for the second time in two months, Amazon.com will begin selling e-books for reading on Apple’s popular iPhone and iPod Touch.Starting Wednesday, owners of these Apple devices can download a free application, Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch, from Apple’s App Store. The

I Didn't Win, But ...

2009-03-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

This past December, I submitted work for the first time: I submitted my short story "Southern Comfort" to several writing competitions, one of which was the Glimmer Train December Fiction Open.For those of you not familiar with Glimmer Train, it is a well-know, well-regarded literary journal. It has a HUGE circulation - 16,000 - for a literary journal, and the selection process is extremely

First Post: Meet the Blogger

2009-03-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

For my first post, I thought that I would take just a few minutes to introduce myself and talk about what I envision for this blog.My name is Erin, and I write literary fiction - mostly short stories, but I am currently doing research for what will be my first novel. I've always wanted to "be" a writer - I wrote stories all throughout my childhood and adolescence, and even majored in creative