Good morning, beautiful people! Can you believe it’s already Wednesday?
According to the WSJ, Borders has just filed for bankruptcy protection. I’ll tweet any new news as it comes in.
This morning’s links are mostly oldies (in internet time–a lot of them are from late January/early February) but goodies. If you’re in a rush, make sure you check out Mary’s assistant post, Janice’s query post, and Tom’s post on Celebooks–that should cover the stuff you’re not overly obsessive about, and make you feel a little better about *insert reality tv star here* getting a book deal.
First up, in case you missed it, Harper Collins has sacked The Vampire Diaries’ writer, LJ Smith. Here’s LJ thanking her readers for their support, and asking them not to boycott the publisher. Thanks to Sheryl for letting me know I had the wrong url! It’s all fixed now.
Tom M Franklin has a great piece from last month on why we should love Celebooks. It doesn’t replace seeing the Newbery and Caldecott winners on the Today Show, but it does soften the blow.
Catherynne M. Valente has a thoughtful post on the perception of Soviet Russia in fiction. It’s definitely worth reading, especially if you’re writing from a well-known or well-explored angle/place.
Mary Kole at Kidlit has a primer on the agenting industry, and why assistants are marvelous people, especially for writers (like me!) who’re busy hitting up slush piles.
My critique partner and friend Amitha has a post on the book review every writer is afraid they’ll get. Favorite part? “Anyway, I hope the bookstore accepts returns. Good luck trying to get your next book published!”
Janice Hardy tells us what our queries are really saying. If you’re doing the submission rounds, you need to read this now.
Another older post, but worth reading–the Blood Red Pencil on the when and why of combining characters. Special bonus post–a quick look at things that drive an editor crazy.
And finally, PW’s Barbara Vey gets the scoop on what women’s fiction really is in these interviews with readers. The extra interesting thing? She talks to both men and women.
What are you reading this morning? What do you think women’s fiction is? And who would you like to see take over The Vampire Diaries?
l
Thanks for the link, P!