For everyone who has EVER watched a Disney movie and said, “What, huh?” in complete bewilderment, I direct you to an Irishman’s take on Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. Good grief, I absolutely cackled.
Happy Nineteenth Amendment Day, welcome first week of the über busy month of June, and with it, the second monthly installment of Wicked Cool Overlooked Books, brought to you by Chasing Ray, in concert with the ladies at 7-Imp, Kelly at Big A, little a, and anyone else who wants to play. I am becoming a believer in the powerhouse of ideas that is Jo Walton. Must. Go. Read…
The 2007 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature have been announced. Once again, that Astonishing Life is garnering more critical praise, and once again, I’m getting antsy for Volume II!
For those of you willing to steal an hour from your employer on the computer, do check out Sugar Magazine’s live interview with e. lockhart on Wednesday at 8 AM California time, 11 AM New York City time, and 4 PM London Time. And yes, London does have the best time slot. Sugar is a UK magazine. Congrats to e. for jumping the pond.
Linguists who love a good poem and the thrill of using their noggins will enjoy the Poetry Workshop at the Guardian. Meanwhile, the London Review of Books has a great review of books on animation and how artists work. Did you know that Walt Disney’s visions quickly grew beyond his meager talents as a cartoonist, so he acted out most of his cartoons for his fellow animators to see and draw? You’ve got to really know what you want to be so fully able to allow others to see it.
I discovered a couple of places potential authors should know about: Rick Frishman’s Author101’s Publicity Blog and Colin Murcray’s Journal of a Male Children’s Book Writer. Both of these sites offer insights which might be of use. Mr. Murcray’s latest article on finding the courage to write is really close to home, and now that I am jumping into the publishing thing without backup singers (although I may still figure out a way to drag some of you into this with me), knowing that I have a place to begin looking for publicity hints is a good thing. The launch meeting for Knopf’s next line is this week — and this week I find out if the cover design that I’ve seen is what we’re going with. Intrigue!
June is the month I’ve been waiting for — for a number of reasons, not the least of which is little my brother’s 8th grade graduation (Finally, the bearded fuzzball boychild is leaving middle school and joining the ranks of Others Who Shave! Huzzah!) and the incipient birth of a nephew (at least my sister looks like she reallllly hopes so), but because the 48 Hour Book Challenge is upon us in just four days (eek!) and the clock is ticking on the fabulous Summer Blog Blast Tour.
What’s a ‘Blog Blast Tour?’ you ask? It’s a week long blog tour celebrating the season of picnics and the fabulous authors of the season. The idea comes from the fertile mind of Colleen Mondor, and includes about twenty-five YA author interviews at various blogs. Our blog tour includes many different YA writers — covering “boy books,” “girl books,” graphic novels, historical fiction, fantasy, romance, SF and mystery. Some of the writers are well known, and are just starting out. The common thread binding them all? – They all write good books. That is the central, unifiying idea around which Colleen has organized this blog tour, and we think that makes it really special.
As the date draws closer, you’ll hear more about it! Meanwhile, I am squirreling away stacks by the bed for the Book Challenge hurtling toward me at week’s end!
I somehow always knew that Anne Frank was not the only one. The Holocaust diary of a Polish Jewish girl was discovered in Bedzin, Poland, and unveiled at Israel’s Holocaust Museum today. Rutka Lasier, we will remember your name.
Good stuff!! It’s also Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. A. Fortis! Sharing it with the 19th Amendment really seems like too much of an honor… 🙂
Awww! Six whole years!
My parents celebrated 40 years yesterday, and now they’re arguing over which restaurant to go to with the gift certs we got them. Why, oh, WHY didn’t we just get them ONE!?
Sigh.
Imagine yourself in thirty-four years, and cheers to you!
I was wondering where all the new commentors were coming from. “It can only mean one thing,” I said to Igor. “A link. We’ve been linked to!”
Igor withered in terror. “Who would do such a thing? Expose us, master?”
“Hush,” I said. “There’s a good boy. Now run; run, you beautiful mutant, run and fetch the emergency linking juice!”
“The brandy, master?”
“Yes.”
Neil darling, it’s encouragement — incentive, as it were — to FINISH YOUR BLOODY STORIES every once in awhile. Because PEOPLE WILL READ THEM!!!
(Ahem.)
Neil can finish a story?
Sure I can!
Let me just go find one of the many examples of finished stories that I’m quite sure are on my blog somewhere.
Hold on.
Just a second…
…oh.
Well this is all going to change now that I have a quiet place to write. I’ve cleared out one of the unused upstairs bedrooms and turned it into The Temple Of Clarity. An office and reading room, in other words. I’ve set up a free windfall PC (thanks to a clear-out at work) up there as a xubuntu machine. It has everything I need.
Only problem is that it’s monsterously hot up there during the summer. The window…won’t…open…
Anyway, yes.