Extemporanea

Things meant to bedevil: the new ISBN thing. Thirteen numbers instead of ten. And why? Because we’re running out of numbers… sigh. I know I should go back and fix all of my websites and make sure they’re using the 13 number isbn’s, but… well… laziness. It’s a sad thing to encounter this early in a new year.

And this year is a Potter year, according to the UK Guardian. Even if I’m not in a lather over the final year of the Harry Potter series, I do think that writers ought to take note of how JK managed things. The Guardian had kept track of what she’s done to keep hold of the series — and no doubt it’s been quite a wrestling match for her. But she insisted that all the movies be shot in Britian with an all-British cast, and that the major film sponsor donate $18 million to charity. And everyone did just what she said. She’s told them to back off, she’s told them to jump, and everyone has said “how high.” Of course, people have also called her names and figured her to be a poor sport about all of her money and fame. It’s amazing how people expect to own you once they’ve put you in the position of having to run from photographers… No matter that I don’t think that her series is the best thing since sliced bread — and I do believe there are other much better fantasy writers — I do have to tip the hat to JK, and I wish her well for what’s next… because I fear that is when people will judge her most harshly. Not this year necessarily. But next year…

The Golden Fuse Awards are cool, and they remind me that I need to come up with Best Villain in our YA Cybil Nominees. I’m leaning toward the dystopic football coach in Rash, but I feel like that’s almost too easy. The bodyguard in Speedos in Bad Kitty? Just being in Speedos, while criminally unhip, isn’t actually villainous, exactly… Still thinking, thinking… We may also need to come up with a “What Were They Thinking?” category. Not for the authors, of course, but for the characters. Like Mary Shelley: Indeed, what was she thinking to run off with that fey poet? More to come, indeed…

Finally the world acknowledges what we already knew: that our Jack is the Poet Laminate of children. Or laureate. Whatever. I love that Prelutsky describes himself as “99% the same as the next guy.” It’s just that 1%… that makes him completely weird, believable and amazing.

I am crushed that Cynthia Lord’s Rules didn’t make it into the Cybil Middle Grade finalists. Then again, I know that the Middle Grade people had just as bad a last few weeks as we YAers, with so many excellent novels, and just so few slots… I’m so glad that the book was nominated. If you haven’t yet — go! Read! This I beg of you! Such goodness so easily discovered at your local library… sweater-clad librarians and chipper bookstore clerks await you! Go!

You know you want to create your own romance novel cover. Thanks to Bookshelves O’ Doom for the hilarious things-to-do-when-avoiding-actual-work assistance.

Ah, well. I suppose I should get back to that… Actual work thing…