an interview with Alex Bledsoe – November 9, 2009

Join me on Monday, November 9, 2009 for an interview with Alex Bledsoe.

Alex is the author of the vampire novel, Blood Groove, and the Eddie LaCrosse series, which includes the novels, The Sword-Edged Blonde and the upcoming Burn Me Deadly (release date November 10, 2009).

We’re going to talk about Alex’s novels, and he’s got some great tips on writing believable characters you won’t want to miss!

So tell your friends! Monday, November 9, 2009 – an interview with Alex Bledsoe!

Visit him at his website: www.alexbledsoe.com

You can keep up with Alex via Twitter @AlexBledsoe or at his blog: . . . Down in Lucky Town.

Booklove reviews Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

Booklove reviews

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story
by Carolyn Turgeon

 

“Lil lives a quiet life, working each day in a dusty used book shop in Manhatten,  then returning home to her lonely apartment each night.  We soon realize, however, that Lil is not just any old woman.  Home after a long day of work, she draws a warm bath, undresses and sinks into the welcoming warmth.  “I was alone, finally, completely free.  I leaned forward and unclenched my back.  A pure feeling of bliss moved through me.  My wings unfurled . . .”

 

Read the complete review at Booklove!

lunch hour links for writers – 11/4/09

NaNoWriMo edition. (hehe)

Okay, you’re doing it! You’re plugging away on writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November, hitting those keyboards hard and fast, so I thought to kick off the first week of NaNoWriMo, I’d share some links for newbie writers and for those of us who write year round.

What? You’re still banging your head against the old laptop trying to come up with an idea for your NaNoWriMo project? November writers and year-round writers can benefit from these writing exercises at Mots Justes. If there’s nothing to tickle your fancy there, check out the writing prompts.

Whether you’re writing your first novel or your fifteenth, @BubbleCow tweeted this super link to A Novel Checklist, posted by author L.J. Sellers. Sellers covers everything from the story arc through those gnarly unresolved issues in your novel.

Although you’ve just started your novel, you must begin thinking now about the end and the final showdown between your antagonist and your protagonist. Well @motsjustes tweeted this great link to a post by Alexandra Sokoloff for NaNoWriMo prep: Elements of Act Three.

As you’re writing your novel, you want to begin thinking of marketing possibilities, and Andy Shackcloth comes up with a great article on Using Short Stories as a Marketing Tool.

WORD COUNTS – I know I’ve had this link in my lunch hour links before, but I’m repeating it, especially for the new novelists who are participating in NaNoWriMo. I cannot find a better blog post on word counts than I’ve found at Colleen Lindsay’s blog, The Swivet. Read and follow her suggestions On Word Counts and Novel Lengths, and you won’t go wrong.

Don’t make December rejection month by submitting your novel to literary agents too soon! Writing the novel is only the beginning, so I would suggest that once you’ve banged out that 50,000 word manuscript, head over to Sterling Editing where Kelley gives you the low-down on Rewriting.

@jjdanz (none other than Jonathan Danz) tweeted this little jewel by Holly Lisle where she tells writers about her One-Pass Manuscript Revision From First Draft to Last in One Cycle.

RANDOM NEWS AND BITS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – don’t miss helluo librorum’s interview with author ALEX BLEDSOE! Alex will be talking about his upcoming novel, Burn Me Deadly (release date 11/10/09), the Eddie LaCrosse series (The Sword-Edged Blonde and Burn Me Deadly), Blood Groove, and writing. He’s got some great tips about dialogue and writing believable characters. While you’re waiting for the interview, visit Alex at his blog . . . From Down In Lucky Town.

The Rose and Thorn Journal now has a blog! Visit their new website and check them out! As always, Kathryn Magendie and Angie Ledbetter give you their best work.

Tonight is Audrey Shaffer’s Open Chat Wednesdays at the Writer’s Chatroom. From 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST, you can take your questions and writing related issues to a group of vibrant writers who are encouraging and helpful about topics from plot issues to marketing your novel. I’ll miss you all for a few weeks, but know I’m thinking of you and will return as soon as possible.

MORE NIBBLES AND LINKS

Another link treasure trove is Andy Shackcloth’s Sunday Wash-up where Andy posts the best links that he can find on the Internet. He has over thirty great links this week, so don’t miss the Sunday Wash-up.

More great links can be had at Pimp My Novel every Friday. For those who missed it, here is last week’s post entitled Fridays Were So Much Better When TGIF Was On.

That’s it for this week, and I certainly hope I haven’t forgotten anyone, but just in case roll through the sidebar and visit a few of the folks there. I’ve added a few new links you might find interesting, and I will continue to update and add links as I wander across the Internet in search of next week’s lunch hour links for writers . . .

Have a great week!

writing a business plan

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is off and running! Good luck and happy writing to all those participating, but I’m afraid I won’t be joining in the fun.

I view my desire to become a novelist as a career decision, and I’m sure a lot of the NaNoWriMo folks feel the same way about their writing. Since I have a full-time job, my writing is currently more of a part-time business and it takes a lot of my time. I consider my writing career the same as a start-up company and like any good company I need a business plan.

I’ve given myself an initial five-year plan. The rough sketch of the plan goes something like this:

Year 1 – write the novel (well, duh!); join writers’ organizations and begin networking;

Year 2 – begin building a web presence with a blog; investigate and join social networking sites; study the market;

Year 3 – develop a web site and begin marketing the manuscript for the first novel while working on the second novel;

Year 4 – will be devoted to marketing my novels and short stories;

Year 5 – inventory the business and evaluate whether more time is needed to fulfill the plan or if it’s better to stop.

So far, I’m a tad off schedule, but not overly much. I wrote the first draft of An Autumn Tale in six months; however, I also had more time to write then because I was home taking care of my husband after his surgery. If I’d been participating in my OWW critique group when I started, I would probably be finished now, although I am nearing the end of An Autumn Tale.

By utilizing outline techniques I’ve learned from visiting the blogs of published authors, the second novel, A Winter’s Garden, is starting to take shape. I’ve also started studying short stories in hopes of learning more about writing successful short stories, but completion of An Autumn Tale comes first. Then while I’m marketing An Autumn Tale to agents, I can work on the short story market and the completion of A Winter’s Garden.

My investments are all up front in terms of membership fees, paper, computer supplies, etc., not to mention the investment of my time in this project. Monday through Friday, I write every evening from 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. and devote more time to edits and working through troublesome scenes on weekends. I haven’t factored blog posts and OWW critiques into those hours, either.

I treat my writing time like a job and some nights it takes real discipline to sit down and write after a long day at work. In order to do this, I keep my eyes fixed on my goal, which is to have a solid writing career in place by the time I’m eligible for retirement from my full-time job.

The whole scheme is ambitious, and I may be an absolute failure as a novelist. So why bother? Well, I’ve learned a lot, and even if I never make it as a novelist, my communication skills have improved. I’ve met some really great people: editors, agents, and authors. These wonderful people have taught me innumerable things through their wit, determination, and their willingness to share their knowledge. So long as I’m learning, I’ve lost nothing.

Just like the folks who are joining NaNoWriMo have nothing to lose and everything to gain from their NaNoWriMo experience. I will miss the camaraderie of NaNoWriMo, but I’ll have to view the fun from the sidelines this year. I’ve got to get caught up with my own business plan, but who knows? Maybe next year . . .

Meanwhile, if you have a moment, tell me: are you joining NaNoWriMo? How do you view your writing – as a career or as a hobby? Do you have a business plan?

a chat with Elizabeth Zelvin at the Writer’s Chatroom

From Audrey Shaffer at The Writer’s Chatroom:

The Writers Chatroom presents a chat with Elizabeth Zelvin on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Chat with Elizabeth Zelvin

Elizabeth Zelvin is a New York City psychotherapist and author of a mystery series featuring recovering alcoholic Bruce Kohler. Death Will Help You Leave Him, out in October 2009 from Minotaur Books, is a traditional whodunit about addictive relationships and hard choices. Liz’s debut mystery, Death Will Get You Sober, was nominated for a David award for Best Mystery Novel of 2008 and for an Anthony award for cover design. Bruce also appears in three short stories, one in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (August 2009) one nominated for an Agatha award for Best Short Story, and a third in The Gift of Murder, the 2009 holiday crime anthology to benefit Toys for Tots.

Liz’s published work includes poetry as well as professional and academic writing. She majored in English at Brandeis University, graduating magna cum laude. Next, she spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, where she taught English to French-speaking students. She also performed her own songs on Ivoirien radio and television. On her return, Liz found a job in publishing and began writing poetry. Her poems appeared in numerous journals and in two books, I Am the Daughter (1981) and Gifts and Secrets: Poems of the Therapeutic Relationship (1999). In 1983, she received a poetry award from the New York State Council on the Arts.

After fifteen years as a textbook and reference book editor, Liz attended Columbia University, earning a master’s degree in social work, and also obtained a credential in alcoholism counseling. Liz directed a treatment program on the Bowery for homeless alcoholics and drug addicts for six years and has worked with many couples and individuals with relationship issues in her private practice as a psychotherapist over more than twenty years. 

In 2001, Liz launched an online therapy website at www.LZcybershrink.com. She maintains a practice on the Internet with clients all over the world and trains experienced traditional therapists in online clinical skills. Her articles have appeared in professional journals in both the US and the UK, and she contributed to a groundbreaking textbook on online counseling. 

Liz blogs on Poe’s Deadly Daughters. She is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and of Sisters in Crime’s New York/Tristate and Guppies chapters. She is a board member of the New York chapter of MWA.

http://www.elizabethzelvin.com

WHEN? Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. EST (Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are?  http://www.worldtimeserver.com)

WHERE? The Writers Chatroom at: http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note:  The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Don’t forget the open chat on Wednesday nights, 8-11 pm EST!

lunch hour links for writers – 10/28/09

The book trailer for Burn Me Deadly, Alex Bledsoe’s latest Eddie LaCrosse novel, is finally here! Just click on the title or the jacket on the right to be taken to Alex’s blog where you can view the trailer. Then come back on Monday, November 9 when we’ll have an interview with Alex, who is the author of Blood Groove, The Sword-Edged Blonde, and the upcoming Burn Me Deadly (available November 10, 2009). Alex is going to talk to us about his Eddie LaCrosse series, Blood Groove, and divulge some nifty advice on connecting with your readers through your characters when writing a fantasy. Don’t miss it! I’m serious! Don’t make me come looking for you . . .

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 

Okay, yeah, so it’s early, but I’m going to be a’haunting Saturday, so there will be no blog time. It’s a celebration and that very special time when Basement Cat rules the night and seeks souls (hehe). So now for my most favorite Basement Cat I present:

Isn’t evil insidious? And cute.

Okay, I’ve played enough – on to the links:

Today is Wednesday, so clear your evening calendar and don’t miss Audrey Shaffer’s Open Chat Wednesdays at the Writer’s Chatroom. From 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST, you can take your questions and writing related issues to a group of vibrant writers who are encouraging and helpful about topics from plot issues to marketing your novel.

Let’s talk. No really, it’s all about dialogue. Dialogue can sometimes make the difference between awesome or bland characters. Striking the right balance is a technique, so head over to Sterling Editing where you can find three great posts: How Not to Write Dialogue; How to Write Dialogue; and a nifty Editcast on Dialogue.

So your novel has a sagging middle, and your antagonist is kind of blah? Check out this great link tweeted by @motsjustes and posted by Deborah Turrell Atkinson at the Type M for Murder blog where Donald Maas gives you some tips for Creating Your Villain.

According to everyone who responded to my post on character-based vs. plot-based novels, the general consensus was character! @motsjustes (who is none other than than Annlee at Mots Justes) tweeted this wonderful post from K.M. Weiland on How to Inspire Readers with Ordinary Characters.

Then head over to Mots Justes to read Usage Thursday: Top Nine Misused Words and make sure you say what you mean and mean what you say! Know what I mean?

Make sure your novel isn’t clichéd by reading this nifty post on Essential Reading: the 42 Essential Third Act Twists by web comic Dresden Kodak and tweeted by @CafeNirvana and @thecreativepenn.

@CafeNirvana give us this special Halloween treat by Megan Crewe on Ghosts, What They Mean and Why They’re Important to Us.

On the lighter side, @Thom_Roe tweeted this amusing little gem from The Huffington Post on Unnecessary Quotation Marks.

Agents! Who needs them? Right? Well, maybe not. Before you approach a publisher without an agent, you might want to head over to BookEnds and read Jessica’s post on how Agents Do More Than Sell Books. While you’re there, you might also check out her other post on The Influence of a Blog. Jessica gives some great detail as to what should be on an author’s web page or blog.

Cory Doctorow, pioneer or the Internet’s version of Timothy Leery, substance or flash and glitter? Hey, no judgments from me, I’m in the “wait and see” crowd; although, I do question “free” as a marketing strategy. Doctorow is conducting an experiment to prove that “free” sells (an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one). Author Michael Stackpole spends some time Desconstructing Cory Doctorow’s “Experiment” and in all fairness also examines What is Cory Doing Right? Both posts are extremely interesting reads.

Speaking of prices, if you haven’t heard of the Walmart/Amazon/Target price wars, you really need to pay attention. There’s been much fussing and cussing over the whole thing, but Eric does a nice job of discussing the issue at Pimp My Novel with his posts: This Week in Doom: Walmart.com and Walmart.com: Part Duex.

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

Thanks to @thecreativepenn for tweeting that Red Blade Press is now open for dark speculative fiction short-story submissions. They are not accepting submissions for novels. According to their web site, there is a very narrow deadline for submissions:

Only submissions received between September 17th 2009 and November 30th 2009 will be considered. Any submissions received outside this timeframe will be deleted unread.

So if you have a short-story up to 7,500 words, check out the Red Blade Press. You can also find more information about the anthology here.

Alan Baxter has tweeted that Realms of Fantasy magazine is re-opening and accepting submissions. Go to Locus Online for their post on Realms of Fantasy Re-Opens for details on where to find submission guidelines.

MORE NIBBLES AND LINKS

Great links can always be found at Andy Shackcloth’s Sunday Wash-up where Andy posts the best links that he can find on the Internet. He has over thirty great links this week, so don’t miss the Sunday Wash-up.

That’s it for this week, folks, be sure to visit on Monday (November 9, 2009) when Alex Bledsoe comes to visit!

character-based vs. plot-based novels

Which would you prefer to write? A novel about a war that encompasses generations and various mythical countries or a novel about how one protagonist must cope within the war torn world?

This is highly subjective and depends a great deal on what kind of novel you like to read. Personally, I’m greedy and love a good novel that combines the best of both worlds – great characters and an interesting plot.

However, when pressed to choose, it’s always about the characters. I will suffer through the most mundane, clichéd plots if I can connect with the novel’s protagonist. I want the protagonist and his/her struggles to seem real. Now I know I’m in even murkier waters with a subjective definition of what it means to convey a believable protagonist.

In order for a fictional character (fantasy or otherwise) to seem real to me, I don’t look so much at what the protagonist does as why he/she acts. What is the character’s real motivation for taking on a quest? Are they forced into their decision or do they undergo their various trials out of a choice? Once I understand the why of a protagonist’s thought process, I can lock into that character’s story.

A lot of people I know also like to read plot-based novels and stories with many characters. These novels tend to cover the lives of many different characters without locking on any single protagonist.

Which do you prefer to write and why? I’m especially interested in hearing from folks who read and write more plot orientated novels. What is it that makes writing and reading plot-based novels appealing to you?

The Writer’s Chatroom presents W.D. Gagliani

From the good Audrey Shaffer at the Writer’s Chatroom comes this information:

The Writer’s Chatroom presents a chat with W.D. Gagliani on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Chat with W D Gagliani

W D Gagliani is the author of the novels WOLF’S TRAP, WOLF’S GAMBIT, the upcoming WOLF’S BLUFF (Leisure Books, July 2010), and WOLF’S EDGE (Leisure Books, 2011). WOLF’S TRAP was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in 2004.

Gagliani holds a Master’s Degree in English from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, where he also taught Creative Writing and Composition. Raised on thrillers and horror, he counts Alistair MacLean, Harry Patterson/Jack Higgins, Duncan Kyle, Desmond Bagley, Ian Fleming, and Wilbur Smith among his childhood influences. Starting in the Seventies, he read Stephen King – and then Richard Laymon, Joe Lansdale, Edward Lee, Ray Garton, Skipp and Spector, Robert McCammon – and almost never looked back. Add Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick, Tim Powers, James Blaylock, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, and a long list of other inspiring writers (see his website), and you get a sense of what drives him to write.

Besides the novels, he has published fiction and nonfiction in the anthologies Masters of Unreality (Germany), Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror, and Dark Passions: Hot Blood 13 (all with co-writer David Benton), plus Robert Bloch’s Psychos, Wicked Karnival Halloween Horror, The Black Spiral: Twisted Tales of Terror, More Monsters From Memphis, Extremes 3: Terror on the High Seas, Extremes 4: Darkest Africa, The Asylum 2: The Violent Ward, and The Midnighters Club, as well as publications including The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, BookPage, Bram Stoker Award-winning web site The Chiaroscuro (http://www.chizine.com ), Cemetery Dance, HorrorWorld, Hellnotes, Science Fiction Chronicle, 1000 Delights, BookLovers, Bare Bones and The Scream Factory, The Grimoire, Dark Muse, Horror Magazine, the SF&F Workshop Newsletter, WAM Magazine/WAM Studio 88 & 89, and various others.

Besides Progressive rock and keyboard instruments such as the synthesizer, the Hammond B-3 organ, and the Mellotron, W. D. Gagliani counts book reviewing and collecting, history and alternate history, and exotic weapons as special interests, along with occasionally writing about the writing process.

Raised in Genova, Italy, as well as Kenosha, Wisconsin, W. D. Gagliani now lives and writes in Milwaukee.

 
International Thriller Writers article/interview:
http://www.thrillerwriters.org/2009/08/wolfs-gambit-by-wd-gagliani.html

Wolf’s Trap special feature:
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SpecialFeatures.cfm?Special_ID=2101 (An excerpt of Wolf’s Trap can also be read here – click on cover)

Wolf’s Gambit special feature:
http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SpecialFeatures.cfm?Special_ID=2727 (An excerpt of Wolf’s Gambit can also be read here – click on cover)

www.williamdgagliani.com

www.myspace.com/wdgagliani

WHEN? Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. EST (Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are?  http://www.worldtimeserver.com)

WHERE? The Writers Chatroom at:  http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note:  The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Don’t forget the open chat on Wednesday nights, 8-11 pm EST!

lunch hour links for writers — 10/21/09

Before we do anything else, we must say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the lovely Ms. Ursula K. LeGuinn! Today is her 80th birthday, and all of us at helluo librorum extend good wishes for her health.

Today, in honor of my ethics class, basement cat wrestles with those moral gray areas. Remember October is basement cat month here at helluo librorum, so every week I’ll be featuring another of my favorite basement lolcats. Fear him, because basement cat wants your soul. I, personally, have no use for it.

If you’re not trolling for souls this evening, you don’t want to miss Audrey Shaffer’s Open Chat Wednesdays at the Writer’s Chatroom. From 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST, you can take your questions and writing related issues to a group of vibrant writers who are encouraging and helpful about topics from plot issues to marketing your novel.

Links

We’ll start this week with a some humor tweeted by @BookEndsJessica where author, Kit Whitfield, gives new writers an interesting Publisher-Dating Dictionary. Just in case you’re wondering how editors and agents are interpreting those phrases in your query letter, Kit likens the whole experience to dating with some amusing results.

Go to the Rose and Thorn Journal and visit their new web page! It is beautiful and very user-friendly. Congratulations to Kat and Angie for a superior job!

Skip over to the BackSpace blog where Lisa McMann gives An Introduction to Web Promotion that details the benefits of MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites in promoting your novel.

Author Hilary Wagner is working through the copy edits for her novel, and she gives you a crash course on Translating Editor Language at her blog.

My good friend, Kelly Bryson, also talks about the pit-falls of styles when she asks the burning question: Why a Style Sheet? Or, How to Pretend to be a Professional Writer.

Brian, The New Author, talks about pitching your novel and the need to be prepared in his post A Pitching Good Time! Brian worked hard and prepared for his opportunity to pitch his novel with excellent results, so stop by and pick up valuable tips on how to pitch!

Jennifer Neri gives some great information on the setting in your novel when she talks about Walking the Landscape and evoking not just a description of the setting, but also the mood and the people.

Jonathan Danz has a great post on Free Podcasts and Print Books Living Together, Mass Hysteria! where he talks about the merging of print with other other media.

Over at Editor Unleashed, the topic is Agents and the Trust Factor. How does a writer protect themselves from unscrupulous agents? Maria Schneider has a few tips for the uninitiated.

Speaking of protecting yourself, now would be a good time to talk about Preditors & Editors. I had a tip this week that Darkhart Press is no longer recommended by Preditors & Editors due to several complaints filed by various authors. Preditors & Editors does not revoke their recommended status for any publisher without documentation, so always check their site before sending your manuscript to a publisher or agent and check with them again before signing any contracts.

I suppose this would also be a good time to plug the advantages of having a literary agent, but if you insist on going it alone, stay apprised of the publishers’ status. There are a lot of wonderful small presses that are really picking out new talent and working well with their authors. Use every available tool to stay apprised of the situation and be careful.

One agent you don’t have to worry about is Nathan Bransford, and he’s posted the winner of his latest contest with The Winner Is…(And Thoughts on First Paragraphs). There were so many wonderful entries, I’m not sure how he managed to a) read them all and b) pick winners. It was great fun, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to compete.

However, I believe my poor first paragraph contained a trope. When I expressed my dismay to Jen K. Blom, she suggested the therapy of tweeting a paragraph with all the tropes. We were limited to 140 characters per tweet, so I’ve placed the tweets in order for your reading pleasure:

@jaekaebee He pulls his hairbrush out and drags it through his curly chocolate-brown locks, staring …

@jaekaebee . . .pensively at his reflected, honey-golden eyes . . .

@TeresaFrohock . . . through the blood spattering his mirror. He has awakened to find his latest lover’s head perched like a vulture on . . .

@TeresaFrohock. . . the softly shimmering wood of his dresser.

@jaekaebee . . . With a gasp, he woke up, the white satin covers flurrying blindly around his head like a snowstorm. "Buddy! He whispered,…

@jaekaebee . . . "Are you okay?" Looking around, he realized it had only been a dream. Oh, his heart! It hammered so!

@TeresaFrohock . . . Buddy sat up beside him, the flesh peeling from his cheek. During the dark and stormy night Buddy had turned into a zombie!

@TeresaFrohock . . . “BRAAAIIINNNNSSS,” said Buddy.

Please, please, no need for applause. Thank you, thank you.

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

Thanks to @thecreativepenn for tweeting that Red Blade Press is now open for dark speculative fiction short-story submissions. They are not accepting submissions for novels. According to their web site, there is a very narrow deadline for submissions:

Only submissions received between September 17th 2009 and November 30th 2009 will be considered. Any submissions received outside this timeframe will be deleted unread.

So if you have a short-story up to 7,500 words, check out the Red Blade Press.

MORE NIBBLES AND LINKS

Looking for more links? Check out Andy Shackcloth’s Sunday Wash-up where Andy posts the best links that he can find on the Internet and a reason for each.

More great links can be had at Pimp My Novel every Friday. For those who missed it, here is last week’s post entitled The Day of Internet Addiction.

That’s it for this week, and I certainly hope I haven’t forgotten anyone, but just in case roll through the sidebar and visit a few of the folks there. I’ve added a few new links you might find interesting, and I will continue to update and add links as I wander across the Internet in search of next week’s lunch hour links for writers . . .

Have a great week!

Allthewayfromlongview reviews ‘Tis by Frank McCourt

After Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, one of the bleakest books I’ve ever read, I wasn’t sure what to expect from ’Tis. Frank McCourt was born in New York City, but moved back to Ireland with his family as a small child. The fact that young Frank, at the age of 19, was able to escape extreme poverty in Ireland and move back to New York City is an accomplishment by itself. Within several days of arriving, he receives the first of many warnings about the evils of drink and is urged to become acquainted with the New York Public Library – by a bartender. After a period of time working as a janitor . . .

 Read the entire review of ‘Tis by Frank McCourt at Booklove.