Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Light of Brain

I’m drinking tea from my Shakespearean Insult Mug, and I have to say that “light of brain” seems to describe me rather well at the moment. For every one thing I get done, eight bajillion more are left unfinished. This doesn’t extend to work, thank goodness, but when forced to choose between one of those eight bajillion blog (or house cleaning) things or going to a soccer game and then drowning my sorrows in free beer when we lose, I’ve been weak.

So weak…and slightly tipsy.

I’ve emerged from this holiday weekend newly resolved to catch up, however, and I think this time it just might happen. To help hold me accountable, here’s what is on the docket:

  • Post the Website builder information and tips (it’s almost finished; I just need to stop doddling).

  • Start on the midlist-palooza that y’all helped compile and get back to those nice authors I contacted many, many months ago. I envision posting something once a week, whether it is an interview or a guest blog doesn’t matter.

  • Do some more recommendations from that other list y’all compiled, so Beth will stop yelling at me.

  • Put up more new, shiny links in the sidebar (I added some more on Sunday/Monday, but I think I’ll build another subsection for publishers/editor blogs and I need to put up the favorite posts links as well as the cover design/question links). If you have any suggestions for publishers who need some lovin’ or who have blogs or sites, let me know.

  • Find some book/cover designers to talk to about the design process (if you know any, send them my way).

Now, for y’all (these links may be a little old, but I find them fascinating):

  • Jennifer Crusie posts “What’s Bugging Me Now,” and her comments on trying to find Alison Bechtel’s Fun Home fit with our earlier conversations about shelving, mis-shelving, and trying to find out where the hell something is hiding (thanks to Q for the link). I would personally love to put his book on my front table, but first I have to get my order in (everybody join together and think evil thoughts about Ingram with me).

  • C. Max Magee of the Millions posted this link to Patrick Reardon’s compilation of must reads (which he compiled after he awoke from the sticker-shock induced by 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die). I know that you’ve already got quite a list going from all the recommendations flying around here, but you can never have too many books.

  • USA Today posts an article about the Paranormal trend in Romance, which means the trend will now die off rapidly and not rise again because media coverage at this point is like a stake. A big, pointy stake. (I’m joking only a little, but feel free to insert your Buffy/Dracula/Barnaby Jones comments here).

  • Bookslut has its July issue up! Go. Read. Now!

  • Book Dwarf checks out Franzen’s latest, The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History, and is slightly disappointed. At 197 pages long, I think I would be asking for something a bit meatier myself, especially from the man who told Oprah, “No,” when it came to including his book in her book club.

That’s all for the moment. Now that I’ve accomplished absolutely nothing on my first list, I need to get ready for work.

Have a great day.

4 comments:

lady t said...

Come on,BSC,don't jinx my paranormal books:)! Actually,there is some backlash,particularly against Laurell K Hamilton for the increasing amount of sex in her stories,mostly the Anita Blake series. While I agree that's gone way overboard,I can't help but read every new book she has.

Hell,it was easier to give up Anne Rice novels(did get an ARC of her Christ The Lord novel,which my sis and I laughed our butts off at)but then again,it's a harmless pleasure at best. Oh,and thanks for adding me to your blogroll,BSC-much appreciated:D

Stacia said...

I don't think it's a stake for paranormals, it's a belated stake for vampires. (Notice all the books discussed were vamps.) Most publishers stopped buying them (at least in great numbers) almost a year ago because there was such a glut.

Sure the big series will continue. But if you're just starting out and want to write vampires, your options are much more limited than they were two years ago. It's not impossible, just the market isn't as open as it was.

MaryJanice Davidson said...

Argh, don't say that! I was amazed to read in the USA piece that there are nearly a million copies of my Undead books in print (the authors are always the last to know). So don't jinx me now; I wanna hit two million. ;-)

Stacia said...

I think you're one of the Big Series, MJD. :-)

There are still readers for them, absolutely. I just think the flood is slowing, which is only good news for already-published and popular vamp writers.