Writing As a Blood Sport

Nah, not really, I'm just writing a 'gotcha' headline. Writing IS all about being read, though, and Atlanta's got an arm-length list of public reading series. Here's an article from Sunday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution about them, and the bout that I won (grr, snarl, slam) at the Decatur Book Festival.

eReaders and digital signatures - conundrum?

Conundrum, or maybe I'm just behind the times.
Invisible Sisters sells very well as an eBook, and I've been stumped as how to sign one.

I just learned. You can request a digital signature here ! I promise, my digital signature is just as illegible as my manual one.

The Glory of Research

I mean it - reseearch is glorious. I am currently reading John Sayles' massive novel, A Moment in the Sun, and devouring it. And then I found this , courtesy of McSweeney's, the terrific, innovative, art & design savvy publisher who published Sayles' book.

If you are a research and American history freak like me, get a cup of coffee, a comfy chair, and prepare to check out of the present day for a while.

This Just In: Overstimulation

M & I put down our pens, closed our laptops, and walked over to East Atlanta village for the annual Strut. I wanted to see the aerialist(I was too enthralled to take pictures!) some of the bands, and drink in public, and maybe buy arty jewelry. M wanted to do the same, less the arty jewelry. We did all these things.

And our friends at Bound to Be Read Books won a trophy for their role in the parade! The trophy includes a plastic alligator, an astronaut, a brooch with fake fur, and part of a lamp, I think.

Keyboards of the Gods

This is Isaac Bashevis Singer's typewriter. I took this picture a few years ago, at a fancy literary party at the home of someone who owns... Isaac Bashevis Singer's typewriter.

I like to look at this photo periodically. I thought you might, too.

By the way, I don't know if this is a QWERTY keyboard. I doubt it. It's in Hebrew.

Heroes Deserve Healthcare

Did you know that the 9/11 Healthcare Bill does not cover cancer ? Did you know that the first responders (among others on the scene) ten years ago today were exposed to a vast array of carcinogens, and that they are now showing increased rates of an array of cancers ?

Remember them, remember their bravery, and acknowledge that the Federal Government is not helping them to the fullest, now that the First Responders are in need of prompt response.

When the copy edits arrive

My friend Susan Woodring has just finished reviewing the copy edits for her new book, Goliath, and she grabs that horrible, exhilarating, stare-your-own work in the face experience here .

PS: the photo here is the cover of her first book, Springtime on Mars. Read it!

Don't miss the Decatur Book Festival this weekend

Don't miss the Decatur Book Festival this weekend. I've looked over the schedule, and am already making a list of what talks, concerts, panels, book signings I want to go to!

Come on over to the Write Club event on Saturday at 5, where I'll be squaring off against my good friend Susan Rebecca White in a competitive read-off, and then be double triple sure to come by the Decatur Conference Center auditorium on Sunday at 4, when Katharine Weber will be speaking about her new book, "The Memory of All That," and rumor has it, I'll be asking her some questions about her writing!

How to host a terrific book club meeting

How to host a terrific book club meeting?

Be these ladies. Or, if you're not, have a cat (that's Mr. T there front and center.) Have snacks. Have read the author's book and be genuinely interested. Be nice. Be fun and smart. And make it a conversation, not a hot seat Q&A. And sent the author home with snacks for her spouse.

What I'm holding is a beautiful leather-bound notebook that was a thank you gift from the BAB bookclub (no, I won't tell you what BAB stands for), and the notebook has an embossed image that touched my heart.