Oh No, Not the Grammar Police

2012-01-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

Hope for Writers
The name of this blog reminded me of something. Aspiring writers, take heart: Publishers are more interested in your storytelling ability, not your mastery of grammar. It's easy to hire a copyeditor to fix grammar, spelling, and punctuation; it's not so easy to take a poorly executed story and turn it into a page turner.

2011-12-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Literary Agents - The Other Guys at Your Party

Somewhere along the line, someone decided that literary agents were the bad guys of publishing, and a whole slew of people - mostly aspiring writers, from what I have observed - jumped on that bandwagon. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that publishing has become such a bottom-line business, and less of a creative literary outlet.

Now, before anyone considers sending me hate mail or a first-person account of why an agent sucked big-time or was a junk-yard dog, let me state for the record that not all agents are equal. (Of course!) They may not know what they're doing, they could be shysters, they might disguise themselves as agents when they're really just looking to take advantage of the unsuspecting and inexperienced. I'm not referring to the predators. Any writer looking to get a traditional book contract has a responsibility to him- or herself to do the research and be smart about what they're doing before they sign anything. Period.

Literary agents have 2 main functions, in my opinion: They serve as the front line in the publishing industry (that is, they know what editors are looking for--and are uniquely suited to match your manuscript with the right editor), and they negotiate your contract. (If you've never seen a literary contract, you don't have a clue as to what a quagmire it can be. Be grateful for this.) As a bonus, your agent can offer solid editorial feedback to improve your manuscript and increase your chances of getting a contract.

Agents typically get 15% of anything a writer earns--usually right off the top. If you sell your manuscript, the advance check (if there is one) is routed through your agent...and the agent takes his/her cut and forwards you the rest. This percentage is "in perpetuity," which means your agent is forever attached to the success (or failure) of the works represented. He/She is entitled to 15% of foreign rights, movie rights, ANY other rights that the work generates, ad infinitum. This burns some people's bacon. For others, it's a reasonable price for their work.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with author Josh Berk, who writes middle grade and YA fiction. Berk's first book, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, was represented by Ted Malauer and sold to Alfred A. Knopf. Pretty impressive. The book received starred reviews and a nomination for a Read Kiddo Read award. By almost all standards, it quickly became a success. For a first-timer, this is huge.

"I thought I should just retire now," Berk says of that initial success.

Berk's agent, Malauer, was the middle man who made the deal possible. Could Berk have found the editor on his own? Possibly, but unlikely. Berk knows the importance of a good agent.

"He knows how to get the best out of me," Berk says of Malauer. "In fact, he should probably get more money, for all the pro bono psychiatric services."

So, before you jump on that bandwagon of people that says agents don't deserve "all that money they take from their writers," do some research, interview people who would know both the pros and cons, and then draw your conclusions.

2011-11-29T06:34:00.000-08:00

Book Trailers: They're Hot

While some people are sweating about the whirlwind shift in publishing from paper books to digital files, others are turning the new technology into lucrative and creative businesses. For instance, there are whole new companies popping up that specialize in digital book trailers - miniature movies that promote a specific book - and other fun animations. These advertising and marketing tools will become more important, I think, as the shift to digital really takes hold. People will demand polished, well produced clips to help them decide where to spend their "reading dollars."

Instead of judging a book by its cover, readers (particularly digital readers) will be judging by the trailer.

Here's an example of a nicely produced book trailer for a title that has been called a "dystopian YA novel" but also received critical acclaim. This trailer will likely be superseded, but only as soon as FOX has something to promote the movie. The book hits shelves (and cyber stores) in February 2012.

Keep on reading!

2011-10-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

Free iPad App Fun for Readers and Authors

It's not often that I pull content from a press release, but Subtext, a new e-book app, looks like a ton of fun...for readers and authors. For the record, I don't own an e-reader myself--I rarely have time to read for pleasure anymore, but don't cry for me. I get paid to read! I do quality control on e-books, so I'm a fan, just not a user yet.

If you can bear to join yet another social network for readers, see below for an abbreviated version of the company's press release:

Right from the pages of an e-book, Subtext members can:

• Engage in conversations with friends, community members, authors and experts, even if they are not on the same page at the same time.
• Access author, expert and community-generated insights and information and contribute their own.
• Easily add and explore links to relevant articles, images and multimedia on the Web.
• Personalize the experience so they can engage with the people and information that matter to them.

Members can also see all the discussions and activity related to the books they are reading in “Discuss,” a Facebook-style reading feed that serves as the community center of Subtext.

“Here, at last, is a platform that allows authors to add video, audio, photos, links and notes to enhance their books—and it is as easy as changing their Facebook status. Best of all, Subtext frees authors up to approach their subject in a different way, to speak in a more intimate voice and to lift the curtain on their process,” explained Amy Stewart, the New York Times-bestselling author of Wicked Bugs. “I'm midway through my next book, and I'm already thinking about how I can enhance it in Subtext.”

Subtext’s First Shelf Showcases 18 Enriched Books

For its launch, Subtext collaborated with notable authors from several U.S. publishers—including Byliner, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Penguin Group (USA), Random House, Inc., Simon & Schuster and Algonquin, a division of Workman—to offer consumers a collection of eighteen books spanning genres such as literary and popular fiction, mystery, suspense, business and science. All books are enriched with additive content, including author and expert commentary, and available with free previews. The company also announced that it has integrated with the open Google Books API, allowing Subtext users access to their Google eBooks library as well as the ability to add additional books from the Google eBookstore.

This initial effort aligns with Subtext’s plan to serve as a platform that connects authors and publishers directly with consumers and supports the first marketplace for value-added book content.

Examples of Additional Content in Subtext

• George R.R. Martin’s editor and researcher offer insider commentary in A Game of Thrones.
• David Eagleman, a popular neuroscientist and author of Incognito, spends a week “in the book” discussing the complexities and contradictions of the human mind.
• Frances Mayes refreshes her classic Under the Tuscan Sun with updates on popular characters and new off-the-beaten-path locations.
• Spencer Quinn reveals the secrets behind a good mystery in The Dog Who Knew Too Much.
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is brought to life with scenes from the new movie and interviews with author Lisa See and director Wayne Wang.
• Lev Grossman gives a behind-the-scenes tour of the magical world of Fillory in The Magician King.

Complete List of Books on First Subtext Shelf

The Baby Chase, a Byliner Original, Holly Finn
The Chairs Are Where the People Go, Misha Glouberman & Sheila Heti
The Dog Who Knew Too Much, Spencer Quinn
A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
Girl in Translation, Jean Kwok
Incognito, David Eagleman
In the Plex, Steven Levy
It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs…, Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser
The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Soli
Machine Man, Max Barry
Miss Lonelyhearts, Nathaniel West
The Magician King, Lev Grossman
A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick
The Sherlockian, Graham Moore
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
The True Memoirs of Little K, Adrienne Sharp
Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes
Wicked Bugs, Amy Stewart

(More titles to come.)

Subtext was designed to allow consumers to access and read books from multiple sources. The Subtext bookshelf can sync with users’ bookshelves on other platforms, and its system supports annotations across different ebook editions.

(Subtext received $3 million in seed investment from Google Ventures, Mayfield Fund, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Omidyar Network.)

# # #

2011-09-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

First Big eBook Author Signing

On Saturday, September 17, author Jonathon King signed free copies of his Edgar Award-winning book and had photos taken with fans at Bouchercon 2011, the national mystery conference.

This is pretty big news for digital publishing. It was the first "national" eBook signing, and also gave a large audience a first-hand look at how the autographing technology works. Now when readers open their eBooks, they'll find a screen containing King's signature, and those who had pictures taken with the author will find them on this same screen. Readers can also "share" that photo via Facebook, Twitter, and other usual social media.

Look for more technologies like this to emerge at an increasing pace in a kind of "digital euphoria."

2011-09-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

The Elements of Story: Light Reading for Writing

Recently, while I was housesitting for some friends, I had the occasion to read The Elements of Story: Field Notes of Nonfiction Writing by Francis Flaherty. I found this book, with its short chapters, a very good companion for standing on the platform for the commuter train, riding an elevator, or waiting for a lunch date.

Though there is nothing earth-shattering about the author's advice or examples--read your Strunk & White, for example, referring to The Elements of Style, the classic little book on writing well--it is still decent reading. Consider it good "beach reading." Much of what he says applies to novel writing, screenplay writing, and other writing, too. Here are 10 of Flaherty's nuggets:

Nothing is so trivial or technical that somebody won't get dreamy-eyed about it, or red in the face.
Readers are greedy for life; their own is not enough.
People don't talk in straight lines, especially about emotions.
A villain drawn by a savvy writer will leave readers not just saying, "Bad dude," but, "Bad dude--yet I see where he's coming from." After all, we're all guilty with an explanation.
A writer is like a gardener who knows that one tree can serve as a focal point, but that many trees will just muck up the impact of each.
No detail belongs in a story if it doesn't serve some role therein. As Chekhov said, don't put a gun on the stage in Act I if it doesn't get used by the end of the play.
Lavish much attention on your verbs; they are the engine of your text.
Brevity comes from selection, not compression.
Of the two jobs a writer must do--make a story move, and describe and explain--movement is the more important.
People can be swayed by the sequence of things, rather than just by their substance.

2011-08-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day

How vain it is to sit down to write, when you have not stood up to live. --Henry David Thoreau

2011-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Great Books Find You

I can't remember exactly how I stumbled upon Madonna Kolbenschlag's Lost in the Land of Oz: Befriending Your Inner Orphan and Heading for Home, but I'm glad I did. The book was probably referenced in some other title I was working on. Having been trained as a journalist and, more importantly, having worked on hundreds of books, maybe I've learned when to pursue a lead.

I mention this book now because the economy has a lot of people concerned about their futures and maybe our collective future too. Here's one quote from the book that struck me:

Our own anonymity and vulnerability make us as fearful of the economy as of random violence.... The web of life that connects us is drawing us closer together, even as we feel more and more alone.... Our proximity to so much and so many increases our sense of estrangement, and at the same time, our longing for kinship and familiar connections.... Perhaps a sense of shared fate will free us from our fetish for individualism.

As far as I know, Kolbenschlag (1935-2000), an American, was not a Marxist. She did have a doctorate in clinical psychology, though.

Her words remind me of a reality-TV show that helped me learn a lot about myself. The Colony places a group of people (all volunteers) in a place that has been devastated by environmental disaster (think post-Katrina Louisiana). The people come from all walks of life--a model, a mechanic, an inventor, a businessman, for instance--and all they have collectively is some canned food and whatever items are leftover from the disaster, such as a tractor with flat tires.

In truly dire circumstances, all our financial trappings disappear and what really matters is our common sense, our ability to reason, and our ability to work with others. Human relationships--that's what saves us when there is nothing else. Native Americans (and other "primitive" societies) knew this well, because their survival depended upon it, but in modern America, this concept is lost on many of us, myself included.

I'll end with one more quote from Lost in the Land of Oz, which was written in the 1980s, that I find powerful:

Perhaps you have lived a good portion of your life as a scavenger, collecting scraps of power, roles, possessions, affection, self-worth, celebrity wherever you could and pasting them on yourself like fig leaves to hide your fear of meaninglessness, abandonment, your sense of being lost. Now you are ready to enter a process of stripping and emptying...you are ready for real adventure.

The moral here is: great books find us, whether we want them to or not. So keep reading.

2011-07-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day
In books we never find anything but ourselves. Strangely enough, that always gives us great pleasure, and we say the author is a genius. --Thomas Mann

I found this quote interesting, since it is widely regarded that a writer's character is, in fact, himself. So are we searching for ourselves in literature--for a commonality of spirit--or are we merely self-absorbed?

2011-06-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Social Reading - the "Next Big Digital Thing"?

Bob Stein of the Institute for the Future of the Book recently addressed a group of book publishing professionals in New York. He talked about how the reading experience in the digital age is likely to change.

Bob has been on the cutting edge of book publishing for some time, having helped developed one of the first CD-ROMs for Mac in 1988 (about Igor Stravinsky, in black and white, no gray scale) and the first eBooks for Mac in 1992.

In 2004, the Macarthur Foundation (the people who give out the "genius awards") financed his work on the first "networked book" or social reading project. In that project, 7 women read a book online and then used a system of comments to collaboratively discuss the process of reading. [I imagine it was a bit like Google docs, which allows multiple users to edit documents for a remote, yet totally collaborative, effort.]

These days he's working on an exciting browser-based product that takes the networked book to the next level. Users can highlight passages and comment on them (just like we oldsters used to do in the margins of printed books during literature class), have a book discussion group from all parts of the planet, even engage with the author for real-time readings and Q&A. The value, Bob says, is in the interaction, and it'll be ideal for classroom situations. It'll also be useful for the slouch who doesn't WANT to read, but would rather read the highlights that others have made, a la Cliff's Notes.

If you want to give the concept a try, Copia exists already, though it's an app-based system, not browser-based. You can get the lowdown on what Copia is, download it for free, get some free eBooks, and find groups of people with similar reading interests. Copia is currently available on desktop computers and iPad. The motto there is: If a book is worth reading, it's worth discussing.

(Click here to read a review of Copia.)

2011-05-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Has New York Been Ruined by Gentrification?

On April 28, I had the opportunity to sit in on a panel discussion at the 7th annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. The event hosted 100 published writers from 40 countries around the world. Salman Rushdie was this year's chair.

The discussion I chose was called "De-Gentrify New York and Give Her Back to the World," with Sarah Schulman, a Village Voice writer and gay rights activist, and Samuel R. Delany, an erudite and well-decorated science fiction and fantasy author.

Schulman started with a history lesson about how New York City was nearly bankrupt just a few decades ago, and how there was a concerted effort to attract wealthy people to the city to boost the tax base. But then something went awry.

"Today," she said, "New York is overflowing with rich people." All over the city (and in all the boroughs, not just Manhattan), the dry cleaners, corner barbershops, delis, pubs, and other mom-and-pop businesses are being replaced with banks (LOTS of banks), Barnes & Noble bookstores, and Duane Reade chain pharmacies. These areas, according to Schulman, are now scrubbed clean and homogenized, overrun with retail chains and franchises, and shiny high rises. This type of urban planning is encouraged, she said, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's deliberate policies to gentrify the city. To make money for real estate developers while squeezing out the poor and middle class, even though they're a needed part of city economics and, indeed, city life. Schulman calls this "gentrification of the mind," when people have an attitude of entitlement, supremacy, and/or deserved power.

And yes, she said, it's messing up the city. Big time.

Historically, "People come to New York to create art, escape their families and [the pressures of their] conforming communities, and to have sex," she says. "They come to be New Yorkers." But now, she says, people come to New York not to metamorphose into the city but to change the city to suit their own values. In some parts, the vibrant stew of city life has been turned into a beige puree.

How to fix the onslaught of beige puree? Here were some of Schulman's ideas, which are listed here as a foundation for discussion:

1. Require banks to support the neighborhoods and schools where they operate. (Same goes for real estate developers.)

2. Legalize marijuana as the harmless, socializing drug it is. Making it legal could detract from the worse "chic" drugs, such as methamphetamine.

3. Minimize the foodie craze, which seems to emphasize "fusion" cooking and the watering down of cultures. "Bring back cuchifritos and ethnic restaurants owned by the ethnic," she says.

4. Eliminate MFA programs, which tend to produce posturing talking heads instead of people who actually create art and hang out with other artists.

5. Make being uncomfortable a valuable cultural commodity. The uncomfortable, the crude have a place in the city, too. They contribute to the creativity that makes the urban landscape--not the suburbs--worthwhile and interesting.

Delany remembered moving to the Upper West Side 30 years ago where people of all colors lived. He urged people to remember the common human condition and relying upon one another. He suggested starting groups that would unify the community (he started a gay dads group, for instance), and saying hello to everyone, more than once, until you get a "hello" back.

This is not to say that everyone in attendance agreed that all gentrification is bad, or that it has failed everywhere in New York City. But the beauty of the whole discussion was in, well, the discussion. Without communication, the asking of questions, identifying what isn't working, and the interplay of ideas, voices are silenced and an authentic city experience swirls around the drain.

With Samuel R. Delany

2011-04-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Now in eBooks: Digital Notes and Twitter Links

Multimedia publishing just got a little more enhanced...at least if you have an iPad.

Soon you'll be able to view Twitter conversations (called "hashtags") within an eBook you're reading. Arcade Sunshine Media published an enhanced eBook with these functions: Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet by Tim Flannery.

You have to download the application for Here on Earth, then you can access the tweets plus some other cool stuff. The application also allows you to copy text and, best of all (in my opinion), make notes on the digital page (much like writing in the margins).

Click here to download Here on Earth and find out how to use the Twitter hashtags and digital notes.

2011-03-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

First Airport eBook Library Opens

The world's first eBook library opened in Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport, run by a duty-free shop and funded by the government at approximately $101,720.

Read more by clicking here.

2011-03-14T09:46:00.001-07:00

Author Autographs for eBooks

At many large publishers, eBooks account for less than 10 percent of the company's total sales. It doesn't seem like a lot overall, but eBook sales have surged in the past year. Given our desire for instant access to books, eBook sales are likely to continue in that upward trend. Publishers are working hard to create digital products that readers will love, including "enhanced eBooks" with additional material, such as author interviews, hyperlinks to relevant websites, and other fun and games.

Now eBook readers can get digital autographs from authors too, if they care to do so. Admittedly, it's not the same as meeting an author in person and getting his or her John Hancock on the title page of a printed book, but it's a nice technology that "virtually" connects authors and readers.

Autography, a company based out of St. Petersburg, Florida, is offering this technology across eReader platforms. The author has to have an iPad to create the signature and/or personal message for you, but if that requirement is met, the digital autograph can be sent either through your eReader's Wi-Fi (regardless of platform--this works with Kindle, Nook, etc.) or by e-mail.

2011-03-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

Acknowledgments Are Nice

I'm extremely fortunate to work in a field that I love, and I've edited dozens and dozens of books over the years. Occasionally I even get an acknowledgment, which is a really great reward because it's freely given. Here's a sampling of some memorable projects whose authors kindly thanked me in print. I want to thank them back.

The Illus t rated T imeline of Inventions. Author Craig Sandler took a very broad subject--inventions, from the spear to the Internet--and distilled it into an easy-to-follow timeline filled with information, humor, and literally hundreds of four-color photos. This was Craig's first book, and he was a joy to work with. His acknowledgment was truly humbling and appreciated.

The Secret History of the American Empire. John Perkins was a professional "economic hit man" who scouted countries around the world, looking to exploit the natural resources and labor for American corporations--one reviewer called it "international corporate skullduggery." He's outed himself and written some pretty interesting books about how America really operates around the world. Getting an acknowledgment from him was definitely a career highlight.

The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding. When my premature son was born, I was beyond scared. One of the few things I could do for him was provide the perfect nourishment. It was with a certain personal experience, then, that I copyedited Marianne Neifert's go-to resource for breastfeeding. It has been a point of pride to get her nod of approval.

Windows o n the World Complete Wine Course. It's a daring statement, but I stand by it: Few people know wine like Kevin Zraly does. The wine manager at the former Windows on the World restaurant has written the flagship book on wines from around the world and the many ways we enjoy them. Zraly's advice? Drink the wines you like, not the ones someone else says are prestigious, expensive, or fit for drinking. I like his attitude, but then, I enjoyed Champale and gallon jugs of wine while I was in college, so what do I know? Nevertheless, I was thrilled to be part of the editorial team for several of his books and wish to thank Laurie Kahn, an extraordinary editor and person, whose too-young death still astounds me.

This Tree Grows Out of Hell. The back cover of Ptolemy Tompkins's book says that reading it is "a dark, dangerous, but ultimately enlightening journey" to the spiritual heart of Mesoamerica--that is, the religious ideas of the Maya, Huichol, and Aztec. This book helped me gain greater understanding for those fierce and often misunderstood societies that so fascinate me.

The Land Beyond: A Memoir. Shortly after he was married, Jack D. Ives took his bride to Labrador, where he researched glaciers and eventually became the field director for the McGill Sub-Arctic Research Laboratory. His memoir of this very rugged and very beautiful landscape made me very thankful for his work. After all, scientists really aren't so different from book editors: we're a bit nerdy (okay, a whole lot nerdy!) and like independent work. In an industry where authors are convinced that editors are only frustrated writers who couldn't sell their own books, I'd like to extend sincere thanks to Mr. Ives for including me with the University of Alaska Press staff as someone with "professional excellence."

Becom ing a Dad: The First Three Years. Rarely have I worked with an author like John Carr, who was so earnest and steadfast in wanting to create a book that would really help people and make the world a slightly better place. Carr has devoted his career to lifting up the modern father who may have no idea what kind of ride he's in for or the obstacles he'll face in our changing society. As a first-time author, John made me happy to edit his work and maybe hold his hand a little bit as we journeyed toward his book's publication. I finally met John at his book launch party, and the wonderful things he said (in public!) made me feel like a rock star.

Put on a Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir. You might not know the name Charles Strouse, but I bet you know the names of the Broadway musicals he wrote music for, including Bye Bye Birdie and Annie. (He also wrote the music for "Those Were the Days," the theme song for the TV series All in the Family.) Strouse, who holds Tony and Grammy awards and is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, could never quite jettison the self-loathing that I believe afflicts most (if not all) creative people. This book was special, because it was the first acquisition for a young editor who moved mountains to get the job done. It was great fun to meet Mr. Strouse at a book signing near Lincoln Center.

There are so many wonderful books out there. What are you reading?

2011-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

Day Tripping: Maharaja Cafe

I like an upscale meal as much as the next girl, but I'm most comfortable in places that are unpretentious. I prefer blue-collar and industrial towns over moneyed suburbs, a street festival to the opera, and waterside lobster shacks instead of a three-figure dinner bill. Mainly it's about the food. If it's good, I'm there.

Maharaja Indian Cafe on East 45th Street is a classic "hole in the wall," where it's come as you are and eat with plastic forks. For $10 I got the "meat and vegetable combo": Chicken Tikka Masala, one of the most palate-pleasing dishes, particularly for newcomers to Indian food, basmati rice, spinach paneer, a huge piece of naan, and all-you-can-eat papadam (a lentil wafer that's great with tamarind or other sauce). And a soft drink, too. If you're looking for dietetic, keep walking! This is comfort food.

New Yorkers used to have to go to the East Village to get Indian food. But here in midtown, the vittles were good, the counter service was welcoming, and the ambient Indian music made me glad that decent, inexpensive Indian food is all over the city now.

Maharaja Restaurant & Cafe
133 East 45th Street
New York, NY
212.682.7963

2011-02-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Day

Publishing houses are not, as has been claimed, a refuge for rogues, thieves, and intellectual criminals who depend for their existence . . . the skills and talents of the miserably rewarded few who can do what the publishers are incapable of--string together a few words in meaningful fashion.

--Alistair Maclean, author of The Guns of Navarone

2011-02-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

In-House, Yet Out-of-House

After 15 years of working from my home office, I decided to take a long-term in-house freelance position with a major publisher. Though I worried about how my 12-year-old son would take the transition, whether I could hack a long commute, and so on, the job so far has gone smashingly. I was (and am) happy as a freelancer, but I had forgotten how nice it can be to work with a team of adult people who are all focused on the same goal.

The other benefit to taking the position was working on eBooks, surely the future of publishing. I continue to take a "wait and see" approach to the life or death of print publishing--personally, I do not see electronic publishing as a medium that is predestined to obliterate print. It is likely to supersede print, but the two can co-exist, at least for the foreseeable future.

If you're interested in the latest in electronic book publishing, try Digital Book World. The annual conference just wrapped up, so there's lots of good stuff to read there. Also, if you're a book industry professional, registration has already opened for Book Expo 2011.

As a personal side note, thank you to those who posted comments and commiserated with me over the loss of my grandmother. I felt truly thankful to host Thanksgiving--my grandmother is still alive in me.

2010-11-21T04:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at My House

When I was a preschooler and kindergartener, my family lived with my maternal grandparents, Raymond and Eva. They were a typical Pennsylvania German couple, but extraordinary grandparents. At the holidays, Gram would take out her huge White Westinghouse electric roaster for making the bird--it created a lot more room in her modest oven for other things, such as her stuffing.

Gram believed in slow roasting, and so all night long on Thanksgiving Eve (and Christmas Eve), I would smell the turkey roasting. The only lockable door in the entire house was for the bathroom, and my bedroom then was at the top of the stairs. I can remember lying in my bed, letting the soft, golden glow from the kitchen enrobe me as I dozed off to sleep, my head full of the scent of roasting turkey.

As the only granddaughter, I had special privileges. One of those was receiving her "good dishes" when I became an adult and she was ready for me to take over making Thanksgiving dinner. She earned those dishes either from a grocery store or by making deposits in a banking account, but to me they are more valuable than any that might have a Tiffany label on them. It was my joy to be able to present a meal for my Gram after all those years of enjoying her food. Several years ago, as Alzheimers slowly took her memory and her sociability and she became more frail, she stopped coming to Thanksgiving dinner, but I would take a plate to her the following day.

This is my first Thanksgiving without my Gram. I sure do miss her, but I'll get through it by giving thanks for the wonderful years I had with her, by using her good dishes, and by making sure the house is filled with the scent of roasting turkey.

Gram's Holiday Stuffing

Makes one 9 x 13 pan (serves 8-10)

1 loaf of bread, torn into pieces
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 potatoes, cooked and mashed
Parsley, salt, and pepper, to taste
Other spices, such as poultry seasoning, to taste
1-2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2-3 cups milk or chicken broth

One or two days ahead, set out torn bread pieces to dry, occasionally tossing the pieces to ensure even drying.

Preheat oven to 350. In a skilled over medium heat, saute chopped celery and onions in a bit of olive oil or butter for about 5 minutes, or until celery is soft. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the celery and onions, cooled mashed potatoes, and seasonings. Add the eggs and chicken broth and mix with bare hands until well combined.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Gram's hint: To retain moisture in the stuffing, place a lasagna pan half-filled with hot water in the bottom of the oven.

2010-11-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Sarajedini (University of Florida), and G. Piotto (University of Padua [Padova])

Starry-Eyed

I'd forgotten how beautiful and clear the night sky can be at this time of year. But this morning, as my husband slept in, I could hear our dogs stage-yawning and making other noises. It was time for their "morning constitutional," and somebody needed to get up!

After a dreary, cloud-filled couple of days, I wasn't expecting much in the predawn, yet when I opened the door, it was as if I was in a Disney movie--you know, that point when the orchestra plays a grand tune while the camera sweeps back for a big panoramic shot of the Serengeti or a North American waterfall.

In a word, it was beautiful. I was taken back to a book project I'd worked on in 2003 called A Year of the Stars by Fred Schaaf (Prometheus Books), which is remarkably still available in hardcover. (Some smaller houses and academic presses actually do keep their books in print.) Schaaf, a contributor and editor for Sky & Telescope magazine and author of other books on stargazing, takes you on a year-long journey through the night sky and makes you want to run out and buy a telescope. (And you can do just that, as he gives some advice on how to select a telescope. There's also discussion on colors of stars, how brightness is measured, and so on, but it's written in a friendly manner for the layperson.)

In November, for instance, in the high northeast sky, you can see Aries the Ram, the Pleiades cluster (aka the Seven Sisters), and the Andromeda galaxy. It's spectacular, and if you read the book, Schaaf divulges when it's the most opportune time for skywatching. Hint: it's a time of year when even those of us who "sleep in" are rising before dawn anyway.

Don't forget to check out the incredible photo gallery at Hubblesite.

2010-10-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Are You Tired and Wired?

My dear sister-in-law (I have three), who is a nurse, wife, mom, and a friend to many, once told me that when she wakes up in the morning, she feels as if she's traveled around the world. She's tired and beaten before she even gets out of bed--and that was before she had two kids under the age of 4.

After editing Are You Tired and Wired? by Marcelle Pick (Hay House, forthcoming March 2011), I wondered if my sister-in-law might have adrenal dysfunction, an uncommonly diagnosed disorder that is characterized by exhaustion, dizziness, hair-trigger irritability, cardiovascular symptoms such as low blood pressure or heart palpitations, digestive issues such as frequent diarrhea, thirst or cravings for salt, endocrine issues such as diabetes and stubborn weight gain around the middle, and feeling as if you're going to have a breakdown when even the slightest problem arises.

Truth is, even though adrenal dysfunction is a fairly uncommon diagnosis, many American women are likely to have this problem because we're--frankly--running ourselves into the ground. The constant stress of work, kids, activities, volunteering, and so on puts a constant strain on our adrenal glands. According to author Marcelle Pick, stress signals the adrenals to pump adrenaline through your system as if it's facing fight-or-flight. Adrenaline is designed to help you get through problems, challenges, and threats to your safety, but those levels are meant to stabilize after the crisis.

When you're constantly in crisis mode, eventually your adrenals are tired and wired too, and that's when a tiny problem that you would have shrugged off before (Forgot your lunch? Can't get your kid's shoelaces tied?) makes you think you're having a breakdown. Quite simply, you can't take it anymore!

But there's help if you're brave enough to grab it. Yes, it includes doing something about your schedule. (You knew it would.) Pick also suggests a gluten-free diet; moderate, gentle exercise; setting aside just a few minutes of alone time to journal or meditate or take an uninterrupted bath; and learning how to set healthy boundaries and saying no once in a while.

This book is appropriate for almost every adult woman I know, and if you're reading this, I urge you to consider buying the book or loaning it from your library. It should be available in e-book format too, and as an audiobook.

Read it. Your life will be better for it.

2010-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day

"How I will be at the moment of my death is completely dependent upon my actions now, in this present moment. . . . [W]hen death arrives the only thing remaining to do is simply merge one's present awareness with the clarity of mind itself, for the past is complete and the future unknowable."

--Matteo Pistono, In the Shadow of the Buddha (Dutton, forthcoming January 2011)

2010-09-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

Dreaming in English--A Bit Too Dreamy

An ironic thing happened while I was proofreading Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald (New American Library, February 2011). I decided to watch Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, which had been collecting dust in its Netflix mailer for weeks, possibly months.

Fitzgerald earned acclaim for Veil of Roses, a contemporary novel about Tamila Soroush, a beautiful young Iranian who leaves Tehran in search of a better life and for happiness--just as Fitzgerald's own husband had done. Dreaming in English is the sequel to Veil, and it follows Tami, who is visiting Tucson, Arizona, on a tourist visa. The book follows her through a series of comical engagements, an eleventh-hour marriage that enables her to stay in America, and the expected trials and tribulations of dealing with surprised in-laws, her husband's returning ex-girlfriend, and the struggles inherent to opening a business.

Clearly Fitzgerald wrote the book from a good place. She is a talented writer with great pacing and a refreshingly different character as America returns its attention to Iran and its attention-getting leadership. For many people, this would be a wonderful read. But I found this work just a little too sweet, and as I read along--particularly at the climax during Tami's immigration hearing--I swear I could hear Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" playing in the background.

Yes, America is still the best place on earth (in my opinion), but the awful truth is that there are serious problems in America, and I was longing for Tami to have deeper experiences, not just run-ins with a bewitched mother-in-law, mentally deficient suitors, a sister's pregnancy scare, and cold-hearted immigration employees.

Bowling for Columbine, as most of America already knows, is a documentary-style movie about some not-so-pretty aspects of American life. It specifically tackles gun ownership and the tragic things that can happen when young people have access to them. But it also is a comment on the state of journalism in America.

If you're happy with a read that skims the surface, waves the flag, and is a honey dripper, this book could be a very pleasing way to pass the time. But if you're looking for characters that have a broader range of experience--if you prefer books that make you laugh and cry and really think about what it is to have an authentic experience in America, warts and all--then this particular novel may not be for you.

2010-09-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sweet 16 for Chicago Manual of Style

That publishing "bible," Chicago Manual of Style, is now in its 16th edition. As someone who has cleaved to the 15th edition for quite some time, change isn't always so sweet. But language is changing all the time, especially as technology changes and its buzzwords become commonplace.

For now, I'm still using the 15th edition, but I'm hip to important changes in style and besides, I'll own it by year's end, when more publishers are likely to send out notices about it. Regardless, it's good to know what's new and different in the newest incarnation. I've always believed that a smart editor knows when to massage the rules (for instance, no plural word has ever gotten an apostrophe by me--apostrophes are reserved for possessives--though Chicago used to allow one exception). But when I recently told an in-house production editor that Chicago isn't the be all to end all, she replied, totally deadpan, "It isn't?" as if I had 3 bleeding eyeballs.

It isn't (in my opinion), as evidenced by the fact that there are 16 editions of this rulebook. There's a thing called author style, for example. I feel the same way about Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, the spelling bible, but to a lesser extent. We in the industry already know, for instance, that "Web site" will become "web site" or "website" when Webster's 12 is eventually published.

Still, I use Chicago rigorously, especially on those rare occasions when I need to defend an edit--whether it goes for or against the manual. It's still the most useful resource book editors have. And if you work in the biz or must have a copy for whatever reason, you can snag one for a lot less than the list price of $65 (for now!) at Amazon ($39.47) and Barnes & Noble ($46.80), with free shipping. You can also subscribe to Chicago's online service.

2010-09-02T09:14:00.001-07:00

Publishers: Vilified Daily

I should have known better than to read Paul Carr's article "A Modest Proposal for Authors Who Abandon Their Publishers - Give Me a Break." That red devil, he sucked me right in to a raging industry debate that, frankly, I'd rather stay out of. He had the nerve to not only defend traditional publishing but also say he loves his publisher. What the--?

There was a time when I thought it was a bad thing to be neutral, that it was a cop-out to say, "I'm going to wait and see before I make a judgment." But these days, extremism is king, despite its being very ugly. Unfortunately, our culture is all about venom, knee-jerk reactions, us versus them, and to hell with anybody who doesn't agree with me because I'm not listening.

Frankly, publishing does have a lot of warts, but then, frankly, there are a lot of writers who simply think their stories are more compelling than they really are. And the sad truth is that writers, editors, artists--all creative people--were long ago viewed as disposable. Instead of fighting among ourselves, we should be realizing we're all in the same big boat. If you read some of the angry comments directed at Carr's piece (and Carr himself), you might think some of those unpublished writers think they're Nero watching Rome burn. But the smoke might be from their own britches on fire.

In the meantime, I'll go on loving the world of publishing--in all its incarnations and with all its unsavory characters and twisting plots. Who knows--maybe I'll still be here with Cher and the cockroaches, post-Armageddon.

2010-08-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Don't Fear the Digital

I don't own a digital book reader, I haven't downloaded any books to my cell phone, and I'm a fan of traditionally printed books (for pleasure, I read primarily nonfiction and memoirs). But digital is where it's at in our fast-paced world where people want it now or they might not buy it later.

To stay alive, the publishing industry is able and willing to accommodate the buying public. And why shouldn't it? This is good news for people like me, who count on the industry's viability for livelihood. Though many editors say it's "scary" out there right now, the scare is more about the overall state of our economy than any digital threat. Publishers stand to make a TON more money from digital sales, when you consider that paper is a publisher's biggest expense in publishing a book (except, of course, in those cases where an author's advance outstrips the production costs). Smart authors are aware of this and are negotiating accordingly.

Just this morning I read a quote by a HarperCollins VP who reported bigger e-book sales than printed book sales in the first week. (The book is Laura Lippman's I'd Know You Anywhere.) This is big, even though e-book sales overall account for only 8% of total revenue. The exec attributed it to a good review, and the ability of the e-reading public to buy the book instantly after reading that favorable review.

The downside, of course, is that instant availability only contributes to the hurry-up nature of the industry, making pre-release hype all the more important to sales. In only a couple weeks, printed books will be remaindered. But with the relatively low cost of producing an e-book, more e-titles can remain permanently backlisted--a boon for everyone.

2010-08-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day

"You know Americans are funny kids. They are always sticking their noses into somebody's business which isn't any of theirs."

--Harry Truman's diary, quoted in the forthcoming book Ideal Illusions by James Peck (Henry Holt, March 2011)

2010-07-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

Impressive Debut by Ashley March

Today I shipped out page proofs for the forthcoming Seducing the Duchess by Ashley March, and I was surprised that this was a debut romance novel. Curiously, it's part of the Bridal Pleasures series, even though the story doesn't include a wedding and the leading characters have been married for 3 years. Regardless, the story is better than most I've read recently.

Meet Charlotte, a brunette beauty who was tricked into marrying Philip, the handsome and rich Duke of Rutherford. When she learned his his motive for wedlock was revenge on her family, Charlotte fled to London to cultivate many wealthy and titled admirers. She shows a penchant for cursing, carousing, and reputation-ruining behavior.

Philip has let Charlotte carry on as the seductress for 3 years, but now he is determined return his wife to his side, even if it means abduction, imprisonment (at his lavish estate), and manipulation. Except, Charlotte has some ideas of her own, and they don't include the dastardly duke.

Author March gets a lot of things right with this book. Her characters, Philip and Charlotte, are flawed but not overly frustrating. Her narrative has an easy rhythm; her dialogue contains humor. But perhaps most impressive is the sexual tension March creates and the emotional buy-in she manages to forge with readers. Overall, this debut ranks with the best novels by Barbara Samuel and Cheryl Sawyer. It'll be interesting to see what comes next from this writer.

If you like romance, preorder Seducing the Duchess. It's just that good.

2010-06-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Fun Summer Reading: Chocolate Series by JoAnna Carl

If you're a fan of mysteries and are looking for some light beach reading, you might like the Chocolate mystery series by JoAnna Carl (also known as Eve K. Sandstrom).

Yes, these books involve guns, shootings, and murders, but they also include chocolate. The protagonist, Lee, is the business manager for a chocolatier along Lake Michigan. In Carl's forthcoming title The Chocolate Pirate Plot (Obsidian, October 2010), there is a repulsive wimp, an evil theater director, a drowned man, and Lee's poor hunky husband, who practically reveals his manly parts after taking a rescue dive in his boxers.

But on the upside there are acrobatic pirates who entertain, Lee's hunky husband in his wet boxers, and chocolate. Yummy, decadent descriptions of truffles and other confections. And, for added fun, there are chapter-ending sidebars about chocolate that might just teach you a thing or two. (I like these, as the sidebars are a nice departure from recipes, which now seem commonplace.)

For instance, did you know that the Gates Foundation granted $100,000 to help a scientist who uses chocolate in malaria prevention? Did you know that the waste from chocolate manufacturing is being used as biofuel? We always knew chocolate was wonderful--now Carl gives you more reasons to love it.

The Chocolate Pirate Plot won't be on shelves till October, sorry to be a teaser, but check out her other titles in this series in the meantime. All in all, Carl delivers some satisfying light reading for summer or anytime.

2010-06-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

Book Expo 2010: Real-Life and Romance

At this year's Book Expo America, set in New York City's Jacob Javits Center at the end of May, there were several publishing marriages between real life and romance. E-books were still the rage, but in an industry that is struggling to continue to meet public demands and stay ahead of the digital curve, e-books were last year's news (literally).

This year was all about new partnerships: between Western publishing and the Arab world (can someone say Abu Dhabi International Book Fair?), between the American Booksellers Association and Google (400,000 digital books), and publishers going outside their usual realm of influence to capture more market dollars.

At the top of the stairs leading into BEA's main exhibition hall was a 60-foot banner advertising Tosca Reno's new book, Your Best Body Now. Those who regularly visit bookstores will probably recognize her as the face of the "Eat Clean" franchise, published by Robert Kennedy Publishing. But probably only industry junkies would notice that Reno's new publisher is Harlequin.

The romance publisher has spent the past couple of years restructuring and has started a new venture into nonfiction with 13 new titles, including Reno's book and a selection of other women-friendly titles, such as Queen of Your Own Life by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzcliff. Harlequin also has a new teen imprint, getting in on the popularity of YA (young adult) publishing.

Harlequin's Craig Swinwood, executive VP of retail, told Publishers Weekly that the company asked what else it could offer women, since it had already built an "emotional brand relationship" with them. "We're for women, about women, and by women, for the most part, and that's really what these [new] lines are all about."

At the same time, HCI, a nonfiction house best known for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, has branched into the romance market. It doesn't sound like the most logical of moves until you consider the twist HCI has put on it. Its True Vows series--including Meet Me in Manhattan by Judith Arnold--looks like genre fiction and it reads like it, too. But True Vows is part of a new subgenre called RB Romance, or Reality-Based Romance. In the books, dialogue is embellished for dramatic effect but the bare bones of the stories are based on real-life romances. At the end the reader eats wedding cake, just as they did at Book Expo, which HCI served along with signed copies of bound galleys (reviewer copies).

2010-05-04T05:17:00.001-07:00

James Beard Awards 2010

Ask anyone who's written a cookbook: They'll tell you that cookbook publishing is one tough business. For me, editing a cookbook is a special kind of pleasure. The James Beard Foundation Awards are the Oscars of cooking. Familiar names Lidia Bastianich, John Besh, and James Peterson were among this year's nominees. Here's an abbreviated list of some of this year's nominees (with winners in boldface).

For a complete list, visit the James Beard Foundation Awards Web site.

COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR: The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews (Chronicle)

HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR: Wayne Kostroski, founder of Taste of the NFL

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Ariane and Michael Batterberry, founders of Food Arts and Food & Wine magazines

AMERICAN COOKING: My New Orleans by John Besh (Andrews McMeel); Real Cajun by Donald Link with Paula Disbrowe (Clarkson Potter); The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern by Matt Lee and Ted Lee (Clarkson Potter)

BAKING AND DESSERT: Baking by James Peterson (Ten Speed Press); DamGoodSweet by David Guas and Rachel Pelzel (Taunton Press); Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press)

BEVERAGE: Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology by Randall Grahm (University of California Press); The King of Vodka: Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire by Linda Himselstein (HarperBusiness); World Whisky by Charles Maclean (DK)

GENERAL COOKING: Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller with Dave Cruz (Artisan Books); Salt to Taste: Keys to Confident, Delicious Cooking by Marco Canora with Catherine Young (Rodale); The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones (Alfred A. Knopf)

TELEVISION SHOW: The Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten (Food Network); French Food at Home with Laura Calder (Food Network Canada); Iron Chef America with Alton Brown (Food Network)

TELEVISION SHOW, ON LOCATION: The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Obsessions (Food Network); Chefs A'Field: King of Alaska (PBS); Gourmet Adventures with Ruth [Reichl]: The Bertinet Kitchen, Bath (PBS)

TV FOOD PERSONALITY: Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (Travel Channel); Alton Brown, Good Eats (Food Network); Rick Bayless, Mexico One Plate at a Time (PBS)

FOOD BLOG: Grub Street New York; Serious Eats; Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

MFK FISHER DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARD: John T. Edge, The Oxford American, "In Through the Back Door"; Alan Richman, GQ, "Le Petit Gourmet"; Francine Prose, Saveur, "Faith and Bacon"

WEB SITE: Chow.com, Jane Goldman; Epicurious.com, Tanya W. Steel; Saveur.com, James Oseland

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Bibou, Philadelphia; Flour + Water, San Francisco; Frances, San Francisco; Locanda Verde, NYC; Marea, NYC; RN74, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING CHEF: Jose Andres, Minibar, Washington, DC; Tom Colicchio, Craft, NYC; Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco; Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles; Charles Phan, The Slanted Door, San Francisco

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF: Amanda Cook, CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, DC; Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart Bakery, Minneapolis; Kamel Guechida, Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas; Nicole Plue, Redd, Yountville, CA; Mindy Segal, Mindy's HotChocolate, Chicago

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA: Great Lakes: Koren Grieveson, Avec, Chicago; Mid-Atlantic: Jeff Michaud, Osteria, Philadelphia; Midwest: Alexander Roberts, Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis; New York City: Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park; Northeast: Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, Arrows, Ogunquit, ME; Northwest: Jason Wilson, Crush, Seattle; Pacific: David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA; South: Michael Schwartz, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Miami; Southeast: Sean Brock, McCrady's, Charleston; Southwest: Claude Le Tohic, Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas;

2010-04-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

The Rescue and Rehab of Michael Vick's Dogs

When authorities descended on Bad Newz Kennels in Smithfield, Virginia, on April 25, 2007, they were expecting to find a drug operation. The business was run by known drug users, distributors, and/or others with violent records. Their common connection, and the person who owned the property and the sprawling home on Moonlight Drive, was star Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Inside the house investigators found a bong, small amounts of marijuana, a rolling-paper machine, and a couple weapons. Nearby, outside, they met a caretaker, who led them to 51 dogs of varying breeds (mainly pit bull cross-breeds, plus a few Rottweilers, Presa Canarios, and other terrier mixes), a hidden dogfighting complex, and a mass grave of dogs who had been killed by the Bad Newz operators, some of them (according to the caretaker) destroyed by Michael Vick himself.

In a compelling forthcoming book, The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant (Gotham, September 2010), Vick and his employees used a variety of methods to rid themselves of dogs that weren't up to fighting standards. Gorant, a Sports Illustrated writer, describes some of those methods, including hanging and drowning.

But The Lost Dogs isn't mainly about the vagaries of dogfighting, the characters or the society from which Vick and his employees emerged to carry on such a questionable operation. This well-written book is primarily about the many organizations that came forward to provide shelter for the impounded dogs and, even more important, the individuals who came forward to foster and rehabilitate those wounded animals. It is a study in the goodness of people and the incredible ability of dogs to heal from the wrongs that were done to them.

Of course, there can't be happy endings for all the dogs, but Gorant goes to great lengths to provide updated accounts on where many of the dogs are now, including Hector (shown above, from the Melissa's House blog), a scarred and wounded fighter who was rehabilitated in the San Francisco area and now lives in Minnesota as a therapy dog. Hector now makes regular visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools to teach people about pit bulls and dogfighting. His story--as each dog's story--is amazing.

Along the way you also learn about outstanding programs, such as the San Mateo Public Library's Paws for Tales program, which brings children and dogs together in a positive way.

If you're a dog lover, look for the upcoming photo book Rescued in America by Melissa McDaniel. Also consider donating to needful organizations such as All or Nothing Rescue; BAD RAP; Best Friends; Out of the Pits; Recycled Love; Richmond Animal League; and the SPCA.

2010-03-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'd Rather Be in Ireland

I'm a bit of a closet Irishwoman. In college, I wrote a lot of term papers about Irish history, when I wasn't spending time at the Glocca Morra pub singing along with Galway man John Morrison. Heck, this Anglophile even participated in a picket outside the British Embassy on Third Avenue in New York City, urging the Brits to get out of Ireland.

In honor of those days, may I recommend a wonderful little ditty called "Tobacco Island" by Flogging Molly? It's a catchy song and you might even want a pint of stout after listening to it. Besides, who could resist the opening lyrics? "Off to hell we must sail..."

These days I lead a more countrified life, where I'd have to walk miles to find a sidewalk. And speaking of walking and Ireland, I had the privilege of working on Tom Coyne's A Course Called Ireland, released last year by Dutton/Gotham.

You don't have to be a golf fan to enjoy this book. Tom promised to walk the island in search of Ireland's best links, and he got a lot of press doing it. Golf.com even has some great pix and journal entries from his 2007 adventure.

But there was a lot of time between teeing up that he spent dodging high-speed, erratic traffic, meeting up with friends and family who flew in from the States just to walk with him, and many hours spent simply enjoying the scenic beauty of the Emerald Isle. That is, when he wasn't being rained on or eating dirt and exhaust fumes.

2010-03-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Emergency Preparedness for Wee Ones

If you have preschool-age children, you may be reluctant to talk about emergencies such as natural disasters and acts of terrorism. But thanks to Sesame Workshop, there is an age-appropriate way to inform your young ones about emergencies and reduce the scare factor by planning together.

Sesame Workshop has an emergency preparedness program called Let's Get Ready! and it includes all your Sesame favorites, plus sensitive and age-appropriate advice parents have come to rely on. I was lucky enough to be one of the editors of this project.

Along with old friends such as Grover, Big Bird, and Elmo, young children can take an active role in planning for an emergency. Roughly 150,000 Let's Get Ready! DVD kits were sent to families across America, but now you can access most of this information for free, right on the Web.

Click on the Let's Get Ready! link, where you'll find introductory information, video, related links, and FREE downloads. The Parent/Caregiver booklet includes everything you'll need to get the whole family involved in emergency planning, including an actual printable Emergency Plan you can fill in, and an activity booklet for kids.

2010-02-22T09:28:00.001-08:00

Quote of the Day

"The curtain is now falling on the American Century."

--Andrew Bacevich, Washington Rules (forthcoming, Henry Holt)

2010-02-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

No Real Secrets in Secrets of a Jewish Mother

To some degree, I like every book project I work on. And in this economy, every check that arrives in my mailbox is near and dear...and usually spent before it's clear.

However, there's a promise implied when a book's title includes the word secret. But in Secrets of a Jewish Mother by Jill Zarin, with her sister Lisa Wexler, and mother Gloria Kamen, the only secret may be why these women even got a book deal. But even that's no secret, since Zarin has (apparently) become a minor celebrity thanks to the reality show The Real Housewives of New York.

I did get some laughs from Jewish Mother, plus a couple admonitions about anti-Semitic remarks and jokes that still prevail in American culture. But unfortunately, Zarin, Wexler, and Kamen only reinforce the stereotypes they purportedly are trying to discredit. For instance, they encourage women to marry men who--frankly--can be whipped (that is, bossed around), they recommend pilfering cash from their husbands' wallets and keeping financial secrets so long as it's for their own benefit, and interfering in other people's lives (particularly their children's lives) whenever it is deemed "necessary." They also think that there should only be "one peacock in a relationship," and ideally that peacock should be the woman.

These would all be good knee slappers if the women didn't actually think they were dispensing good advice. I don't think I'm the only one who will get the message loud and clear: women should be the arm candy, and men should be the breadwinners who allow their wives anything.

But maybe I sound too tough on them. To their credit, there are a couple gems about being a good friend and the curative effects of a good matzoh ball soup. But all in all, I'd have to say that, after I finished the book, I was happy to have been paid to read it, rather than having paid to read it.

So save the $26 you might spend on this one and keep it in your "knipple." You never know when you'll need it for something necessary.

2010-01-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

Essentials of Screenwriting =

Essentials of Most Writing

In his forthcoming book, Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing (Plume, July 2010), Richard Walter describes a conundrum most writers' conference attendees face: deciding which sessions will be most worthwhile. Only, at this conference, Walter was an instructor, and he confesses that he sat in on a friend's poetry session only out of courtesy. After all, Walter was (and is) a successful screenwriter and longtime UCLA instructor, an L.A. mover and shaker, a film school graduate who counted George Lucas among his classmates. What did he need a poetry session for, anyway?

As it turned out, he needed it quite a bit, even if only as a reminder. During that session, he learned about the somewhat universal nature of tight writing, careful selection of words, avoiding restaurant scenes, and keeping a whole work integrated and moving.

Walter expands on those concepts and more, incorporating them into pithy principles that are scattered throughout the book, such as

Principle #1: Writers hate to write.

As someone who works best with a full schedule, with deadlines nipping at me like a sheepdog on hind quarters, I nearly laughed out loud at Principle #1 because I recognized it as truth. As Walter points out, writers love having written, but they hate writing. We would rather sort socks, watch traffic, or gaze at our navels than write. The reason is easy enough: Writing isn't easy.

The thing is: Writing gets easier only when you do it. It takes practice, like any other worthwhile endeavor. But even when you've mastered the art of "butt in chair; fingers on keyboard," then you have to face layers and layers of rejection: from agents, from editors, from the public.

In one of his many quips, Walter says that writers are quick to tell their tales of woe and mistreatment--there is a lot of rejection--but there's always something worse.

Being ignored.

2010-01-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

Truth Is Scarier Than Fiction

Last summer, after nearly 15 years as a freelancer, I took on a new kind of project: one that had a "gag order" attached to it. All the editor could tell me was that it was a true crime story and that I'd have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Of course I said yes, not knowing it would also be the first nightmare-inducing book I'd ever worked on.

Most Evil by Steve Hodel chronicles the detective-author's investigation into his own father's heinous activities. Thanks to Hodel's work, it is now believed that Dr. George Hill Hodel was a serial killer, responsible for the Black Dahlia Avenger, Zodiac, Chicago "Lipstick killer," and other murders. This information came to light after the doctor had died of congestive heart failure in 1999, at the age of 91, his ashes spread around the Golden Gate Bridge. Hodel writes of spending a lot of time with his father in his final years, but that he "didn't really know him."

George Hill Hodel was born in 1907, the only son of well-educated Russian-born parents who'd settled in Pasadena, California. Multilingual, a musical prodigy, young George had a genius IQ. In fact, at age 13, his scholastic scores were the highest ever recorded in California's history. He proved successful at everything he tried, from newsreporting, radio hosting, medicine, and, later, business. What's more, Hodel was smooth. He could work a room, was handsome and well mannered, well dressed, and charismatic.

But there was an underbelly to Hodel. At age 16, while attending Caltech, he impregnated a faculty member's wife and got himself ousted while the woman fled East and named her daughter Folly. In his twenties Hodel lived as a young bohemian, smoking hashish and visiting opium dens, and was charged with incest after having sex with his 14-year-old daughter in the presence of several adult witnesses. And, as remarkable evidence suggests, he killed at least 22 people throughout his life, including several women in Manila in what was called the "Jigsaw Murders."

For the sake of brevity, I won't go into all the murders or any of the evidence. Read the book; explore Hodel's Web site. But it's the Suzanne Degnan story spawned the nightmare.

2009-12-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays!

2009-12-01T05:26:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving with Rocco DiSpirito

When a particularly nasty sinus infection sidelined me for hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, I settled in for a holiday weekend of working on a cookbook while a more modest turkey roasted for my family of 3. The book was Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This, his sixth book, to be published by Ballantine in 2010.

DiSpirito is a "celebrity chef" based on reality shows and network TV appearances, but he is also a real chef. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA, to foodies) and won a James Beard Award for his cookbook Flavor (the photo is from that book's cover). He's also what some might describe as rakishly handsome with his naturally curly hair and brilliant smile, and a bit of a bad boy.

About 5 years ago he decided he needed to get fit. He started working out and eating lighter. In the book's introduction, he discusses his triathlon endeavors and how his early goal was to "simply finish the race without stretchers being involved."

This is a man who is used to succeeding at just about everything, just as he does with the 150 recipes in Now Eat This, filled with traditionally high-fat dishes that he overhauled, everything from Mac and Cheese and Beef Wellington to his mama's Spaghetti and Meatballs. There are also appetizers (Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce), soups (Lobster Bisque), salads (Nicoise Salad), and desserts (Triple Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies). There's even a chapter on sauces that's particularly helpful and includes, like all the other recipes that are low in calories but high in flavor, marinara sauce, salad dressings, and so on. He artfully hides things like black beans in his brownie recipe to ramp up the fiber and texture while keeping each serving under 350 calories.

My only doubt--and I haven't tried the recipe yet--is his cauliflower puree as a stand-in for mashed potatoes. Cauliflower as mash could be passable in his Shepherd's Pie recipe, but I'm reserving judgement for it as a stand-alone side dish.

Regardless, consider adding this to your cookbook library. DiSpirito creates some very yummy slimmed-down dishes without getting too exotic with his ingredients. Not a bad way to spend a holiday.

2009-09-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day

Summer sea ice in the Arctic is expected to disappear completely by 2013.

--Sea Ice Field Research, forthcoming, University of Alaska Fairbanks Press

2009-06-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

It's Here . . . Digitized Nonfiction

Zinio, which has been offering digital magazine subscriptions delivered to the iPhone, is now offering a series of about 90 cookbooks by Harvard Common Press. (The image here is a cover of one of Zinio's offerings.)

If you're keeping track of the digital publishing trend, this is big news and it's probably making the e-reader folks stand up and take notice. Sometimes you just want a book right now but your local store doesn't have it. Now you don't have to wait.

Are you strapped in yet?

2009-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lunchtime Concert Series in Allentown

This summer, listen to local musicians during a FREE lunchtime concert series called Summer in the City. The series will be held at the PPL Plaza (9th and Hamilton Streets) every Tuesday from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm. (In the event of rain, go to the Holiday Inn, Allentown Center City).

Here's the line-up, a well-rounded mix of swing, Celtic, jazz, and more:

June 30 - Doug Hawk Proposition

July 7 - Donovan Roberts

July 14 - Sal Ritz & Joe Mixon

July 21 - Marlene Gilley Swingtet

July 28 - Grey Sky Turn

August 4 - Sarah Ayers Band

August 11 - Todd Wolfe

August 18 - Steve Brosky & Jimmy Meyer

August 25 - Christy Jefferson & Vogon Poetry

September 1 - Dan DeChellis Trio

September 8 - BC & Company

September 15 - Large Flowerheads

September 22 - Fusion Jazz Trio

September 29 - Emerald City

I remember suggesting just such a concept in 1992 to the management at Dun & Bradstreet when that company was in the Martin Towers, Bethlehem. It only took more than 15 years for some other company to pull it off.

If you work in or near Downtown Allentown, attending this series is a great way to support local talent.

2009-06-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Local Event - Lehigh Valley - July 10

On July 10, 2009 the Downtown Bethlehem Association (DBA) will present a screening of the 1942 Warner Brothers classic film Casablanca at the Sun Inn Courtyard. The screening will begin shortly after sunset (approximately 9:30 p.m.). Film fans are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair and to arrive early as several surprises will be presented by the DBA.

A donation of $5 is suggested (kids free). Proceeds will go to the production of the events and programs of the DBA. Several Downtown merchants will be present with themed entertainment, and refreshments will be available.

The Sun Inn Courtyard is located behind the 1758 Sun Inn, 556 Main Street in Historic Downtown Bethlehem.

2009-06-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

April '09 Book Sales: Up and Down

If you're in publishing or want to get published, you might find the following sales information interesting, like I did.

In today's Shelf Awareness newsletter, net sales statistics were reported for April 2009. Now, keep in mind that these are sales figures for only one month, and it is not stipulated what they are compared to (the month prior? same time last year?), but the bottom line is that overall book sales rose in April by more than 3%, though the year to date is down by more than 4%. Still, when you look at how many millions of dollars any rise translates into, it's a reassuring sign to see an increase anywhere.

But let's look at where sales are falling, and where they're rising. Knowing these trends might help writers market their projects to agents and editors--or at least it'll give you some clue as to what still sells in a downturn. In a nutshell, books geared to children/young adults/students was on the rise, while the adult market slipped. (This corroborates what I've heard in the employment sector--when the economy is down and people are losing jobs, many people go back to school or stay in school longer than originally planned.) There were great gains in e-book sales and a sizeable drop in audio books.

Here are some specifics:

Higher education jumped 312.4% to $33.5 million
E-books climbed 228.3% to $12.1 million
Children's/YA hardcover rose 13.6% to $44.6 million
Professional and scholarly inched up 1.1% to $46.3 million
Children's/YA paperback was up 0.9% to $39.9 million

Adult paperback slipped 0.8% to $114.8 million
Adult mass market dropped 4% to $51 million
University press hardcover fell 6.3% to $5 million
Religious books fell 7.1% to $38.7 million
Adult hardcover fell 11% to $95.7 million
University press paperback dropped 12.5% to $2.3 million
Audiobooks fell 32.9% to $9.5 million

2009-06-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Take 3 . . . with Patricia Volonakis Davis

Patricia Volonakis Davis has built a little empire inspired by salsa puttanesca, or "harlot's sauce," a hastily prepared tomato sauce developed by some enterprising women in Naples, Italy. She has written a food memoir (available in paperback and Kindle version), has a blog, and developed online podcastings based on Italian and Greek cultures, and the foods and characters that come from both. (She also devotes quite a bit of podcasting to the publishing industry.)

But it took a certain amount of living and heartache for her to climb to where she is. Originally a Sicilian kid from Long Island, New York, Patricia lived in Greece with husband Gregori before moving back to the States. These days she calls the San Francisco Bay Area home. Patricia briefly interrupted her book tour to answer some questions about her journey:

1. Was there a single moment of inspiration when you knew you needed to write a memoir, and did you know that it would have to include food?

PVD: The idea for Harlot's Sauce developed and morphed over time, but when I did decide on this project, I knew it had to include food, for sure. It's such a big part of the two cultures featured in the story.

2. You're of Italian descent, and you married a Greek man. In what ways are Italian and Greek cultures the same?

PVD: See above (LOL) Apart from an intense relationship with food, there is also the sometimes cloying (to me, anyway) family 'closeness' which can sometimes feel like unwanted interference, there are the mannerisms and the physical features. Besides those, I find that the more I inveistigate and learn, the two cultures are actually quite different in many ways.

3. What did writing your memoir "do" for you--was it a celebration, a lamentation, or something else entirely?

PVD: My memoir was an attempt to right several misconceptions, both personal and historical. It was also meant as a lesson to women on self-actualization. I am a former teacher, after all!

2009-06-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Book Expo and the Digital Age

I attended Book Expo this year--I was a first-timer--and could feel the digital buzz throughout the Javits Center in New York. Of course, people were texting and yakking on their cell phones and taking their laptops into sessions, and people heaving heavy bags of book galleys and giveaways were wishing for downloadable freebies.

While I'm still a bit old school in liking the feel of a printed and bound book, and wondering what technology will do to the pastime of getting books autographed, I also know that electronic copyediting, for instance, saves an immense amount of paper and makes page proofs so much cleaner (fewer errors). Book Expo's panel discussion, "Jumping Off the Cliff," explored the lessons that book publishing has learned from the music industry in terms of embracing technology instead of fighting against it. The moral of the session was this:

The buying public--not manufacturers--will ultimately decide. If people want the immediacy of reading a book on a Kindle or Sony Reader, the industry had better get on board--or else risk getting left behind.

Coincidentally, I returned home to work on Total Recall by Gordon Bell and Jim Gemmell (Dutton, Fall 2009), which outlines the ways in which our society is being digitized. More important, it also predicts that by 2020 our whole lives will be digitized, in terabytes. It's scary and wildly exciting at the same time.

For instance, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit records your activity, and wirelessly transmits the information from your sneakers to your iPod. Think of the implications if all your health records were similarly transmitted from doctors' offices to your centralized databank. Think of the implications if your work processes, your schedule, your entire family history were similarly digitized.

It's mind-boggling, but Total Recall explains it in a way that makes you feel more in control of your life, and eager for the coming technology as your memory fails you.

Postscript / Benefits for Writers: I'll share just a couple: There are a lot of unpublished writers out there who are convinced that a publisher is going to "steal" their ideas. In Total Recall, your creations get a time and date stamp, so you could prove in a court of law that you had the idea first. And for those true-crime writers who keep a vault of old notes? In Total Recall, all your research material is saved on a thumb drive, not in scads of boxes in your attic or basement.

2009-05-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day

In the most successful organizations, emotions of belonging, teamwork, trust, generosity, and gratitude bring out far higher performance than can the threat of sanctions or the promise of awards.

--Charles Wohlford, "Alaska’s Generational Passage," Alaska at 50

2009-05-07T05:10:00.000-07:00

William Stillman: Autism's National Treasure

Imagine you're standing up in a classroom of, oh, 25 other people. You've been told to focus on the next task. But as the teacher starts reading, "Simon says touch your fingers to the sky, Simon says touch your nose, now touch the floor..." her voice gets softer and softer, and you can't rely on your sight because there are a bunch of people in the way. There's an invisible speaker somewhere and it's playing static, like an old-fashioned television station that's gone off the air for the night and OH your clothes are scratching your skin like sandpaper and the fluorescent lights are giving you pain behind your eyes and last night's dinner is still weighing in your gut and the teacher is saying how disappointed she is in you; you're noncompliant or uncooperative and all you want to do is flee the room or shout at the top of your lungs,

STOP!

That's what it's like--every day, all day--for a child with autism.

Thanks to William Stillman, an adult with Asperger's Syndrome, more and more parents, teachers, administrators, and caregivers are "getting it" when it comes to this misunderstood spectrum. For Stillman, who has spent much of his adult life out of his comfort zone, presenting to groups all across the Northeast and beyond, autism shouldn't even be called a disorder, because he believes, neurologically, we're all on a vast continuum and it doesn't make sense to pigeonhole a certain group of people because of where they fall on that spectrum.

Currently the CDC suggests that autism affects 1 in 150 individuals in the United States but, as Stillman points out, these numbers are similar all across the world. And he predicts that within 5-10 years that number will be 1 in 10...making an "us versus them" distinction of those who don't have autism versus those who do nonsensical.

Once we're armed with information, what do we do with it? Here are some guidelines that Stillman gives:

Presume intellect. Even the child who is nonverbal is still "in" there. He still has abilities. He hears everything you say even if he's not looking at you, even if you assume he is "in his own little world," and especially if you're characterizing his actions in ways that are demeaning, hurtful, and humiliating.

There is safety in predictability and sameness. People feel safe when they feel in control; and the more we know what to expect, the better we may adapt and prepare for it.

It's not (mis)behavior; it's communication. Let's go back to that classroom where the noises are bouncing around in your head, the lights are making your eyes ache, and you're in pain. It all affects the ways in which you communicate. Yet so many times we characterize people as having certain or bad "behaviors." In fact, people do the best they can with what they have.

Focus on prevention, not intervention. Don't place people in situations that set them up to fail. Don't, for instance, require children with autism to put in a full day of school, then require them to run errands with you, go shopping at the mall, then eat in a restaurant. Plan ahead and don't overtask your child's ability to cope.

Make compassionate accommodations. When you know better, you do better. Don't minimize a person's fears or anxieties. Be careful of the language you use. Mean what you say. Soft touches and a gentle voice are compassionate accommodations.

2009-05-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

I am celebrating all things Mexican today, with sincere wishes for Mexico's recovery from the H1N1 flu.

2009-05-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Author Events with Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Our B&N regional director assistant recently spoke about how B&N stores work, some special programs, and how to develop a good relationship with your local outlet(s). I'm paraphrasing some of her comments here.

First, a few matters on what not to do.

Don't send a letter that isn't professional. You only have one shot to make a good first impression, so ask other people--like published authors in your writers group.

Don't try to "up" your sales numbers by calling all your local stores, ordering your own book, and then not purchasing them. You will be found out, and you will be blacklisted.

If you're trying to work with a bookstore, don't send a letter that complains about your placement in the store, etc.

Here are a few things you should do:

Learn the lingo. For instance, all Barnes & Noble stores have a community relations manager--they're called CRMs. Use the term.
Find out the names of your local CRMs and be prepared to work just as hard (if not harder) than the store in promoting an event you're involved in.

Remember that if you're involved in an in-store event, your book will be "endcapped," or given preferred treatment on the ends of the aisles.

Finally, the names of two B&N programs authors should know about:

BN Recommends - These are "un-put-downable" books recommended by B&N booksellers. You'll find these books, along with a little pamphlet, directly inside the store.

Discover Great New Writers - The selections in this program are considered for an annual award and are selected twice per year based on "exceptional quality."

For more tips for writers, go to the BN Inc. Web site and click on the "For Authors" button.

2009-05-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Front Sales Foolery

The front sales page is that first page of a book filled with endorsements and other "blurbs" that authors, publishers, and booksellers rely on to help sell books. It is a selling tool primarily for mass market books and trade paperbacks.

So when I recently worked on the forthcoming erotica suspense title Tie Me Down by Tracy Wolff, the first thing I read was the front sales page, promising a wild romp and terrific suspense.

The author does have writing ability. But.

Even for an erotica line (Heat), when the reader is expecting a lot of sexuality, Tie Me Down seemed to have an overabundance of graphic scenes--to the point that they actually became boring. The characters were boring, too. A homicide-cop heroine and a fatally "unworthy" hero who doesn't deserve happiness because he couldn't save his sister from her murderer. And the "dirty talk," the four-lettered genitalia, really lost its appeal after 300 pages. And to make the letdown complete, the ending was a cliché.

So I guess the best thing about it is the sexy cover. But you know what they say about judging a book . . .

2009-04-14T09:33:00.001-07:00

Quote of the Day

"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it."

--Mary Wilson Little, American writer

2009-04-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

Intro to Book Packaging

Not very long ago, I tried explaining what a book packager does; and, trying to keep it to just a few sentences, I didn't do a very good job of it. So I'm letting others explain it better. Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation, and there's an article at Absolute Write as well.

I should mention that, in my own experience, packagers are best served by not handling the printing of a project. Most publishing houses have production staff for working out deals with print houses (most nonfiction is printed in Asia), so the packager would just produce the book and provide it to the publisher in printer-ready files.

It will be interesting to note, as everything is digitized, how quick nonfiction books become e-books. You might find out by attending some of the American Book Producers Association's lunch events, where guest editors discuss opportunities for packagers. You don't have to be a member, and these are jewels of opportunities since "outsiders" rarely get the chance to eavesdrop at will.

2009-04-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

A Kreskin Chronicle--Run Amok in the Flatiron

Last week's release of Kreskin Confidential by the Amazing Kreskin brings to mind an anecdote from when I worked in-house as a production editor. I worked in the Flatiron Building, one of the most architecturally recognizable buildings in New York City, at 23rd Street where Broadway and Fifth Avenue intersect. It is, quite possibly, the coolest business address in Manhattan.

My office hovered over Fifth Avenue and I was treated to the most brilliant sunsets in the fall, bright red ribbons across the western sky that made my daily commute through New Jersey just a bit more palatable. About 10 feet in the other direction was an access door to our floor, alternate access from the banks of historically protected hydraulic elevators.

One day while the managing editor was at his lunchtime therapy session--I'm not making this up; believe me, he needed it--someone came crashing through that easy-access door, trailed by an entourage. It was, it turned out, the Amazing Kreskin and a gaggle of St. Martin's staffers.

After a quick perusal up and down the hallway, Kreskin barged into the managing editor's tiny, dark, and empty office. Suddenly I heard a crash, much like the sound of a shelf of books falling from the wall, bouncing off a desk, and landing in a mess on the industrially carpeted floor. After what I presumed was a hasty clean-up, Kreskin and his followers, clapping and laughing, continued on down the hall.

Had Kreskin done something . . . amazing . . . in my boss's office? I never checked. I lowered my nose to my desk and kept working on whatever paperback book we were producing at that moment.

The managing editor had cleanliness and orderliness issues. He had once come in to work on his day off to clean up a pile of paper clips strewn across his desk. He returned from his lunch appointment and said something along the lines of "What the--!" His face looked fiery red as he popped it through my open doorway.

"Who was in my office?" he demanded. I shrugged, swore I didn't know. What was I going to say? The Amazing Kreskin pulled a magic trick in there? The managing editor spent the next 20-30 minutes canvassing the 14th floor and getting no answers as to why his office was now a wreck when he'd left it spic and span 90 minutes earlier. He swore revenge on the one who'd violated his personal business space. I believe he would have dedicated his life to making the violator pay in untold ways.

So . . . wherever you are, Kreskin . . . you owe me. I never did tell him it was you.

2009-03-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Soper's

Spencer Soper is either an economic-forecasting genius or else he couldn't have anticipated how relevant his "On the Cheap" column would be in The Morning Call newspaper. The Call, by the way, has won awards for design and earned my journalism school mentor's respect when he read an article on the Space Shuttle that he hadn't seen anywhere else. Not bad for a regional paper.

After reading an "On the Cheap" tip for saving money on liquid hand soap (see my January entry called "Belt Tightening"), I sent Soper my tip on homemade laundry detergent. I've been using this detergent for 7-10 years and saved probably hundreds of dollars for my family.

Spencer met me at the Four Points Sheraton hotel, where I was staying to attend the Write Stuff writers' conference in Allentown. After I showed him how to make the soap, we washed his rugby jersey and some grungy socks in a hotel washer. His colleague April Bartholomew did the filming. They both were a lot of fun, and it was great to be on the "answering" side of the interview table. The headline was "Save on Suds to Clean Your Duds"

Here's the recipe for anyone who wants to try it:

1 bar Fels Naptha laundry soap (or 2 bars of Ivory milled soap)
1 box Arm & Hammer washing soda
1 box 20 Mule Team borax

Grate the soap into a stockpot or bucket and mix with washing soda and borax. Use ¼ cup per load of laundry, or adjust as needed. Ready to use immediately.

-----------

And here's a cooked version that's even less expensive (about $1 per 2 gallons), though you'll need airtight containers for storing borax leftovers and you need to stir or shake the liquid each time you use it.

1/3 bar Fels Naptha laundry soap (or Ivory bar soap)
½ cup Arm & Hammer washing soda
½ cup 20 Mule Team borax

Grate the soap and put in a stockpot with 3 pints of water. Heat until soap is dissolved.

Stir in the washing soda and borax and heat until all ingredients are dissolved. Cook for 15 minutes, until mixture has consistency of honey.

Remove pot from the heat and set aside. Put 2 pints of hot water in a large (3–5 gallon) clean bucket, then add the soap mixture and stir. Add 11 pints of cold water (or enough to make 2 gallons total mixture). Blend well and set aside for 24 hours. Mixture will have gel-like consistency and should be blended before use.

Use ½ cup of detergent per load of laundry.

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Further reading: Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond. My recipes don't come from this book, but it is a fount of information on homemade, nontoxic cleaning solutions.

2009-03-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Take 3 . . . with Jonathan Feinberg

Wordle started, according to its creator, Jonathan Feinberg, as a personal project. But it was such an interesting project that Feinberg convinced his employer, IBM Research, to let him create it on company time. These days Wordle seems to be everywhere, and even CNN is getting in on it, displaying President Obama's press conferences and speeches in word clouds to highlight the words he uses most often. (I'm waiting for aneurysm to show up in Obama's word cloud.)

Jonathan, whose Wordle blog includes a Darth Vader helmet-shaped word cloud inspired by his son, graciously answered a few questions from a word nerd:

1. Is Wordle an expression of your personal fondness for words, is it word art, or something else?

JF: I still stand behind my characterization of Wordle as a "toy"; that is, it's something to be played with and enjoyed. I do love letter shapes, as an artful activity, but I don't believe that a Wordle is "art". I'd call it, instead, an "artifact" of a process that's influenced by the person using the software.

Wordle is also very much an expression of my love of programming. It's rather a complicated computer program (at least by my standards of complexity), and it inherently gives me pleasure to have made it.

2. After the most recent presidential press conference, CNN showed a Wordle display of Barack Obama's most used terms. When did you notice that Wordle was catching on in a big way?

JF: There have been several large waves since Wordle first came out in June of 2008. The first came right away, when the superb "Information Aesthetics" blog gave me a nice mention. But the first time I knew that Wordle was accessible to more ordinary folks--not just visualization wonks and internet addicts--was when I started getting emails from Rosie O'Donnell fans. I was especially tickled to get an email from Rosie herself.

The most interesting and sustained reaction has been from teachers around the world, who have taken to Wordle as an educational tool.

3. One of my favorite quotes is from the 1980s movie The Last Emperor, in which Peter O'Toole, as Emperor Pu Yi's tutor, says, "A man must say what he means, or he may not mean what he says." Do you have a favorite quote about words and their importance?

JF:
In the beginning people spoke with their eyes
Harder to make excuses, harder to tell lies
Easier to say everything in a blink of an eye

Through my eyes take a look into what I feel
Contradictions aside, pain and joy are both real
Through my eyes take a look silence will be heard
I won't hide from your questions, I won't say a word

My words can lead you away from the truth
Where you'll arrive I have not a clue
Follow my eyes into a promised land
Then look around; you are home again

Sun rose and sun set, people spoke with their hands
Signing in pictures comes to neighboring lands

Then all the words came and filled up the brains
Such small ideas filling so much space
Then satellites spread them into the hills
Every canyon and stream is full

My words can lead you away from the truth
Where you'll arrive I have not a clue
Follow my eyes into a promised land
Then look around; you are home again

--Johnny Tibet

2009-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It's the day when everyone is Irish! I challenge you not to tap your toe, nod your head, or dance shamelessly about when you listen to I'll Tell Me Ma. There are many many versions of it, but I'll be listening to the Young Dubliners' version today (downloadable from iTunes).

AOL Radio has a seasonal station that plays all St. Patty's Day music (not to mention dozens of other stations), and it's free. Check it out and git yer green on.

2009-03-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sad Day on Sesame Street

Several days ago Sesame Workshop announced that it would be trimming its staff by 20 percent, due to the recession. That accounts for nearly 70 jobs. I learned today that 60 percent of the editorial staff has been cut, including the senior editor and the art director, and others. These are significant cuts in an already lean department.

And, despite working in a jaded city like New York, the staff there is the kindest, nicest group of people I've worked with or for. It's like a little oasis of humanity in hardened concrete.

I am thankful that my work with the Workshop hasn't been affected yet, but I sure am feeling sad for those good people who were let go.

2009-03-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

Web Site of Interest

I'm working on a book about seahorses, Poseidon's Steed by Helen Scales (Gotham, October 2009), and found an interesting Web site in the book's endnotes.

The book says that every two years the World Conservation Union (IUCN) enlists expert biologists to assess the status of species (animal, plant, invertebrates, birds, etc.) that are under threat of extinction. Each species is assigned a threat category, from "Least Concern" to "Extinct."

I challenge you to find a full list according to threat (I couldn't find one), but the home page has a running slide show of select species and their threat categories. There's also a page dedicated to some species that are considered threatened. I did not know, for instance, that the black-footed ferret was once considered extinct in the wild, that it has been reintroduced into the wild, and--though it is still considered Endangered--its numbers are considered "self-sustaining" in South Dakota and Wyoming.

2009-03-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

Day Tripping: La Petite Auberge

If the food reviews are to be believed (and I think they are), La Petite Auberge restaurant, just north of Gramercy Park, is reminiscent of 1950s Paris. It certainly exudes an authentic flair, as the entire staff is French, from the coatcheck to the chef. Local 9-to-5ers like the restaurant because of its consistently good food over the course of 30 years and because there is no catwalk music or loud chit-chat. It is a place where a business, casual, or romantic lunch can happen without distraction.

My tablemate and I chose the pre-fixed lunch, a New York institution that may confuse out-of-towners who don't know the term prix fixe. At La Petite Auberge, diners are charged a flat rate for a three-course lunch of appetizer, entree, and dessert. Each course is expertly choreographed.

I started with a green salad. It was perfect in its simplicity, with the freshest field greens and juicy endive I've had, and a creamy salad dressing to die for. (It hinted of buttermilk, but I can't be sure. Todd Wilbur, the Top Secret recipe guy, would know!) Accompanied by crusty baguette and a cool pat of butter served with tongs onto a paper doily-covered bread plate, it was a great way to start a meal. The server cleared our plates, then took to smartly removing all our bread crumbs with a tool that looked like a tiny, unmarked metal ruler.

I'd been previously pleased with the roast chicken and mashed potatoes on another outing there, so this time I tried the Sole Meuniere (with lemon and butter) served with sauteed green beans and boiled fingerling potatoes. Though the beans were slightly overcooked, they were still delicious and buttery, so I forgave Chef Alain for this small oversight, considering I burned the last batch of green beans I made at home.

I finished with a divine chocolate mousse, garnished with the tiniest dollop of whipped cream and a vanilla cigarette-shaped tuile cookie. My lunch partner was focused only on her creme caramel.

Considering the quality of the food, and the expertise with which it was made and served, I'd say $20 for an authentic French luncheon is a steal.

Go there. It's good.

La Petite Auberge

116 Lexington Avenue (at 28th Street)

New York, NY 10016

(212) 689-5003

www.lapetiteaubergeny.com

2009-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

Take 3 with . . . Shannon Riggs

I think Shannon Riggs, whom I've had the pleasure of knowing for about a decade, is just meant to touch people's lives in positive ways. When I first met Shannon, she was a Navy spouse who seemed unfazed by her husband's 6-month absenses, war-time service, and frequent moves. Then she campaigned with him when he ran for political office in 2008. Oh, and in her spare time she earned a master's degree and began (and still is) teaching college-level courses in creative writing. And did I mention she has two very active children?

When Shannon's first book--about Regina Lillian Hadwig and the horrible secret she hid--was published, I donated a copy to my local elementary school. The librarian had already read the critical acclaim for Not in Room 204, so I couldn't resist bragging that one of the book's characters shares my first name. Artist Jaime Zollars did an incredible job with the illustrations.

When I recently caught up with Shannon Riggs, she explained why her work has only begun.

1. Your children's book, Not in Room 204 (Albert Whitman, 2007), tackles the very sensitive matter of childhood sexual abuse. Tell me about your search for a publisher and how you convinced an editor to go to bat for such an edgy concept, written by a first-timer.

SR: My dear friend, Jennifer Galvin, read the manuscript and told me to send it to Albert Whitman. Jen has written a children’s book review column for many years and is also the author and illustrator of several activity books. When she read Not in Room 204, she thought it would be right for Albert Whitman. As it turned out, she was right.

Because the book deals with the issue of childhood sexual abuse, I included in my submission a cover letter that explained how often child sexual abuse happens to explain why a book on this topic is so important. Child sexual abuse happens to one in four girls and one in six boys before they reach age 18, so there is a huge need for books on this topic. It’s been very gratifying to hear how the story is being used in classrooms all over the country. The other day a school counselor emailed me to say that she read the book to a class, and several of the kids said, “We love Mrs. Salvador!” I love Mrs. Salvador, too. I wish there were more adults like her.

2. You and your husband, Rich, both have such a powerful service ethic. Serving in the military, running for office, teaching at the college level, and bringing light to what is a very dark reality for so many children. What stone has Shannon Riggs left unturned?

SR: Many! There’s so much to do. For now, I feel that my focus has to continue to be on the issue of childhood sexual abuse, though. I’ll be doing several speeches in April for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and I’m working on a new book about the same topic, this time for adult readers. There’s a huge taboo about this topic, and the silence that the taboo causes puts children at risk and keeps them from getting the treatment they need when they need it. I’m a stick-with-it-until-it’s-done kind of person, and the work we need to do on this issue is far from finished. If your readers want to learn more about childhood sexual abuse, a great place to start is Darkness to Light. This nonprofit agency seeks to raise awareness about the issue. I really like their message about adults needing to take responsibility. Every adult who cares about a child should know Darkness to Light’s seven steps to prevention.

3. Congratulations on the acclaim you earned from America's librarians and book reviewers, and for winning the Oregon Book Award for Not in Room 204. What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspect in this publishing process?

SR: The most surprising thing has been how often I’ve been asked to speak on this topic—and how easy it’s been to do those talks. Ten years ago, I seriously would rather have died than tell anyone I was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Now, while it isn’t pleasant to remember what happened to me, it feels very empowering to let go of that shame and to share my story to help others who are going through similar experiences.

My Web site has a picture of a bicycle horn on every page. It’s there to encourage other survivors to take it and make some noise of their own. The more of us who break the silence, the more effective we can be at preventing and responding to childhood sexual abuse.

2009-02-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on Memoir

I mentioned Marc McCutcheon's book about nonfiction writing in my last post. He also tackled the topic of memoir, citing the Delany sisters' memoir, Having Our Say (which sold more than a million copies), as an example of how non-celebrity memoirs are a "fabulous niche that shows little sign of fizzing out."

He was right on the mark. Just like reality TV (I know--some of you hate it), the non-celebrity memoir celebrates the ordinary Joe, even while we Americans are still so desperately obsessed with the rich and famous. And in 2009 the well is far from dry.

But take A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price, a watercolorist with a following but, arguably, not a celebrity. She submitted one of the cleanest, most polished manuscripts I've seen. It follows her to Paris, where she falls in love with a Frenchman, marries him, and buys an old, sprawling home in the French countryside. But that's not the gift, exactly--the gift is her daughter, the product of a love that eventually ends in divorce. But as Price's marriage dissolves, her love for her community and the French landscape solidifies. I was privileged to proofread this book, and it is an example of how tragedy; deep, personal detail; and perseverence make for a very satisfying read.

Quite different, for me, was Rachel Simon's Building a Home with My Husband. Though Simon shows a command of language and is well organized, I found her book about the travails of renovating a home to be a bit whiny and probably a far cry from Riding the Bus with My Sister, which follows Simon and her disabled sister and the lessons learned by riding buses all day.

The difference in these books may have something to do with what my friend Ellen Roberts teaches in her memoir classes: A successful, well-thought-out memoir has more to do with how long it cooks in your head than on paper.

Here are few other things that good memoirs have:

History - History can be used effectively when you've been touched by a historically significant event (like war), but it's also effective when you harness the power of your own history (like Price did), not just the bigger events around you.

Sin - Yes, I'm talking sex and violence. It always sells, and I myself have a fascination with Mafia dons, drug addicts, and otherwise self-destructive humans.

Conflict and tragedy - The musician Sting once said (and I'm taking liberties with his actual quote) that conflict, sadness, depression, and separation lend themselves well to songwriting. The same is true of bigger writing projects, as Sting explores in his own memoir, Broken Music. But, for me, the big payoff is when the protagonist survives and triumphs over the conflict and tragedy.

Great writing and/or great storytelling - Sometimes a book might fall short of being beautifully written or well edited, but the reader will forgive those slights if the story is compelling. For many women, who are by far the primary book buyers in America, a compelling character goes a long way.

2009-02-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Nonfiction Still Sells in a Recession

Whenever I give a talk about writing and publishing (as I did recently in Blairstown, NJ, and will do again soon in Nazareth, PA--see "Engagements" in the right-hand column), I like to quote Marc McCutcheon's book Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? because he offers interesting statistics that usually aren't well known to my audiences. His book offers a lot of encouragement to nonfiction writers, though I'm not sure how many "ordinary people" have made $100,000 or more writing nonfiction as his subtitle promises.

The main point worth mentioning is that the vast majority of book buyers--70 to 85 percent--are women, even when the book is intended for a man. Therefore, it would stand to reason, that perennial subjects appealing to women would be easier to market to publishers. As an aside, I believe that most households in America are run by women--the bills get paid by women, checks are written by women, and book-buying money is allotted by women.

And, as I've found out from my friends at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA, nonfiction books often do well during a recession because they are usually information-based, how-to, or service-oriented. Reading is a relatively inexpensive hobby, and when cash is tight (or when we're scared that cash will soon be tight), women tend to seek out books that will help them be more self-sufficient and save money.

Here, then, are the top 10 nonfiction topics that McCutcheon cites in his book. Keep in mind that I'm working from the original 2001 book, so the list may have changed a bit for his update in 2006 (see the image above for the 2006 cover).

Diet/weight loss
Relationships

Parenting

Health

Low-fat cooking

Spirituality

Money/finances

Cats

Career and leadership

2009-01-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

Day Tripping: Lannam Vietnamese Restaurant

On Monday, January 26, which happened to be the lunar new year (some call it the "Chinese" new year), I was in New York City to deliver some work downtown. I was looking forward to having lunch with an old friend. We were going to meet at Zen Palate, my favorite Asian vegetarian place, in Union Square. Zen Palate had been open since at least 1995 and was a regular lunch stop when I'd last worked in the Flatiron Building not far away.

Sadly, Zen Palate had closed its doors. After doing a vigorous business for more than 10 years, Zen Palate's closure had more to do with the recent, precipitious economic decline than its food. Instead, we went to Lannam Vietnamese Restaurant, a first for me. Hopefully not my last.

For starters, the staff welcomed us as if we were Norm and Cliff and this place was Cheers. The waiter arrived after we'd had a chance to settle in and took our drink order. His timing was just as good throughout the meal--he was attentive but not hovering, let us have our space but didn't make us feel forgotten.

My friend, an Asian food enthusiast, ordered the Vietnamese rice noodles (commonly known as Pad Thai) with shrimp, shredded vegetables, and crushed peanuts in Nuoc Cham sauce made with garlic, red pepper flakes, fresh lime juice, and fish sauce. I ordered the sauteed chicken, sliced thin, with crispy snow peas and nearly opaque slivers of lemongrass, which gave the pale, nearly clear ginger sauce a burst of spring that was pleasing on a blustery winter day. This was all served on a bed of white rice, though brown rice and fried rice are also offered. The portions were huge for lunchtime.

But perhaps the best part was the bill. Turns out Lannam is one of the best bargains in the city, named one of the Top 100 Buys for the Buck by Zagat survey. I used an Andrew Jackson to pay for drinks, lunch, and the tip. Now that's a happy new year!

Lannam Vietnamese Cuisine

121 University Place

(one block south of Union Square West @ 13th Street)

New York, NY

(212) 420-1179‎

2009-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

This Woman Is Going to Help a Lot of People

I recently finished working on Jenny McCarthy's new book, Healing and Preventing Autism, written with her pediatrician, Jerry Kartzinel. I haven't read any of McCarthy's other books, but I found this one to be groundbreaking, educational, and sensible (as opposed to New Age-y). In a nutshell, I believe it is going to help a lot of people, maybe even me.

The authors cover a lot of territory in this tome, but they point out that a lot of people may have conditions that are lying dormant in their bodies. Children with autism have those, and when they are vaccinated or otherwise innoculated (such as with the flu shot), those dormant conditions are awakened. Those conditions could include allergies, neurological problems, and digestive issues (oh yeah, lots of digestive issues). The problem lies with thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, and heavy metals such as mercury, which is apparently still used in flu shots. Children's exposure to such things essentially causes autism--and by attacking autistic symptoms with a multipronged approach, autism can be healed (perhaps even defeated!), which may help explain why some children seem to "get over" it or "outgrow" it, and others don't.

If you or someone you know is affected by autism or autism spectrum disorders (ASD), such as Asperger's Syndrome, you owe it to your family to read this book. That said, here are four of my favorite pointers from Healing and Preventing Autism:

Many children on the autism spectrum tend to have digestive issues, particularly bowel disease. As we all know from the classic joke, the bowel is the body's boss (not the brain), so treat this first.

Autisic behaviors often can be traced to inflammation in the body, such as from allergic reactions to food or environmental factors (including fragrances, pollen, inhalation of chemicals, etc.) To find out if this is an issue for your ASD child, test him for immunoglobulins. (There are lots of different ones, with names like IgA, IgG, and IgM.)

Autism is a collection of metabolic disturbances, and different with each child. Keep in mind that your physician is going to develop protocols based on her own clinical experience and findings. It is up to you as a loved one to get informed and, if needed, present other possible avenues of exploration to your physician.

In general, don't bother with flu shots. These days there's either a shortage or overstock of flu shots, and their effectiveness is about as predictable as the weather. (How often do people still get sick because "a different strain" wasn't included in the shot? Very often!) Because flu shots are half their weight in mercury, they often do more harm than good.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

2009-01-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

Small: The New Big in Publishing

When it comes to technology and publishing, everything seems to be getting smaller. Newspaper articles are shorter (think USA Today) because our MTV generation wants quick-and-dirty. We don't have time to dig very deep (think National Geographic). If you doubt it, check out this hilarious skit about Jet magazine from Comedy Central's Chocolate News. It gives you a new appreciation for those five-dollar gift books whose covers say Native American Wisdom or Tips for Women Who Do Too Much. Even the small publisher--the self-published individual!--is slowly making inroads into the industry, particularly in nonfiction.

I haven't bought a Kindle yet, for two main reasons: (1) I'm a traditionalist when it comes to magazines and books, and I like to touch the bindings, rip out magazine pages, and hang on to them far longer than the typical person would. And (2) the way cell-phone technology is going, you'll be able to download books to your BlackBerry pretty soon (if not already).

If magazines are more your taste, check out Zinio, the online newsstand where you can subscribe to digital versions of your favorite (and least favorite) magazines. Check out the free samples, too. Considering that paper is the largest expense for most publishers, magazines stand to profit a lot more per issue if you download their product. (You'll note that the subscription rates really aren't much different than what you're used to paying for the glossy paper version.)

Now if only the auto industry did this, we'd be living like the Jetsons by now.

2009-01-04T07:05:00.000-08:00

Belt Tightening

Who isn't worried about the economy these days? Writers are notoriously poor. We have no "emergency nest egg" to live off of if my husband or I couldn't work, no IRA, no education fund for junior, and frequent tough decisions to make such as: do we pay the mortgage on time or buy fuel oil?

Happily, there are lots of ideas in today's Morning Call newspaper for how to tighten one's fiscal belt. The paper itself was a bargain, but if you click on the links, you'll get the tips for free. Good way to get started.

In the article Start Early, Save Big writer Genevieve Marshall shows how motivated high schoolers can take college-level courses (at community college) as young as 15 at huge savings (and sometimes for free). State-supported dual enrollment programs make it possible for one student, for instance, to have completed her freshman year of college by the time she graduates high school, saving her roughly $80,000 even if she transfers to a private school to finish out her bachelor's degree.

Writer Greg Karp says in his Spending Smart column that it's getting closer to the day when we can pink slip our cable company. My family typically watches a half dozen different channels and it grates on me that we're paying upwards of $60/month. Some of our neighbors are spending $100/month and more. These days, some cable channels--Comedy Central, for instance--offer a lot of content for free on their Web sites. If you're a movie buff, you could save money by going with Netflix instead of pay-per-view or those "premium" movie channels.

And finally, in the delightful series On the Cheap, Spencer Soper features one woman's frugal way of avoiding the sometimes high cost of liquid hand soap. She cuts up a bar of milled soap (think Dove or your other favorite brand) and submerges it in a quart-size Mason jar of warm water. Eventually the soap breaks down and the water takes on the color and scent of the milled soap.

2009-01-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

The Mummers Parade: A Philadelphia Institution

What symbolizes Philadelphia? I think of Bruce Springsteen's heart-wrenching song for the Tom Hanks movie about AIDS, cheesesteaks and soft pretzels, Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, Hall & Oates. But there's one other thing that is uniquely evocative of Philadelphia: the Mummers Parade, which is sponsored by Southwest Airlines.

Every New Year's Day for nearly 110 years, hundreds of dedicated performers--mostly men wearing sequined suits and feathered headdresses--strut up Broad Street to City Hall. As a kid, I often took for granted that the parade would happen and that it would be televised. It's like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, or the Rose Parade in Pasadena. It takes the whole day, beginning with comics (clowns) pulling babies in wagons to "fancy brigades" or mini plays, performing in the dark. But, for many people, the crowning jewel in the Mummer's parade is the string band--or rather, the dozens of banjo- and sax-playing musicians who make music and dance to choreographed routines . . . in the cold . . . with 50 pounds (or more) of additional gear.

Some years the parade was postponed due to bad weather; other years the parade went on, indoors. For at least one year the Travel Channel televised the parade to a national audience.

The official Mummers Parade site traces the festivities to Greeks, Romans, and Celts, but it is a Pennsylvania German (Pennsylvania Dutch) tradition, derived as it was from German farmers, drunk from the holidays and given to mischievousness, bad singing, and pot banging during a less-busy time of year. From those colonial beginnings arose the Mummers Parade, which is now endangered because City Hall announced it had to cut award monies for the parade. If in its pursestring tightening City Hall also cuts city services (security, cleanup, etc.), the parade that is Philadelphia could become extinct.

If you're in eastern Pennsylvania, support this year's sponsors, who contributed $300,000 to make sure Broad Street still got strutted in 2009: Verizon, Joey Vento (owner of Geno's Steaks), The Electric Factory, Forman Mills, and the Delaware Valley Regional Economic Development Fund. Support Southwest Airlines; WPHL, the local broadcaster; and WGN America, which will televise 2 hours of the parade nationally on January 3.

To send donations, see Save the Mummers.

2008-12-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

Holiday Baking

I'm late with everything this year. But since I'm a deadline-oriented person, I'm kicking in the afterburners to get my holiday baking done. (My UPS man would be unhappy if I didn't give him a goodie box--and, considering nearly all my work passes through his hands, he's one fella I don't want to anger!) So I've been baking kiffles, mini black bottom cupcakes, and other cookies.

For my neighbors I made Ina Garten's Apple Cake Tatin, which was featured on one of her Barefoot Contessa shows. (Check it out--the episode is called "Housewarming Party" and is airing again on January 7 at 1:30 pm.) I coerced my husband and our neighbor Dan into trying it out--y'know, to make sure it was "good." There's a candied-sugar glaze on it that can make the cake a little crunchy after a day or two. If that happens, all you need to do is warm the cake (preferably not in a microwave) and you're good to go.

The recipe is easy to double, and the only special equipment you need is a candy thermometer, unless you're comfortable with sugar work and knowing exactly how amber to make the glaze.

2008-12-13T14:27:00.001-08:00

In Memoriam

Natasha 1993-2008

2008-12-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

Style Rescue

I have been working from home since before my son was born 10 years ago. The only office work I have done in the last 10 years was in a casual-dress office for about 18 months. I have 2 or 3 mix-and-match outfits for visiting publishers in New York when those occasions arise. So I'd be the first to stand up at a 12-step fashion program and say, "My name is Melanie, and I'm a style disaster."

I didn't used to be that way. In my teens and twenties I had a very clear sense of my own style (no, it wasn't sophisticated, but it was clear to me) and I had a svelte figure that made me happy to walk into almost any clothing store and know my choices were limited to personal taste. Different story now.

I don't really miss those clotheshorse days when I actually liked shopping, but Kendall Farr's upcoming book Style Evolution (Gotham, April 2009), which I just finished working on, shows me just how far I've fallen from chic or even current. Farr is the Rick Steves of fashion: she distills into roughly 200 pages only the timeless and ageless items no 40-and-older gal should be without. She justifies why you should spend more money on the better quality and when to "crib" the style in a lower-priced knock-off.

Frankly, she made me want to pull a What Not to Wear and completely trash my outdated, "I'm saving it for when I lose weight" wardrobe. If, like me, you want a one-way ticket back from Frumpytown, consider preordering Style Evolution.

2008-12-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas

If you happen to be in the Lehigh Valley or Poconos area on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7 pm, please pop in to the Slate Belt Heritage Center in Bangor for my talk on all things PA Dutch (that is, German) at Christmas, from Belsnickel to feather trees to lebkuchen. Click on the link for the the Center's address and other details.

2008-11-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

"Satisfying" Erotica?

As someone who reads for a living, I can tell you that there are a lot of poorly written books out there. That goes double or triple for erotica. So I was happily surprised at how well written The Family Jewels by Carole Hart is. It's part of the HEAT imprint at New American Library, to be released in March 2009. Yes, Virginia, erotica can be satisfying to the brain.

For starters, the characters in this novel are believable and smart. Olivia is a middle-class kid in Cape Cod whose family is on the verge of poverty. At a young age she learns that her good looks gain her all manner of possessions--shoes, designer clothes, access to the homes and lives of the wealthy, and more. When Paul teaches her the bedroom arts and how to steal jewelry from the rich, she is thrown into a world of sex, greed, and power. Olivia justifies her life choices by taking on her sister's college expenses after their father has a fatal heart attack. The closer she gets to getting caught the more she risks in pursuit of sex and gems.

According to Amazon, Hart is a pseudonym for an acclaimed British author, which wasn't surprising. The book is expertly plotted, reads like a Steve Berry international thriller, and, somehow, effortlessly includes "big words" like sangfroid. The erotica doesn't seem repetitive, even in a 265-page book, and ultimately is a lot more realistic and satisfying read than the romance novel that tries to disguise itself as erotica with a sprinkling of crude terms. This book has more than just a sprinkling of crude terms, and yet it's still a better read.

2008-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Researching the Query

Thank you to Kathy Ruff of the Pennsylvania Women's Press Association, who invited me to speak to women writers in Pittston, Pennsylvania. I had a great time sharing my experiences and fielding questions about freelance writing. (If you're an attendee reading this blog, I hope you'll contact me if you need help or have other questions. We writers have to stick together!)

Going into the meeting, I assumed that everyone would know what a query letter is, but since many were or are staff writers, the query was unexplored territory. I apologize to anyone who was confused. Here are a few pointers before writing that first query:

A query letter is a writer's introduction to an editor. The letter not only shows that you have article ideas, but it also shows that you've done homework on the editor's name and title, on the publication, and it gives a small sample of your writing style. Treat the query letter as seriously as you would an assigned story.

Use online tools such as Writer's Market or Wooden Horse Publishing to get market information, such as length and style guidelines, lead times, pay rates, and more. Writer's Market has more listings, but Wooden Horse has more demographic info and only $1.99 for a one-day subscription to its database.

Check out Shirley Kawa-Jump's How to Publish Your Articles for ideas on where you can get your foot in the door, writer testimonials, and a helpful resource guide at the back that shows you writers' organizations that can help you.

Pick the publication you want to write for, and tailor your research accordingly. Don't do like I did and write an article with the hope of finding it a home. (That method can sometimes work for essays, but it's still the longer way to publication, in my opinion.)

Research a year's worth of magazines (if it's a monthly) to get a feel for the publication and the topics it's reporting on. If it's a bimonthly, look at two years' worth of mags; if it's a weekly, look at six months' worth.

Also, don't forget to research the magazine's Web site and note whether the site has Web-only content. That's a separate market.

Include in your query your opening "hook" (what your story is about), a brief but more in-depth description with a generalized list of who you'll be interviewing, and why you're the right writer for the task. Include links to online articles or offer to send PDF or Word attachments. Many editors do not like attachments, especially if the editor doesn't know you.

Browse this blog for my entry called "First Clips."

Always remember: It's not personal; it's more about timing.

Good luck!

2008-10-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Writer's Conference with Sharyn McCrumb

I always enjoy myself at the DeSales University Craft & Story mini conference held in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. The event is planned by the very talented storyteller and author Juilene Osborne-McKnight. Several sessions are led by industry pros, and there is always an outstanding keynote luncheon. Recent keynotes include Native American writer Joseph Bruchac and Arthurian writer Jack Whyte. This year's keynote is by Sharyn McCrumb, bestselling Appalachian mystery writer.

Please note that you may attend the whole (half-day) conference or just the keynote luncheon. Stop me and say hello if you do come out.

Conference at a glance:

Sat., Nov. 1, 2008

8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

DeSales University

Center Valley, PA

Keynote: Sharyn McCrumb

Session instructors: Natalia Aponte (literary agent), Ann E. Michael (creative nonfiction writer), William Greenway (award-winning poet)

Cost: $75 Full conference; $35 Luncheon only

Contact: Gloria Lewis, Dept. of Humanities, Dooling Hall, DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave, Center Valley, Pa. 18034; 610-282-1100 x 1317

2008-09-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Darn Good Reading:
The Renegades
by T. Jefferson Parker

What a happy coincidence that I've been working on some great thrilling fiction written by native Californians. First there was Meg Gardiner; now there's T. Jefferson Parker, who is a best-selling author but until recently an unknown entity to me.

Parker's hardcover release of The Renegades (Dutton, February 2009) is a fast-moving ride through Southern California, where drug smuggling, gang warfare, and money laundering are commonplace . . . and where LA sheriff's deputies get to marinate in the worst of humankind. It's where even a cop known to his peers as "Mr. Wonderful" can be lured to the dark side. And, for those who are clever, ruthless, and just plain ballsy, there are ample opportunities to sell oneself to "the devil." It's where all kinds of crap hits the fan.

One of the things I liked best about The Renegades was the absence of a sagging middle. Avid readers and writers know what I'm referring to here--that place between the beginning and end where you sometimes want to walk to the fridge for a drink. Books aren't supposed to have intermission, though, and this one certainly doesn't. This is commercial fiction, full of stuff guys love--guns, pretty California girls, and chases through underground tunnels at the Mexican border. There's also plenty (I think) to recommend it to women, including tormented and tragic characters like Coleman Draper that make this a character-driven and plot-driven tale.

Draper's character reminded me of Raul Julia's artful portrayal of Carlos/Xavier Escalante, the drug lord who doubles as a police comandante, in the 1988 film Tequila Sunrise. Which also reminded me of the saying that there are no original stories left; it's what the writer brings to the story that makes it worth reading.

2008-09-25T14:40:00.001-07:00

Don Yoder to Speak in Allentown

Mark your calendars.

Who: PA Dutch expert Don Yoder

What: Speaks about the European origins of the PA Dutch

When: Saturday, October 11 @ 1 pm

Where: Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut Street, Allentown

$6 for the public; free to museum members

Dr. Don Yoder, internationally acclaimed scholar on Pennsylvania Dutch culture and folklife, will separate fact from myth during a public presentation on the European origins of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

According to Yoder, “the Pennsylvania Dutch were the largest non-English ethnic group in colonial America.” In his presentation Yoder will talk about the enormous impact they’ve had on American pre-industrial technology.

Yoder has authored or coauthored 15 books and more than 200 scholarly articles relating to the Pennsylvania Dutch. He is recognized in Europe and America as the Dean of Pennsylvania Dutch studies. Yoder’s honors include Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies and Folklore and Folklife at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a past president of the American Folklore Society, a founding trustee of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and a cofounder of the Pennsylvania Folklife Society where he served as longtime editor of its periodical Pennsylvania Folklife.

Dr. Yoder’s presentation will explain the origins of the Pennsylvania Dutch people and how they differed from other immigrants.

2008-09-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Thought for the Day

Acceptance is a needful thing . . . not just of you, but from you, too.

This thought came to me this morning, as I was thinking of grown-ups who have been wounded by the unacceptance of their parents or families, who then don't accept their children for who they are, by forcing them into sports or pushing them to be voracious readers or expecting them to pursue a certain line of work. I'm moving through my day being mindful of the expectations I set for others and where I can be more accepting.

2008-09-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Take 3 with . . . Shirley Jump

Shirley Jump is a go-getter with heart, and after careers in journalism, teaching, and marketing, she has devoted her writing to creating characters and happy endings that have just as much heart. And she's penning her first YA horror story with her daughter, Amanda, called The Well. She's always three steps ahead of everyone! She's Type A all the way, and an inspiration to all who cross her path. Somehow she carved out a few minutes to chat about writing and irresistible leading men.

1. You have written more than two dozen romance novels. How do you keep characters and plots fresh and different each time?

SJ: Well, every idea is different. I have SO many ideas--way too many to ever write in a lifetime. So finding the ideas is not a problem, and then after that, it's a matter of twisting the plots as I go along to keep them from getting stale. It helps that I'm the kind of reader who likes to be challenged by the books I read. I try to look for and read books that have dynamic, interesting plots. And hopefully bring the same thing to my own pages.

2. Can you briefly explain the differences in writing category romances versus single-title novels? What do you like about each type?

SJ: Category novels are much shorter, at 50,000 words, and focus solely on the hero and heroine (there are other lines at Harlequin that are slightly longer and leave room for subplots, but Harlequin Romance, the line I write for is 50k in length). What I like about that is the concentration on a single story line. You get the chance to really focus on just those two characters, without any other plots interfering. Single title is double the length and gives me the room to explore deeper themes while also juggling multiple plots at once. I have the room in single title to take more chances and really stretch my writing wings.

3. When you're developing your heroes and heroines, do you find that you spend more time on the heroes or the heroines? And which of your leading men would you most like to have lunch with (in your husband's company, of course!)?

SJ: I think it depends on the book. For some books, I know one character or the other really well right off the bat. For others, I struggle on both. It just depends on the idea, I think, and "whose" book the story mainly is. That character generally is the one I know best. As for a character to dine with...probably Duncan from REALLY SOMETHING. He was such a wounded hero and I just loved him :-)

2008-09-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

This Old House . . . for Women
Sealcoating

Labor Day weekend was reserved almost entirely for doing some outdoor sprucing up. We live in an 1800s Georgian-style Colonial, and it'll probably take our entire natural lives to restore and renovate the house, but we focused our efforts on a few key projects. We pressure-washed the house; I painted the back door; and my husband did some long-overdue weed-whacking in an area where I can't take the mower.

But our big job was sealcoating our asphalt driveway. My husband says its length is about 5 car lengths, but I think it's more like 6. Regardless, it felt pretty long as we toiled in the sun. (The picture above is our actual driveway.)

Most of the women in our neighborhood have a princess complex and wouldn't dream of breaking a sweat, not when it's so easy to whip out the checkbook and pay a service for it. (To be fair, if our drive were any longer than it is, I would've won Olympic gold for checkbook whipping.) But by buying the sealcoating ahead and on sale (it's a petroleum product, so I'm betting the cost was up this year), we saved about $200 on the project.

For those of you hardy vixens out there who pride yourselves on being independent-minded do-it-yourselfers, here are a few tips I learned about sealcoating one's own driveway.

Don't begin at first light. People will tell you to take advantage of a cooler morning. But if you let the sealcoating sit in the sun for a couple hours, it will be easier to spread.

Get a partner. Unless you have a tiny driveway, sweet-talk somebody into helping you. Without my husband's help, the job would have taken me all day. We started at the street and worked our way back toward the house, working the coating into the grooves in a kind of crosshatch pattern.

It's worst in the beginning. At first, my husband and I were both complaining, "What were we thinking?!" But as we got our bearings and developed a rhythm for applying the coating, it got easier. (Or maybe it was the dwindling number of 5-gallon buckets that spurred us on?) So stay the course.

Use a push broom as an applicator. Most hardware stores and home centers encourage people to buy a squeegee or paint rollers, but we took a helpful tip from our neighbors and used custodial push brooms. A broom's bristles will work the coating into any cracks you may have, won't spray as much as paint rollers, and will be more efficient than squeegees. And if you're the frugal type, you can save the broom for the next application (experts say to sealcoat every 2-3 years) by pressure-washing and storing it.

Pace yourself. Be prepared to get a serious cardio workout. Don't plan anything else for the day. We were spent after sealcoating in the sun for 3 hours. It wasn't terribly hot--in the mid-80s--but it sure felt like it!

It takes about 2 days for sealcoating to cure (many packages won't tell you how long to stay off the freshly sealed drive), so today I will enjoy removing the blockade from the end of our drive. And even though we complained in the beginning, we believe it was worth the savings to do it ourselves.

2008-08-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Quityerbellyachin'

That's what a sign in my dentist's office says, and I always get a little laugh out of it, especially since I'm convinced we in America live in a society of complainers. My neighbor Heidi and I discussed this just this morning while we were on our morning walk. (Appropriate since today marks the birth of one of the most vocal complainers in my world.) So today I'm complaining about complainers.

We got started on the subject because of children's sports--and how parents are never satisfied and are too competitive. Women especially are never satisfied. Here's a typical litany of complaints: my smile isn't white enough (but I can buy that!); my breasts aren't perky enough (I must buy that!); the schoolteacher isn't good enough (I see a pattern here); and dang it, my husband doesn't earn enough (and I don't want to work).

My friend replied that she doesn't know many people who are truly happy. But I'd like to think I'm one of those few. Check it out: I have a job/business that I love; I have a terrific husband, a wonderful child, and we have shelter and food and love.

I have a theory--it's in vogue to complain, because it shifts responsibility away from the complainer. His or her or your unhappiness is always someone else's fault. Weh weh, boo hoo hoo.

Life can be tough sometimes, but the most complaining I hear comes from the mouths of people who have the fewest reasons to be grousing. I'm talking about single men and suburban housewives who've got such a cushy life--they got everything they need and more!--they have nothing else to complain about. I get that it's rare to be happy with everything (we all want to earn more and work less, for starters), but let's get real.

Life is what you make it. So if you're unhappy and miserable, whose fault is it, anyway?

2008-07-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Recommended Reading: Diet Can Alter Your DNA

Without trying (or rather, without paying attention), I gain weight. I've been thinking about what I could do to eat less and move more. It has to be pretty compelling to pull me away from work and other responsibilities, though I realize there should be nothing more compelling than my own health.

Serendipitously, then, I was assigned to work on the upcoming book Osteoporosis: Preventing and Healing Without Drugs by Peter Bales, M.D. (Prometheus: Sept 2008). The basic premise of the book is that nutrition is a more effective long-term approach to treating and healing osteoporosis than drug therapy. The author, an orthopedic surgeon in California, says early in the book that his medical school training didn't include enough information on nutrition. (It's a statement you've probably read and heard before.)

One of the major causes of now-epidemic osteoporosis is obesity. The heavier you get, the more pressure is put on the cartilage. But it's at least a double-whammy, because the obese person with a poor diet also has silent "suicide cells" at work that actually destroy cartilage.

Bales divulges a lot more information about nutrition and overall health, which is why I'm recommending this book to anyone who is interested in health. Check this out:

Not Brushing and Flossing Can Lead to Heart Disease. Remember that old saying that dental health is an indicator of overall health? Apparently, it's true. Bales says on p. 44 that people with chronic periodontal disease have inflamed gums. The bacteria that causes gum inflammation is circulated through the bloodstream and causes inflammation in other parts of the body and is linked to the development of heart disease.
Bad Diet = Physical Self-Destruction. An unhealthy diet leads to oxidation--or "rusting"--in our cells, causing them to malfunction and resulting in acidic pH in our bodies. Acid breaks down whatever it's exposed to. When cartilage cells are exposed to increased oxidative stress, they become dysfunctional and overproduce cartilage-degrading enzymes and free radicals. Bales calls these "suicide cells" on p. 49, because they actually attack healthy cells.
Why Diet Books Say "It's Not Your Fault." Leptin is a hormone that is secreted through the hypothalamus that tells us to stop eating when we're satisfied. But as we gain weight and become obese, leptin resistance results and the hypothalamus does not respond appropriately. "As a result," Bales writes on p. 108, "we continue to eat even when our body does not need the excess calories." So, in addition to whatever psychological issues are making you eat, your body is sort of going along for the ride too. Women naturally have higher leptin levels than men. (But, does that make us "fault free"? You decide . . .)
Overeating Can Stress You Out. Overweight and obese people have increased levels of insulin and sugar in their blood and are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. The increased insulin and sugar cause inflammation throughout the body and a higher production of cortisol, a stress hormone secreted during "fight or flight." More cortisol in the body means your body is in a state of constant stress, and that can lead to what Bales calls adrenal burnout on p. 113, which means your body's horomone levels are all imbalanced.
High Cooking Temps Affect Aging. According to Bales's footnoted information on p. 122, broiling meat at 437 degrees F (225 Celsius) or higher, or frying at 350 degrees F (177 Celsius) or higher increases the oxidation and "sugar-coating" of foods, increasing inflammation in your body and accelerating the aging process.

Bad Diet Can Lead to Changes in DNA. This is headline news to me, but on pp. 126 and 142 Bales says that research shows that poor nutrition and environmental toxins causes our DNA to malfunction, and that malfunctioning is "passed on to our children." As the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, this point has HUGE implications.

So what is there to do? Well, you'll have to buy the book (preorder it at Amazon or B&N), but one of Bales's suggestions for rescuing your body--and possibly your children--from genetic malfunctioning includes avoiding processed starches like pasta and white bread.

2008-07-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Asperger's Syndrome 101

I have a child with Asperger's Syndrome. It's a developmental / neurological condition on the autism spectrum, but some people don't think it should be there because it doesn't involve a child's losing his vocabulary (autism is often characterized by children totally losing their vocab and starting from scratch). Some people believe it may be caused by immunizations, and I've wondered if his prematurity had something to do with it (my son was born 2.5 months early, and weighed 3.5 pounds), but our neurologist believes it is genetic.

Thanks to a very observant and helpful relative, I found out about this disorder when my son was 3; and thanks to a wonderful pediatrician, we were able to get services that same year.

One of the many things I've learned is that Asperger's isn't a destination; it's a lifelong journey with a lot of bumps but a lot of incredible, memorable moments.

Here were some of the signs we first observed that are autistic tendencies and/or symptomatic of Asperger's:

limited vocabulary
(At 3, my son was speaking primarily in 3-4 word sentences, but there were also "receptive" speech issues too, see next bullet)

echolalia
(He realized that he needed to respond to verbal communication, but if he didn't know what to say, he'd simply repeat what was said to him)

hypotonia
(Low muscle tone in the upper body)

tactile issues
(He wouldn't let anyone cut his hair but me, poor kid, and even now there's only one person he'll trust to do it)

other sensory issues
(My guy's big issue is sounds--he can tolerate a Harley, but a bumble bee will drive him batty)

social problems
(He would hug himself into a corner at daycare and didn't want to interact with the other children; at times won't keep his hands to himself; is very literal and doesn't "get" jokes)

obsessiveness
(He wants to talk only about his favorite obsession--think of how obsessed a teenage girl is with her first boyfriend and multiply that by 10--and will frequently interrupt conversations with "important" news about his favorite obsession. It's why Hans Asperger called his patients "little professors")
repetitive behaviors
(He would look out the corner of his eye and follow the edge of our dining table. Back and forth, back and forth he'd walk. Or he'd play with Hot Wheels cars in only a few predictable directions)

emotional sensitivity
(He is so self-critical that even erasing an answer on math homework can drive him to a fit or tears or both. He'll be mortified if he finds out he is the subject of this blog entry)

strong parental attachment
(Parents tell me how hard it is to let their children go; imagine how hard it is when your child doesn't want to let go and you're told to force him away)

When I first began researching autism and its spectrum of disorders, I had a crying jag from the information overload. But I'm here--and many other parents are here too--to say that life with a child with Asperger's can be challenging, but it is very rewarding, too. I have an exceptionally affectionate, unusually articulate child who has helped me grow in untold ways.

He keeps me grounded, because I still have a lot of growing left to do.

2008-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Great Day in the City

Every year I take my son to New York City for a day of fun. He's seen or been in all the major sights, so this year we took a 3-hour Circle Line cruise around all of Manhattan, allowing me to see some new sights of my own. I also had two books to deliver that day and a book signing to attend, so it was a busy day. Maybe too busy.

(The Freedom Tower is being built just behind the building with the triangular-shaped roof, to the left.)

(I'd never seen the Brooklyn Bridge from this vantage point before.)

(The South Street Seaport is a must-see if you like big ships. There's a comedy club nearby called Caroline's at the Seaport. Caroline Hirsch, the owner, was one of the people featured in a coffee-table book I was returning to the publisher, but that stop was still to come.)

(A view of the East River, and the sea beyond.)

(Here's a view of what's called "the projects" in Harlem. If you look closely, you might be able to see the traffic on FDR Drive.)

(Ever wonder what happens to retired subway cars? These guys are awaiting their final resting places on a barge at the northern tip of Manhattan. One of our fellow passengers said these cars would be "taken out to sea," but I decided not to think about the junk yard we may have created in the ocean.)

(A view from way uptown, looking down the Hudson River skyline. One of these new buildings is Trump Place. I believe it was partially overseen by Randall Pinkett, one of Trump's apprentices.)

After all our stops, dinner, and a brief visit at the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble store, we were totally spent. I picked up the car in Hoboken, NJ, and we talked about boats the entire ride home.

My son has decided. He wants to own the Circle Line.

2008-07-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Take 3 . . . with Bertrice Small

I discovered Bertrice Small when I joined the Literary Guild as a teenager. One of the books I bought with my new membership was All the Sweet Tomorrows, an historical romance about an Irishwoman named Skye O'Malley. Even though I'd missed the first book in the series (but not for long), All the Sweet Tomorrows was not a disappointment. It was steeped in Elizabethan history, it was explicitly sensual, and it featured a strong-willed, independent woman. Perfect reading for a hormonal 15-year-old. In fact, Bertrice Small helped me realize two things: that I wanted to write about history, and that I wanted to work in book publishing.

Bertrice Small is still steaming up the romance market, such as with her upcoming The Captive Heart, winning a lot of acclaim along the way. She is a New York Times best-selling author and the recipient of the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievment Award, among others. She graciously took time to answer three of my questions:

1. You've written about so many interesting and memorable heroes and heroines. Do you have a method for developing fictional characters, and which one of your heroes would you want to meet for lunch?

BS: My characters just come to me. And when they do, I begin to consider who they really are, and then I develop a history for them. With actual historical personages, reading their known history can give you a very good insight into who they are/were. For me there really is no methodology for building characters. They really create themselves if you will open your mind and listen.

2. Could you share the story of your first sale--how long did it take to finish, did your agent shop it around for very long, and did you splurge on anything frivolous with that first advance?

BS: My first sale was in February of 1973. The book was The Kadin [pronounced kah-DEEN]. The publisher who first bought it was G. P. Putnam's Sons in New York City. Unfortunately the young editor got into a firefight several months later with the publisher, and he fired her. She retaliated by taking all her files down to the furnace room of the office building, and burning them. He struck back by cancelling the contracts on the 3 books she had bought and was working on. I was one of those books. However I chose not to accept this turn of events. I called the publisher, and thanks to his sympathetic secretary actually got to talk to him. He said he was given to understand I was a new mother. (Our son, Thomas, had been born the month after I sold the book) I said yes I was a new mother. He replied that his advice to me would be to forget this whole "book business," and be a good mother to my son. I told him writing would make me no less of a good mother, and that I would be in publishing long after he was gone.

I told my then agent, a lovely man, to take the book to Nancy Coffey at Avon Books. But he felt it should be a hard cover, and shopped it around for the next 2 years until finally he agreed to take it to Avon. Nancy Coffey bought it within a month; it was published in February of 1978, five years after it had first been sold. I am one of the original authors known as the "Avon Ladies" who started the revival of the romance genre. And the publisher who told me to give it all up? Well, several years later G. P. Putnam's Sons was sold to a big conglomerate, and he ended up practicing family law in New Jersey. And 30 years later I'm still here, and thankfully going strong. As for that first advance - which I got to keep - all my early advances were used for practical items like bills and shoes for that growing boy.

3. Your career spans decades. Please describe something that's changed in publishing--for good or ill--since you started.

BS: A great deal has changed in 30 years. In the beginning it was historicals and series books. Now the Romance genre has at least a dozen subgenres. Readers from the beginning have been fantastically loyal. But today publishing isn't nearly as generous as it formerly was with regard to promotion and publicity; and if a newbie doesn't perform up to expectations immediately, she isn't given time to grow. The price of books has gone up so much that it has spawned a secondhand market that hurts authors' sales because only the books shipped by the publisher show up as sales. Secondhand sales don't show up, so many readers bound by budgets wait for their favorite author to be sold secondhand. Then the publisher thinks the author isn't selling well anymore, and the author is paid less for the next book, or worse, not given a new contract. It's a very tough business now for everyone involved.

Publishing houses are, with few exceptions, owned by giant conglomerates who want a profitable bottom line. Readers who used to "vet" incoming manuscripts rarely exist in publishing houses. There are fewer and fewer editors. Copy and line editing is farmed out to freelance people who have no vested interest in a book's success. And covers are now computer-generated instead of being painted by wonderful cover artists like Elaine Duillo, Tom Hall, and Robert McGinnis. Yes indeed, a lot has changed in 30 years. Whether it is good or bad I may have an opinion, but I'm not really in a position to judge. What I do know is that the genre continues to grow and to thrive, and has since 1972 when Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's book The Flame and the Flower burst upon us. And that's good enough for me.

2008-07-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Quoteworthy:

"A nation or a society without values produces leaders without character."

--Joseph M. Marshall III, author of the forthcoming The Power of Four (Sterling)

Joseph M. Marshall III is a 2008 PEN Beyond Margins Award winner

2008-06-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

"Bring" and "Take": Knowing the Difference

The word bring seems to be very popular these days. So popular, in fact, that it's being overused and, in many cases, confused for the word take. And, as Pu Yi's tutor Reginald Johnston (as portrayed by Peter O'Toole) said in The Last Emperor, "a man must say what he means, or he may not mean what he says." [Yes, I've used that quote before; it's one of my all-time favorites, particularly since I'm guilty of the same error.]

Webster's--the industry standard in book publishing, not Oxford--offers this definition of bring: "transitive verb: to convey, lead, carry, or cause to come along with one toward the place from which the action is being regarded; to cause to be, act, or move in a special way." This could include the acts of attracting, persuading or inducing, forcing or compelling, or causing to exist or occur.

Take has a mile-long definition in Web and its list of synonyms is just as long, but essentially it is a transitive verb meaning to get into one's hands or into one's possession, power, or control, to seize or capture physically, to captivate or delight, choose or select, etc. etc.

There is room for a lot of overlap, which leads to confusion. So much so that the Chicago Manual of Style--the bible of commercial publishing--bring and take in its "Glossary of Troublesome Expressions" and says that it is "common" for people to confuse the distinction. But Chicago distills the distinction rather well, even though it may seem a little contradictory to Web's definitions:

If the action is directed toward you, use bring. If it is directed away from you, use take.

Hence, bring it on and take it off. So avoid constructions like I brought my car to the mechanic and be careful with I brought it with me.

2008-06-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Travelogue: Seattle

I don't often travel without my family, and frankly, I don't often feel the need to. But when an old and dear friend told me she was getting married, I didn't think twice about traveling 3,000 miles to be part of it, to my husband's occasional consternation. ("I'd never travel across the country for a wedding," he said. "Women have different relationships than men," I explained.)

It was my first visit to the Pacific Northwest; and though it was nothing but rain, fog, and unusually cool temperatures, it beat the record heatwave (102 degrees) that was simmering at home. The 50s temps gave me a taste for why America's coffee culture sprouted up in Seattle years ago. While I waited during my friend's salon appointment, I sipped Market Spice tea in a white ceramic cup and learned the meaning of the word "sunbreak." Sometimes, when the forecast calls for sunbreaks, people literally run outside and turn their heads up toward the sky for whatever fleeting benefit comes of it. It reminded me why I didn't move there when I had a chance in the 1990s. It simply rains so much that three consecutive sunny days is cause for celebration.

But as I told another friend, who I met at the Point Defiance Flower and Garden Show in Tacoma, putting up with the rain makes Washingtonians deserving of the lush beauty that results from it. Besides, even though the city was shrouded in rain and fog the whole time (and I never did get to see Mount Rainier, not even from the plane), the weather encouraged sheltered shopping at the famous Pike Place Market and a sumptuous lunch of Wild Salmon linguini at Cutters Bayhouse along Puget Sound. It was enough . . . for now.

I want to go back to Seattle someday--to take a ferry to Bainbridge Island, sample the gustatory offerings at a Tom Douglas restaurant, and visit the grave of Chief Seattle.

2008-06-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

If You Can't Say Something Nice...

Write it in your blog instead. Honestly, I wanted to like Eileen Davidson's Death in Daytime (Obsidian, Oct 2008). The concept seemed different enough--a series of whodunits set in Hollywood among the soap opera crowd--but the series debut was, in a word, awful. Davidson is a beautiful and (I'm sure) talented actress, but not even her ghostwriter could inject enough content that would make the book worth nearly seven bucks.

The protagonist, soap actress Alexis Peterson, has a personal fondness for forensics and crime scenes and can't help herself but get mixed up in a murder investigation for which she's a potential suspect. But poor Alex is a Hollywood cliché: she pretends at playing mom of the year, is a surfer matron, and drives a Porsche Speedster named Marilyn. Yes, readers, it's true.

Next come the inane and/or misrepresented characters. All the cops in this tale are either star-struck stutterers or idiots. Let's start with Detective Frank Jakes, the head detective who takes a serious liking to our protagonist. Yet, even if he's thinking from his pants, what professional detective is going to let a civilian go through a victim's home office and listen in on interrogations of other suspects at headquarters? Jakes also says things that seem improbable for a real detective. Yes, fiction is escapism, but the idea is that the characters resemble reality to be believable. But Jakes, when referring to the murdered victim, says, "she was mean enough that someone probably would have killed her sooner or later." What? Not even Leona Helmsley, New York's witch on wheels, ended up with that fate. (Helmsley died in 2007 at age 87 of congestive heart failure.)

Enter Lisa Daley, who's surely (not) got a MENSA membership by now. She says to the protagonist, "I didn't tell them [the police] the truth. That's going to be bad for me, isn't it?" Add to that plenty of dialogue that doesn't advance the story, such as the phone conversation that includes: "Sure," I said. "Bye."

It's only my 2 cents, but you'll save $6.99 plus tax if you bypass this one.

2008-05-25T20:45:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary to Crystal and Brian M.

To a great couple whose marriage is probably the only one left that really inspires me. It's what--something like 17 years now? I know the best years are still to come.

And Happy Birthday to Heather J.

Whose brilliance and spirit are an inspiration to me, too. May our paths never diverge.

2008-05-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

o O Plácido

I had the great pleasure of seeing Plácido Domingo as Emperor Qin in The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera over the weekend. It seemed an appropriate time to go, since Domingo first sang at the Met in 1968--the year I was born.

My companion, Christine, and I had never been to the Met before, though my college commencement was held at Alice Tully Hall. The show was a matinee, so there was a great swath of attendees, from young people in strappy sandals and summery skirts to gray hairs with great, sprayed coifs and well-worn opera glasses.

No matter what, you're going to encounter crusty bad-tempered New Yorkers. That's a given, and the odds are you'll be stuck with them in a crowded elevator. And, invariably, someone will say, "Welcome to New York!" after you thankfully flee that box of bad mojo.

The inner sanctum at the Met is beautiful, with squares of gold leaf applied to the marvel of a ceiling glimmering in contrast to the red velvet seats. But not much could compare to the moment Domingo came out on stage. It was almost a rock-and-roll moment, and a great day in the city.

2008-05-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

Hip Hip Hoo-rah for JoAnn Ross

Or is it hoo-ah? I forget, but what isn't forgettable is Crossfire, JoAnn Ross's new romantic suspense novel (a Signet release to come in September 2008). It's more a military thriller than romance, but I don't think romance readers would be disappointed. The scenes that are there are pret-ty steamy, and I'm not talking about the South Carolina setting.

Crossfire is the third (I believe) title in the High Risk series and it follows FBI special agent Caitlyn Cavanaugh as she tracks down a serial killer. She ends up working with ex-Navy SEAL sniper Quinn McKade to figure out the madman's identity.

As a woman nearing 40 (can it be?), I really enjoyed the author's writing voice, as she reminded me of all the reasons I love men, particularly military men who earn their confidence the hard way. After spending my twenties and early thirties wishing men were more like women, I have now come to appreciate men for who they are (or based on who my husband is). I especially enjoy the male humor. And--yes, yes, I'll admit it--the six-pack abs on the cover are very nice.

Yes, this is commercial literature, but it's a step up from the usual romantic suspense, in my opinion. And it's "a great romp," as the romance reviewers like to say! Recommended.

2008-05-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

10 Things I Learned About Green Homebuilding

Today is the last day to enter to win the first HGTV Green Home (see picture) and it reminded me of the privilege I recently had interviewing Brian Baker, the chief architect and VP of Studio26 Homes in Orefield, Pennsylvania. The resulting article was in a recent issue of Lehigh Valley Magazine. Here are my favorite 10 tips about increasing a home's energy efficiency:

10. To improve energy efficiency, metal heating ducts should be as short as possible (so the air travels quickly from the furnace to the room it's heating) and built into interior walls only, so the hot-air temp won't be affected by outdoor temps.

9. Install high and low HVAC ductwork. The heat will flow out of the floor-level ducts, and the A/C will come from the high ducts, saving energy all around.

8. A tankless or "point of service" hot water heater will pay for itself in probably the first year or less.

7. Energy Star-compliant asphalt shingles deflect 20% of the summer sun's rays.

6. If anyone in the family tends to leave lights on in the bathroom, you can get timers that'll automatically turn lights off.

5. If you don't like the fluorescence of the screw-in fluorescent bulbs (those curly ones) you can try "pin-based" fluorescents and LED lighting that cast a more incandescent glow. The screw-ins are supposed to last longer, but some people can't tolerate the glow of light.

4. In general, photovoltaic panels are still too expensive for the average homebuyer, but some states are subsidizing their cost. PA isn't there yet...

3. Plant deciduous trees to the south of your house to help shade it in summer. Plant conifers on the other three sides to reduce winter cold and the wintry effects of wind.

2. If you live in a flat-roofed building (or have flat-roofed outbuildings), turn it into a "green roof" filled with plant material. Not only will it save you on energy bills, it could even create its own microclimate. A huge plus if you're a city dweller. (PPL, eastern PA's biggest utility company, built a green roof on its corporate headquarters that received a LEED Gold rating--very hard to accomplish!)

1. My favorite tip: Buy an induction cooktop instead of a gas or electric one for the kitchen. It works as quick or quicker than gas without any of the gas-related concerns (leaks). I saw a demo where a pot of water was boiling in under a minute, and the burners don't activate until you place the specially made pots (can be bought at Target) on the burners.

To find out more, visit Studio26 Homes.

2008-04-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

Take 3 . . . with Katherine Ramsland

Katherine Ramsland has made a career of writing about the spooky, scary, macabre, and downright dangerous and disgusting. As a forensic psychologist, she is often asked how she can leave her work "at the office." Katherine just seems to know how to decompress--through exercise and reading, among other things.

When I was a journalism student, my advisor told me to always be on the lookout for a story--it might be in the notice glued to a billboard or the leaflet being handed out on the street that nobody wants to take. I immediately took a shine to Katherine when I learned that the inspiration for her book Cemetery Stories was inspired by meeting a freelance embalmer! Talk about chance encounters leading to something worth writing about . . .

Despite maintaining a maddening schedule of teaching, writing, and traveling, she always makes time for "the little guys," like speaking at libraries for free and getting nothing but a grateful thanks for answering three of my questions:

1. Between your teaching career, writing career, speaking engagements, and so on, I have often wondered when you sleep. How often do you read for pleasure and what book(s) is/are on your nightstand right now?

KR: I generally reserve the summers for pleasure reading, or use long plane trips. I keep a pile of books near my chair, and currently I have: I am of Irelaunde, by my friend Juilene Osborne-McKnight, Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane, The Italian Boy (about body snatchers), by Sarah Wise, and She Walks These Hills, by Sharyn McCrumb. I also have lots of nonfiction, deailing either with the writing craft, forensics, or background for future ideas.

2. You've written a lot about the history of violent crimes. Who among the many criminals you've researched and/or studied was most fascinating to you?

KR: Jack Unterweger, an Austrian serial killer who was also a playwright and journalist covering his own murders and taunting the police for not solving the cases. He perfectly portrays the type of person who could easily pass as a celebrity and as a brutal murderer.

3. I know you don't like to talk about works in progress, but I read somewhere that you're working on a book about "local" murders. Are there any common psychological traits that murderers of all stripes tend to have?

KR: I'm nearly finished with Lehigh Valley Murders, and I expect it to be available this fall. We have three serial killers associated with the Valley, as well as several psychopathic multiple killers. In addition, we have three cases that made forensic history. There are no common traits for killers, since murder takes many different forms for many different reasons, but the type of person who most often repeats this crime is difficult to spot, anyway, because he or she is chameleonic. They know how to "pass," they're predators, and they're always at least one step ahead of the rest of us, who tend to trust people. Charming, superficial, impulsive, without remorse, parasitic, intelligent, manipulative, deceptive, exploitive, irresponsible--these are the traits that define a psychopath, but if you're their targetted prey, you won't necessarily see it except in retrospect, after you've been used and depleted. However, the more run-of-the-mill criminal with antisocial tendencies, who often gets into trouble and seems to just be a loser, is easy for most people to spot and predict. That person, however, is not the most dangerous.

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Katherine's latest book is called Into the Devil's Den. Read more about it at her blog.

2008-04-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Take 3...with Scott Hays

I first came across Scott Hays's work when I was researching to write a health-related book proposal, so when I recently was assigned to copyedit Tiki Barber's Pure Hard Workout (Gotham, October 2008), I noticed the title page said, "by Tiki Barber and Joe Carini with Scott Hays." A lightbulb went on.

Turns out, Hays has written a lot of other cool books, including a children's book about capital punishment (!) and a thriller/mystery involving Indian gaming. The Ghost of Tahquitz is going on my wish list.

Not surprisingly, then, Hays combines writing with other work: as a teacher and media consultant in California. He's not exactly lacking for things to do (is that a vineyard I see out his back door?), so I'm very pleased he made the time to answer some of my nosy questions.

1. I have a copy of your book Built for Sex in my library. It's the best thing I've ever seen on the subject of sexual fitness and wish there were a companion volume for women. (Something not authored by Carmen Electra.) What was the best part of working on that manuscript--it looks like it must've taken a long time to write.

SH: Actually, I was given only four months to complete the entire manuscript of roughly 100,000 words. It nearly broke me, spiritually. Not a fun project, although I still enjoy the knowledge I gained from the research. And no, I didn’t have to do any “field testing.”

2. You have a multifaceted business as a professor and media consultant in addition to being a writer. Do you find that writers tend to be--or maybe *need* to be for longevity--multitalented?

SH: Some writers I know believe in becoming specialists—experts, if you will, in one particular field. I’ve always had to take on whatever work came my way. It’s how I continue to make my living. I started teaching roughly six years ago after I noticed a few of my writing friends doing it to earn extra income. I actually enjoy teaching just as much as I do writing, so the combination of the two works extremely well for my lifestyle. My advice to all writers is to do whatever it takes to continue writing, period. And if that means taking on an extra job or two, now and again, then so what.

3. Thanks for sharing your rejection letter story at your e-journal. What perennial advice do you give your students about using rejection to their advantage? Publishing surely gives us lots of opportunity to either develop thick skin or abandon our efforts.

SH: Embrace rejection, it’s part of the process. The first book I sold 20 years ago was rejected by dozens of publishers before I eventually found it a home; and it just happened to be one of the largest publishers of educational material in the country. Learn from those who reject you, and don’t take their criticism personally. Every book I ever sold was rejected by dozens upon dozens of agents. I could never get any of them to work with me . . . and yet I eventually sold most of my book proposals and to large publishing houses.

Photo used by permission.

2008-04-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

Help Plant a Billion Trees in Brazil

Read this and please consider clicking on my Plant a Billion Trees widget in the right-hand column!

I first became aware of the critical importance of the Brazilian rain forest in the 1980s when Sting traveled around the world with Kayapo chief Raoni. As he explained in his now-out-of-print book Jungle Stories, there may be no more important ecosystem to the survival of our planet. Long before it became hip to care about the environment, Sting used his celebrity for something eminently good. Together with his wife Trudie Styler, Sting formed The Rainforest Foundation and hosts an annual benefit concert in New York City. The next concert--the 15th one--is on May 8, 2008 featuring Billy Joel, James Taylor, Chris Botti, and surprise guests. To support Sting's efforts, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has designated May as "Rainforest Awareness Month."

What I appreciate most about his work was that he braved a LOT of flak in Brazil--with the government and with the people. This was a death-threat-serious kind of crusade he got himself into. I appreciate his perseverence.

But here's the kicker: Thanks to Sting's hard work there is now a demarcated "park" in Brazil the size of Switzerland that is protected from development.

Now the Nature Conservancy, in partnership with the United Nations Environmental Program, has begun a campaign called Plant a Billion Trees. A $1 donation plants a tree in Brazil's Atlantic forest. Corporate partners include Panasonic, Organic Bouquet, and--my personal favorite--Penguin Classics.

I'm going to do my share by setting a goal of 100 trees planted among my network of friends, associates, family, and fellow concerned citizens. I hope you'll consider getting involved too. There are no financial incentives involved for any of us (that is, kickbacks), and remember it's a charitable donation.

Thanks for reading, and let's help plant some trees! Click on the widget to the right or scroll to the bottom for a better view.

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Postscripts: Read this article if you want to learn more about how Sting got involved in saving the rain forest. And whether you have a passing interest in environmental issues, want to find the latest "green" products, or are ready to become an activist, check out my friend Diane McDilda's terrific new blog.

2008-04-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

Paranormal Romances--Market Deluge of Forgettable Tales

I just finished working on Kiss of Fury, the second book in the Dragonfire series by Deborah Cooke; and while I try not to slam books here—this isn’t what I would call a reviewer’s site, though I certainly am not shy with my opinions—I have to admit that I didn’t care for it. Deborah Cooke is a pseudonym, and frankly I can understand why the author uses one. Though imaginative, this book wouldn’t make the cut for my precious reading time. Signet Eclipse has committed to at least a trilogy.

Because I’m a fan of nonfiction and generally read for pleasure mainly books that are going to educate me rather than encourage escapism, I tend to be more difficult to please when it comes to paranormal literature. This book is about human men turning into brightly hued dragons, called Pyr, who are fighting powerful bad dragons called Slayers. Right there I was rolling my eyes with the “pure” fighting the “killers.” The storyline is at once too fantastical and trite, with jewel-toned reptiles (the hero of the story—buff Donovan Shea—turns into a lapis lazuli–colored dragon with golden accents and a pearl stuck in one of his scales) and dialogue like “Nothing worth doing is ever easy.”

Furthermore, the timing is a bit off for me. In the story, the fully human heroine—Alex Madison—is a scientist who is making a “Green Machine,” or a green car that uses saltwater as its fuel. The Slayers are out to stop her and have killed her partner. But Donovan and his Pyr cronies are out to defend her, partly because they just want to save the planet, and partly because Alex is destined to be Donovan’s “mate.” The Pyr don’t have sufficient motivation to be defending Alex to the death, and the author’s bandwagon jump is a bit irksome in a dragon tale. I’m a fan of the green movement, but suddenly everything is coming up green, which is a bit like the paranormal romance market. It’s a trend, and even good trends like environmentalism can have their down side.

Not everything is disappointing. The author does a fine job of linking the hero and heroine. As with some vampire romances, the magic couple is inextricably linked and feverishly attracted—it’s a pheromone thing that neither can resist for long. The author is quite good at building sexual tension and building likeable characters. But all things considered, there are better ways to spend $6.99 and a weekend.

2008-04-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

Stock photo of Machu Picchu/123RF.com

Where Would YOU Go?

Every spring I have severe cabin fever. But the wanderlust is completely natural and, I think, a healthy expression of being happy for the change in seasons. I'm already looking forward to a travel opportunity to Seattle in June, to see my dear friend Heather get married.

So my husband indulged me in a little fantasy, and we wrote out 5 places we'd love to visit if money were no option. (Money, unfortunately, is a very big option.) I was surprised to find out there was no overlap. These were our choices, but they're not ranked:

Hubby:

Alaska
Russia
Argentina
New Zealand
Australia

Me:

Ireland
Greece
Peru
South Korea
Istanbul

It was interesting to find this out about my spouse, who I know pretty well after 22 years of companionship--11 of those in marriage. But here's the predictable part: most of his choices were based on hunting and fishing possibilities, and most of mine were based on sacred sites and history.

Where would YOU go if money were no object?

2008-04-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

I Got Tagged, and I'm It

You know how sometimes you'll get those chain-letter-like e-mails saying you've been tagged for one dorky, corny, or annoying thing or another and that you must forward it on to "everyone you know"? Well, this isn't like that. It's more fun.

The idea is to post 6 random things about yourself and then tag 6 other people to do the same. But first the rules:

6 Tagging Rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Here are my 6 random things:

1. I watch very little TV, but Lil' Bush is my one guilty pleasure, thanks to my DVR--it's the funniest show I've ever seen. But somebody tell the producers the apostrophe in Lil' is misplaced.

2. Probably my favorite author of all time is Robert Moss, because his novels are about the French and Indian War era, my favorite era in American history.

3. The back of my head was once used in a Bufferin commercial, and I didn't even have to audition. (I got paid $1.)

4. Elevator stories: At a job I had in the Lincoln Center area in NYC, I once shared an elevator with Tyne Daly, and on another occasion was solicited to have a hair makeover done.

5. My favorite band is The Police, and I finally got to see them live during their reunion tour last year.
6. The nicest acknowledgment I ever got for working on a book was written by Craig Sandler in The Illustrated Timeline of Inventions.
Here's who I'm tagging--let's see if they'll play too: