Title: At the City's Edge
Author: Marcus Sakey
Length: ~300 pages
Genre: crime thriller
Plot Basics: Jason Palmer has been coasting through life since he came back from Iraq. Jogging one day, he's nearly abducted by a Chicago gang member, getting away only because of his combat training. The gang member implies Jason's brother, Michael, is involved in something and Jason wants to find out what. Later, when Michael's bar is burned down and Michael is killed in the blaze, Jason vows to protect his nephew Billy and find out the truth about what Michael was doing. Jason starts working with Chicago PD detective Elena Cruz and together they take discover a plot to turn a poor neighborhood upside down as they maneuver through this domestic war zone of gangs and drive-by shootings.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was really excited for Sakey's new book because she enjoyed his debut novel, "The Blade Itself." First, "At the City's Edge" was a better book for Word Nerd than the first; the plot was tighter, the characters sharper. Second, maybe it's just because Word Nerd works with poverty all the time in her day job, the book's look at what life is really like on the streets in a low-income neighborhood and the forces working against today's youth was very believable.
Bummer Points: Sakey did a little of his transition word to start a sentence at the end of a chapter/section break that bugged Word Nerd in the first book, but it was much less noticeable this time out.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Read it. Sakey is going to be a force to watch in the world of crime/thriller fiction.
14 March 2008
12 March 2008
That thing called editing
So if you recall, Word Nerd was hoping to read a bunch of her novel over the weekend while flying on airplanes.
Yeah, that didn't happen so much. Word Nerd just wasn't in the right mind set for it. It's nothing against the book. It was just that she was ready for vacation and her brain sort of checked out. And the binder she bought to put the pages in was kind of floppy as well, making it hard to prop on a lap in an airplane seat.
So, that thing called editing will resume this week, like Thursday, while Word Nerd needs to do laundry.
It's gotta get done, which means imposing the self-discipline to just do it. Word Nerd misses her Chocolate Cake Club for times like this. That kind of a reward would have been just the thing.
Yeah, that didn't happen so much. Word Nerd just wasn't in the right mind set for it. It's nothing against the book. It was just that she was ready for vacation and her brain sort of checked out. And the binder she bought to put the pages in was kind of floppy as well, making it hard to prop on a lap in an airplane seat.
So, that thing called editing will resume this week, like Thursday, while Word Nerd needs to do laundry.
It's gotta get done, which means imposing the self-discipline to just do it. Word Nerd misses her Chocolate Cake Club for times like this. That kind of a reward would have been just the thing.
11 March 2008
Book Banter -- Dragon Wing
Title: Dragon Wing (Death Gate Cycle book 1)
Authors: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 417 pages
Plot Basics: Hugh the Hand, an assassin, is saved from an execution by the King who offers him a job. Hugh accepts and ends up in a motley company of a creepy child wizard, his bumbling castellan, a group of dwarves and a mysterious man and his dog. Hugh and company end up on a journey that takes them throughout their airy world, flying on dragon ships and working to stop a terrible plot.
Banter Points: Word Nerd isn't really satisfied with her description of the plot, but this first book in the series has lots of twists that set up the rest of the series and there just wasn't a good way around those. Some of the surprises need to be surprises or the book wouldn't be any fun.
Bummer Points: This is definitely a book for readers steeped in the fantasy tradition. Weis and Hickman leave holes, use footnotes and an appendix to fill in how their world works. This is not good starter material for somebody new to the genre because it relies a bit too heavily on conventions.
Word Nerd Recommendation: This is Word Nerd's second trip through this series. It's a light read and she'll keep going with the next books in the series.
Authors: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 417 pages
Plot Basics: Hugh the Hand, an assassin, is saved from an execution by the King who offers him a job. Hugh accepts and ends up in a motley company of a creepy child wizard, his bumbling castellan, a group of dwarves and a mysterious man and his dog. Hugh and company end up on a journey that takes them throughout their airy world, flying on dragon ships and working to stop a terrible plot.
Banter Points: Word Nerd isn't really satisfied with her description of the plot, but this first book in the series has lots of twists that set up the rest of the series and there just wasn't a good way around those. Some of the surprises need to be surprises or the book wouldn't be any fun.
Bummer Points: This is definitely a book for readers steeped in the fantasy tradition. Weis and Hickman leave holes, use footnotes and an appendix to fill in how their world works. This is not good starter material for somebody new to the genre because it relies a bit too heavily on conventions.
Word Nerd Recommendation: This is Word Nerd's second trip through this series. It's a light read and she'll keep going with the next books in the series.
05 March 2008
First Edits
Word Nerd's hopping on a jet plane tomorrow for a few days of vacation, but it won't be a vacation from writing.
With her on the plane she is taking the printed out copy of her latest WIP, all 381 rough draft pages. The plan is to read said manuscript. Word Nerd hasn't read the book the whole way through (she never does while writing) and so now it's time to make sure it hangs together before passing it on to some wonderful writing buddies who will give her an honest opinion of it. But before they get it, Word Nerd needs to determine if there are any missing scenes, problems with the timeline (she's pretty sure the story starts in the fall and then becomes summer later...) and any other major problems like that.
Once back from the trip, Word Nerd will be back in front of the keyboard. She's enjoyed her respite from it since this weekend, a chance to recharge the imagination and give her overworked typing fingers a break!
04 March 2008
Book Banter -- Kushiel's Scion
Title: Kushiel's Scion
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Length: 753 pages
Genre: fantasy
Plot Basics: Imriel no Montreve de la Courcel, third in line for the throne of Terre D'Ange, wants just a simple life with his foster parents Phedre and Joscelin and not to worry about kingdom plots or his station in the world. He also wants to be free of the shadow of his birth mother, the dangerously beautiful Melisande Shahrizai, who more than once tried to usurp the D'Angeline kingdom. But Imriel finds both are hard to escape. When he goes off to study at University in Tiberium, he tries to travel as just himself and try to figure out how Phedre's adopted father Anafiel Delaunay learned the arts of covertcy. Concealing his royal identity and his interest in covertcy and trying to make new friends is a challenge for Imri. And in trying to uphold the bonds of friendship, he finds himself on the front lines of a battle led by the ghost of a dead warlord.
Banter Points: Sweeping in scale as always is Carey's fourth book in the Kushiel series, though it's the first one featuring Imri as a main character. She does a good job of showing the turmoil in Imri as he wrestles with his family, his interests and his station in life and becoming a man.
Bummer Points: This book took a good 300 pages to really get going. Granted, the first Kushiel book (Kushiel's Dart) did as well to get readers through all of Phedre's childhood. This story seemed a little all over the place, touching on a bunch of threads of plot and only satisfactorily wrapping up a few of them. Of course, with two more books, Carey likely left herself plenty of things to follow up on.
Word Nerd Recommendation: A good series for readers of epic fantasy. If long books in a long series isn't your thing though, steer clear.
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Length: 753 pages
Genre: fantasy
Plot Basics: Imriel no Montreve de la Courcel, third in line for the throne of Terre D'Ange, wants just a simple life with his foster parents Phedre and Joscelin and not to worry about kingdom plots or his station in the world. He also wants to be free of the shadow of his birth mother, the dangerously beautiful Melisande Shahrizai, who more than once tried to usurp the D'Angeline kingdom. But Imriel finds both are hard to escape. When he goes off to study at University in Tiberium, he tries to travel as just himself and try to figure out how Phedre's adopted father Anafiel Delaunay learned the arts of covertcy. Concealing his royal identity and his interest in covertcy and trying to make new friends is a challenge for Imri. And in trying to uphold the bonds of friendship, he finds himself on the front lines of a battle led by the ghost of a dead warlord.
Banter Points: Sweeping in scale as always is Carey's fourth book in the Kushiel series, though it's the first one featuring Imri as a main character. She does a good job of showing the turmoil in Imri as he wrestles with his family, his interests and his station in life and becoming a man.
Bummer Points: This book took a good 300 pages to really get going. Granted, the first Kushiel book (Kushiel's Dart) did as well to get readers through all of Phedre's childhood. This story seemed a little all over the place, touching on a bunch of threads of plot and only satisfactorily wrapping up a few of them. Of course, with two more books, Carey likely left herself plenty of things to follow up on.
Word Nerd Recommendation: A good series for readers of epic fantasy. If long books in a long series isn't your thing though, steer clear.
01 March 2008
Really Done
Word Nerd just finished typing in all the previously handwritten sections of her current WIP.
Though she finished the rough draft a few weeks ago, the story is now well and truly done since it's all in one place.
Final rough draft word count: 120,298.
Now to the editing...
Though she finished the rough draft a few weeks ago, the story is now well and truly done since it's all in one place.
Final rough draft word count: 120,298.
Now to the editing...
Really Done
Word Nerd just finished typing in all the previously handwritten sections of her current WIP.
Though she finished the rough draft a few weeks ago, the story is now well and truly done since it's all in one place.
Final rough draft word count: 120,298.
Now to the editing...
Though she finished the rough draft a few weeks ago, the story is now well and truly done since it's all in one place.
Final rough draft word count: 120,298.
Now to the editing...
29 February 2008
February 2008 Bibliometer*
*Updated a 4:15 p.m. EST because Word Nerd finished reading a book at work she wasn't expecting to.
Happy Leap Day! That aside, time for the February Bibliometer readings.
Word Nerd knows with more than 350 pages left in the book she's reading and won't have time to read that much still today, making it safe to close out February's bibliometer today.
The totals are:
10 books
3162 total pages
109 pages/day
YTD:
16 books
4957 pages
Avg. book length: 310 pages
Year-over-year:
Feb 07: 5 books
Feb 06: 6 books
Happy Leap Day! That aside, time for the February Bibliometer readings.
Word Nerd knows with more than 350 pages left in the book she's reading and won't have time to read that much still today, making it safe to close out February's bibliometer today.
The totals are:
10 books
3162 total pages
109 pages/day
YTD:
16 books
4957 pages
Avg. book length: 310 pages
Year-over-year:
Feb 07: 5 books
Feb 06: 6 books
27 February 2008
Book Banter -- Getting the Girl
Title: Getting the Girl
Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: YA
Length: 250 pages
Plot Basics: Cameron Wolfe dreams about girls. A lot. He's a teenage boy. His fascination though is heightened by his older brother Ruben's new girlfriend, Octavia. Cam is drawn to her and through that borderline obsession starts coming into his own as a young man, learning things about family and life.
Banter Points: Word Nerd didn't know about this Zusak book until she found it on the shelf at Half-Price Books and bought it, solely because it was Zusak. As usual, Zusak writes a poignantly crisp book with elegant turns of phrase that are enlightening and sophisticated. Cam Wolfe is a crushingly real character trying to find his place in the world. Also, in the world of YA fiction, it's refreshing to see a story about boys dealing with being teenagers and not another entry in the litany of "gossip girl" like books.
Bummer Points: Apparently, this is a sequel to a book called "Fighting Ruben Wolfe." Word Nerd now wants to find that title too. She will have to be patient until the hold on it comes in at the library. Cam also seemed like a bit of an early incantation of Ed Kennedy, the protagonist of Zusak's "I am the Messenger."
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you have an older teenage boy, or a younger one who's a good reader, introduce him to Zusak and Cam Wolfe. Also, if you are a grown-up and like poignant stories, read it.
Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: YA
Length: 250 pages
Plot Basics: Cameron Wolfe dreams about girls. A lot. He's a teenage boy. His fascination though is heightened by his older brother Ruben's new girlfriend, Octavia. Cam is drawn to her and through that borderline obsession starts coming into his own as a young man, learning things about family and life.
Banter Points: Word Nerd didn't know about this Zusak book until she found it on the shelf at Half-Price Books and bought it, solely because it was Zusak. As usual, Zusak writes a poignantly crisp book with elegant turns of phrase that are enlightening and sophisticated. Cam Wolfe is a crushingly real character trying to find his place in the world. Also, in the world of YA fiction, it's refreshing to see a story about boys dealing with being teenagers and not another entry in the litany of "gossip girl" like books.
Bummer Points: Apparently, this is a sequel to a book called "Fighting Ruben Wolfe." Word Nerd now wants to find that title too. She will have to be patient until the hold on it comes in at the library. Cam also seemed like a bit of an early incantation of Ed Kennedy, the protagonist of Zusak's "I am the Messenger."
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you have an older teenage boy, or a younger one who's a good reader, introduce him to Zusak and Cam Wolfe. Also, if you are a grown-up and like poignant stories, read it.
25 February 2008
Book Banter -- The Painter of Battles
Title: The Painter of Battles
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte
Genre: Literary fiction
Length: 210 pages
Plot Basics: For thirty years, Falques was a war photojournalist, winning international awards for his images from conflicts around the globe. Now, he had traded in his camera for paintbrushes and is painting a battle mural inside an old tower. One afternoon, a man whose photograph he took years before shows up and explains to Falques that the photo ruined his life and in retribution, is going to kill him. But before he does, the two men engage in a dialogue about war and art and what effects they have on observers and survivors.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was very excited for Perez-Reverte's latest novel. And this one is amazingly weighty for being only 200-odd pages long. Perez-Reverte, as usual, crafts poignant sentences within a plot that involves danger and risk and again peoples his book with protagonists that are flawed and human. Perez-Reverte also had an interesting technique for how he tagged dialogue that worked for this book, but in other places would have been wildly distracting.
Bummer Points: Having recently read "Love in the Time of Cholera," "The Painter of Battles" was a little bit too much poetic prose originally written in Spanish to come on its heels. On the other hand, that's probably backwards praise that it reminded Word Nerd of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Word Nerd was hoping for a more tense book like Perez-Reverte's "Queen of the South" or "Club Dumas" and was disappointed that this wasn't like that. Also, for non-art historians, the long sections about other famous war paintings fell flat because of the reader's unfamiliarity with the piece.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like books that get into philosophy, this is a good one. If you are looking for a Perez-Reverte title like "Captain Alatrise" or "Club Dumas," you'll likely be disappointed with "Painter of Battles" because it veers so sharply from his other styles.
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte
Genre: Literary fiction
Length: 210 pages
Plot Basics: For thirty years, Falques was a war photojournalist, winning international awards for his images from conflicts around the globe. Now, he had traded in his camera for paintbrushes and is painting a battle mural inside an old tower. One afternoon, a man whose photograph he took years before shows up and explains to Falques that the photo ruined his life and in retribution, is going to kill him. But before he does, the two men engage in a dialogue about war and art and what effects they have on observers and survivors.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was very excited for Perez-Reverte's latest novel. And this one is amazingly weighty for being only 200-odd pages long. Perez-Reverte, as usual, crafts poignant sentences within a plot that involves danger and risk and again peoples his book with protagonists that are flawed and human. Perez-Reverte also had an interesting technique for how he tagged dialogue that worked for this book, but in other places would have been wildly distracting.
Bummer Points: Having recently read "Love in the Time of Cholera," "The Painter of Battles" was a little bit too much poetic prose originally written in Spanish to come on its heels. On the other hand, that's probably backwards praise that it reminded Word Nerd of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Word Nerd was hoping for a more tense book like Perez-Reverte's "Queen of the South" or "Club Dumas" and was disappointed that this wasn't like that. Also, for non-art historians, the long sections about other famous war paintings fell flat because of the reader's unfamiliarity with the piece.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like books that get into philosophy, this is a good one. If you are looking for a Perez-Reverte title like "Captain Alatrise" or "Club Dumas," you'll likely be disappointed with "Painter of Battles" because it veers so sharply from his other styles.
22 February 2008
Book Banter -- Private Demon
Title: Private Demon (Darkyn bk. 2)
Author: Lynn Viehl
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 287 pages
Plot Basics: A few spoilers here from book 1, sorry.
After Dr. Alexandra Keller fixes Thierry Durand's injuries, he cannot escape the madness in his mind from the torture inflicted on him. He flees New Orleans with Kyn hunters/assassins on his trail and goes to Chicago to avenge the attack on Luisa Lopez. In Chicago, he meets Jema Shaw, a frail museum worker and begins visiting her in her dreams. As the dreams get more intense, so does the hunt for Thierry and for Alex's brother, John, who is on the run from both Kyn and Brethren. And Jema turns out to hold a dark secret of her own.
Banter Points: Book two nicely picked up where book one left off, instead of jumping too far ahead in time and having to explaing the intervening time in flashbacks.
Bummer Points: This book was a little all-over for me. It just wasn't as solid as the first one... Word Nerd struggled with whether Alex Keller or Jema Shaw was the true leading lady for this book, and the same with the men -- Thierry, Valentin, Michael -- all were sort of leading man. As a result, nobody really got the attention and development they deserved.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Book three in the series will probably show up on the TBR pile at some point, but not right away. Again, a pretty good showing in the world of vampire fiction, but could have been better.
Author: Lynn Viehl
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 287 pages
Plot Basics: A few spoilers here from book 1, sorry.
After Dr. Alexandra Keller fixes Thierry Durand's injuries, he cannot escape the madness in his mind from the torture inflicted on him. He flees New Orleans with Kyn hunters/assassins on his trail and goes to Chicago to avenge the attack on Luisa Lopez. In Chicago, he meets Jema Shaw, a frail museum worker and begins visiting her in her dreams. As the dreams get more intense, so does the hunt for Thierry and for Alex's brother, John, who is on the run from both Kyn and Brethren. And Jema turns out to hold a dark secret of her own.
Banter Points: Book two nicely picked up where book one left off, instead of jumping too far ahead in time and having to explaing the intervening time in flashbacks.
Bummer Points: This book was a little all-over for me. It just wasn't as solid as the first one... Word Nerd struggled with whether Alex Keller or Jema Shaw was the true leading lady for this book, and the same with the men -- Thierry, Valentin, Michael -- all were sort of leading man. As a result, nobody really got the attention and development they deserved.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Book three in the series will probably show up on the TBR pile at some point, but not right away. Again, a pretty good showing in the world of vampire fiction, but could have been better.
19 February 2008
Book Banter -- Summer Knight
Title: Summer Knight
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: fantasy
Length: 371 pages
Plot Basics: Chicago's only wizard, Harry Dresden's latest client isn't quite human. In fact, she's not human at all, but Mab, Winter Queen of the faeries. Mab forces Harry to investigate the death of the Summer Knight, an important person on the other side of faerie politics. If Harry doesn't reveal the real killer on time, the faerie courts will end up in a war that could result in either the next ice age or turn everything into oven. Harry's handled the heat from cases in the past, but this new one has colder consequences than he may want to face.
Banter Points: Again a resounding "huzzah" for Butcher's inventive series. After the first two books which were mediocre, book three and now book four in the Dresden files have been great. This one was another page-turner with a great level of intrigue between the faerie courts to go along with the great actions sequences Butcher writes.
Bummer Points: Some bad stuff happened to Dresden's special lady friend at the end of book three and nothing's happened yet to resolve that part of the plot.
Word Nerd Recommendation: It's a fun series. A must-read for fans of Rachel Caine or Steven Brust.
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: fantasy
Length: 371 pages
Plot Basics: Chicago's only wizard, Harry Dresden's latest client isn't quite human. In fact, she's not human at all, but Mab, Winter Queen of the faeries. Mab forces Harry to investigate the death of the Summer Knight, an important person on the other side of faerie politics. If Harry doesn't reveal the real killer on time, the faerie courts will end up in a war that could result in either the next ice age or turn everything into oven. Harry's handled the heat from cases in the past, but this new one has colder consequences than he may want to face.
Banter Points: Again a resounding "huzzah" for Butcher's inventive series. After the first two books which were mediocre, book three and now book four in the Dresden files have been great. This one was another page-turner with a great level of intrigue between the faerie courts to go along with the great actions sequences Butcher writes.
Bummer Points: Some bad stuff happened to Dresden's special lady friend at the end of book three and nothing's happened yet to resolve that part of the plot.
Word Nerd Recommendation: It's a fun series. A must-read for fans of Rachel Caine or Steven Brust.
13 February 2008
Finally!
Word Nerd's day might have just been made.
A copy of Arturo Perez-Reverte's "A Painter of Battles" is now listed in transit to her from the library system. This book released in early January and Word Nerd has eagerly been waiting to get a chance to read it. It took about six weeks from release date to getting it processed and out to readers in the library system.
And now that it's on its way, Word Nerd is very excited.
A copy of Arturo Perez-Reverte's "A Painter of Battles" is now listed in transit to her from the library system. This book released in early January and Word Nerd has eagerly been waiting to get a chance to read it. It took about six weeks from release date to getting it processed and out to readers in the library system.
And now that it's on its way, Word Nerd is very excited.
Author Answers with Kristin Hannah
This week's author is writer Kristin Hannah. Her newest book, Firefly Lane, recently hit shelves.
For more on Hannah, check out her website.
WN: What inspired you to write Firefly Lane?
HANNAH: My first thought--years ago, when I was trying to figure out where to go next in my work--was that I wanted to write the big women's friendship book. Many of these books have been written before, but I felt there hadn't been one for my generation, and I wanted to try and be our voice. To write about the issues that face our lives these days, the way we balance motherhood with being wives and friends and individuals. It's a tricky act we women set out to accomplish, and the older I get, the more I see how much it rests on our female friendships. It's really my girlfriends who keep me--relatively--sane. I don't know what I'd do without them. And that was really the point of Firefly Lane. It's my valentine to girlfriends.Once I got into the novel, and delved into the decades of my life, I found myself immersed in the old songs, the old feelings, everything from that first crush on David Cassidy (my girlfriend Megan liked Davy Jones--to each our own) to that first sip of Boone's Farm. It was a blast to relive all of that without having to sit through high school again or worry about my complexion.
WN: What was your writing process like for this novel and was it any different than how you approached your past works?
HANNAH: Over the course of my career, my process has changed several times. I have come to accept that it's a fluid thing, process. When I first began writing, I was very analytical, very lawyerly. I researched for a set amount of time, wrote out note cards and organized them in file boxes, and outlined the entire novel scene by scene. I wrote methodically, polishing each scene before I moved onto the next. This way worked for several years, but as my novels became more complex, this way began to hinder me. I understood that it was useless to perfect each scene, since many of them would be lost in revision. There have been a few morphs along the way, but now I write in a very unstructured way. I still do the research first, still come up with a detailed synopsis that outlines the three acts of the novel, and then I write until the characters reveal themselves to me. I don't know how else to say it. I know exactly what I want to say in a novel, but now necessarily how I want to say it. For example, at one point, Firefly Lane featured several viewpoint characters, but I finally realized that this was supposed to be the story of Kate and Tully, so I cut all the other character's viewpoints and story lines and told it all through the women's eyes.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
HANNAH: Like most writers, I was--and am--a voracious reader. As a child, my favorites were Roald Dahl, Tolkein, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Victoria Holt. Many of my favorite current authors are listed on my website, but I'm always finding new books and new writers. It's part of the fun of reading. Initially, of course, I did not want to be a writer. I was a lawyer and really saw my life going in that direction, but when my mother was in the hospital with breast cancer, she said, "That law's all very well and good, but you're going to be a writer." Honestly, I was stunned. We spent the final months of her life collaborating on a bad historical romance, but it brought us together. She really handed the dream to me, fully wrapped. It took me a few years to open it, but once I did I never looked back. I like to think she's watching me from Heaven. Probably with a red editing pen...
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
HANNAH: To Kill a Mockingbird. To me, it's the perfect novel--a great story, a beautiful voice, an iconic character, a powerful message. Next, I'd list The Prince of Tides and Lonesome Dove as examples of big commercial fiction that gets under your skin, changes the way you see the world, and never lets go. I still remember reading all of those novels for the first time.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
HANNAH: I've received a lot of advice over the years and a lot of it has turned out to be good, even if I didn't know it at the time. However, I'm going to give the top spot to Linda Lael Miller, who wrapped up everything I believe about how to survive in this business in three words: keep showing up. In the end, that's what it's about. Writers write. We keep writing when things in our life are tough, when our careers are in trouble, when the business is dangerous. We believe in what we do and we keep doing it. One book after another, preferably on time, whether someone is paying you or not.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
HANNAH: I have just turned in my next book. Phew! What a lovely feeling it is to get the manuscript off your desk. Of course, it comes right back, and the editing begins. Anyway, I don't have a title yet, but it's a novel that's very different from Firefly. I'm not going to say much yet, because I have a lot of work left to do, and I don't know how it wil end up, but I will say this: for the first time in my career, I've focused on a plot, and this is a page turner.
For more on Hannah, check out her website.
WN: What inspired you to write Firefly Lane?
HANNAH: My first thought--years ago, when I was trying to figure out where to go next in my work--was that I wanted to write the big women's friendship book. Many of these books have been written before, but I felt there hadn't been one for my generation, and I wanted to try and be our voice. To write about the issues that face our lives these days, the way we balance motherhood with being wives and friends and individuals. It's a tricky act we women set out to accomplish, and the older I get, the more I see how much it rests on our female friendships. It's really my girlfriends who keep me--relatively--sane. I don't know what I'd do without them. And that was really the point of Firefly Lane. It's my valentine to girlfriends.Once I got into the novel, and delved into the decades of my life, I found myself immersed in the old songs, the old feelings, everything from that first crush on David Cassidy (my girlfriend Megan liked Davy Jones--to each our own) to that first sip of Boone's Farm. It was a blast to relive all of that without having to sit through high school again or worry about my complexion.
WN: What was your writing process like for this novel and was it any different than how you approached your past works?
HANNAH: Over the course of my career, my process has changed several times. I have come to accept that it's a fluid thing, process. When I first began writing, I was very analytical, very lawyerly. I researched for a set amount of time, wrote out note cards and organized them in file boxes, and outlined the entire novel scene by scene. I wrote methodically, polishing each scene before I moved onto the next. This way worked for several years, but as my novels became more complex, this way began to hinder me. I understood that it was useless to perfect each scene, since many of them would be lost in revision. There have been a few morphs along the way, but now I write in a very unstructured way. I still do the research first, still come up with a detailed synopsis that outlines the three acts of the novel, and then I write until the characters reveal themselves to me. I don't know how else to say it. I know exactly what I want to say in a novel, but now necessarily how I want to say it. For example, at one point, Firefly Lane featured several viewpoint characters, but I finally realized that this was supposed to be the story of Kate and Tully, so I cut all the other character's viewpoints and story lines and told it all through the women's eyes.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
HANNAH: Like most writers, I was--and am--a voracious reader. As a child, my favorites were Roald Dahl, Tolkein, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Victoria Holt. Many of my favorite current authors are listed on my website, but I'm always finding new books and new writers. It's part of the fun of reading. Initially, of course, I did not want to be a writer. I was a lawyer and really saw my life going in that direction, but when my mother was in the hospital with breast cancer, she said, "That law's all very well and good, but you're going to be a writer." Honestly, I was stunned. We spent the final months of her life collaborating on a bad historical romance, but it brought us together. She really handed the dream to me, fully wrapped. It took me a few years to open it, but once I did I never looked back. I like to think she's watching me from Heaven. Probably with a red editing pen...
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
HANNAH: To Kill a Mockingbird. To me, it's the perfect novel--a great story, a beautiful voice, an iconic character, a powerful message. Next, I'd list The Prince of Tides and Lonesome Dove as examples of big commercial fiction that gets under your skin, changes the way you see the world, and never lets go. I still remember reading all of those novels for the first time.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
HANNAH: I've received a lot of advice over the years and a lot of it has turned out to be good, even if I didn't know it at the time. However, I'm going to give the top spot to Linda Lael Miller, who wrapped up everything I believe about how to survive in this business in three words: keep showing up. In the end, that's what it's about. Writers write. We keep writing when things in our life are tough, when our careers are in trouble, when the business is dangerous. We believe in what we do and we keep doing it. One book after another, preferably on time, whether someone is paying you or not.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
HANNAH: I have just turned in my next book. Phew! What a lovely feeling it is to get the manuscript off your desk. Of course, it comes right back, and the editing begins. Anyway, I don't have a title yet, but it's a novel that's very different from Firefly. I'm not going to say much yet, because I have a lot of work left to do, and I don't know how it wil end up, but I will say this: for the first time in my career, I've focused on a plot, and this is a page turner.
12 February 2008
Book Banter -- The Tea Rose
Title: The Tea Rose
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: historical fiction
Length: 544 pages
Plot Basics: Fiona Finnegan has only ever known a life of working poverty in Whitechapel, London. As a teenager, she packs tea for the Burton Tea Company to add to her family's income, but tries to squirrel away a little money so she and her intended, Joe Bristow, can open a shop of their own one day. But it's a dangerous time in Whitechapel, with a killer on the loose and the dock workers threatening to strike. Fiona and Joe's lives are ripped apart by a series of events that take them both to New York and back and forces them to confront their pasts and never give up on the love they have for each other.
Banter Points: Word Nerd picked this book up after getting to interview Donnelly and getting a review copy of the sequel sent to her. Word Nerd's a bit of a stickler for reading series books in order and she's really glad she did. Historicals aren't usually Word Nerd's cup of tea (sorry, pun intended), but she got really involved with the lives of Fiona and Joe. There was also a pretty good unexpected moment at the end.
Bummer Points: At times, the story moved rather slowly.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Pretty good read; could be a good entrance for others unaccustomed to reading historicals. And Word Nerd's looking forward to the sequel.
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: historical fiction
Length: 544 pages
Plot Basics: Fiona Finnegan has only ever known a life of working poverty in Whitechapel, London. As a teenager, she packs tea for the Burton Tea Company to add to her family's income, but tries to squirrel away a little money so she and her intended, Joe Bristow, can open a shop of their own one day. But it's a dangerous time in Whitechapel, with a killer on the loose and the dock workers threatening to strike. Fiona and Joe's lives are ripped apart by a series of events that take them both to New York and back and forces them to confront their pasts and never give up on the love they have for each other.
Banter Points: Word Nerd picked this book up after getting to interview Donnelly and getting a review copy of the sequel sent to her. Word Nerd's a bit of a stickler for reading series books in order and she's really glad she did. Historicals aren't usually Word Nerd's cup of tea (sorry, pun intended), but she got really involved with the lives of Fiona and Joe. There was also a pretty good unexpected moment at the end.
Bummer Points: At times, the story moved rather slowly.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Pretty good read; could be a good entrance for others unaccustomed to reading historicals. And Word Nerd's looking forward to the sequel.
08 February 2008
Book Banter -- News Blues
Title: News Blues (Advanced Reader Copy)
Author: Marianne Mancusi
Length: ~300 pages
Genre: chick lit
Plot Basics: Maddy Madison is a producer for News 9, stuck forever doing pieces like Cosmetics That Kill, when her dream job would be producing hard news pieces for the show Newsline. When News 9 launches a new series, Maddy is tapped as the producer and given a photographer to work with exclusively. And the new photographer, Jamie, sets Maddy's heart a-flutter. But her world gets turned upside down as her parents' marriage falls apart and her younger sister comes to live with her. Maddy and Jamie get a hot tip on a great story but going after it could put their chances for a relationship on the rocks as well as Maddy's careers dreams.
Banter Points: Word Nerd is always a bit wary of books that have reporters as main characters. Luckily, Mancusi was an Emmy award winning producer herself, so this story rings true. It's a light-hearted and breezy story that's pretty amusing.
Bummer Points: Well, it's an ARC which means there were still some problems with the book, like an entire missing page. Word Nerd's confident they will get that one fixed, but hopes somebody noticed all the rest of the typos too. Also, while Word Nerd found this title entertaining, it was slightly too fluffy for her tastes.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like light-hearted, this is for you. Janet Evanovich fans could do well with this book from Mancusi. If you want something to be a little more thoughtful or provoking, this is not the book for you.
Author: Marianne Mancusi
Length: ~300 pages
Genre: chick lit
Plot Basics: Maddy Madison is a producer for News 9, stuck forever doing pieces like Cosmetics That Kill, when her dream job would be producing hard news pieces for the show Newsline. When News 9 launches a new series, Maddy is tapped as the producer and given a photographer to work with exclusively. And the new photographer, Jamie, sets Maddy's heart a-flutter. But her world gets turned upside down as her parents' marriage falls apart and her younger sister comes to live with her. Maddy and Jamie get a hot tip on a great story but going after it could put their chances for a relationship on the rocks as well as Maddy's careers dreams.
Banter Points: Word Nerd is always a bit wary of books that have reporters as main characters. Luckily, Mancusi was an Emmy award winning producer herself, so this story rings true. It's a light-hearted and breezy story that's pretty amusing.
Bummer Points: Well, it's an ARC which means there were still some problems with the book, like an entire missing page. Word Nerd's confident they will get that one fixed, but hopes somebody noticed all the rest of the typos too. Also, while Word Nerd found this title entertaining, it was slightly too fluffy for her tastes.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like light-hearted, this is for you. Janet Evanovich fans could do well with this book from Mancusi. If you want something to be a little more thoughtful or provoking, this is not the book for you.
07 February 2008
06 February 2008
Author Answers with Karen Miller
This week's featured author is Karen Miller. She has written the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology and has also some Stargate SG-1 related titles.
For more about her, check out her website.
WN: You write fantasy books. What got you interested in that genre?
MILLER: The Narnia books captured my imagination when I was a child, and Isought out more and more books in the genre as I grew up. I readeverything vaguely sf and fantasy-related in the school and town library, and kept on reading in the genre after leaving school. I love the romanticism of fantasy, I love the otherness of it. I love the fact that fantasy lets writers and readers explore big, sweeping, emotionalthemes like the meaning of good and evil, heroism, sacrifice ... and on a really big, lavish canvas. I love the way you can play with historyin fantasy.
WN: A lot of fantasy books have elaborately created worlds. How did you go about world-building?
MILLER: I have a strong background in studying history. I love reading about ancient cultures, and British/European societies up to around the mid1600s. Those are the backgrounds I know and understand, so the worldbuilding I've done to date has been deeply influenced by that absorbedinformation. If I don't know things as thoroughly as I need to, I readbooks and hunt down tv/dvd documentaries that deal with the questionand find out more things. Then I give them a twist to suit the kind of society I'm trying to create. Basically it's a case of take what I know, find out more, then shake it all around to suit the kind of storyI'm telling and its characters. I'm not writing historical fiction, soI look for inspiration from human history and move on from there. Andwherever possible, I research on site, or in museums. The Oriental Museum in the University of Chicago is one of my favourite places inthe world.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
MILLER: Totally. I can't remember a time when I didn't read. I've been devouring stories since I was very little. And I don't remember when Ididn't want to write, either. I used to make up stories about the characters in tv shows I loved to watch!
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
MILLER: The Game of Kings, by Dorothy Dunnett. It's the first in her world-famous Lymond Chronicles. It's historical fiction, mixing up real life historical figures and her own creations. Utterly brilliant. Impeccable research, mesmerising characters, fabulous narrative. Ithink she was one of the best writers ever born. Reading the first book got me hooked on the whole series, and reading that series taught me somuch about character, about point of view, about emotionally engagingthe reader. Brilliant.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
Never give up. It was one of my university lecturers, who showed anassignment I'd written to a writer friend. The friend cried, apparently. (She was meant to! *g*) So the lecturer came back to me andsaid, you're not ready yet but don't give up. You will be one day. Andthat got me through a lot of self-doubt, over the years.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
MILLER: A nervous breakdown. *g*
I'm just finishing my next Stargate novel. It needs a final tweak, butit's pretty much done. I'm also finishing bk 3 of my current trilogy, Godspeaker. Then I have to start on the first draft of the next book in the series that's coming out under a pen-name. The first book is out in April, in Australia/New Zealand. Next year in the US/UK. After that I start the sequel to the first two Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books. I'm booked to do a sequel/prequel in that series. Beyond that I have 2 more Stargate novels to write, and the third contracted in the pen-name series. Then I might stop for a minute and smell the roses.
For more about her, check out her website.
WN: You write fantasy books. What got you interested in that genre?
MILLER: The Narnia books captured my imagination when I was a child, and Isought out more and more books in the genre as I grew up. I readeverything vaguely sf and fantasy-related in the school and town library, and kept on reading in the genre after leaving school. I love the romanticism of fantasy, I love the otherness of it. I love the fact that fantasy lets writers and readers explore big, sweeping, emotionalthemes like the meaning of good and evil, heroism, sacrifice ... and on a really big, lavish canvas. I love the way you can play with historyin fantasy.
WN: A lot of fantasy books have elaborately created worlds. How did you go about world-building?
MILLER: I have a strong background in studying history. I love reading about ancient cultures, and British/European societies up to around the mid1600s. Those are the backgrounds I know and understand, so the worldbuilding I've done to date has been deeply influenced by that absorbedinformation. If I don't know things as thoroughly as I need to, I readbooks and hunt down tv/dvd documentaries that deal with the questionand find out more things. Then I give them a twist to suit the kind of society I'm trying to create. Basically it's a case of take what I know, find out more, then shake it all around to suit the kind of storyI'm telling and its characters. I'm not writing historical fiction, soI look for inspiration from human history and move on from there. Andwherever possible, I research on site, or in museums. The Oriental Museum in the University of Chicago is one of my favourite places inthe world.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
MILLER: Totally. I can't remember a time when I didn't read. I've been devouring stories since I was very little. And I don't remember when Ididn't want to write, either. I used to make up stories about the characters in tv shows I loved to watch!
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
MILLER: The Game of Kings, by Dorothy Dunnett. It's the first in her world-famous Lymond Chronicles. It's historical fiction, mixing up real life historical figures and her own creations. Utterly brilliant. Impeccable research, mesmerising characters, fabulous narrative. Ithink she was one of the best writers ever born. Reading the first book got me hooked on the whole series, and reading that series taught me somuch about character, about point of view, about emotionally engagingthe reader. Brilliant.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
Never give up. It was one of my university lecturers, who showed anassignment I'd written to a writer friend. The friend cried, apparently. (She was meant to! *g*) So the lecturer came back to me andsaid, you're not ready yet but don't give up. You will be one day. Andthat got me through a lot of self-doubt, over the years.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
MILLER: A nervous breakdown. *g*
I'm just finishing my next Stargate novel. It needs a final tweak, butit's pretty much done. I'm also finishing bk 3 of my current trilogy, Godspeaker. Then I have to start on the first draft of the next book in the series that's coming out under a pen-name. The first book is out in April, in Australia/New Zealand. Next year in the US/UK. After that I start the sequel to the first two Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books. I'm booked to do a sequel/prequel in that series. Beyond that I have 2 more Stargate novels to write, and the third contracted in the pen-name series. Then I might stop for a minute and smell the roses.
05 February 2008
January 2008 Bibliometer
Time once again for checking the bibliometer readings.
January:
7 books
1962 pages
63 pages/day average
Looking back over past years, January always seems to be a bit sparser for book and total page count. Maybe it's the holiday carry-over.
January:
7 books
1962 pages
63 pages/day average
Looking back over past years, January always seems to be a bit sparser for book and total page count. Maybe it's the holiday carry-over.
04 February 2008
Book Banter -- Eclipse
Title: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: YA/paranormal
Length: ~640 pages
Plot Basics: Bella Swan is rapidly approaching her graduation day, which means she's getting closer to being able to be with Edward Cullen forever. But Bella misses the friendship she once had with Jacob Black. As she reconnects with Jake, Edward and his family must come to an uneasy truce with Jacob's pack to protect Bella. And Bella discovers that love can take many forms.
Banter Points: Word Nerd wishes for once that she was a teenage girl so her gushing about this book and series was more age appropriate. Again, Word Nerd loves these characters, finds the plot completely compelling and wants Meyer to hurry up and write the next one! This is a great entry in the world of vampire/human/werewolf love triangles. The emotional depth and rawness experienced by all the characters is great.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd sort of wishes things turned out a little better at the end for one of the characters (not saying who/why so spoilers can be avoided...)
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like YA fiction or you like vampire fiction, these should be on your TBR list.
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: YA/paranormal
Length: ~640 pages
Plot Basics: Bella Swan is rapidly approaching her graduation day, which means she's getting closer to being able to be with Edward Cullen forever. But Bella misses the friendship she once had with Jacob Black. As she reconnects with Jake, Edward and his family must come to an uneasy truce with Jacob's pack to protect Bella. And Bella discovers that love can take many forms.
Banter Points: Word Nerd wishes for once that she was a teenage girl so her gushing about this book and series was more age appropriate. Again, Word Nerd loves these characters, finds the plot completely compelling and wants Meyer to hurry up and write the next one! This is a great entry in the world of vampire/human/werewolf love triangles. The emotional depth and rawness experienced by all the characters is great.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd sort of wishes things turned out a little better at the end for one of the characters (not saying who/why so spoilers can be avoided...)
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like YA fiction or you like vampire fiction, these should be on your TBR list.
01 February 2008
Book Banter -- The Kill
Title: The Kill
Author: Allison Brennan
Genre: Romantic suspense
Length: 407 pages
Plot Basics: Trace Evidence scientist and former FBI agent Olivia St. Martin helped convict her sister's abducter and killer when she was a child. Now, when she learns new evidence has freed the man she thought was the killer, she can't sit idly by. Olivia takes a huge risk and joins an investigation in Seattle looking into the disappearances and deaths of several girls in scenarios that match her sisters. Olivia and Det. Zack Travis make headway on the case and Olivia makes headway in opening up her life and her past to the charming detective.
Banter Points: This is an airplane book, all the way around. The plot moves and keeps you turning pages, but it's not a mind-bender by any means.
Bummer Points: Of Brennan's three books in the series, (The Prey and The Hunt being the other two) this one was not the best. All three were predicated on this group of former roommates (Olivia from this book, and her friends Miranda and Rowan) who all had horrible abduction/stalker experiences in their lives. Word Nerd just found in this one that it was too much to believe that there was another woman who lived through this and then became connected to the FBI.
Word Nerd Recommendation: The interesting thing about this series is how much Brennan's writing improved over the books. One was terribly choppy, two was spot-on and three was decent. If you like good page-turners that don't need a lot of thinking and can handle some sappy romance, these are worth your time.
Author: Allison Brennan
Genre: Romantic suspense
Length: 407 pages
Plot Basics: Trace Evidence scientist and former FBI agent Olivia St. Martin helped convict her sister's abducter and killer when she was a child. Now, when she learns new evidence has freed the man she thought was the killer, she can't sit idly by. Olivia takes a huge risk and joins an investigation in Seattle looking into the disappearances and deaths of several girls in scenarios that match her sisters. Olivia and Det. Zack Travis make headway on the case and Olivia makes headway in opening up her life and her past to the charming detective.
Banter Points: This is an airplane book, all the way around. The plot moves and keeps you turning pages, but it's not a mind-bender by any means.
Bummer Points: Of Brennan's three books in the series, (The Prey and The Hunt being the other two) this one was not the best. All three were predicated on this group of former roommates (Olivia from this book, and her friends Miranda and Rowan) who all had horrible abduction/stalker experiences in their lives. Word Nerd just found in this one that it was too much to believe that there was another woman who lived through this and then became connected to the FBI.
Word Nerd Recommendation: The interesting thing about this series is how much Brennan's writing improved over the books. One was terribly choppy, two was spot-on and three was decent. If you like good page-turners that don't need a lot of thinking and can handle some sappy romance, these are worth your time.
31 January 2008
Book Banter -- If Angels Burn
Title: If Angels Burn (Darkyn, bk. 1)
Author: Lynn Viehl
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 298 pages
Plot Basics: Dr. Alexandra Keller is one of the top plastic surgeons in the country and she keeps getting requests for her medical service from a reclusive man in New Orleans. Finally she accepts the job. What she discovers in New Orleans in a man with a completely disfigured face and an uncanny ability to heal, almost instantaneously. Alex agrees to take the case and finds herself drawn in my this man and the group he belongs to nearly immortal beings who call themselves the Darkyn.
Banter Points: This was the book that got lost in the IMCPL hold system for a while that Word Nerd whined about a week ago or so. Turns out, the wait was pretty much worth it. Viehl's series is another entrant into the crowded market of vampire novels and it's not bad. The Kyn (short for Dark Kin) have the basic run down of vamp powers -- mind control, super strength, etc. -- but they may also be suffering more from a disease than a curse. Word Nerd's seen vampirism done as an infection before where it didn't work, but Viehl pulls it off.
Bummer Points: A group of French-speaking vampires in New Orleans? The acknowledgement page lauded Anne Rice, but honestly...on the heels of Rice and Hamilton, is there a bigger vampire cliche than that?
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like the genre, it's worth reading. Word Nerd's trying to get book two through Inner Library Loan since IMCPL is missing that one. She promises no more whining about the time it takes to find the books in this series.
Author: Lynn Viehl
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 298 pages
Plot Basics: Dr. Alexandra Keller is one of the top plastic surgeons in the country and she keeps getting requests for her medical service from a reclusive man in New Orleans. Finally she accepts the job. What she discovers in New Orleans in a man with a completely disfigured face and an uncanny ability to heal, almost instantaneously. Alex agrees to take the case and finds herself drawn in my this man and the group he belongs to nearly immortal beings who call themselves the Darkyn.
Banter Points: This was the book that got lost in the IMCPL hold system for a while that Word Nerd whined about a week ago or so. Turns out, the wait was pretty much worth it. Viehl's series is another entrant into the crowded market of vampire novels and it's not bad. The Kyn (short for Dark Kin) have the basic run down of vamp powers -- mind control, super strength, etc. -- but they may also be suffering more from a disease than a curse. Word Nerd's seen vampirism done as an infection before where it didn't work, but Viehl pulls it off.
Bummer Points: A group of French-speaking vampires in New Orleans? The acknowledgement page lauded Anne Rice, but honestly...on the heels of Rice and Hamilton, is there a bigger vampire cliche than that?
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like the genre, it's worth reading. Word Nerd's trying to get book two through Inner Library Loan since IMCPL is missing that one. She promises no more whining about the time it takes to find the books in this series.
30 January 2008
Author Answers with Marcus Sakey. Take two.
Word Nerd first interviewed Marcus Sakey last year around the time of the release of his debut novel, "The Blade Itself." Sakey is back with a second book "At the City's Edge" and was gracious enough to subject himself to a second round of questions.
WN: "At the City's Edge" just released. What's this story about?
SAKEY: It's the story of a discharged soldier who returns from Iraq to find a similar war raging in his South Side Chicago neighborhood. It features corruption and politics and gang warfare and love and redemption and car chases and gunfights and Roman history, all the good stuff.
WN: What kind of research did you do for this novel?
SAKEY: Doing research is one of the joys of writing thrillers. You get to see a whole side of life most people never experience. For this novel, I spent a couple of days in a bulletproof vest, riding with the Chicago Gang Intelligence Unit, the "CIA of the CPD." I also interviewed gang experts in DC, New York, and Los Angeles.
What I learned was staggering. The gang problem in American cities is out of control. I mean literally out of control, as in the police don't even try to get rid of gangs. They just try to channel them, guide them, and to limit violence. But when you've got ten-year-olds being recruited at recess, it's like fighting the tide. If we don't make some changes, and quick, things are going to get out of hand.
WN: Both of your books contain violence - is violence hard to write? Why or why not?
SAKEY: I should probably be careful making statements like this, but I love writing violence. It's gratifying to take your id out for a walk. And because violence is all about speed and intensity, those scenes tend to go fairly quickly, too. When I have an action sequence coming up, I usually get bombed out of my skull on caffeine and write great wacks at a go. There's a section in the new book I wrote all in one sitting--well, not counting bathroom breaks--that's over 5,000 words long. Since my daily goal is 1,000 words, you can see why I like those scenes.This is your second novel. Was it easier or harder to write book #2 than book #1?Harder. Much. The pressure that comes from expectations is pretty significant--every good thing that happens on the first cranks the dial on the second. Plus, if you have any balls, you're trying to do something a little different, and that's always scary.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
SAKEY: God, yeah. I was the kid in the back of the room holding a paperback fantasy novel beneath the lip of the desk. Don't know how I would have gotten through school without that trick.When you grow up as desperately in love with words and story as I did, the idea of becoming a writer gets seeded pretty early. It's something I always wanted to do. Though I never expected it to work out the way it has.
WN: You've got book tour dates lined up for the new book. Wat are the good and bad things about book tour?
SAKEY: Book tours are great fun, because basically you're hanging out with readers, fans, and booksellers. These are my people, so I love touring.
It is tiring, though, and it's time that I'm not writing. Since I'm on a deadline now, that part is frustrating.
WN: What book are you currently reading? What do you like about it?
SAKEY: I'm 165 pages into Denis Johnson's TREE OF SMOKE. It's pretty terrific thus far, though I'm curious to see where he's going to take it.
But the language is wonderful, and he has this habit of sneaking in zingers that just broadside you:
WN: "At the City's Edge" just released. What's this story about?
SAKEY: It's the story of a discharged soldier who returns from Iraq to find a similar war raging in his South Side Chicago neighborhood. It features corruption and politics and gang warfare and love and redemption and car chases and gunfights and Roman history, all the good stuff.
WN: What kind of research did you do for this novel?
SAKEY: Doing research is one of the joys of writing thrillers. You get to see a whole side of life most people never experience. For this novel, I spent a couple of days in a bulletproof vest, riding with the Chicago Gang Intelligence Unit, the "CIA of the CPD." I also interviewed gang experts in DC, New York, and Los Angeles.
What I learned was staggering. The gang problem in American cities is out of control. I mean literally out of control, as in the police don't even try to get rid of gangs. They just try to channel them, guide them, and to limit violence. But when you've got ten-year-olds being recruited at recess, it's like fighting the tide. If we don't make some changes, and quick, things are going to get out of hand.
WN: Both of your books contain violence - is violence hard to write? Why or why not?
SAKEY: I should probably be careful making statements like this, but I love writing violence. It's gratifying to take your id out for a walk. And because violence is all about speed and intensity, those scenes tend to go fairly quickly, too. When I have an action sequence coming up, I usually get bombed out of my skull on caffeine and write great wacks at a go. There's a section in the new book I wrote all in one sitting--well, not counting bathroom breaks--that's over 5,000 words long. Since my daily goal is 1,000 words, you can see why I like those scenes.This is your second novel. Was it easier or harder to write book #2 than book #1?Harder. Much. The pressure that comes from expectations is pretty significant--every good thing that happens on the first cranks the dial on the second. Plus, if you have any balls, you're trying to do something a little different, and that's always scary.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
SAKEY: God, yeah. I was the kid in the back of the room holding a paperback fantasy novel beneath the lip of the desk. Don't know how I would have gotten through school without that trick.When you grow up as desperately in love with words and story as I did, the idea of becoming a writer gets seeded pretty early. It's something I always wanted to do. Though I never expected it to work out the way it has.
WN: You've got book tour dates lined up for the new book. Wat are the good and bad things about book tour?
SAKEY: Book tours are great fun, because basically you're hanging out with readers, fans, and booksellers. These are my people, so I love touring.
It is tiring, though, and it's time that I'm not writing. Since I'm on a deadline now, that part is frustrating.
WN: What book are you currently reading? What do you like about it?
SAKEY: I'm 165 pages into Denis Johnson's TREE OF SMOKE. It's pretty terrific thus far, though I'm curious to see where he's going to take it.
But the language is wonderful, and he has this habit of sneaking in zingers that just broadside you:
Sure: war, intrigue, the fates--certainly he'd face them. Just please, not Mom. Not her laundry flapping in the sorrows of springtime. Not Clements, Kansas, with it's historical license to be tiny, low, andI love graceful prose; if it's well enough written, I can be content with the side of a cereal box
square.
28 January 2008
Done.
Word Nerd accomplished her goal this weekend of finishing the rough draft of the novel.
The novel, though partly contained still in handwritten notebooks, now has a beginning, middle and end. The page count so far is over 200 with more than 66K words. Word Nerd's next task is to finish typing in everything so the whole novel is is one place. She's pretty sure she can accomplish that by the end of February.
Anyway, the story's done and Word Nerd's excited.
The novel, though partly contained still in handwritten notebooks, now has a beginning, middle and end. The page count so far is over 200 with more than 66K words. Word Nerd's next task is to finish typing in everything so the whole novel is is one place. She's pretty sure she can accomplish that by the end of February.
Anyway, the story's done and Word Nerd's excited.
26 January 2008
WIP final push update
So. Since yesterday afternoon, Word Nerd's written more than 5,000 words and she's got one more definite scene to go.
This next scene is a big resolution of the plot. Some months ago, Word Nerd hadn't decided what was going to happen in this scene, but she knows now.
Writing the end of this book is a big emotional roller coaster. This is a strange story -- more character driven fiction set in an epic fantasy setting than anything else. The ending (it'll get happy, promise) is not happy at the moment. Word Nerd is feeling a bit drained from all this.
Word Count = 62,016.
Final word count is still up in the air. Word Nerd's got plenty of the original hand-written material to type in yet, but she'll cross 100K most likely
This next scene is a big resolution of the plot. Some months ago, Word Nerd hadn't decided what was going to happen in this scene, but she knows now.
Writing the end of this book is a big emotional roller coaster. This is a strange story -- more character driven fiction set in an epic fantasy setting than anything else. The ending (it'll get happy, promise) is not happy at the moment. Word Nerd is feeling a bit drained from all this.
Word Count = 62,016.
Final word count is still up in the air. Word Nerd's got plenty of the original hand-written material to type in yet, but she'll cross 100K most likely
24 January 2008
The End Comes. Again.
In August 2006, Word Nerd announced she was hibernating for a weekend and was going to finish her first WIP. In that post, she was pretty darn certain that weekend and about 10K more words to go was it.
Word Nerd's making a similar, albeit slightly less certain, declaration about this weekend. Things in the current WIP have hit a fevered pitch where Word Nerd just needs to sit and pound out the rest of the book. And with not much on her calendar for this weekend and a fairly well-stocked refrigerator, she thinks this is it.
To be clear, Word Nerd still has MUCH typing left to go to transfer all the stuff from the handwritten notebooks into the document. That's not what she's looking at this weekend. This weekend could be the end of writing new stuff. Or at least almost the end. She's got to at least get through the story's climax. Depending on how it's going, the final resolution/denouement may get written this weekend or it might be next week.
This is all coming about because last night Word Nerd hit a critical scene. Critical. As in, all the plot threads and conspiracies and double-crosses were laying themselves open. The protagonist is caught in this whole web. Her choices are bleak. The novel, Word Nerd thinks, is working.
It's time to wrap this one up.
Word Nerd's making a similar, albeit slightly less certain, declaration about this weekend. Things in the current WIP have hit a fevered pitch where Word Nerd just needs to sit and pound out the rest of the book. And with not much on her calendar for this weekend and a fairly well-stocked refrigerator, she thinks this is it.
To be clear, Word Nerd still has MUCH typing left to go to transfer all the stuff from the handwritten notebooks into the document. That's not what she's looking at this weekend. This weekend could be the end of writing new stuff. Or at least almost the end. She's got to at least get through the story's climax. Depending on how it's going, the final resolution/denouement may get written this weekend or it might be next week.
This is all coming about because last night Word Nerd hit a critical scene. Critical. As in, all the plot threads and conspiracies and double-crosses were laying themselves open. The protagonist is caught in this whole web. Her choices are bleak. The novel, Word Nerd thinks, is working.
It's time to wrap this one up.
23 January 2008
Author Answers with Jennifer Donnelly
This week's guest is historical and YA fiction author Jennifer Donnelly. Her first novel, "The Tea Rose" garnered lots of praise from places like Booklist and the Washington Post. The sequel, "The Winter Rose" recently hit shelves.
For more about Donnelly and her books, check out her website.
WN: What is "The Winter Rose" about?
DONNELLY: It's about the hard and simple things of life -- love, courage, forgiveness, redemption. It's the second book in my Rose trilogy, and it reunites readers with the Finnegan family, whom they met in The Tea Rose. Many characters from The Tea Rose return in The Winter Rose, but the book's story centers on Sid Malone, an East London crime lord, and a new character: India Selwyn Jones, a young doctor. The book opens in 1900, on the dangerous streets of Whitechapel. East London is no place for a well-bred woman, but India Selwyn Jones is not one to observe conventions. She's brilliant, dedicated, talented, and headstrong. She's trained as one of a new breed, a woman doctor, and is determined to practice where the need is greatest. It is on these grim streets where India meets – and saves the life of – Sid Malone. Hard, violent, devastatingly attractive, Malone is the opposite of India’s cool, aristocratic fiancé, a rising star in the House of Commons. Though Malone represents all she despises, India finds herself unwillingly drawn ever closer to him – enticed by his charm, intrigued by his hidden, mysterious past.India and Sid fall in love, even as they fight against their feelings. Theirs is a volatile, passionate and bittersweet affair, and it causes destruction they could never have imagined. A big, old-fashioned epic, very much in the tradition of A Woman of Substance or The Thornbirds, The Winter Rose brings the early twentieth century vividly to life, sweeping from London's wretched slums and privileged society, to the plains of Kenya, to California's dramatic seacoast.
WN: It's a sequel to "The Tea Rose." When you wrote that book, were you expecting to write a series?
DONNELLY: I wasn’t. In fact, after I finished it, I wrote something completely different -- A Northern Light, a young adult novel. But after awhile, I missed the Finnegans and wanted to find out what was happening with them. As there are three siblings, I hit upon the genius idea of using a trilogy to tell their stories!
WN: You write historical novels. What kind and how much research do you have to do for a book to get the time period accurate?
DONNELLY: I do an absolute ton of research. Years' worth. It's crucial to getting the history right, of course, but it also feeds the action of the book, determines some of the plot and helps define the characters. History is very much a character in its own right in my books.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
DONNELLY: I was a non-stop reader. My idea of a really good time was a Saturday trip to the library. And it still is. I can't remember a distinct moment when I thought, "Aha! This is it! I want to be a writer." Words and stories and books were just always there. My mom's a great storyteller and read to me as a kid, and told me her own stories. My dad's side of the family, all Irish, were also great storytellers. So reading and writing were always as natural to me as breathing.
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
DONNELLY: It's so hard to pick just one, but if pressed, I would say Ulysses by James Joyce. I read it as a college sophomore and it opened my eyes to the people and the world and truth and the astonishing power of art.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
DONNELLY: I learned some very valuable lessons at my first writing job -- which was as a general assignment reporter at the Watertown Daily Times, a daily paperin Watertown, NY. I learned that you don't wait for the muse -- you sit down and get busy. Writing is not airy-fairy daydreamy stuff, it's hard work and you have approach it with discipline and drive. On hard days, when inspiration has deserted you, and you're struggling to keep the thread of the story going, and struggling with self-doubt and all that horribly writerly angst, discipline is the one thing that will keep you going. And you have to keep going, no matter how hard the struggle. You have to.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
DONNELLY: I'm currently working on a new young adult novel, and I'm mapping out the plot for the third book in the Rose trilogy, The Wild Rose.
For more about Donnelly and her books, check out her website.
WN: What is "The Winter Rose" about?
DONNELLY: It's about the hard and simple things of life -- love, courage, forgiveness, redemption. It's the second book in my Rose trilogy, and it reunites readers with the Finnegan family, whom they met in The Tea Rose. Many characters from The Tea Rose return in The Winter Rose, but the book's story centers on Sid Malone, an East London crime lord, and a new character: India Selwyn Jones, a young doctor. The book opens in 1900, on the dangerous streets of Whitechapel. East London is no place for a well-bred woman, but India Selwyn Jones is not one to observe conventions. She's brilliant, dedicated, talented, and headstrong. She's trained as one of a new breed, a woman doctor, and is determined to practice where the need is greatest. It is on these grim streets where India meets – and saves the life of – Sid Malone. Hard, violent, devastatingly attractive, Malone is the opposite of India’s cool, aristocratic fiancé, a rising star in the House of Commons. Though Malone represents all she despises, India finds herself unwillingly drawn ever closer to him – enticed by his charm, intrigued by his hidden, mysterious past.India and Sid fall in love, even as they fight against their feelings. Theirs is a volatile, passionate and bittersweet affair, and it causes destruction they could never have imagined. A big, old-fashioned epic, very much in the tradition of A Woman of Substance or The Thornbirds, The Winter Rose brings the early twentieth century vividly to life, sweeping from London's wretched slums and privileged society, to the plains of Kenya, to California's dramatic seacoast.
WN: It's a sequel to "The Tea Rose." When you wrote that book, were you expecting to write a series?
DONNELLY: I wasn’t. In fact, after I finished it, I wrote something completely different -- A Northern Light, a young adult novel. But after awhile, I missed the Finnegans and wanted to find out what was happening with them. As there are three siblings, I hit upon the genius idea of using a trilogy to tell their stories!
WN: You write historical novels. What kind and how much research do you have to do for a book to get the time period accurate?
DONNELLY: I do an absolute ton of research. Years' worth. It's crucial to getting the history right, of course, but it also feeds the action of the book, determines some of the plot and helps define the characters. History is very much a character in its own right in my books.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
DONNELLY: I was a non-stop reader. My idea of a really good time was a Saturday trip to the library. And it still is. I can't remember a distinct moment when I thought, "Aha! This is it! I want to be a writer." Words and stories and books were just always there. My mom's a great storyteller and read to me as a kid, and told me her own stories. My dad's side of the family, all Irish, were also great storytellers. So reading and writing were always as natural to me as breathing.
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
DONNELLY: It's so hard to pick just one, but if pressed, I would say Ulysses by James Joyce. I read it as a college sophomore and it opened my eyes to the people and the world and truth and the astonishing power of art.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
DONNELLY: I learned some very valuable lessons at my first writing job -- which was as a general assignment reporter at the Watertown Daily Times, a daily paperin Watertown, NY. I learned that you don't wait for the muse -- you sit down and get busy. Writing is not airy-fairy daydreamy stuff, it's hard work and you have approach it with discipline and drive. On hard days, when inspiration has deserted you, and you're struggling to keep the thread of the story going, and struggling with self-doubt and all that horribly writerly angst, discipline is the one thing that will keep you going. And you have to keep going, no matter how hard the struggle. You have to.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
DONNELLY: I'm currently working on a new young adult novel, and I'm mapping out the plot for the third book in the Rose trilogy, The Wild Rose.
18 January 2008
An Open Letter to the IMCPL Hold System
Dear Librarians who do the holds at IMCPL,
The expression better late than never must mean something to you folks.
Back in November (November!) Word Nerd put a book on hold. Around the beginning of December, it was listed as "in transit" to her. Today, she is finally going to the library to pick it up.
Somehow, apparently, in the reopening of the new Central Library and Word Nerd switching her home library to Central from the College Ave. branch, this book got lost in the shuffle. Finally, a week or so ago, she decided that without some intervention, it was likely never going to get to her. Since reporting the problem, somebody found it somewhere and now Word Nerd can read it. And so can the other 7 people who have the book on hold after her.
But with the number of other holds on it, Word Nerd's got to reshuffle the order she was going to read the stack she's got in because this one won't be renewable.
And here's to hoping it's darn good, given the wait.
Oh, and people who do the holds -- please try to avoid this happening to some of the books Word Nerd's got holds on in the future. If she has to wait six-plus weeks for Marcus Sakey's new book or Chip Kidd's new one, she's not going to be a very happy camper.
Sincerely,
Word Nerd
The expression better late than never must mean something to you folks.
Back in November (November!) Word Nerd put a book on hold. Around the beginning of December, it was listed as "in transit" to her. Today, she is finally going to the library to pick it up.
Somehow, apparently, in the reopening of the new Central Library and Word Nerd switching her home library to Central from the College Ave. branch, this book got lost in the shuffle. Finally, a week or so ago, she decided that without some intervention, it was likely never going to get to her. Since reporting the problem, somebody found it somewhere and now Word Nerd can read it. And so can the other 7 people who have the book on hold after her.
But with the number of other holds on it, Word Nerd's got to reshuffle the order she was going to read the stack she's got in because this one won't be renewable.
And here's to hoping it's darn good, given the wait.
Oh, and people who do the holds -- please try to avoid this happening to some of the books Word Nerd's got holds on in the future. If she has to wait six-plus weeks for Marcus Sakey's new book or Chip Kidd's new one, she's not going to be a very happy camper.
Sincerely,
Word Nerd
17 January 2008
Book Banter -- Star Risk, Ltd.
Title: Star Risk, Ltd.
Author: Chris Bunch
Genre: sci-fi
Length: 344 pages
Plot Basics: Former Alliance Marine M'Chel Riss has turned to a life of crime. After getting pinched on a job, she joins up with the newly-formed Star Risk, Ltd., company. Their first assignment, ingratiate themselves with Reg Goodnight, the leader of an asteroid mining company that needs protection against raiders that keep hiting their system. Star Risk lands the contract, but finding the raiders is going to the take the entire company's cunning.
Banter Points: Fairly easy read, aside from some technobabble every so often.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd was looking for a space opera series to read. This is not that series. The character fall flat, the plot is choppy with too many leaps and jumps, the aliens are too much like Ewoks. Word Nerd struggled to finish this book becuase she was bored and not at all swept up in the vision of the universe Bunch was creating.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Skip it. For space opera, Word Nerd knows that she should stick to some of the more recognized masters like Peter Hamilton and C.J. Cherryh.
Author: Chris Bunch
Genre: sci-fi
Length: 344 pages
Plot Basics: Former Alliance Marine M'Chel Riss has turned to a life of crime. After getting pinched on a job, she joins up with the newly-formed Star Risk, Ltd., company. Their first assignment, ingratiate themselves with Reg Goodnight, the leader of an asteroid mining company that needs protection against raiders that keep hiting their system. Star Risk lands the contract, but finding the raiders is going to the take the entire company's cunning.
Banter Points: Fairly easy read, aside from some technobabble every so often.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd was looking for a space opera series to read. This is not that series. The character fall flat, the plot is choppy with too many leaps and jumps, the aliens are too much like Ewoks. Word Nerd struggled to finish this book becuase she was bored and not at all swept up in the vision of the universe Bunch was creating.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Skip it. For space opera, Word Nerd knows that she should stick to some of the more recognized masters like Peter Hamilton and C.J. Cherryh.
16 January 2008
Author Answers with Tina Ferraro
After a long hiatus, the Author Answers column is back this week (and hopefully for weeks to come.)
Re-kicking things off is YA author Tina Ferraro. Ferraro's latest book just came out. For more on her, you can check out her website or find her at YA Fresh where she is a regular blog contributor.
WN: "How to Hook a Hottie" just hit shelves. If someone's looking for a how-to book, is this the title for them?
Ferraro: No, this is fiction. In fact, when I handed the proposal into my editor, I called it Hook a Hottie (Or Your Money Back). She changed it to How To, which prompted me to alter the scope of the book a bit, to include some tips. There are some does-he-like-me tests in the book that have had successful results for people in real life, and I did turn to friends and the Internet for some other ideas. But for a nonfiction guide to picking up cute guys, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
WN: What's it really about and how did you get the idea for it?
Ferraro: Whereas in my previous book, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, I had an a-ha moment where the idea struck, How to Hook a Hottie happened through the course of several drafts. It wasn’t until a few pivotal characters started to breath life that the story took off. Here’s the plot: Kate DelVecchio plans to be a millionaire before she's 20. When she agrees to go to a sports banquet with a hotshot baseball player, she stumbles upon a possible cash cow. The rest of the school is amazed that the no-nonsense Kate could hook such a hottie, and one by one approach her for help hooking their own. She doesn't know anything about getting guys, but for $100.00 a pop, she's more than willing to try, including inventing a 6-step-plan on How to Hook a Hottie. And how could that possibly backfire?
WN: You write YA and it seems like there is a lot of worry these days about the messages being sent to teenage girls about how to act/dress/think/behave, etc. What messages are you trying to get across to teen girls that you think are really important?
Ferraro: I have a few basic messages that are threaded through all my books that reflect my own beliefs. Those are never to sell yourself short, to chase dreams, and to try/try again. I try not to hit readers over the head with those messages because I don’t think they are revolutionary or astonishing--just good common sense.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
Ferraro: I was a voracious reader as a kid, often reading favorite books over and over again. As far as writing, I’ve been doing it since I could first hold a pencil. In second grade, the teacher called my mother in to say I showed usual talent in creative writing--which, when this was relayed to me, I found baffling. Writing stories was fun--like recess--so who was to say who was good and it and who wasn’t?
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
Ferraro: Many books have moved me at different points in my life, but I often think back to Christy by Catherine Marshall as a book that mesmerized me as a reader and a writer. I read it several times as a teen, and then again in my twenties--and actually loved it the most that last time. It’s a coming-of-age story about an idealistic young woman in the early 1900’s who thinks she can make a difference in the lives of impoverished Appalachian families--and who ends up learning more than she teaches.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
Ferraro: Often I reflect on Nora Roberts’ statement that she can’t edit a blank screen. It’s encouraged me through some rough periods where the words won’t come, where I keep telling myself if I just get something on the screen that I can edit, I am moving forward.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
Ferraro: In the spring of 2009, The ABC’s of Kissing Boys will be released. It’s about a 16 year-old girl who doesn’t get promoted to Varsity soccer with her teammates, and the crazy-but-just-might-work scheme that she concocts to get her coach’s attention, which includes kissing the prom king at the sports’ fair kissing booth. But first she needs to find out everything she can about kissing, and that help comes in the most unlikely of sources--the freshman guy across the street. But will maintaining this secret alliance with a froshie actually become more important than making Varsity?
Re-kicking things off is YA author Tina Ferraro. Ferraro's latest book just came out. For more on her, you can check out her website or find her at YA Fresh where she is a regular blog contributor.
WN: "How to Hook a Hottie" just hit shelves. If someone's looking for a how-to book, is this the title for them?
Ferraro: No, this is fiction. In fact, when I handed the proposal into my editor, I called it Hook a Hottie (Or Your Money Back). She changed it to How To, which prompted me to alter the scope of the book a bit, to include some tips. There are some does-he-like-me tests in the book that have had successful results for people in real life, and I did turn to friends and the Internet for some other ideas. But for a nonfiction guide to picking up cute guys, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
WN: What's it really about and how did you get the idea for it?
Ferraro: Whereas in my previous book, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, I had an a-ha moment where the idea struck, How to Hook a Hottie happened through the course of several drafts. It wasn’t until a few pivotal characters started to breath life that the story took off. Here’s the plot: Kate DelVecchio plans to be a millionaire before she's 20. When she agrees to go to a sports banquet with a hotshot baseball player, she stumbles upon a possible cash cow. The rest of the school is amazed that the no-nonsense Kate could hook such a hottie, and one by one approach her for help hooking their own. She doesn't know anything about getting guys, but for $100.00 a pop, she's more than willing to try, including inventing a 6-step-plan on How to Hook a Hottie. And how could that possibly backfire?
WN: You write YA and it seems like there is a lot of worry these days about the messages being sent to teenage girls about how to act/dress/think/behave, etc. What messages are you trying to get across to teen girls that you think are really important?
Ferraro: I have a few basic messages that are threaded through all my books that reflect my own beliefs. Those are never to sell yourself short, to chase dreams, and to try/try again. I try not to hit readers over the head with those messages because I don’t think they are revolutionary or astonishing--just good common sense.
WN: Were you a reader as a kid? What turned you on to the idea of being a writer?
Ferraro: I was a voracious reader as a kid, often reading favorite books over and over again. As far as writing, I’ve been doing it since I could first hold a pencil. In second grade, the teacher called my mother in to say I showed usual talent in creative writing--which, when this was relayed to me, I found baffling. Writing stories was fun--like recess--so who was to say who was good and it and who wasn’t?
WN: What's the most influential book you've read and why?
Ferraro: Many books have moved me at different points in my life, but I often think back to Christy by Catherine Marshall as a book that mesmerized me as a reader and a writer. I read it several times as a teen, and then again in my twenties--and actually loved it the most that last time. It’s a coming-of-age story about an idealistic young woman in the early 1900’s who thinks she can make a difference in the lives of impoverished Appalachian families--and who ends up learning more than she teaches.
WN: What's the best advice you received as a writer?
Ferraro: Often I reflect on Nora Roberts’ statement that she can’t edit a blank screen. It’s encouraged me through some rough periods where the words won’t come, where I keep telling myself if I just get something on the screen that I can edit, I am moving forward.
WN: What's next for you as a writer?
Ferraro: In the spring of 2009, The ABC’s of Kissing Boys will be released. It’s about a 16 year-old girl who doesn’t get promoted to Varsity soccer with her teammates, and the crazy-but-just-might-work scheme that she concocts to get her coach’s attention, which includes kissing the prom king at the sports’ fair kissing booth. But first she needs to find out everything she can about kissing, and that help comes in the most unlikely of sources--the freshman guy across the street. But will maintaining this secret alliance with a froshie actually become more important than making Varsity?
11 January 2008
Book Banter -- An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England
Title: An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England
Author: Brock Clarke
Length: 303 pages
Genre: literary fiction/faux memoir
Plot Basics: Sam Pulsifer accidentally burnt down the Emily Dickinson Home and killed two people in the process. Now, out of prison, Sam is trying to live a normal life. But his past -- which he has worked hard to keep buried -- is inescapable, as is his fate of being known as the guy who burns down writers' homes. As fires are set at the Edward Bellamy house, Mark Twain house and the residences of other New England literary greats, Sam decides to play detective and learns more truths about his life and family than about how to set fires.
Banter Points: It's only January, true, but this book is bound to make Word Nerd's top ten best books list for 2008. Achingly wonderful and compelling with touches of bitter comedy, "Arsonist's Guide" is a masterpiece. The "faux memoir novel" may be an up-and-coming genre but Clarke is one of the early masters. This novel blazes with promise for his career.
Bummer Points: Clarke only has one other novel published. Too bad, because Word Nerd would love to read a very lengthy backlist from him.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Pay attention to this book and this writer. Both are phenomenal.
Author: Brock Clarke
Length: 303 pages
Genre: literary fiction/faux memoir
Plot Basics: Sam Pulsifer accidentally burnt down the Emily Dickinson Home and killed two people in the process. Now, out of prison, Sam is trying to live a normal life. But his past -- which he has worked hard to keep buried -- is inescapable, as is his fate of being known as the guy who burns down writers' homes. As fires are set at the Edward Bellamy house, Mark Twain house and the residences of other New England literary greats, Sam decides to play detective and learns more truths about his life and family than about how to set fires.
Banter Points: It's only January, true, but this book is bound to make Word Nerd's top ten best books list for 2008. Achingly wonderful and compelling with touches of bitter comedy, "Arsonist's Guide" is a masterpiece. The "faux memoir novel" may be an up-and-coming genre but Clarke is one of the early masters. This novel blazes with promise for his career.
Bummer Points: Clarke only has one other novel published. Too bad, because Word Nerd would love to read a very lengthy backlist from him.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Pay attention to this book and this writer. Both are phenomenal.
10 January 2008
Word Nerd Announcement
After a several month-long hiatus, Word Nerd is bringing back the Author Answers column.
Wednesday will still be Author Answers day, so tune in next week, Jan. 16, for the first of the new postings.
Word Nerd's busy recruiting others for interviews, but like always, suggestions for authors are welcome. If there's an author you've hoped to know more about, let Word Nerd know and she'll do her best to get them as a future columnist.
Wednesday will still be Author Answers day, so tune in next week, Jan. 16, for the first of the new postings.
Word Nerd's busy recruiting others for interviews, but like always, suggestions for authors are welcome. If there's an author you've hoped to know more about, let Word Nerd know and she'll do her best to get them as a future columnist.
09 January 2008
Winter Books
Word Nerd has been browsing through USAToday's listing of new winter books coming out.
Her day has been made.
Here's why.
1. The Painter of Battles, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. It's not the next book in his Captain Alatriste series, but his literary thrillers are so amazing that it doesn't matter.
2. The Learners, by Chip Kidd. Word Nerd loved (loved) Kidd's "The Cheese Monkeys," and all its wackiness. The Learners is the sequel and Word Nerd can't wait. (Oh, she's also the first person to put the book on hold at the Indianapolis library... just further proof her eagerness.)
The interactive book preview is here, for anyone who wants to check it out themselves. There are plenty of other titles on the list for all kinds of readers and in all sorts of genres.
Her day has been made.
Here's why.
1. The Painter of Battles, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. It's not the next book in his Captain Alatriste series, but his literary thrillers are so amazing that it doesn't matter.
2. The Learners, by Chip Kidd. Word Nerd loved (loved) Kidd's "The Cheese Monkeys," and all its wackiness. The Learners is the sequel and Word Nerd can't wait. (Oh, she's also the first person to put the book on hold at the Indianapolis library... just further proof her eagerness.)
The interactive book preview is here, for anyone who wants to check it out themselves. There are plenty of other titles on the list for all kinds of readers and in all sorts of genres.
07 January 2008
Book Banter -- Grave Peril
Title: Grave Peril (Dresden Files, book 3)
Author: Jim Butcher
Plot Basics: Chicago's only wizard-for-hire, Harry Dresden, is standing in for the ghost-busters in this third book of the Dresden Files. Something has got Chicago's ghosts all shook up and Harry's determined to find out why. With the help of his friend Michael, a Knight of the Cross, Harry goes up against evil wizards, fairy godmothers, vampires and more to bring peace to these restless souls. But Harry and his friends are changed by the whole encounter and Harry may set loose more than he ever intended.
Banter Points: Word Nerd found the first two Dresden Files books OK. They were fun reads, but she found herself not really investing in the characters. Not until this one. Grave Peril could well be the book that really launched this series. Word Nerd thinks what did it was the introduction of Michael in this book. Michael provides a good foil for Harry, makes him interact with other people who have special powers and serves as a moral compass. While Harry has always been about doing the right thing, Michael seems to hone that into an understanding of the big picture and the need for sacrifice. Also, not everything comes out OK for Harry in the end, which is always refreshing to see a hero who gains and loses by saving the day.
Bummer Points: While it's refreshing writing to see the hero not get everything at the end, Word Nerd was really pulling for a happier ending for Harry.
Recommendation: Read this series. Stick through the first two books to get to this one. It doesn't disappoint.
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: 378 pages
Genre: fantasyPlot Basics: Chicago's only wizard-for-hire, Harry Dresden, is standing in for the ghost-busters in this third book of the Dresden Files. Something has got Chicago's ghosts all shook up and Harry's determined to find out why. With the help of his friend Michael, a Knight of the Cross, Harry goes up against evil wizards, fairy godmothers, vampires and more to bring peace to these restless souls. But Harry and his friends are changed by the whole encounter and Harry may set loose more than he ever intended.
Banter Points: Word Nerd found the first two Dresden Files books OK. They were fun reads, but she found herself not really investing in the characters. Not until this one. Grave Peril could well be the book that really launched this series. Word Nerd thinks what did it was the introduction of Michael in this book. Michael provides a good foil for Harry, makes him interact with other people who have special powers and serves as a moral compass. While Harry has always been about doing the right thing, Michael seems to hone that into an understanding of the big picture and the need for sacrifice. Also, not everything comes out OK for Harry in the end, which is always refreshing to see a hero who gains and loses by saving the day.
Bummer Points: While it's refreshing writing to see the hero not get everything at the end, Word Nerd was really pulling for a happier ending for Harry.
Recommendation: Read this series. Stick through the first two books to get to this one. It doesn't disappoint.
03 January 2008
Book Banter -- The Blighted Cliffs
Title: The Blighted Cliffs (The Reluctant Adventures of Lt. Martin Jerrold, Bk. 1)
Author: Edwin Thomas
Length: 298 pages
Genre: historical fiction/mystery/naval fiction
Plot Basics: Lt. Martin Jerrold is less interested in advancing his career in the British navy than he is in drinking and carousing. But on the morning of his first day of a new assignment in Dover, Jerrold stumbles over a dead body and its his new crewmates who discover them both. Thus starts a string of events largely characterized by Jerrold being in the wrong place and the wrong time and needing to clear his name for murder, all the while trying to help his crew combat the smugglers that are plaguing the Dover coast.
Banter Points: Word Nerd picked up this book because she saw the third one in the series and was intrigued by its cover art. (No kidding... she picked it up more than once for that.) Word Nerd is not a reader of naval fiction -- she's never made it through any Patrick O'Brien -- and she's not a reader of military historical fiction -- none of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books. But, she does like mysteries and stories with governmental conspiracies and hapless heroes, of which Martin Jerrold is a top-notch example. This is a good book because the history isn't over-handed and the descriptions of naval life flow smoothly with the plot. The plot has plenty of twists for any reader who likes mysteries.
Bummer Points: Be prepared to read some dialect and patois. Thomas doesn't do it for all his characters, but there are several where he drops his "haitches" and uses all sorts of odd spellings to get the local accent right. Word Nerd gets annoyed with reading dialect because most of the time she finds it distracting and slows down the pace of her reading since she has to translate.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like any of the genres this book falls into, pick it up. Also, if you want to read more historical fiction, this seems like a good title to break in with. When Word Nerd clears out her current TBR pile, she will be picking up the next books in this series.
Author: Edwin Thomas
Length: 298 pages
Genre: historical fiction/mystery/naval fiction
Plot Basics: Lt. Martin Jerrold is less interested in advancing his career in the British navy than he is in drinking and carousing. But on the morning of his first day of a new assignment in Dover, Jerrold stumbles over a dead body and its his new crewmates who discover them both. Thus starts a string of events largely characterized by Jerrold being in the wrong place and the wrong time and needing to clear his name for murder, all the while trying to help his crew combat the smugglers that are plaguing the Dover coast.
Banter Points: Word Nerd picked up this book because she saw the third one in the series and was intrigued by its cover art. (No kidding... she picked it up more than once for that.) Word Nerd is not a reader of naval fiction -- she's never made it through any Patrick O'Brien -- and she's not a reader of military historical fiction -- none of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books. But, she does like mysteries and stories with governmental conspiracies and hapless heroes, of which Martin Jerrold is a top-notch example. This is a good book because the history isn't over-handed and the descriptions of naval life flow smoothly with the plot. The plot has plenty of twists for any reader who likes mysteries.
Bummer Points: Be prepared to read some dialect and patois. Thomas doesn't do it for all his characters, but there are several where he drops his "haitches" and uses all sorts of odd spellings to get the local accent right. Word Nerd gets annoyed with reading dialect because most of the time she finds it distracting and slows down the pace of her reading since she has to translate.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you like any of the genres this book falls into, pick it up. Also, if you want to read more historical fiction, this seems like a good title to break in with. When Word Nerd clears out her current TBR pile, she will be picking up the next books in this series.
02 January 2008
December writing goal and January attempt
The word meter for December did make it to full (YAY!) and just barely. Word Nerd admits, she finished off the monthly writing on New Year's Eve. This is definitely a better late than never type deal.
So, 30K words done for the month of December, which was only 20K new words. Word Nerd's being aggressive for January, with a 30K monthly goal.
30K in January will bring the total up to 60K. For fantasy epic type story (which this book is), 60K is a good half or maybe two-thirds of the whole thing. Word Nerd's hoping also that she will either write the end this month or be darn close. She's got 3.5 notebooks full of the handwritten beginning to the story, so with all those words, plus the new stuff she's added, it should be getting close to time to wrap this puppy up. The good news is the outline is getting worked through and there are fewer and fewer scenes that Word Nerd thinks she needs to write.
To clarify, the 30K goal for this month does include the continued typing in of some of the handwritten stuff.
So, 30K words done for the month of December, which was only 20K new words. Word Nerd's being aggressive for January, with a 30K monthly goal.
30K in January will bring the total up to 60K. For fantasy epic type story (which this book is), 60K is a good half or maybe two-thirds of the whole thing. Word Nerd's hoping also that she will either write the end this month or be darn close. She's got 3.5 notebooks full of the handwritten beginning to the story, so with all those words, plus the new stuff she's added, it should be getting close to time to wrap this puppy up. The good news is the outline is getting worked through and there are fewer and fewer scenes that Word Nerd thinks she needs to write.
To clarify, the 30K goal for this month does include the continued typing in of some of the handwritten stuff.
28 December 2007
December 2007 Bibliometer and 2007 totals
So, with four days left in this month and still needing to finish the book Word Nerd's currently in, she figured (counting that one) it was pretty safe to go ahead and total up the books for December and then for 2007.
Here are the readings:
December
7 books
2605 pages
84 pages/day average
2007
96 books
32,747 pages
89.7 pages/day average.
Word Nerd read two more books in 2007 than in 2006, an increase that hardly seems significant.
In March, Word Nerd will post her book year totals. (A book year is like a fiscal year... since Word Nerd didn't start this habit with a new year, she tracks book years from the start of the list to a year later.)
Here are the readings:
December
7 books
2605 pages
84 pages/day average
2007
96 books
32,747 pages
89.7 pages/day average.
Word Nerd read two more books in 2007 than in 2006, an increase that hardly seems significant.
In March, Word Nerd will post her book year totals. (A book year is like a fiscal year... since Word Nerd didn't start this habit with a new year, she tracks book years from the start of the list to a year later.)
21 December 2007
Best of 2007 -- Top Ten Books
And the moment you've all been waiting for. Word Nerd's Top Ten Book of 2007. (Just a reminder, while some of these actually were 2007 releases, Word Nerd makes her list based on books she's read in the past year, regardless of publication date.)
The envelope, please.
The winners are:
10. Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (sci-fi)
9. Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey (fantasy)
8. The Hand of Oberon, Roger Zelazny (sci-fi/fantasy)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling (fantasy)
6. Nobody True, James Herbert (horror)
5. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper (juv. fantasy)
4. Whistling in the Dark, Lesley Kagen (literary fiction)
3. Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde (mystery/comedy)
2. The Blade Itself, Marcus Sakey (thriller)
1. The Liar's Diary, Patry Francis (thriller)
For comparison, the 2006 list is here.
There are no repeat winners on this list from last year. Also, 60 percent of the authors on this list were people that Word Nerd started reading in 2007.
A word of explanation about the winners in the #3, #5, #8 and #10 spots. Word Nerd wanted to nominate the whole series that these titles came from, but forced herself to pick the ones she most enjoyed out of multi-book cycles.
The dark horse pick for this year's top 10 pick is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Word Nerd wouldn't have expected Rowling's final book to make the top ten list, but when looking at the whole book list for 2007, it really stood out since it tied the whole series together so well. (Yes, there will be disagreements by some on that... post comments if you want to discuss. As an FYI though, Word Nerd's not the only one to put it in a Top Ten list list; Newsweek did too).
If Word Nerd had written the list on another day, it's quite possible that the 1-4 spots would have come out in a different order. As it is, Sakey's debut novel and Francis' debut novel were both stellar and Francis' only beat out Sakey's for the top spot because the twist at the end was so good.
If you search the blog, past reviews for the winning titles are available.
The envelope, please.
The winners are:
10. Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (sci-fi)
9. Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey (fantasy)
8. The Hand of Oberon, Roger Zelazny (sci-fi/fantasy)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling (fantasy)
6. Nobody True, James Herbert (horror)
5. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper (juv. fantasy)
4. Whistling in the Dark, Lesley Kagen (literary fiction)
3. Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde (mystery/comedy)
2. The Blade Itself, Marcus Sakey (thriller)
1. The Liar's Diary, Patry Francis (thriller)
For comparison, the 2006 list is here.
There are no repeat winners on this list from last year. Also, 60 percent of the authors on this list were people that Word Nerd started reading in 2007.
A word of explanation about the winners in the #3, #5, #8 and #10 spots. Word Nerd wanted to nominate the whole series that these titles came from, but forced herself to pick the ones she most enjoyed out of multi-book cycles.
The dark horse pick for this year's top 10 pick is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Word Nerd wouldn't have expected Rowling's final book to make the top ten list, but when looking at the whole book list for 2007, it really stood out since it tied the whole series together so well. (Yes, there will be disagreements by some on that... post comments if you want to discuss. As an FYI though, Word Nerd's not the only one to put it in a Top Ten list list; Newsweek did too).
If Word Nerd had written the list on another day, it's quite possible that the 1-4 spots would have come out in a different order. As it is, Sakey's debut novel and Francis' debut novel were both stellar and Francis' only beat out Sakey's for the top spot because the twist at the end was so good.
If you search the blog, past reviews for the winning titles are available.
20 December 2007
Best of 2007 -- Discovered Author
The second of this year's "Best Of" awards is the one for author who Word Nerd discovered and started reading during 2007.
She discovered this author very early in 2007 and in the ensuing year has read his entire back list and his newest book which hit shelves on this side of the pond in July.
The winner of 2007's Best Discovered Author award is, Jasper Fforde!
Fforde is the author of the brilliantly zany Thursday Next series and equally odd-but-wonderful Nursery Crime series, featuring detectives Jack Spratt and Mary Mary.
This series was recommended to Word Nerd by two other bibliophile friends and she didn't hesitate to dive right in to reading them.
Fforde gets the nod this year because his books are so original. Word Nerd's not sure there's anybody else out there writing books quite like this, that blend mystery, science fiction, satire and literary history so well and are such a joy to read. Fforde has a delightful imagination that takes unexpected turns in the stories. He's also got a gift for puns and literary and cultural humor and all three are peppered through his books. (Word Nerd's fav? Probably the special agents Lamb and Slorter or the citing of Triffids in one of the books.)
In series order, here are links to all of Word Nerd's reviews of his books.
Thursday Next
The Eyre Affair
Lost in a Good Book
Well of Lost Plots
Something Rotten
First Among Sequels
Nursery Crime
The Big Over Easy
The Fourth Bear
She discovered this author very early in 2007 and in the ensuing year has read his entire back list and his newest book which hit shelves on this side of the pond in July.
The winner of 2007's Best Discovered Author award is, Jasper Fforde!
Fforde is the author of the brilliantly zany Thursday Next series and equally odd-but-wonderful Nursery Crime series, featuring detectives Jack Spratt and Mary Mary.
This series was recommended to Word Nerd by two other bibliophile friends and she didn't hesitate to dive right in to reading them.
Fforde gets the nod this year because his books are so original. Word Nerd's not sure there's anybody else out there writing books quite like this, that blend mystery, science fiction, satire and literary history so well and are such a joy to read. Fforde has a delightful imagination that takes unexpected turns in the stories. He's also got a gift for puns and literary and cultural humor and all three are peppered through his books. (Word Nerd's fav? Probably the special agents Lamb and Slorter or the citing of Triffids in one of the books.)
Just for fun, Word Nerd names Jim Butcher as the runner-up. Butcher writes the Dresden Files series. They are entertaining, but don't quite rise to the level of Fforde's body of work.
Word Nerd earlier this year had a chance to interview Fforde and you can find the Q&A here.
In series order, here are links to all of Word Nerd's reviews of his books.
Thursday Next
The Eyre Affair
Lost in a Good Book
Well of Lost Plots
Something Rotten
First Among Sequels
Nursery Crime
The Big Over Easy
The Fourth Bear
19 December 2007
Book Banter -- New Moon
Title: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: YA
Length: 563 pages
Plot Basics:SPOILER ALERT (it's the second long book of a series... can't avoid this)
Bella Swan doesn't want to celebrate her 18th birthday. She's not enthused about it because it means she's growing older while her beau, the vampire Edward, will continue to remain 17 forever. And then Bella gets the birthday shock of her life: Edward breaks up with her. Bella becomes morose and severly depressed until she renews a friendship with Jacob Black and starts trying various extreme sports -- a dangerous pasttime for one as klutzy as Bella. Jacob's friendship starts to fill some of the hole in her life, but then Jacob starts acting strangely and Bella again gets caught up in a dangerous plot.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was so excited to read this one, after devouring Meyer's first "Twilight." These books are full of teen angst and kind of girly, but they are compelling. The plot remains tight, the emotions strong and it has a great twist at the end.
Bummer Points: The Cullen family is missing from about half of this book. It's unfortunate because all of them have interesting character traits.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you are a girl and you like paranormal romance type stories, this should be on your to-read list. The Shakespeare overtones in this book were great.
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: YA
Length: 563 pages
Plot Basics:
Bella Swan doesn't want to celebrate her 18th birthday. She's not enthused about it because it means she's growing older while her beau, the vampire Edward, will continue to remain 17 forever. And then Bella gets the birthday shock of her life: Edward breaks up with her. Bella becomes morose and severly depressed until she renews a friendship with Jacob Black and starts trying various extreme sports -- a dangerous pasttime for one as klutzy as Bella. Jacob's friendship starts to fill some of the hole in her life, but then Jacob starts acting strangely and Bella again gets caught up in a dangerous plot.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was so excited to read this one, after devouring Meyer's first "Twilight." These books are full of teen angst and kind of girly, but they are compelling. The plot remains tight, the emotions strong and it has a great twist at the end.
Bummer Points: The Cullen family is missing from about half of this book. It's unfortunate because all of them have interesting character traits.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you are a girl and you like paranormal romance type stories, this should be on your to-read list. The Shakespeare overtones in this book were great.
18 December 2007
Best of 2007 -- First Book in a Series
It's that time of year again for Word Nerd to dole out her completely subjective awards for Best Books of the year.
These are not titles that will likely show up on anybody else's top books of the year, largely because Word Nerd read mostly back-list books in 2007, trying to catch up in serieses (can she make that a word? Serieses? Seriesi? Anybody?) and be ready for new releases by those authors.
In addition to catching up, Word Nerd started reading several and it was a tough pick for which book would take top honors in the First Book in a Series category.
This year's winner is, Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine.
This marks the second year running where Caine topped Word Nerd's best first book in a series list. In 2006, she tied in the category with Garth Nix.
Caine won again, this time with the first book in her Morganville Vampires series because her writing is just that darn good. Morganville Vampires is YA fiction, but that's no barrier to winning in Word Nerd's mind.
Glass Houses was so good because it smoothly introduced the world of Morganville, the main characters and got the reader emotionally invested in what's going to happen to them. There are great levels of tension all around between the good guys and bad guys and within the ranks of the good guys themselves. You can read Word Nerd's original review here.
These are not titles that will likely show up on anybody else's top books of the year, largely because Word Nerd read mostly back-list books in 2007, trying to catch up in serieses (can she make that a word? Serieses? Seriesi? Anybody?) and be ready for new releases by those authors.
In addition to catching up, Word Nerd started reading several and it was a tough pick for which book would take top honors in the First Book in a Series category.
This year's winner is, Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine.
This marks the second year running where Caine topped Word Nerd's best first book in a series list. In 2006, she tied in the category with Garth Nix.
Caine won again, this time with the first book in her Morganville Vampires series because her writing is just that darn good. Morganville Vampires is YA fiction, but that's no barrier to winning in Word Nerd's mind.
Glass Houses was so good because it smoothly introduced the world of Morganville, the main characters and got the reader emotionally invested in what's going to happen to them. There are great levels of tension all around between the good guys and bad guys and within the ranks of the good guys themselves. You can read Word Nerd's original review here.
Word Nerd picks Kelly McCullough's WebMage as the runner-up in this category. This book was a great combination of sci-fi and fantasy and technology and mythology.
Up next: Best Discovered Author
Up next: Best Discovered Author
17 December 2007
Book Banter -- Cybermancy
Title: Cybermancy
Author: Kelly McCullough
Genre: Sci-fi
Length: ~280 pages
Plot Points: After his big battle with the Fates, Ravirn (now dubbed Raven) is plotting his next move. He feels responsible that his girlfriend Cerice's webgoblin, Shara, was killed, and so Ravirn decides he's going to pull an Orpheus and get the webgoblin out of Hades. He gets in and out with Shara and the whole mission was easy... too easy, in fact and it sets off a whole new problem that could threaten the entire magic-web.
Banter Points: This series is a great combination of things. First, the combination of sci-fi technology and Greek mythology is just brilliant. Word Nerd loved reading Greek myths as a kid and it's very fun to see them recast this way. Second, the writing is propelling and intense. Scenes go from something right out of a James Bond movie to the "Matrix" quite seemlessly.
Bummer Points: McCullough's in the middle of writing this series so it'll be a while before book three comes out.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd was a little skeptical of this series when she read the first book, thinking it depended too much on Ravirn's sidekick. For once though, a second book didn't drop in quality from the first but improved and became a series to look for in Word Nerd's list.
Author: Kelly McCullough
Genre: Sci-fi
Length: ~280 pages
Plot Points: After his big battle with the Fates, Ravirn (now dubbed Raven) is plotting his next move. He feels responsible that his girlfriend Cerice's webgoblin, Shara, was killed, and so Ravirn decides he's going to pull an Orpheus and get the webgoblin out of Hades. He gets in and out with Shara and the whole mission was easy... too easy, in fact and it sets off a whole new problem that could threaten the entire magic-web.
Banter Points: This series is a great combination of things. First, the combination of sci-fi technology and Greek mythology is just brilliant. Word Nerd loved reading Greek myths as a kid and it's very fun to see them recast this way. Second, the writing is propelling and intense. Scenes go from something right out of a James Bond movie to the "Matrix" quite seemlessly.
Bummer Points: McCullough's in the middle of writing this series so it'll be a while before book three comes out.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd was a little skeptical of this series when she read the first book, thinking it depended too much on Ravirn's sidekick. For once though, a second book didn't drop in quality from the first but improved and became a series to look for in Word Nerd's list.
14 December 2007
Watch out, word fans
So, one of Word Nerd's Indiana VISTA colleagues found this site and it is way too cool not to share.
http://www.freerice.com/
Test your vocabulary and help donate grains of rice through the UN to countries that need it.
So far, Word Nerd's donated more than 3,000.
Also, if you go under "options," you can set the computer to remember you vocabulary level so you always get challenged with tougher words. So far, Word Nerd's top level (of 50) was 47, but seems to hover most of the time in the lower 40s. She keeps playing, donating rice, and hoping to hit higher levels of words because it's fun!
http://www.freerice.com/
Test your vocabulary and help donate grains of rice through the UN to countries that need it.
So far, Word Nerd's donated more than 3,000.
Also, if you go under "options," you can set the computer to remember you vocabulary level so you always get challenged with tougher words. So far, Word Nerd's top level (of 50) was 47, but seems to hover most of the time in the lower 40s. She keeps playing, donating rice, and hoping to hit higher levels of words because it's fun!
13 December 2007
Book Banter -- Kushiel's Avatar
Title: Kushiel's Avatar
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Length: 702 pages
Genre: fantasy
Plot Basics: SPOILER ALERT (it's the third book in a trilogy... what do you expect?)
Phedre no Delaunay, now the Comtesse de Montreve, has enjoyed the 10 years of peace that were promised to her. Her beloved homeland, Terre D'Ange, is at peace and her arch-nemesis Melisande Shahrizai is still in exile. But one day, Phedre receives a letter from Melisande, explaining that her son, Imriel, the third in line for the Terre D'Ange throne, has gone missing from where he had been living, ignorant of his own bloodline and importance. Phedre agrees to help Melisande by finding Imriel in exchange for Melisande's help to find the information necessary for Phedre to free her childhood friend, Hyacinthe, from his eternal duty as Master of the Straits. Phedre's quest -- on which she is accompanied by her ever-diligent consort Joscelin -- takes them to uncharted lands beyond Terre D'Ange and into the most trying times they have ever known.
Banter Points: This book, seriously, was like a cross between Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings and bits of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series combined with Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Absolutely sweeping in scope and adventure, it's 700 pages of one great story. Phedre is a wily heroine and Joscelin is great male lead character.
Bummer Points: The middle of this book gets very dark. Very dark. Also, as in the other books, Carey's denouement takes a few chapters, which makes the end feel sort of like it peters out. Additionally, Carey gets caught up in the descriptions sometimes (not as bad as Robert Jordan, mind you) but there are places where it takes away from the main action of the story.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Fantasy lovers this series is a must if you haven't read it. If you are new to the genre, these are good too, unless the book length intimates you. Also, there's another trilogy set after these. Word Nerd is planning to read them after a break from this world.
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Length: 702 pages
Genre: fantasy
Plot Basics: SPOILER ALERT (it's the third book in a trilogy... what do you expect?)
Phedre no Delaunay, now the Comtesse de Montreve, has enjoyed the 10 years of peace that were promised to her. Her beloved homeland, Terre D'Ange, is at peace and her arch-nemesis Melisande Shahrizai is still in exile. But one day, Phedre receives a letter from Melisande, explaining that her son, Imriel, the third in line for the Terre D'Ange throne, has gone missing from where he had been living, ignorant of his own bloodline and importance. Phedre agrees to help Melisande by finding Imriel in exchange for Melisande's help to find the information necessary for Phedre to free her childhood friend, Hyacinthe, from his eternal duty as Master of the Straits. Phedre's quest -- on which she is accompanied by her ever-diligent consort Joscelin -- takes them to uncharted lands beyond Terre D'Ange and into the most trying times they have ever known.
Banter Points: This book, seriously, was like a cross between Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings and bits of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series combined with Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Absolutely sweeping in scope and adventure, it's 700 pages of one great story. Phedre is a wily heroine and Joscelin is great male lead character.
Bummer Points: The middle of this book gets very dark. Very dark. Also, as in the other books, Carey's denouement takes a few chapters, which makes the end feel sort of like it peters out. Additionally, Carey gets caught up in the descriptions sometimes (not as bad as Robert Jordan, mind you) but there are places where it takes away from the main action of the story.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Fantasy lovers this series is a must if you haven't read it. If you are new to the genre, these are good too, unless the book length intimates you. Also, there's another trilogy set after these. Word Nerd is planning to read them after a break from this world.
12 December 2007
2007 Word of the Year
Merriam Webster has unveiled the top word of the year again.
All Word Nerd could think upon seeing it was, "Huh. Really?"
Maybe your reaction will be similar because the 2007 word of the year is..... (drum roll please)....
w00t.
Yes, that's right. The word of the year only has two letters in it, the o's in this case being double zeros. How can the word of the year not even be a word!!?!? It's an acronym! (We Owned the Other Team... a reference from the world of gaming).
Anyway, the full release is here along with the rest of the top 10 words for 2007.
All Word Nerd could think upon seeing it was, "Huh. Really?"
Maybe your reaction will be similar because the 2007 word of the year is..... (drum roll please)....
w00t.
Yes, that's right. The word of the year only has two letters in it, the o's in this case being double zeros. How can the word of the year not even be a word!!?!? It's an acronym! (We Owned the Other Team... a reference from the world of gaming).
Anyway, the full release is here along with the rest of the top 10 words for 2007.
11 December 2007
Wisdom from the Masters
This was on Neil Gaiman's journal blog. Advice worth taking, Word Nerd thinks.
Dear Neil,I read your site everyday, and STILL I'm not a famous author,
what am I doing wrong?-mE.
At a guess, either you aren't writing enough, you aren't finishing things,
you aren't getting them published, or, if you're doing all of those, you're
worrying about the wrong things. Anyway, famousness is probably about as useful
for an author as a large, well-appointed hiking backpack would be for a prima
ballerina. Honest.Right. Back to work.
Dear Neil,I read your site everyday, and STILL I'm not a famous author,
what am I doing wrong?-mE.
At a guess, either you aren't writing enough, you aren't finishing things,
you aren't getting them published, or, if you're doing all of those, you're
worrying about the wrong things. Anyway, famousness is probably about as useful
for an author as a large, well-appointed hiking backpack would be for a prima
ballerina. Honest.Right. Back to work.
10 December 2007
Book News
Word Nerd discovered two great book things this weekend.
1. The opening of the renovated, expanded downtown Indianapolis Central Library. It is floors and floors (ok, six of them, plus the old library building) of book-y goodness. Though Word Nerd already had quite the TBR pile on her living room floor, she couldn't escape without checking out a few titles.
2. Half-Price Books. Just like its name, all the books there are half-price. They are remaindered titles and books sold back by readers. It's likely paid writers don't get much/any of the cut from the resale of these titles, but it's a great place to go to fill in missing books in a series you are collecting, or to go unload some books you don't want anymore. Word Nerd will definitely be doing the latter sometime soon here. After moving a number of titles from Wisconsin to Indiana, that she didn't want to move in the first place, it'll be nice to get at least a little $$ for them and not ever have to move them again.
1. The opening of the renovated, expanded downtown Indianapolis Central Library. It is floors and floors (ok, six of them, plus the old library building) of book-y goodness. Though Word Nerd already had quite the TBR pile on her living room floor, she couldn't escape without checking out a few titles.
2. Half-Price Books. Just like its name, all the books there are half-price. They are remaindered titles and books sold back by readers. It's likely paid writers don't get much/any of the cut from the resale of these titles, but it's a great place to go to fill in missing books in a series you are collecting, or to go unload some books you don't want anymore. Word Nerd will definitely be doing the latter sometime soon here. After moving a number of titles from Wisconsin to Indiana, that she didn't want to move in the first place, it'll be nice to get at least a little $$ for them and not ever have to move them again.
04 December 2007
Book Banter -- Silver on the Tree
Title: Silver on the Tree (Dark is Rising sequence bk. 5)
Author: Susan Cooper
Length: 274 pages
Genre: juv/fantasy
Plot Basics: Will Stanton, Bran Davies, Merriman Lyon, and Simon, Jane and Barney Drew are on their last quest to help the powers of the Light triumph over the rising Dark. They must retrieve the crystal sword and be ready to stand against the Dark in a final battle. Will and Bran travel out of Time to get the sword in a daring race against the Riders of the Dark. Then, all Six -- who were chosen in prophesies beforehand -- have the final confrontation with the Dark and must make some difficult decisions.
Banter Points: Cooper again crafts magical descriptions of the places the characters visit and weaves enchantments with her very words. Will and Bran are highly compelling characters for being so young. Also, several of the old creepier enemies from the first two books (Mr. Hastings and the Riders) show up again which is nice that the group has more tangible enemies for this last volume.
Bummer Points: The end happens all in a rush, but that's how all of Cooper's other books in this series have been so it's not surprising it's like that in this one too. It's such high energy at the end, it would be nice to have it drawn out and keep the excitement going longer.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd knows she's trumpeted the reading of these books in the recommendations for the other four titles in the series, but really, they are good and worth reading. Older kids can read these on their own, or they would be good read-aloud books for slightly younger kids. And adults... if you like fantasy, don't pass these by.
Author: Susan Cooper
Length: 274 pages
Genre: juv/fantasy
Plot Basics: Will Stanton, Bran Davies, Merriman Lyon, and Simon, Jane and Barney Drew are on their last quest to help the powers of the Light triumph over the rising Dark. They must retrieve the crystal sword and be ready to stand against the Dark in a final battle. Will and Bran travel out of Time to get the sword in a daring race against the Riders of the Dark. Then, all Six -- who were chosen in prophesies beforehand -- have the final confrontation with the Dark and must make some difficult decisions.
Banter Points: Cooper again crafts magical descriptions of the places the characters visit and weaves enchantments with her very words. Will and Bran are highly compelling characters for being so young. Also, several of the old creepier enemies from the first two books (Mr. Hastings and the Riders) show up again which is nice that the group has more tangible enemies for this last volume.
Bummer Points: The end happens all in a rush, but that's how all of Cooper's other books in this series have been so it's not surprising it's like that in this one too. It's such high energy at the end, it would be nice to have it drawn out and keep the excitement going longer.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd knows she's trumpeted the reading of these books in the recommendations for the other four titles in the series, but really, they are good and worth reading. Older kids can read these on their own, or they would be good read-aloud books for slightly younger kids. And adults... if you like fantasy, don't pass these by.
03 December 2007
Making the Goal
So, it was a hard-fought writing goal month, particularly right at the end, but Word Nerd hit her 10,000 words for November. It's probably about 2/3 new material and 1/3 typed in old stuff (the handwritten pages preceeding), but that's ok. The typed stuff all has to get typed in at some point and there's a small degree of editing going on while she's typing in the material.
The December goal, you will note, is already posted and underway. It's a cumulative goal of reaching 30,000 words, or 20,000 new ones over the November goal. It's a pretty aggressive goal for this month of holiday happenings, but Word Nerd's confident she can make it. Truth be told, she'd like to surpass 20K words, but whether that's possible is still an unknown so far.
This book will get finished.
The December goal, you will note, is already posted and underway. It's a cumulative goal of reaching 30,000 words, or 20,000 new ones over the November goal. It's a pretty aggressive goal for this month of holiday happenings, but Word Nerd's confident she can make it. Truth be told, she'd like to surpass 20K words, but whether that's possible is still an unknown so far.
This book will get finished.
30 November 2007
November 2007 Bibliometer
Since there's no way Word Nerd's going to finish any of the books she's reading today, it's safe to post the monthly stats.
For November:
8 books
2,742 pages
91 pages/day
YTD
89 books
30,142 pages
average book length = 339 pages
Interestingly, the November 2007 total pages is only 22 pages fewer than 2006's total.
For November:
8 books
2,742 pages
91 pages/day
YTD
89 books
30,142 pages
average book length = 339 pages
Interestingly, the November 2007 total pages is only 22 pages fewer than 2006's total.
29 November 2007
Book Banter -- Twilight
Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Length: 492 pages
Genre: paranormal YA
Plot Basics: When her mom gets remarried to a minor league ballplayer who travels alot, Bella Swan decides to move from sunny Phoenix to rainy Forks, Washington to live with her police chief father. Bella worries that she won't fit in at her new small high school, but as the new girl, she attracts plenty of attention. Including that of her biology lab partner mysterious, aloof Edward Cullen. Bella is determined to find out Edward's secret and why he strangely avoids her. And the truth she learns is that she is very appealing to her vampire lab partner...
Banter Points: Meyer's books (there are three in this series now) have been huge sellers among teen readers. Word Nerd first stumbled on them when the third one released and Barnes and Noble made a big end-cap display, and well, YA vampire books selling that well... Word Nerd had to find out why.
In Twilight, the book is compelling as Bella and Edward sort out this rather Romeo-and-Juliet-ish secret love. There's action plot that comes late in the book, but Meyer deftly keeps readers interested as she (through Bella) lets readers discover her world of vampires.
Bummer Points: This is still another book about a somewhat ill-fated romance between a human and vampire. In the post-Buffy/Angel wake, these stories are becoming somewhat commonplace and losing some of their intrigue.
Word Nerd Recommendation: She put book #2 (New Moon) on hold because she wants to know what happens next.
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Length: 492 pages
Genre: paranormal YA
Plot Basics: When her mom gets remarried to a minor league ballplayer who travels alot, Bella Swan decides to move from sunny Phoenix to rainy Forks, Washington to live with her police chief father. Bella worries that she won't fit in at her new small high school, but as the new girl, she attracts plenty of attention. Including that of her biology lab partner mysterious, aloof Edward Cullen. Bella is determined to find out Edward's secret and why he strangely avoids her. And the truth she learns is that she is very appealing to her vampire lab partner...
Banter Points: Meyer's books (there are three in this series now) have been huge sellers among teen readers. Word Nerd first stumbled on them when the third one released and Barnes and Noble made a big end-cap display, and well, YA vampire books selling that well... Word Nerd had to find out why.
In Twilight, the book is compelling as Bella and Edward sort out this rather Romeo-and-Juliet-ish secret love. There's action plot that comes late in the book, but Meyer deftly keeps readers interested as she (through Bella) lets readers discover her world of vampires.
Bummer Points: This is still another book about a somewhat ill-fated romance between a human and vampire. In the post-Buffy/Angel wake, these stories are becoming somewhat commonplace and losing some of their intrigue.
Word Nerd Recommendation: She put book #2 (New Moon) on hold because she wants to know what happens next.
27 November 2007
26 November 2007
Book Banter -- Fool Moon
Title: Fool Moon
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: 392 pages
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Plot Basics: Harry Dresden gets another call to consult for the Chicago PD in a crime of the weird. Arriving on scene, he discovers a mangled corpse and evidence that a werewolf of some sort is behind the killing. Turns out, Lt. Karrin Murphy of the Chicago PD tells him, it's not the first gruesome killing of its kind and she asks Dresden for his help. Werewolves, Dresden learns, come in several varieties and as he unravels the case, he learns he's got more than one kind on his hands. Besting them all will take a ton of magic and all of Harry's cunning.
Banter Points: Dresden is his usual wise-cracking, cynical self. The plot is taut and exciting and it's interesting to see how Dresden has to improvise at the end to keep himself and others alive.
Bummer Points: It's only book two, but Word Nerd gets the feeling that these books are pretty formulaic. Not that the formula is so bad, she just wonders if they will continue to stay interesting through the number of them that Butcher has written.
Word Nerd Recommendation: A good read that doesn't tax your brain overmuch. If you are a looking for something to cut through holiday schmaltz, this could be it.
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: 392 pages
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Plot Basics: Harry Dresden gets another call to consult for the Chicago PD in a crime of the weird. Arriving on scene, he discovers a mangled corpse and evidence that a werewolf of some sort is behind the killing. Turns out, Lt. Karrin Murphy of the Chicago PD tells him, it's not the first gruesome killing of its kind and she asks Dresden for his help. Werewolves, Dresden learns, come in several varieties and as he unravels the case, he learns he's got more than one kind on his hands. Besting them all will take a ton of magic and all of Harry's cunning.
Banter Points: Dresden is his usual wise-cracking, cynical self. The plot is taut and exciting and it's interesting to see how Dresden has to improvise at the end to keep himself and others alive.
Bummer Points: It's only book two, but Word Nerd gets the feeling that these books are pretty formulaic. Not that the formula is so bad, she just wonders if they will continue to stay interesting through the number of them that Butcher has written.
Word Nerd Recommendation: A good read that doesn't tax your brain overmuch. If you are a looking for something to cut through holiday schmaltz, this could be it.
20 November 2007
Book Banter -- The Grey King
Title: The Grey King (the Dark is Rising sequence book 4)
Author: Susan Cooper
Length: ~160 pages
Genre: Juvenile Fantasy
Plot Basics: After a bad case of the mumps, Will Stanton is sent to his relatives in Wales to recover. Will knows that there's something important that he's forgetting from before he was sick, but the illness has driven whatever it was from his mind. As he explores the countryside, he encounters a strange white dog and an equally strange boy, Bran Davies, who together trigger his memory and aid him in his quest as an Old One to find another object that will aid in the Light in the struggle against the rising Dark.
Banter Points: Another great book from Susan Cooper. This one won the Newberry Award and it's easy to see why. The plot is tight and compelling, the descriptions vivid and powerful. Will is a very neat character and it was nice to see him interacting with someone other than Merriman or the Drew children.
Bummer Points: It was pretty short. Word Nerd got caught up in this landscape Cooper painted and would have been more than willing to stay there for another 100 pages.
Word Nerd Recommendation: As she's said before, this series is worth reading, even if you are a grown-up.
Author: Susan Cooper
Length: ~160 pages
Genre: Juvenile Fantasy
Plot Basics: After a bad case of the mumps, Will Stanton is sent to his relatives in Wales to recover. Will knows that there's something important that he's forgetting from before he was sick, but the illness has driven whatever it was from his mind. As he explores the countryside, he encounters a strange white dog and an equally strange boy, Bran Davies, who together trigger his memory and aid him in his quest as an Old One to find another object that will aid in the Light in the struggle against the rising Dark.
Banter Points: Another great book from Susan Cooper. This one won the Newberry Award and it's easy to see why. The plot is tight and compelling, the descriptions vivid and powerful. Will is a very neat character and it was nice to see him interacting with someone other than Merriman or the Drew children.
Bummer Points: It was pretty short. Word Nerd got caught up in this landscape Cooper painted and would have been more than willing to stay there for another 100 pages.
Word Nerd Recommendation: As she's said before, this series is worth reading, even if you are a grown-up.
12 November 2007
When real life interferes
Word Nerd's got another blog going about her current real life adventures, in addition to the occasional posts here too about writing.
But today's post was enough about writing that she thought she should at least post a link here.
So, here it is.
A link.
But today's post was enough about writing that she thought she should at least post a link here.
So, here it is.
A link.
09 November 2007
Excited for a library
Word Nerd's a fan of libraries. Makes sense, given her avid reader status.
Here in the big city, the main, downtown branch of the library has been undergoing renovations. Big ones. Adding on to the building, shut down for at least a year kind of renovations.
It now will reopen in 30 days and Word Nerd can't wait.
Why?
First, there is a the practical side. The downtown one is closer to her apartment than where she's currently trekking off to one of the more suburban branches. Closer by many, many, blocks and literally, just down a block from her office. Guess where she'll be spending her lunch hours...
Second, this new library building is huge. Huge means room for books. Lots of books.
Word Nerd's a fan already and she hasn't even been inside.
Here in the big city, the main, downtown branch of the library has been undergoing renovations. Big ones. Adding on to the building, shut down for at least a year kind of renovations.
It now will reopen in 30 days and Word Nerd can't wait.
Why?
First, there is a the practical side. The downtown one is closer to her apartment than where she's currently trekking off to one of the more suburban branches. Closer by many, many, blocks and literally, just down a block from her office. Guess where she'll be spending her lunch hours...
Second, this new library building is huge. Huge means room for books. Lots of books.
Word Nerd's a fan already and she hasn't even been inside.
08 November 2007
Book Banter -- The Mark
Title: The Mark
Author: Jason Pinter
Length: 367 pages
Genre: mystery/thriller
Plot Basics: Henry Parker only wants one thing in life – to be a respected journalist in New York City. When he lands a job shortly out of college at the New York Gazette, he thinks he’s got it made… until his editor keeps him writing obituaries and fluffy features stories. He finally gets a chance to help veteran reporter Jack O’Donnell on a big story, interviewing a former convict. But after the interview, something doesn’t sit right with Parker about what he heard. He goes back to the con’s apartment and end up running from the NYPD and running for his life.
Banter Points: Pretty good chase novel, with Parker constantly working to stay one step ahead of the cops. Likely since Pinter himself is in his late 20s, Parker’s voice as a mid-20-something rang true.
Bummer Points: A couple of these, unfortunately. First, it’s a pet peeve for Word Nerd – she really doesn’t like switches in POV in the story. The subplot about the hitman was OK, but in her view, the subplot with the policemen didn’t add anything. There would have been other ways around that at the end when the reader needed to know some things about them. Second, Parker sounds like a 24-year-old, but not a reporter. Word Nerd has unbelievably high standards for how reporters should act in a novel (since she was one for a while.) Parker and his newsroom fail on most accounts there. If Parker was such a promising reporter, he wouldn’t have been stuck writing nothing but obits. When Word Nerd was an intern at a major daily, she covered everything from features to international news and wrote no obits. Third, this is the first book in a series. One of Pinters 2007 Killer Year colleagues, Marcus Sakey, said something at an appearance that some characters go through too much hell for there to be a sequel. Word Nerd would put Henry Parker in that category.
Word Nerd recommendation: It’s a good page-turner, airplane book. If you like thrillers, it’s worth the read, but if this genre isn’t your thing, this isn’t a good book to try to break in with.
Author: Jason Pinter
Length: 367 pages
Genre: mystery/thriller
Plot Basics: Henry Parker only wants one thing in life – to be a respected journalist in New York City. When he lands a job shortly out of college at the New York Gazette, he thinks he’s got it made… until his editor keeps him writing obituaries and fluffy features stories. He finally gets a chance to help veteran reporter Jack O’Donnell on a big story, interviewing a former convict. But after the interview, something doesn’t sit right with Parker about what he heard. He goes back to the con’s apartment and end up running from the NYPD and running for his life.
Banter Points: Pretty good chase novel, with Parker constantly working to stay one step ahead of the cops. Likely since Pinter himself is in his late 20s, Parker’s voice as a mid-20-something rang true.
Bummer Points: A couple of these, unfortunately. First, it’s a pet peeve for Word Nerd – she really doesn’t like switches in POV in the story. The subplot about the hitman was OK, but in her view, the subplot with the policemen didn’t add anything. There would have been other ways around that at the end when the reader needed to know some things about them. Second, Parker sounds like a 24-year-old, but not a reporter. Word Nerd has unbelievably high standards for how reporters should act in a novel (since she was one for a while.) Parker and his newsroom fail on most accounts there. If Parker was such a promising reporter, he wouldn’t have been stuck writing nothing but obits. When Word Nerd was an intern at a major daily, she covered everything from features to international news and wrote no obits. Third, this is the first book in a series. One of Pinters 2007 Killer Year colleagues, Marcus Sakey, said something at an appearance that some characters go through too much hell for there to be a sequel. Word Nerd would put Henry Parker in that category.
Word Nerd recommendation: It’s a good page-turner, airplane book. If you like thrillers, it’s worth the read, but if this genre isn’t your thing, this isn’t a good book to try to break in with.
07 November 2007
The Switch
Word Nerd doesn’t have an official November writing goal yet, but at least she’s put words on paper again this month.
And on the computer.
Yes. It was time to make the switch from hand-writing the current work-in-progress to the computer. Blame it, if you will, on the move to the big city. Things here take more time because they are farther away to get to. Like, say, the library, which until the new downtown Central Library reopens, means traveling some 30 blocks away which takes a good 15 minutes to go. This is an unfortunately far longer distance than when Word Nerd lived, literally, three doors up the street from the Oshkosh library.
The writing by hand was taking to long to get done in the midst of other things that take to long to get done. So, even before finishing the last notebook she was working in, Word Nerd made the switch.
When she was working on the last WIP, the goal was 1,000 words a day. That seems like a lot, presently, so Word Nerd’s shooting for about 500. If it’s anywhere from about 450 words up, that’s fine. The rest of November is a crazy month so Word Nerd’s not sure about what the goal for the rest of the month should be.
Missing October’s goal was tough and she doesn’t want to do that again. Maybe the goal will just be to get as far as possible.
And on the computer.
Yes. It was time to make the switch from hand-writing the current work-in-progress to the computer. Blame it, if you will, on the move to the big city. Things here take more time because they are farther away to get to. Like, say, the library, which until the new downtown Central Library reopens, means traveling some 30 blocks away which takes a good 15 minutes to go. This is an unfortunately far longer distance than when Word Nerd lived, literally, three doors up the street from the Oshkosh library.
The writing by hand was taking to long to get done in the midst of other things that take to long to get done. So, even before finishing the last notebook she was working in, Word Nerd made the switch.
When she was working on the last WIP, the goal was 1,000 words a day. That seems like a lot, presently, so Word Nerd’s shooting for about 500. If it’s anywhere from about 450 words up, that’s fine. The rest of November is a crazy month so Word Nerd’s not sure about what the goal for the rest of the month should be.
Missing October’s goal was tough and she doesn’t want to do that again. Maybe the goal will just be to get as far as possible.
06 November 2007
Book Banter -- The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Title: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
Author: Michael Chabon
Length: 411 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: In an alternate history of 1948, the Jewish people are given part of Alaska to settle in for 60 years. Now, on the eve of the land reverting to the United States, Sitka police detective Meyer Landsman takes it as a personal affront when a chess-playing man is murderer in the building he’s living in. Though the Sitka police is ordered to try to close out all its unsolved cases, Landsman can’t let this one go. His investigation brings up the demons of his past and shakes several Jewish notions of Messiah and the promise the people will one day reclaim the Holy Land.
Banter Points: Chabon’s description of the Alaskan environment is spectacular, using vivid words in unexpected combinations.
Bummer Points: After reading Chabon’s other masterpieces (Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Wonder Boys), Word Nerd had high hopes for this book. It, simply put, did not live up to them. The book plodded along, mired in moroseness and the gray Alaskan cold. Only in the last 100 pages did the book start to get interesting.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Skip it, unless you are a die-hard Chabon fan.
Author: Michael Chabon
Length: 411 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: In an alternate history of 1948, the Jewish people are given part of Alaska to settle in for 60 years. Now, on the eve of the land reverting to the United States, Sitka police detective Meyer Landsman takes it as a personal affront when a chess-playing man is murderer in the building he’s living in. Though the Sitka police is ordered to try to close out all its unsolved cases, Landsman can’t let this one go. His investigation brings up the demons of his past and shakes several Jewish notions of Messiah and the promise the people will one day reclaim the Holy Land.
Banter Points: Chabon’s description of the Alaskan environment is spectacular, using vivid words in unexpected combinations.
Bummer Points: After reading Chabon’s other masterpieces (Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Wonder Boys), Word Nerd had high hopes for this book. It, simply put, did not live up to them. The book plodded along, mired in moroseness and the gray Alaskan cold. Only in the last 100 pages did the book start to get interesting.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Skip it, unless you are a die-hard Chabon fan.
05 November 2007
October Bibliometer
Surprisingly, October turned out to be a rather bumper month for reading.
Word Nerd is a bit surprised by this, seeing as how October was also the month for her to relocate more than 400 miles to a new city and new job.
Granted, the October bibliometer reading is inflated for a couple reasons.
One of the counted titles was really an audiobook and half of another one was. While packing, Word Nerd listened to “Over Sea, Under Stone” and half of “The Dark is Rising.”
Word Nerd finished “The Dark is Rising” in print and counted the whole book in the page count. Also in the count is the 147 pages of the third book in this wonderful children’s fantasy series.
Word Nerd was also reading Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun graphic novels. The first two volumes were more than 300 pages each, but that includes all the pages of pictures as well as the words.
The official stats:
13 books
3366 pages
108 pages per day average
YTD:
81 books
27,400 pages
Average book length: 338 pages
Word Nerd is a bit surprised by this, seeing as how October was also the month for her to relocate more than 400 miles to a new city and new job.
Granted, the October bibliometer reading is inflated for a couple reasons.
One of the counted titles was really an audiobook and half of another one was. While packing, Word Nerd listened to “Over Sea, Under Stone” and half of “The Dark is Rising.”
Word Nerd finished “The Dark is Rising” in print and counted the whole book in the page count. Also in the count is the 147 pages of the third book in this wonderful children’s fantasy series.
Word Nerd was also reading Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun graphic novels. The first two volumes were more than 300 pages each, but that includes all the pages of pictures as well as the words.
The official stats:
13 books
3366 pages
108 pages per day average
YTD:
81 books
27,400 pages
Average book length: 338 pages
01 November 2007
Back to the writing
If you’ve been paying any attention to the page count meter over --> there to the right, you will notice that it hasn’t moved up in days. DAYS.
Word Nerd missed her October writing goal, something she hasn’t missed since, oh, March, when she was laid up recuperating from an emergency appendectomy.
What happened, you ask?
Easy. Word Nerd moved. And without a real, pressing deadline and boxes to pack and then unpack, putting words on paper daily was put on hold. She set her October page goal low – only 20 pages – to try to make it more feasible to meet it. But, alas, no such luck.
Why was writing so hard? Well, it’s hard to pump big emotions (betrayal, jealousy, loyalty, self-sacrifice, etc.) into a story when the writer is going through a pretty big upheaval in her own life. Moving 400 miles to a new town, starting a new job is a big deal. In the evenings after her first week at the new job, Word Nerd was just still too drained from learning the new ropes and new town to put pencil to paper.
That changed Sunday. She wrote a whole page. Not amazing progress, but it’s something. Even getting back in the story required some work, rereading more than the 100 preceding pages to reminder herself what was going on and how characters behaved. Any hiatus in storytelling can be bad because it puts the writer out of the rhythm of the story.
Hopefully, Word Nerd will refind her writing groove soon, because this story needs an ending soon.
Word Nerd missed her October writing goal, something she hasn’t missed since, oh, March, when she was laid up recuperating from an emergency appendectomy.
What happened, you ask?
Easy. Word Nerd moved. And without a real, pressing deadline and boxes to pack and then unpack, putting words on paper daily was put on hold. She set her October page goal low – only 20 pages – to try to make it more feasible to meet it. But, alas, no such luck.
Why was writing so hard? Well, it’s hard to pump big emotions (betrayal, jealousy, loyalty, self-sacrifice, etc.) into a story when the writer is going through a pretty big upheaval in her own life. Moving 400 miles to a new town, starting a new job is a big deal. In the evenings after her first week at the new job, Word Nerd was just still too drained from learning the new ropes and new town to put pencil to paper.
That changed Sunday. She wrote a whole page. Not amazing progress, but it’s something. Even getting back in the story required some work, rereading more than the 100 preceding pages to reminder herself what was going on and how characters behaved. Any hiatus in storytelling can be bad because it puts the writer out of the rhythm of the story.
Hopefully, Word Nerd will refind her writing groove soon, because this story needs an ending soon.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)