Monthly Archives: December 2009

The clever and cunning Matt Staggs talks about avoiding rookie mistakes over at Booklife

Critics on rookie mistakes, and how to avoid them when submitting your book for review

Reviewers are of vital importance when it comes to getting the word out about your book. Your novel might be the next great American classic, but if no one reviews it then its next stop could be the remainder bin. Literary critics, both offline and on,
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Networking 2.0

As y’all know, writerly networking is one of my (many) soapboxes … the VanderMeer takes it to Networking 2.0 over at Ecstatic Days:

As the year comes to an end, I’ve been thinking about leverage, which I talk about in Booklife. But in Booklife, while I have a separate section on paying it forward and contributing to community, I’m not sure
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Bibliophile Stalker in Conversation with …

… one of my faves, Amal El-Mohtar, who writes poetry, fiction, and co-edits the glorious Goblin Fruit.

Said interview lives here http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-amal-el-mohtar.html

And again, thanks to LOLcats

Oh, awesome sauce

On how to use an apostrophe http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

Nature …

… as we all know (and some of us know even more than others), tends to freak me out … but then sometimes it produces this sort of thing and I will happily stand and stare at it for hours and hours … I love this night cactus-thingy-whatsit at my Pares’ place … it’s giving a gum tree a really
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For the Person Who Wants Everything

 How awesome would this be to add to the reading pile? 🙂

http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2009/12/25/the-kosher-guide-to-imaginary-animals-coming-soon/

The Reading-Beside-the-Bed Pile

Post-Christmas luncheon (during which I ate my own body weight in turkey, ham, chicken and trifle – trifle is an honourary protein), I am half-reclined on the bed in the manner of Goya’s Maja (but with more clothes) contemplating the reading pile on the nightstand.

Am a third of the way through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – which I
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A Christmas Trifle, The Making Of

All appearances to the contrary, I have not been drinking. The reindeer ear-thingy-antler-whatsits belong to The Neph … they play a Christmas medley and have flashing lights. I do believe, if used for an extended period of time (say, ten minutes) they could lead to suicide or climbing a clocktower … Why are they on my head? Because (a) they are
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A Christmas Squeeeeeeeeeee!

Just wandered out to the front of the house to find a parcel waiting there. Quickly torn open, it revealed this:

Thank you, lovely, lovely Tartarus Press :-). Strange Tales III is another beautiful artefact, with awesome stories. And one of mine. 🙂

http://freepages.pavilion.net/tartarus/stftthree.htm