- Not enough time at the moment for an Actual Post, so links! Turns out that taking off a week to confab with amazing writers is seriously inspirational, and I'm deep into the fictional swamp at this point…and playing catch-up on other work that piled up while off in the bat cave. But, wow, wow, I will attempt to make a little post at some point, if for no other reason than as an excuse to point you to the work of said writers. It was truly an honor to workshop and talk craft and biz (and indulge in silliness of the highest and lowest orders, of course) with each and every one of them. And thanks again to everyone who came out to the utterly fabulous Malaprop's, despite a drizzly evening.
- My delightful publisher has been doing more cover reveals. You can check out all the first four on this pinterest board. I heart them all, not least for the fact that each one is sooo very distinctive. Also, this morning Editor Amanda tweeted a picture of real-life, printed Blackwood and Shift ARCs–I'll bet my release month sister Kim heard my morning yelp all the way across the ocean. I'm pretty sure I heard hers. (Unrelated: Should I be on this pinterest business? Probably not, but am weak and tempted.)
- Locus Award finalists! Congratzies to everyone!
- Tayari Jones offers a procrastination-avoidance tip that I think is truly smart–preparing your space the night before.
- Laura Miller on the new book Hit Lit, bringing her usual insightful take to this analysis of the components common to blockbuster bestsellers. I think this is my favorite snippet: "While “Hit Lit” may seem, to many readers, like the literary equivalent of instructions on how to boil water, the sad truth is that plenty of those who speak contemptuously of Dan Brown’s prose are writers who could not get a child interested in a fairy tale."
- Malinda Lo on writing about kissing. I have to admit, I used to find such scenes painfully hard, but now I kind of love writing them (despite the fact they're still really hard to get right–but, you know, what isn't?).
- Love this visual summer resolution from Ralph Waldo Emerson via Lauren Cerand's pinterest board, via Stephany Aulenback:
- Finally, go listen to my dearie dearest Christopher Rowe's wonderful, World Fantasy-nominated short story "Another Word For Map Is Faith" on podcastle.
