They aren't back from ALA yet, but my publishers said there was a lot of interest in The Suicide Year. Yay! Great cover art helps. Being in a library would be very cool.
Every writer has his/her own measure of success. For some, it's awards or good reviews. For others, it's the ability to make a living as a writer. Mine is the dream that some day I'll see stranger reading my book.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Librarians
My publishers are off to the American Library Association conference, so I thought I'd take a moment here to praise librarians.
Books have been a constant source of comfort in my life. I've never been a big fan of TV. Don't get me wrong. Some shows are great and help change attitudes; other make us laugh, which is priceless. I can't watch anyone being humiliated (Mom issues there) so most situation comedies were impossible for me to watch. It seemed to be the primary source of the comedic situation. I found it mortifying and had to leave the room. So I spent a lot of time reading.
Without much money to spend on books, libraries were the source of books for me. Some writers I loved I found on my own, but many times it was a librarian who pointed me in the right direction. I might have never found Dune, A Town Like Alice, or Dorothy L Sayers' mysteries without guidance.
In the Bush years, as so many of our civil liberties were under constant attack, it was librarians who stood up and tried to defend our right to privacy. It's librarians who keep controversial books on the shelves so that we can share ideas that evil people want to keep from us. Unfortunately, it's also librarians who baby sit many kids who have no place to go after school, who watch over the homeless, and who fight the thankless battle against budget cuts and for the freedom of information. So show the librarians of the world some respect. They're soldier in a hidden war, and they fight for you.
Books have been a constant source of comfort in my life. I've never been a big fan of TV. Don't get me wrong. Some shows are great and help change attitudes; other make us laugh, which is priceless. I can't watch anyone being humiliated (Mom issues there) so most situation comedies were impossible for me to watch. It seemed to be the primary source of the comedic situation. I found it mortifying and had to leave the room. So I spent a lot of time reading.
Without much money to spend on books, libraries were the source of books for me. Some writers I loved I found on my own, but many times it was a librarian who pointed me in the right direction. I might have never found Dune, A Town Like Alice, or Dorothy L Sayers' mysteries without guidance.
In the Bush years, as so many of our civil liberties were under constant attack, it was librarians who stood up and tried to defend our right to privacy. It's librarians who keep controversial books on the shelves so that we can share ideas that evil people want to keep from us. Unfortunately, it's also librarians who baby sit many kids who have no place to go after school, who watch over the homeless, and who fight the thankless battle against budget cuts and for the freedom of information. So show the librarians of the world some respect. They're soldier in a hidden war, and they fight for you.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
It's Here!
I got the copy of my book in the mail. Atta Vazzy's cover looks wonderful!
Prizm asked me to write some discussion questions for reading groups and librarians. Yikes! I made up some, but it's hard to know what themes will pop out at
readers. Once again, I was reminded why I should never write a book
where I don't name the main character, but there was a reason I did it
that way. She's almost invisible to her family. They call their dog
"The Dog" instead of by name, so it seemed right that her parents
wouldn't ever bother to use her name on the rareoccasions they notice her.
Darn it! Now I realize I should have asked a question about her relationship
with The Dog. It's as if they're siblings instead of pet and owner.
Sadly, it's the most loving relationship she has.
Prizm asked me to write some discussion questions for reading groups and librarians. Yikes! I made up some, but it's hard to know what themes will pop out at
readers. Once again, I was reminded why I should never write a book
where I don't name the main character, but there was a reason I did it
that way. She's almost invisible to her family. They call their dog
"The Dog" instead of by name, so it seemed right that her parents
wouldn't ever bother to use her name on the rareoccasions they notice her.
Darn it! Now I realize I should have asked a question about her relationship
with The Dog. It's as if they're siblings instead of pet and owner.
Sadly, it's the most loving relationship she has.
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