Saturday, January 15, 2011
Janet Reid Writing Contest
Agent Janet Reid runs periodic writing challenges on her site--offering lists of words you must incorporate into stories of fewer than 100 words. There are prizes (this one is an ARC of Divergent) and she always offers feedback on the top contenders (some of it snarky). There's a contest on today, so if you feel like you need a little poke to get your juices flowing, head on over to her site.
Friday, January 14, 2011
The in-flight drink of choice
As I read this news story about a French smoker whose drunken behavior disrupted his flight from Nice to New York, I couldn't help but be struck by one thing. The man in question had apparently downed a full liter of Bailey's Irish Cream. I have two questions. One, how did he get a bottle of Baileys on the plane when most people can't get a full bottle of shampoo? And two, Bailey's Irish Cream. Really? Not a liter of wine?
Dark Valentine reviews Sympathy for the Devil
Friend of Dark Valentine Christine Pope's book Sympathy for the Devil came out just before Christmas, and was a great Christmas present for fans of paranormal romance. Joanne Renaud, DV art director and noted connoisseur of romance, has reviewed it. Check out the review and click on the Pink Petal Books link to read a tantalizing excerpt.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Free Sample!
Head over to Dark Valentine Magazine where Derek Muk's story Asylum has just been posted. This is a story from his collection, The Occult Files of Albert Taylor, the adventures of an anthropology professor who investigates supernatural cases in his spare time. Very X-Files. If you like what you see, the book is available on amazon.com and the author's own website.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
No one ever has enough cookie cutters!
My mother, who knew a thing or two about making cookies (she had a McCoy Pineapple Cookie jar that's now a collectible and it was always filled with cookies) 
made do with just a handful of cutters--and they were mostly holiday-themed. Not me. If a cookie is worth cutting, I think it should be cut into something more interesting than a crescent moon or a bat. I have dinosaur cookie cutters. I have an entire aquarium full of fish shapes. (Three different kinds of sharks, y'all.) So imagine my delight when I heard about SWEET, a fantastic baking supplies company that has cookie cutters even I never heard of. There's a fleur de lis (because I'm all about the French) and mini-giraffes and so forth. There's a rocket ship and a castle.
Even better than their cookie cutters, though, is is their selection of baking cups. They're just so jolly.
I love browsing in cookware stores anyway, so finding this place online (it's physically in Topeka, KS) is a treat. The website features recipes of divine deliciousness and they also offer freebies. Check it out.
made do with just a handful of cutters--and they were mostly holiday-themed. Not me. If a cookie is worth cutting, I think it should be cut into something more interesting than a crescent moon or a bat. I have dinosaur cookie cutters. I have an entire aquarium full of fish shapes. (Three different kinds of sharks, y'all.) So imagine my delight when I heard about SWEET, a fantastic baking supplies company that has cookie cutters even I never heard of. There's a fleur de lis (because I'm all about the French) and mini-giraffes and so forth. There's a rocket ship and a castle. Even better than their cookie cutters, though, is is their selection of baking cups. They're just so jolly.
I love browsing in cookware stores anyway, so finding this place online (it's physically in Topeka, KS) is a treat. The website features recipes of divine deliciousness and they also offer freebies. Check it out.
Dear Lucky Agent--8th contest for writers of lit fic
Usually these contests are all about genre, but the Guide to Literary Agents is offering a contest just for the "literary fiction" niche. It's free and the only thing the sponsors ask is that you mention the contest on your social media sites. (Note, I don't write anything remotely resembling lit fic, so this is a freebie for them.) Here's where to get all the details.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
I tremble for my country
when I read news stories like the one here. In a nutshell, sales of guns jumped in the days after the mass shooting in Arizona. The most popular model? The same Glock the alleged shooter used. Here's a quote from the story, which ran on the Bloomberg site:
One-day sales of handguns in Arizona jumped 60 percent to 263 on Jan. 10 compared with 164 the corresponding Monday a year ago, the second-biggest increase of any state in the country, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation data.
Handgun sales rose 65 percent to 395 in Ohio; 16 percent to 672 in California; 38 percent to 348 in Illinois; and 33 percent to 206 in New York, the FBI data show. Sales increased nationally about 5 percent, to 7,906 guns.
Think about it. Those are just the LEGAL gun sales.
I am an Army brat. I grew up in a house with a gun in it. My uncles hunted for the table. (In fact, one uncle was such a dead shot that he was asked to excuse himself from a community turkey shoot.) I know that there are legitimate reasons for owning a gun, which is a tool as well as a weapon. I've shot guns at a local range because I write fiction in which people shoot guns and I don't want to make it up. I'm a pretty good shot, as it happens.
But I am also the daughter and niece of people who went to Virginia Tech, so when the mass shooting happened there, it hit home. And in that case, as with the Arizona shooter, there were warning signs that the individuals involved were dangerously unbalanced. And yet, they got guns.
I've heard all of the slogans--"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" and "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." I am not impressed. It's a lot easier for people to kill people when they have guns. In California if you want to buy pepper spray there's a whole process that includes watching a video. Maybe it's time to make it a little tougher to get a gun.
One-day sales of handguns in Arizona jumped 60 percent to 263 on Jan. 10 compared with 164 the corresponding Monday a year ago, the second-biggest increase of any state in the country, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation data.
Handgun sales rose 65 percent to 395 in Ohio; 16 percent to 672 in California; 38 percent to 348 in Illinois; and 33 percent to 206 in New York, the FBI data show. Sales increased nationally about 5 percent, to 7,906 guns.
Think about it. Those are just the LEGAL gun sales.
I am an Army brat. I grew up in a house with a gun in it. My uncles hunted for the table. (In fact, one uncle was such a dead shot that he was asked to excuse himself from a community turkey shoot.) I know that there are legitimate reasons for owning a gun, which is a tool as well as a weapon. I've shot guns at a local range because I write fiction in which people shoot guns and I don't want to make it up. I'm a pretty good shot, as it happens.
But I am also the daughter and niece of people who went to Virginia Tech, so when the mass shooting happened there, it hit home. And in that case, as with the Arizona shooter, there were warning signs that the individuals involved were dangerously unbalanced. And yet, they got guns.
I've heard all of the slogans--"If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" and "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." I am not impressed. It's a lot easier for people to kill people when they have guns. In California if you want to buy pepper spray there's a whole process that includes watching a video. Maybe it's time to make it a little tougher to get a gun.
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