TBR--The One You Love by Paul Pilkington

I have some old fart friends who are (still) not convinced that indie-published books can be as good as (or better than) books published by traditional publishers. (Some truly believe that ANY traditionally published book is going to be better than ANY indie-pub title and that just makes me want to start underlining the grammatical errors in the last traaditionally published book I was sent to review. These same friends are also highly skeptical of books that are available free--either as part of a special promotion or as a marketing strategy or simply because...
I like to browse Kindle's best-seller lists, where they put books in two columns, one with prices and one iwth the freebies. And if a freebie sounds interesting, I grab it. This one caught my eye when I saw the book had 1232 reviews, a third of them five-star. Anyone who has published his or her own book knows how hard it is to get more than a few reviews, so any book that had that many people engaged enough to write a review is a book I figure I should read. I'll let you know what I thought.

Brother Sun--Sweetest Harmonies since Simon & Garfunkel

I admit it, at heart I'm still a folkie. I love traditional American and English ballads and have been listening to a lot of them while prepping a new writing project. I was fooling around on YouTube looking for the Peter, Paul, and Mary song "Well Well Well," hen I stumbled across  this completely different song, also called "Well, Well, Well And that's how I found out that singer Greg Greenway is now part of a trio called "Brother Sun" along with fellow singer-songwriters Joe Jencks and Pat Wictor.  I've known Greg since high school and have followed his career from afar for years. In addition to his passion for music, he has a passionate commitment to social justice that informs all his work. He doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. I admire that. For more information about Brother Sun, check out their website.

On the TBR pile Paul cornell's London Falling

This book sounds like it's right up my alley--a mixture of noir and fantasy. Read a review here and see what you think.

Ounctuation silliness

More proof that some people have too much time on their hands...

This is an unsolicited testimonial

I used to review books for the review site Bitten by Books, which specializes in paranormal books. I read a lot of great stuff, and found an intensely interactive community of readers. I did not know until recently that Bitten By Books offered advertising rates for authors who want to target those readers directly. I will definitely be talking to their sales people when Misbegotten comes out (in September if all goes well.) Check it out if you write paranormal; the exposure might be useful.  and even if you don't want to take advantage of their author services, you should check the site out. In addition to honest reviews, publishing news, blog tour stops and giveaways and contests, it's just a fun place to hang out.

Girls Write Now

I'd  never heard of Girls Write Now until today but I love the idea. The organization encourages girls to write their way to a better future. You go girls!

Death of a beach bunny

another baby boomer icon gone.
RIP Annette Funicello!