bookstores

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

TGIF! Though I suppose if you’re of a suspicious nature, you might not be too thrilled with the Friday the 13th end of things. But whatever your feelings on the subject, it is still the gateway to the weekend. Try not to walk under any ladders or anything today and all will be well.

So, before I get to the actual Friday Links, I just want to say that I know it’s been a bit quiet around here lately, but things will start picking up again next week. There are more real posts on the horizon — with thanks to the folks who left questions/suggestions a few weeks back — plus giveaways and some other exciting things. Please be sure to drop by and check it all out.

Now, without further ado, I give you linkage. Enjoy, and have a fabulous weekend!

30 Indispensable Writing Tips from Famous Authors – I suspect I’ve posted to this or something similar before, but they bear repeating.

Spoiler Alert – What happens when a good book gets turned into a bad movie? Endless Love author Scott Spencer shares his experiences.

One Week after 9/11 – An interview with Joan Didion, who was one of the first people to fly out of New York following the 9/11/01 attacks.

Books Are My Bag – This celebration of books and bookstores kicks off in the UK tomorrow. Makes me wish I was heading for London before Christmas…

The Most Stylish People in Literature – In honor of the end of fashion week in NYC.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Another Friday, and with it comes a fresh selection of links. I feel I’ve been falling down on the job a bit, not offering up quite enough writing inspiration, so I’m pleased to say that this week’s list of links includes a couple that should send you off to the keyboard or have you pulling out your notebook. And of course, there are some more general links as well.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and some quality writing and/or reading time. Enjoy!

30 June Writing Assignments – Everything from prompts to ideas for revising your current project.

Ten Things I Learned from Loving Anne of Green Gables – A charming look at the classic children’s series that had me feeling a bit nostalgic.

Quirk Books “Looking for Love” Fiction Contest – Have a novel-length love story you’re looking to publish? Is it, perhaps, a bit quirky? This contest might be for you.

Green Apple’s Mulvihill Spins “California Bookstore Day” for Indies – A clever idea to help bring traffic into independent bookstores while offering readers something special.

 

Scenes from a Book Tour

Nephele Tempest

MystGalaxy3

MystGalaxy1

The wonderful staff at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach
The wonderful staff at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach

Last night Nalini Singh kicked off her book tour for the latest installment in the Psy/Changeling series, HEART OF OBSIDIAN, which hit stores yesterday. Her inaugural stop was at the wonderful Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in Redondo Beach, CA, where the fabulous staff did a stellar job making everyone feel welcome and setting the scene for a lovely evening. I’ll also add they stayed open far past their normal closing time for the event, including hanging around past 10pm so that everyone had a chance to get their books signed. They have some signed copies of Nalini’s older titles still on hand, as well as a great selection of all sorts of genre titles and fun book-themed gift items, so if you’re local to the LA area (or visiting), be sure to drop by.

Lisa Hoang of The Consummate Reader blog with books for signing.
Lisa Hoang of The Consummate Reader blog with books for signing.

 

Nalini spent about an hour doing a Q&A session for the packed audience and then went on to sign books and take pictures. Everyone was extremely nice and enthusiastic and it was a wonderful way to start the tour. Nalini’s off to New York next, so check out the full tour schedule to see if she’s going to be visiting your area.

The Last Bookshop

Nephele Tempest

If you’re looking for about a 20 minute break over the next couple of days, grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this little film. It somehow manages to be funny and charming, sly and sweet, sad and a bit scary, all with just a couple of characters. Filmed in London and Kent, England. Enjoy!

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday and happy February! Wow, this year sure is flying. Not sure where January got off to already. But I suspect I say something similar every year; I should be used to it by now.

However, it’s a good week for links, and I’m excited to share them with you all. This week marked the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as well as 50 years since the death of Robert Frost. So I bring you a nice assortment of literary links, plus a couple just for laughs. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

A Critic at Large: Jane’s World – Martin Amis writes about Ms Austen.

Niffenegger Scores Ballet Tie-in for New Novel – The author’s latest will have a ballet version performed by the London Royal Ballet.

The Sunday Rumpus Interview: Margaret Atwood – Wonderful interview with Atwood.

Second Annual Books Are for Lovers – Buy a loved one a book on Valentine’s Day from a brick-and-mortar store; or buy one for yourself!

Getting Away with Murder: The Millions Interviews Ursula K. LeGuin – On the occasion of the author’s new short story collections.

Rare Robert Frost Collection Surfaces 50 Years after His Death – Just donated to the State University of New York at Buffalo.

League of Extraordinary Pen Pals – In case you’re writing a letter a day this month.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

TGIF! I don’t know about all of you, but I’m finding 2013 a bit crazy so far. This first full week of the new year has been a roller-coaster ride, but I’m hanging on and excited to see where things go.

And so I bring you a collection of links for your reading pleasure. Like the week I’ve had, they’re a combination of fun, hopeful, and less-than-optimistic items, but I found them interesting and informative, and I hope you agree. Wishing you a great weekend, with plenty of time to read and write!

The Wrong Goodbye of Barnes and Noble – An update on the state of the major bookstore chain.

Edward St. Aubyn: By the Book – A quick, fun Q&A interview with the author of the Patrick Melrose novels.

Yearlong Creative Projects – Photographer/writer Leslie Fandrich talks about creative projects that last a year, and includes an intriguing short film by Jonathan Britnell, whose work represents a year of shooting video.

Graphic in Nature – Colleen Mondor has a wrap up of some intriguing new graphic novels over at Bookslut this month.

Most Anticipated: The Great 2013 Book Preview – Each year, The Millions posts a preview of some of the most anticipated new books of the year to come. This list has me rubbing my hands together, cackling with glee. (Depression will follow, when I realize I don’t have time to read half the titles I’d like to read.)

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Welcome to a brand new year! It’s been a bit slow around here these past few days. Well, more like I’ve been struggling to crawl out from under the pile of holiday e-mails that attacked me when I walked back in the door after my trip home for Christmas. The thing about getting back up to speed following a long vacation is that there often doesn’t seem to be much obvious progress for a while. It might be time to clean out a closet or something, so I get that sense of accomplishment that comes from noticing an actual difference.

However, I have scrounged up some fun and interesting links to kick off 2013, and I’m happy to share them with you here. Next week we will return to actual content, including talk of what everyone has planned for the new year in writing. Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and happy reading!

The Obscure Early Lives of the Artists – Or stalking Harper Lee. Either way, good read.

My New Year’s Resolution: Read Fewer Books – I’ve been known to panic over the idea that I’ll never read all the books I want to read, but I still thought this was an interesting look at the annual books-read tally.

Crews Remove Borders Sign from Flagship Store – A moment of silence, please.

North Polar Bear’s Leg Got Broken – Yesterday was J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday, so in honor of that, a link to a 1925 Christmas letter, with illustrations, that the author wrote to his boys as part of their annual holiday tradition.

Experience Required: A Group of Writers – An entertaining tale about MFAs, writer’s groups, and late starts.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday! It’s also Day 7 of my December Writing Challenge, for those of you following along. If you somehow missed the first few days, don’t panic. There’s no minimum word count for the month, so just start writing today and commit to write daily through until the 31st. You can do it!

Be sure to check back and see my week #1 Writing Prompt if you’re looking for a little nudge in your writing. I’ll have another one up in a few days. If you’re looking for additional inspiration, try Sunday Scribblings. They have a nice backlog of prompts up that you can try, and a new one each week around Friday/Saturday. The idea is to use the prompt to write something quickly (or the start of something) for Sunday. Nice way to shake your brain loose and knock out some words.

More links follow below. I hope they keep you engaged and entertained. Happy weekend, and happy writing!

The Bookstore Strikes Back – A wonderful article by Ann Patchett on how she came to help open and run a bookstore in Nashville.

Ironing Out the Wrinkles – The Complexities of Madeleine L’Engle – A review of Leonard Marcus’s new biography of the author.

Gift Ideas for Teens – A nice wrap up of some unusual titles by Colleen Mondor for Bookslut. (And quite a few of these books would be great for grown up readers, too.)

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Coming to the BBC – The BBC is adapting the book for TV; we can only hope that it will hit PBS here in the U.S. soon after it airs in the UK.

Links for Friday

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! I am buried under tons of client reading right now, but I’ve still got some fun and educational links to share. Hope you enjoy them, and that you all have a terrific weekend!

London Bookshops Do Not Disappoint – A great look at some fabulous bookstores across London. These make me want to hop a plane…

Pub Sprawl – How various publishers are adapting for the new tablet market.

New York City Portrayed Online in 870,000 Images – Great resource for anyone researching NYC.

Sites We Like: Paper and Salt – A look at a website that celebrates and attempts to recreate the food described in literature, from diaries and letters to works of fiction.

The Ongoing Problem of Race in YA – An excellent article, and a good follow-up to my post earlier this week of Chimamanda Adichie’s Ted Talk.