Friday Links: Creative Outlets for Difficult Days

It’s been a tense week filled with terrible news, here in the U.S. The sort that makes you want to hold your loved ones a little closer and try to be a little kinder to everyone you meet, even as you wonder how there can be so much pointless hatred out there. I hope this week’s links provide a little distraction and maybe some inspiration. Creating something meaningful isn’t the worst way to try to combat the ugliness in the world. Of course, sometimes the world drains you of every creative impulse, in which case escaping into a good book can offer a brief respite, if that’s what you seek.

Wishing you all a safe, sane, enjoyable weekend.

On the Genius of Yuri Herrera’s Character Names – One translator looks at the meaning behind an author’s choices.

12 Bookstores Every Reader Should Visit in Their Lifetime – Some gorgeous photos to inspire your next book-related travel plans.

Why Setting a Historical Romance Outside of England Is Risky Business – The strange reality of sales figures in this particular sub-genre.

Modern Witches Are So Much More Than Just Mothers/Maidens/Crones – A look at more recent roles for this standard archetypal character.

The Great Second-Half 2016 Book Preview – A rundown of a huge number of highly anticipated titles due to release during the second half of the year. By no means exhaustive, but it has something to tempt just about everyone.

Life Behind the Stacks: The Secret Apartments of New York Libraries – A peek into the world of the former library caretakers of NYC.

10 Mistakes (Almost) Every Rookie Writer Makes: Part 2 – A continuation from the previous list, with some great tips to keep in mind.

Happy Book Day!

BestOfBothRogues_cover

A very happy book release day and congratulations to Samantha Grace, whose latest Rival Rogues Regency romance, THE BEST OF BOTH ROGUES, is out today.

The worst thing Mr. Benjamin Hillary ever did was leave his bride-to-be on their wedding day. The hardest thing he will ever have to do is watch her marry another man.

After two long years abroad, Ben finds Eve every bit as captivating as she was the first time he saw her, and he vows to set things right.

Lady Eve Thorne has a new man in her life, and Ben is nothing but trouble. She is no longer a starry-eyed young woman, and now that he’s back, he can go hang for all she cares. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself…

You’ll find THE BEST OF BOTH ROGUES at your favorite book retailer in paper or digital format.

 

Friday Links

Happy Friday! It’s the first weekend since fall officially arrived (in the northern hemisphere), and I’m looking forward to some cooler days ahead. Er… relatively speaking. I am still in Southern California.

But regardless, fall brings to mind reading and writing, books and shiny school supplies. It’s deeply imbedded in my psyche at this point. All I have to do is eyeball the enormous stack of books that has made its way into my apartment this month to know it’s pointless to fight my compulsion. So I plan to spend my weekend reading. First some submissions, and then some books with covers.

However, right now I’ve got links to share! I hope they inspire you to some creative endeavor this weekend, or send you scrambling for a good read. Enjoy!

An African Reading List – Great roundup of suggested titles/authors listed by country in Africa, with more suggestions in the comments. Especially handy for anyone looking to diversify their reading by adding in authors of color, women, or writers of different backgrounds.

The Longing of the Collector – A look at the book Curiosity’s Cats: Writers on Research, which collects a series of essays by different kinds of writers on their research habits and experiences.

How Stephen King Teaches Writing – Some words of wisdom from the prolific author with great information on his approach to both writing and teaching writing.

Romance Unlaced: Beyond Britain’s Shores – A look at historical romance novels and why, exactly, they tend to take place in England and Scotland, plus how some have broken the pattern.

Teju Cole’s Rules on Writing – A list of wonderful tips and things to consider, some familiar but worth repeating, and others a little different.