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Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week and are looking forward to a lovely weekend of reading and writing and adventures. I have all of those on my schedule, plus a run and maybe a nice nap. Ah, nap… (It’s been a tense week; sleep has been at a premium.)

Thank you to everyone who signed up for or spread the word about my Writer’s Digest webinar, which I held yesterday. It went very well, with the exception of a temporary audio glitch when my phone decided to be a little scratchy and cranky, but that was soon fixed. I had a good-sized crowd and some excellent questions, and I’ve already received some lovely feedback, so I think people found it useful. I hope to have the opportunity to do more webinars in the future, because it was actually kind of fun.

Ah, but it’s Friday, which means links! I’ve a nice assortment this week, a little from column A, a bit from column B, so there should be something for everyone. I hope you find them entertaining and informative. Have a great weekend, and happy writing!

Dystopian Coming-of-Age Stories: A Reading List – Some suggestions from the folks at BookRiot, with more in comments.

What Should I Read on Vacation? A Question I Never Took Lightly Again – Summer’s around the corner. This is an interesting take on how to choose your holiday reads.

Writing Star Wars with Michael Arndt – An amusing little video. Writers will particularly appreciate this.

Writing Excuses: Narrative Rhythm – A great podcast on pacing.

The Young Salinger, Mordant Yet Hopeful – 9 letters by a young J.D. Salinger have turned up.

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Advice from the Trenches

Nephele Tempest

Last week on Booktalk Nation, author John Scalzi interviewed author Joe Hill about writing, genre, and his new book NOS4A2. Between the two of them, these guys have written a number of books, short stories, blog posts, etc. Whether you write genre fiction or something else, you should check out the video of their chat, because much of what they have to say is just plain interesting if you have any sort of curiosity about writing and publishing, and the bulk of their advice applies to any type of writer. They’re also pretty damn amusing to watch.

Just a heads up: the interview is about an hour long, so keep that in mind before you hit the play button. Enjoy!

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, and happy holidays to those of you in the midst of celebrating various things.

We’re in the last few days of the March Madness Challenge. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and that you manage to sneak some more words in before April rolls around. In the meantime, I have a pretty broad range of links to share, from some industry news to some thoughtful reads and couple just for fun. I find them pretty interesting, and I hope you agree.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, and good writing time!

The Importance of Endings – On why even a good thing should eventually come to an end.

Amazon to Buy Goodreads – Just what it says.

I’m Comic Sans, Asshole – Just plain funny, as only McSweeney’s can be.

Top Ten Most Prolific Authors on Twitter – If you’re looking to liven up your feed, add a few of these folks.

Curious Cat Walks Over Medieval Manuscript – Inky paw prints on a 15th century manuscript, presumably from a 15th century kitty.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! This week has galloped by, and I’m looking at a hugely busy weekend (yes, work), so I’m pretty much going to drop off some links and go. It’s a bit of an eclectic list this week, so I hope you find them entertaining. Now go read something wonderful. And don’t forget to write! Have a great weekend.

Listen to Benedict Cumberbatch Sing in Neverwhere – A snippet from the BBC4 radio audio production of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, with Cumberbatch as the angel Islington.

Nora Ephron’s Final Act – A poignant look at one excellent writer’s exit.

Reader, You Married Him: Male Writers, Female Writers, and the Marriage Plot – An interesting look at who is writing novels, what they’re writing, and who their audiences are.

Book Returned 69 Years Late to Estonia Library – Just amusing.

The Morning News Tournament of Books – A March Madness of reading, held annually. See how some of this year’s big reads have fared when pitted against each other.

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, and happy March! I will return a bit later today to kick off March Madness for Writers, the brand new writing challenge that begins off today. In the meantime, I offer you the traditional links to end the work week.

I’ve got a pretty diverse collection today, including some amusing industry anecdotes and helpful tips, plus excellent advice that is geared toward new authors but will likely prove handy to more seasoned writers, as well. I hope you find them educational, entertaining, and just a good break from the tasks of the day. Enjoy!

10 Commonly Misused Expressions from British English – A very helpful list, a few of which might surprise you.

Back in the Day: Industry Veterans Remember the Early Years – Stories from various professionals about their early experiences in publishing. I’m tempted to add a few of my own, but I’ll save those for another post.

Five Cover Letter Tips for Submitting to a Literary Journal – Most of these would apply for any sort of submissions.

Weirdest Titles of the Year – Good for a chuckle.

Ask the Writing Teacher: Novelists on First Drafts – Some words of wisdom from various authors, as collected by Edan Lepucki for The Millions.

Debut Author Lessons – A self-explanatory 12-post series from author Mary Robinette Kowal.

 

Friday Links

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’ve had a great week and have equally wonderful plans for your weekend. And per the norm, I have a handful of links to share to some fun, interesting, and educational sites that I hope will entertain you if you have a few minutes to spare. Enjoy, and happy writing!

Letters in the Wind: A Writer’s Evolution – A writer discusses his various levels of progress and revelation.

Amelia Bedelia Turns 50 – One of my favorite books from childhood.

BBC to Recreate Netherfield Ball for 200th Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice – I want to attend but will settle for watching on TV at some point.

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling – Charming and helpful.

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, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week, and that those of you participating in my December Writing Challenge have been working away each day, getting new words down no matter how small your window of time. You’ll feel so accomplished heading into 2013, with all that December writing under your belts, I promise. More prompts coming up soon, but meanwhile, don’t forget to check out the first and second prompts for the month if you need a little inspiration. Good luck!

But Fridays are all about the links, and so of course I have a new batch for you. They’re a little more diversified than usual; I suppose you could say I’ve had a scattered week. But I think they’re still fun and useful, and I hope you agree.

Have a terrific weekend, and happy writing!

10 Books to Help You Recover from a Tense 2012 – A nice list of recommendations from NPR.

A Year in Reading 2012 – This annual feature at The Millions offers a glimpse of the reading lists of numerous writers. Each shares the titles they’ve read over the year that most influenced them — sometimes one or two, sometimes an entire list. Always interesting, as the books don’t have to be recent releases, just whatever the individuals picked up and enjoyed. This links to the main page where all the contributors are listed/linked. New ones get added each day.

EPBOT – A new-to-me blog (Thanks, Cindy!) featuring all things steampunk, from craft ideas to cute stuff. Fun, if you’re a steampunk/sci-fi/Victoriana fan.

Indiana Jones Mystery Package – The University of Chicago (my alma mater) recently received a mysterious package containing a replica of Abner Ravenwood’s field diary and various other items linked to Raiders of the Lost Ark, addressed to Henry Walton Jones, Jr. aka Indiana Jones. For those who may not recall, Jones supposedly taught at U of C. The university is supposedly clueless as to the item’s origins, but regardless, I’m highly amused.

The Biblio-Mat – A short video about a very cool book vending machine at a Toronto-area bookstore.

Got Fangs?

Nephele Tempest

Welcome to the first day of the Writing and Rambling anniversary giveaway! It’s been a year since I migrated this blog to Word Press, so to celebrate I offer up some lovely freebies. First up is a fabulous young adult debut, FANG GIRL, not due in stores until September. Author Helen Keeble has a fabulous sense of humor and it shines through in this delightful paranormal adventure that pays homage to all the great vampires stories, new and old, even as it playfully pokes fun at them.

Sure, the idea of vampires is sexy, but who actually dreams of spending eternity as a pasty, bloodthirsty fifteen-year-old?

Not me.

Unfortunately, the somewhat psychotic vampire who turned me into a bloodsucker didn’t bother to ask first. Now I’m dealing with parents who want me to vamp them, a younger brother who’s convinced I’m a zombie, and a seriously ripped vampire hunter who either wants to stake me or make out with me. Not sure which. Oh and PS, none of my favorite fanfic prepared me to deal with vampire politics—which are looking pretty tricky based on the undead Elder trying to hunt me down.

What’s a vampire-obsessed fangirl turned real-life fanggirl supposed to do?

Want a chance to read FANG GIRL early? Leave a comment here on the thread between now and Friday, July 13th at noon Pacific Time to be entered in the drawing. I’ll come back and announce the random winner at that time.

More giveaways all week long, so don’t forget to check back for the details!

EDITED TO ADD: Congratulations to Aimee, who is the winner in this drawing! Aimee, watch your inbox for information on how to collect your ARC.

Thanks to everyone who entered to win this ARC. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the rest of the giveaways going on here at the blog. Good luck!