Jay's Jesus Audition

I thought I'd post this here to show you what Jay has been up to. 

The Agent Scam

1. SFWA has a great post about Agent Scams that I want to Re-Post It is some strong advice from mega- writer A. C. Crispin to us newbies who are thinking of publishing.  Thanks to Dagga for linking me to this!
2. If an agent charges a fee, they are highly suspect. I don’t care what they call it: reading fee, processing fee, contract fee, whatever … any kind of fee is bad. If an agent charges more than $50.00, I suggest you run away. Agents who charge fees in the hundreds of dollars make their money off charging writers, not by selling their manuscripts to publishers. It’s very likely that after you pay the large fee, the agent will never even submit your manuscript to a real publisher.
3. If an agent refers you to a “book doctor” be very wary. Any agent that says your ms. needs editing should provide you with a list of a number of independent editors, and then allow you to pick the one you want to use. There should be NO financial connection whatsoever between the agent and the independent editor.
4. If an agent refers you to a co-op or subsidy press, run away. No reputable agent will do that.
5. If an agent you’ve never heard of solicits your work, that’s not a good sign. Real literary agents have to fight off clients, not go out looking for them. If an agent advertises via direct mail, the internet, or in writers’ magazines, back off!
6. If an agent has an office in some out-of-the-way place like Bumpass, West Virginia, be very suspicious. Most real agents operate out of New York or California. There are exceptions, particularly on the East Coast; but if Agent X from Bent Fork North Dakota writes to you and begs to see your ms., chances are excellent he’s a crook. Be smart!
7. Any reputable agent should be willing to provide you with a list of sales and clients. Go to a bookstore and verify that these books and authors exist. Check references. If an agent claims to be an AAR (Association of Authors Representatives) member, go to the AAR site and look him/her up. Fake agents have lied about this before.
8. If an agent tells you you’re brilliant, and your book is sure to be a bestseller, be wary. Real agents don’t make statements like that — at least not to unknown authors.
9. Never pay a vanity press or subsidy publisher to publish your book. This includes “co-op” publishers. If you must get your book published and have exhausted all professional, commercial avenues, check into self-publishing with a reputable printing company. Many poets, for example, self-publish their books. Your money will go a lot further that way. Go to your local bookstore and get a book on self-publishing. Check a printer’s references before you sign any contracts. You will not receive the distribution and other services normally expected of a publisher, but you will get the books — after they are printed they will be shipped to you. Be aware that most bookstores will not stock self-published books.
10. Having a poor agent is frequently worse than having no agent at all. If you can’t find a reputable agent to submit your manuscript, go ahead and submit it yourself. Most sf and fantasy publishers will still read unagented manuscripts these days. Check out the market reports in the SFWA Bulletin or Speculations. Even the ones who say they won’t may still read manuscripts from writers who impress them with a well-crafted, dynamic query letter.

So, to all you prospective writers out there … Never forget. If you’re paying anyone to agent, publish, or edit your work, the money’s going in the wrong direction, and, quite likely, you’ve fallen for a scam. You will end up losing money and gaining nothing. You deserve to be paid for your work! Becoming a writer is difficult, and requires a great deal of perseverance. As James Gunn once said, “Anyone who can be discouraged from becoming a writer should be discouraged.” In other words, hang in there and don’t expect a bed of roses. But people do “break in” every day, and that’s the good news!
(There is more information that may prove helpful at: Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors)

Here are some important things to remember when writing a blog:

• Articles don’t have to be extremely long- most are a few hundred words. Shorter is better—it’s all about putting in the maximum amount of information in the least amount of words. Average blog posts are between 500-750 words.
• Don’t be too sales-focused or talk all about the company and services.
• Make sure the info is interesting and relevant. Readers don’t like boring information. Sometimes adding a personal touch can help so put some of your own POV in.
• Use links. Support your post with links to sites that are contextual to your post.
• Use lists. (Top 10 lists, 10 things you don’t know about the industry etc.)
• Make sure to remember WHO you are writing for and to write like you are speaking to them.
• Make up a catchy headline and use KEY WORDS.  (Key words are words that appear often and are the main focus of your blog. These help make Search Engine Optimization easier.)
• Spell check and edit!!

I found this great article at infinity publishing

books!

Hey, guess what I did yesterday with the library board.  I spent 3000 clams on books.  It was so fun.  We went into Costco and picked up practically every book on display.  Then we went to a library warehouse and picked up whatever we wanted.  Plus the library payed for lunch at BP's!  I love my new job!  One of the lady's said I need to be contained.  Is that a compliment?

new fav book

Dagga recommended a book to me called "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow.  IT IS MY NEW FAVORITE. I love books that have so much action you don't have time to breath.  I also love protagonists who are imperfect, but daring and determined.  It is amazing!  Now I just have to make sure I don't plagiarize any of it.

New Spice | Study like a scholar, scholar

more books

just so you know what I've read and liked in 2010 (in order of preference):

Book of Negros by Lawrence Hill; historical fiction
*Under my Skin by Judith Graves; Young adult fiction/ adventure*
Ketura and Lord Death by Martine Leavit; young adult fiction/adventure
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen; Young Adult fiction / drama
Fable Haven by Brandon Mull ;juve fiction/ fantasy
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown ; adventure
Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen; juve historical fiction
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway; Young adult fiction/war
Ship by David McCaulay: non-fiction
Hidden Roots by Joseph Bruchac; juve fiction
An American Plague by Jim Murphy; juve non-fiction

The Betrayal of Jesus Kathleen and Micheal Gear;drama
the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; historical fiction/drama
Silence of the Songbirds by Bridget Stutchbury; non-fiction
And I have to mention Twighlight again.cause I love it.
*Judith Graves is a friend of mine, I'm so proud of her for getting this book out!

me

this is phyllis and I am just letting you all know that my blog the epitome is resurrected. and my new favorite book is Troll Bridge by Jane Yolen.

learn and feed

Here is a website that I think is absolutely genius: www.freerice.com
The creator initially set it up to encourage his son to study for the SAT's. For every vocabulary question that you answer correctly the site will donate 20 grains of rice to the World Food Programme. The rice is paid for by the sponsors who advertise along the bottom of the webpage. Twenty grains seems like such a tiny amount but it all adds up and it's better than doing nothing AND you can increase your vocabulary.

The Book Thief

My family and I were in Portland visiting some friends last month and this book was on their coffee table. I was encouraged to pick it up and read it, so I did. I only read a few chapters before we had to leave for home but I made sure to put the book on hold at the library so I could continue it soon. After a seemingly endless wait (I didn't want to even consider starting another book in the meantime), it arrived. My love for this book has completely overshadowed any desire I ever had to finish Eat, Pray,Love. That book now seem so tedious when compared to this one. I suppose it was good in a "the author is discovering herself and you might discover yourself too" sort of way but The Book Thief is more engrossing, less contemplative. And that is more what I am in need of, since I am pretty sure I know who I am.
I had never heard of this book until now, but it is apparently quite popular. It is written from the point of view of Death, who is portrayed as being quite human in his/her emotions. I like to think that Death is male, but I'm not sure what the author wanted it to be. Death is intrigued by a young girl who steals a book from her brother's gravesite and begins to follow her. It is set in Germany during WWII. I would like to talk more about it but I don't want to spoil anything. That is always the dilemma when recommending a book. All I can say is that I come across books that I enjoy this much very few times a year, often only once a year. And it is quite an easy read; I think the library has it catalogued in the Young Adult section.

USA

we're in the states for a couple of weeks now, so check out the travel blog:
www.travel-so-far.blogspot.com

and I tried to read a couple of books so far while here... A John Grisham; I couldn't get past the first chapter. I've always been curious about his books. They're so popular, but they just don't do it for me. So I picked up an entirely different sort of book, Under The Tuscan Sun, and this time I got past at least three or four chapters before getting bored of it. I have always wanted to read it though, so maybe I will try again later. I think it's hard to read while in travel mode. My brain is a little mushier. I could barely remember the name of that book and I don't even remember the name of the Grisham one.

The one book that I am looking forward to getting back to when I get home is Eat, Pray, Love. I'm on the eating part. I started it a few days before leaving but it was the library's copy and it was on hold for someone else so I couldn't take it with me. Maybe I wouldn't have been in the mood for reading it here anyway...

The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency

This series has been popular for a while and so I recently read the first book out of curiosity. It's pretty charming. Those that love this series LOVE it. It gives you a small glimpse of African life too, which is always a bonus for me.

Not Everyone Loves Raymond, But I Do.

This is actually Rus, I can't remember my blogger password (it's been a long time since I posted anything.)

After a conversation I had with Liz last night I felt inclined to write this. We've both lived in other small Alberta towns, and this place is what I call the "cream of the crap". At least there's more to do here than hockey.

Liam's in Judo, the girls are in Ballet and loving it - do they have that in pigeon lake or delburne?

Here there's a swimming pool, there's girl's rugby, a show choir, several live theatre shows a year. the climate is probably one of the best in canada, the roads are free of snow most of the year.

sure there are prima donnas, and jocks, there's plenty to hate, but there's alot more to love.

The Hindi Bindi Club

I've been wondering which book to write about for days now, I have not been feeling like writing about Harry Potter although I will someday.

This book came to mind

"The Hindi-Bindi Club" by Monica Pradhan.

It's not really anything like my usual fare, but I liked the cover and the title and ordered it for work, I thought I could try to sell it to the libraries.

To my complete amazement I could not stop reading once I started, so I took it home and devoured it on a sunny afternoon this summer.

It's a book about mothers and daughters, the mother are Indian immigrants in the US and the daughters are born and raised there. The author explores the cultural differences between the generations and educates you in Indian history and culinary arts at the same time. It does not feel like a lecture though.

Every chapter features a recipe of mouth watering Indian dishes so don't read it hungry.

I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it. I ended up buying the copy and giving it to my youngest aunt for her birthday and she was also taken with it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is spendid

Just when I thought I would have too wait forever until I read a can't-sleep-because-I-have-to-read-it sort of book, this came out. The author's other novel Kite Runner (which is being made into a movie to be released in 2008) is also really good. Yeah, I know "really good" isn't much of a description, but I'm not the excellent author, he is.

book to movie

I have always loved reading a book and then watching the movie afterwards. It is interesting to see how my imagination and interpretations match up. Right now I'm working on The English Patient. I have never seen the movie and having it sitting on my shelf, waiting, as I'm reading the book, is a great test of self-restraint.

Paddle to the Amazon

In 1980 Don Starkell and his 2 sons started canoeing to the Amazon from Winnipeg.

2 years later, one son has returned home, and having survived a number of hazards that could have easily killed them they have completed the longest recorded canoe trip (at that time - 12,000 miles).

I'd love to re-trace the route these guys took (although not by canoe). Don's narrative of the foods, sights and sounds along the way are vivid enough but not flowery.

His latest book "Paddle to the Arctic" is next on my list.

-Rus

Hi, I made a website all by my self for work, it´s in Icelandic but I just had to brag about it.
www.harrypotter.is

I´m not reading alot these days it´s to warm to read as we are having a fantastic summer, but as soon as I get my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I will post about it.

freako

Just read "Freakonomics".
Best part was about african american names - and the girl who named her kid "Shateed" but spelled it "Shithead". Nice.
check this book out.
-Rus

finding farley

The couple who made the documentary "Being Caribou" are canoeing and walking across Canada with their toddler (and their dog) and documenting it. The point of the journey is to visit Farley Mowat; hence the name Finding Farley. Who says you can't travel anywhere and anyhow after you have kids? Here's their website.

p.s. This is my first post in months (otherwise it was just Rus posting under the same username). I guess I just needed to wait for something blogworthy.

-Elisabeth