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Despite being a person who’s been an actor (unsuccessfully), a writer (unsuccessfully), a programmer (somewhat successfully), a businessman (not successful yet), and a husband (my wife says I’m successful but I think she’s just being nice), I’ve been asked the question “How do you know if you’ve made it on the internet?” Until today, I had absolutely no way of answering that. When I first started using the internet, my answer would have been “have your own domain name.” Now, there are 5 year olds with their own domain name with a whopping 1 visitor a day (themselves). A few years later, I would have said “when you get funding.” But, with companies like WebVan.com getting funding (think buying your groceries from amazon… Mmmm Tuscan 2% milk).
Later, I would say that you’ve made it if you’ve made money from your website, but then Google Adsense came around and allowed anyone with a mouse and 10 visitors was receiving a check from Google. Today - I believe I bring to you an ultimate measurement of what it means to ‘make it.’
A…
Tweet…
Endorsing you…
From your biggest competitor…
Today, kindle_blog - the twitter name for Amazon’s Kindle blog service, told the world of our presence. The tweet in its exactness follows:
“BookSwim.com Rental — The Literary Life - by BookSwim Online Book Rental - Kindle Edition. http://bit.ly/nB1FY”
I saw the link scroll by on my TweetDeck (program I use to monitor my drug called twitter) and nearly fell out of my chair. I followed the bit.ly link and realized it went to amazon’s page which allows you to pay for a subscription of ‘The Literary Life’ blog to be downloaded directly to your Kindle. Yeah - I know, we’re in the big leagues now. Well, I’ve gone and made it, I guess its time to retire… Or maybe I should just go back to my day job of keeping bookswim.com up and running.
Have you had an “I’ve made it moment?” I’d love to hear about it!
Bookmarks Magazine’s September/October issue featured a piece on Jorge Luis Borges - one of my favorite authors. His life is well documented on Wikipedia, so I will not go into much detail on that, but a few points of note: he at one point worked at a library and was relieved of his position due to reading and writing too much. He was also a great influence on such major authors as Umberto Eco, Carlos Fuentes, and many other Spanish writers. While his work has widely been translated and he was (and still is) widely read throughout the world, his presence on American readers’ bookshelves is limited mainly to scholars and reading fanatics.
I was introduced to Borges while in college. I took a class entitled “Experimental Literature” which opened my eyes to some very interesting works as well as some writing that was just extreme (for example, a book written without using the word “the”). As I continued my education, I took a series of classes studying this genre and did quite a bit of writing and reading, but I still found that Jorge Luis Borges’ words were most enjoyable. His book Labyrinths is the only book that I have read more than once (in fact, I’ve read it four times). What I love most about his style is how he blurs the line between truth and fiction by creating a story that is so authentic, it is unclear what is made up and what is real.
After being reminded of my enjoyment of Borges, I decided to write a short story. I wouldn’t say it is in the style of Borges, but the inspiration was there. I hope you enjoy it!
Stephanie Klein is a blogger, writer, mother, TV show writer, and author of Moose and Straight Up and Dirty. She describes herself as “A foodie who sometimes abuses hair care products, I write about love, relationships, fashion, family, and strength of self. I’m a writer, photographer, and lifestyle connoisseur living in Austin, Texas–a respite from New York, where I was born and raised.”
There is a Broadway musical, Avenue Q, in where there is a song, “What Do You Do with a BA in English?” You have a BA in English - what can you do with that? Stephanie - I actually got a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing and psychology. When I graduated, I got offers in editing, but because I could not afford to stay in Manhattan and be an editor, I was forced to look for other work. I actually got a job in 1997 with a dot com doing editing, and then designing websites for large clients. Companies will hire smart people that they can train properly.
Right now, you seem to have quite a few jobs: mother, photographer, blogger, writer - Do they equality take up your time? Stephanie - Every day I wear a different hat and some hats just don’t come off - like being a mother. If I were to go to a dinner party and someone asked “what do you do?” I would at first be a writer and a mom. Under the writer category it would come down to author, blogger, screenwriter, and a TV writer. Photography is last, it fits in when I’m on vacation or when my kids are getting ready for Halloween. Writing / storytelling has always been my passion. You can tell a story with any medium, so as long as I can tell a story, that is what I enjoy.
What are your kids going as for Halloween? Stephanie - I am going to be the Queen of Hearts , my husband the Mad Hatter, my daughter Alice, and my son the March Hare.
Do you see yourself blogging 10 years from now? Stephanie - Probably, if there are still blogs 10 years from now! In one form or another, I will always be writing and sharing it publicly. I love the interaction that I get with readers. It helps me. Sometimes I will write myself into a shell when I’m writing a TV show or a book, and it is a tool that helps me to vent.
Do you ever feel like there may not be something worth blogging one day? What do you end up posting? Stephanie - Oh yes, very often. Of course there’s always something worth blogging about, but sometimes I get lazy or tired or burnt out and sometimes posts aren’t going to be good. I can’t always just bitch about a long day and the problems I face. I will just throw up a picture or in some cases I will hold off on a post for a day or two. I do try to post at least 4 times a week.
Your latest book, Moose, is about your youth where you were overweight and went to fat camp. What advice do you have out there for overweight children? Stephanie - For Elementary/Middle School age - It’s hard not to fit in. You need to focus your attention on doing things to bring out your talents in life. If your family focuses on weight - your parents are wrong. Focus outside of losing weight, focus on things you like doing and are good at doing. If you like taking pictures, grab a disposable camera and take pictures of your town. Set goals for yourself - make a new friend, get up every morning before school and take pictures. Reaching your goals is how you build self esteem.
For high school age - take it easy on yourself. Remember that when you die, our weight is not written on our headstone. People remember us for the things we’ve said and done in our life, not how much we weighed. If your doctor tells you that you need to lose weight, do it, but if the doctor says you’re healthy, then you are healthy.
What advice do you have for those skinny kids? Stephanie - Be nice to the people who sit next to you in school, because you never know if one of them will turn out to be a memoirist and will write badly about you. No matter who you are, everyone gets made fun of at some point. We hold on so tightly to whatever identity is given to us when we’re kids. You aren’t who you are right now - you don’t have to be the person you are right now forever.
What was the most shocking thing for you when you were writing your first novel, Straight Up and Dirty? Stephanie - How much publishing and PR and marketing you need to do on your own. An author is responsible for the success of their own books.
Was it easier or harder to write the second book? Stephanie - I guess it was harder because it was so different. Straight Up and Dirty was an adult memoir - about my adult life. Moose is a childhood memoir, so I had to remember and relive all the memories. I did have all my childhood diaries to remember and review those events. One of the hardest things about writing a childhood memoir is trying to look and be authentic to what voice you want to go in - your childhood voice or your adult voice. Every time I interjected the adult voice, I needed to make sure it was worthy.
You have some exciting things in the works and even a TV show. Do you see yourself writing another book? Stephanie - Yes - definitely. It will be a book about friendship. It will be a memoir and it will be experienced-based. It will be about how I moved to Austin and knew no one. It goes into how I met friends as an adult. Also: how to get rid of toxic friends.
What is your favorite children’s novel? Stephanie - The Olivia books. They are fun because she has attitude. Also Dooley and the Snortsnoot. It’s about a little boy who is a giant, but he’s little and doesn’t understand why he’s little. It’s a book about bravery and how he stood up for himself.
If you were stuck on a broken elevator with an author, which author would you want to be with? Stephanie - John Irving, because he’s such a master storyteller. He knows when to turn plot around, which details to weave through successfully. I know I could sit there for hours upon hours with him and stay gripped about whatever event we were going through. He brings your emotions along for the ride. Laughing, crying, scared - that’s what makes us feel alive.
Why do you think your blog is so popular? Stephanie - The reason that my blog has gained popularity is because I am honest. I think people relate to honesty well, just putting things out there and not worrying about what people will think.
Thank you, Stephanie. We wish you luck with your writing!
Carrie is a high school English teacher, owner to a pug named Spencer, and an avid reader. I had a moment to chat with Carrie and learn more about her as a reader.
Would you call yourself a book worm? Carrie - Absolutely - I grew up with a mother who taught 1st grade. She knew all about reading and how to teach me how to read. When I was only 3 years old I was always being taken to the library. When my birthday or Christmas came around, I would receive books as gifts. Soon, it came to be that I would look forward to receiving books.
You’ve read more than 2000 books. How did that happen? Carrie - I am always reading. I always have a book with me. I have one in my purse, one in the car, one on the coffee table… As soon as I have a spare minute, I pick up a book and read.
You gave a 1 star rating to everybody poops - why? Carrie - Because poop is gross. Writing a book about pooping is weird.
You gave a 2 star rating to Don Quixote - why? Carrie - I had no emotional reaction. It was probably the professor that taught me the book.
You have a pug, Spencer, do you read aloud to Spencer, or does he just curl up with you while you read? Carrie - He always curls up with me when I read. Sometimes he gets jealous and will slap the book down with his paw. I have read aloud to him before.
Do you think that schools do enough to explain the importance of reading? Carrie - I think that schools explain the importance of reading to get through school. What I don’t think is explained is why it is good to be a reader. There is a difference in reading enough to get by and people reading beyond that. Students need to be opened up to different authors and types of books. If they enjoyed reading more they would enjoy school more and would be better educated.
What do you do to make reading fun for your students? Carrie - I like to introduce them to novels that they might get into. The secret life of bees for example - everyone likes it. It takes effort to figure out what interests each child - so I will look into what a child likes and I will give him a book that hits an interest that he has. Fridays in my classroom are Drop Everything And Read days.
There is a big debate on the internet how we mislabel “football”. Do you think we should call it “Hand Egg” instead of football because it look as if you’re holding an egg in your hands more than hitting a ball with your foot? Carrie - I love it - it should be hand-egg. It is much more interesting than football and it makes more sense and may make more people pay attention.
What is your favorite childrens book? Carrie - There is a book that my mother gave to me “If I were a wishful unicorn.” Also Dr Seuss.
You mention your favorite authors are Jodi Picoult, Marian Keyes, Emily Giffin - do you have a favorite novel? Carrie - One novel that has really spoken to me is Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. It’s about highschool and being friended and bullied - being cautious and aware of surroundings.
Thank you Carrie! If you are a reader and would like your story shared with the world - let us know and we’ll set up an interview.
BookMarks magazine is an amazing book review magazine that has been around since 2002. What makes them different from other book reviews is that they do not generate new reviews, but instead aggregate reviews of books and boil down to the a single, comprehensive book review. I had a chance to catch up with Jon Phillips, the editor and publisher of BookMarks, and here is what he had to say:
Tell me about Bookmarks Magazine. What does it aim to do? Jon - Bookmarks existed before the internet had come on strong for book reviews. Bookmarks was formed as a reaction to a lot of book reviews that were out there. Most big book reviews are published to people who were not going to read the book. The New York Times was writing for its millions of readers, when most of them weren’t expected to want to read a given book. Because of this, the reviews would contain spoilers and other information that wasn’t important to real readers. BookMarks wanted to take reviews and make them useful to real readers. Also, we wanted to take the notion of the “wisdom of crowds.” Bookmarks would be able to read hundreds of reviews and determine which books/reviews bubbled to the top, then select from them the best parts.
What makes up Bookmarks’ pages? Jon - We are split into two different sections. Half of our magazine is the distilled book reviews. The other half is made up of author profiles, reader-generated book lists, and a look back at classic novels as well as some of our own newly generated content.
Why did you choose not to review the books yourself? Jon - The world doesn’t need one more opinion. We felt there was value in an aggregate service that filtered and summarized reviews.
How have things changed since the end of 2002, when you started the magazine? Jon - Honestly - we have gotten better at what we do, but from a consumer side, not a whole lot has changed. The core value of what we’re doing has stayed the same. How we interact with customers has changed - we launched our website in 2005 and we interact with people via GoodReads. This has been a great way for us to interact with our customers. A few members have started up a BookMarks group on GoodReads which is community-run.
Another change is that when we first started and needed a magazine cover, we would take books outside and take a picture. Now we can afford professionals to create the covers.
How much does Bookmarks cost? Jon - A subscription is $27.95/year. You can also go to bookmarksmagazine.com and view a sample issue in PDF. It is also available at Borders and Barnes and Nobles for $5.95.
Thank you, Jon - I look forward to seeing what Bookmarks has in store in its next issue!
Karen currently reigns as the #1 best reviewer on GoodReads.com as selected by fellow Good Reads users, as well as the 16th most followed reviewer. All this on top of juggling college and a job! Generous as she is, she squeezed me in between work and studying and spared me a few minutes of her time for an interview:
Rumor has it you like to read - care to lay this one to rest? Karen - Ha! yeah, pretty much true.
You gave Moby Dick a 2-star rating. Why? Karen - Oh, um. well, I read it years ago in college and it just didn’t work for me. It seemed like there was a good story in there somewhere, but it was lost between what seemed to me chapters that had zero purpose (anatomy and such). There were some descriptions of New England I remember liking though.
You’ve rated more than 2300 books, and only 4 of them have received 1-star ratings. Are there really only 4 bad books out there, or are you just nice with ratings? Karen - I think I am nice. at least online I am. In my head, my three-star rating is really broad and it covers everything from “eh” to “good”. 2 stars means it was a struggle to get through and one star means I probably threw it at some point.
How do you manage to read so much while going to school and holding a job? Karen - Subway mostly, and now that I am going to school at the opposite end of NYC, there is also an additional subway and bus. Going into work I get at least 40 minutes, then I get an hour break, and then 40 minutes home… plus an additional 30 minute subway home, depending if I have school. On my days off I read a bit. Also - elevators… post office… bank… laundry room…
there are tons of little pockets of time.
Do you have a favorite place to read? Karen - No, I guess not. When I was younger, I had a tree I loved to read in. That was in Rhode Island. Here I read on the floor, on the bed, on the toolbox that holds my fridge closed… It’s a smallish place - not a ton of options. If I had my druthers, I would have a nice window seat. I read on the top of the Alps one time– that was pretty sweet!
That sounds like a fun story - tell me more about it! Karen - Well, my one and only European romp, I mostly read through. I had just discovered Infinite Jest. So at one point, we took the big old ski-lift thingy, and we went up to the top and there were all these crows and there was snow and glare everywhere and it was really nice. And my friend wanted to take some artsy pictures, so I let him have at it, and I curled up in a snowbank and read some book. Then we went to a little cabin place up there that sold hot drinks and apple pastries. Very nice. I read in there, too, I think. Sheesh.
If you could fly around the world in a hot air balloon with any author, who would it be? Karen - So many ways to answer that question. On the one hand, if I could bring David Foster Wallace back from the dead, I would do anything. So there’s that. Dawn Powell would probably be a lot of fun in a hot air balloon and a hoot to talk to. I am over-thinking it now… I will go with Dawn Powell.
What is your favorite story that involves you reading? Karen - Ha! My dad told me this one recently. It seems when I was young, I was a little bossy bookgirl. When I had playdates, I would select two books and say, “You can read this one, and I am reading this one,” and I would make them read with me. I don’t remember this, but it sounds like something I would have done. My dad swears I did it all the time.
What do you love most about reading? Karen - Oh, its purely for escapism. I just like to be told a good story. I like just being a passive vessel and being transported for a little while into something else. When I watch movies, I don’t get absorbed into them as easily as I do with books. I just love stretching out and zoning right into the book. Mmm.
Thank you again to Karen. If you would like to share your story, feel free to contact me: nruffilo at bookswim dot com
Hello readers and writers. My name is Nick Ruffilo and I am the CIO/CTO of BookSwim.com (this great website). I come to you to decide the fate of some very personal details of my life.
My life has been very much career- and education- focused, although I’ve always thought myself a romantic and a writer. And now here is where I am going to ask for your advice. I’ve toyed with being a writer many times in the past, and have written a few short stories, but none of which I was very proud. About 2 years ago, I completed a book of which I was extremely proud. The book was my proposal to my now-wife. My wife is an avid reader and has a book with her at all times (in fact, her purses are filled with books, often 3 or more each). While the courtship of my relationship may not be epic or movie-worthy, it was a bit more eventful than your average “boy meets girl” adventure. In fact, I chased her for nearly 7 years while she kept rejecting me. But, I loved her so deeply that I never let her rejections drive me away and I kept her close until she finally gave me a chance…
The book is about the journey from the first moment we met until the moment where she first gave me a chance. Throughout the 7 years, there were many close-calls with my wife and me, and I share my emotions during the whole journey. Near the end of my chase, I actually employed a few of my friends to help me design the greatest seduction. The book talks about the planning of this conquest as well as the follow through and its many blunders. It is a semi-poetic musing of my emotional journey and never-dying love.
So to all you readers and writers - I ask you - should I publish my proposal book to the world?
I will be reading every response, so please, post your comments as I am torn. There are quite a few personal and intimate details of my life, yet there is a sense that allowing others to see that side of me may be good. Also - as extra incentive to comment - if I do end up publishing, I will give a free copy away to a random commenter.
Thank you all for reading, and I do hope you comment and cast your vote.
Novel Journey began in 2004 as the brainchild of aspiring novelist, Gina Holmes. It started as “First Novel Journey” and was to chronicle her fabulously interesting and quick path to the publication of her debut novel.
When she started tracking her hits, she realized that maybe her journey wasn’t as interesting to other aspiring writers as she had thought. She jokes that she had 3 readers back then and one of them was her.
Five years later and a name change later, Novel Journey has morphed into one of the most influential writing websites of its kind. Last year it took the honor of being named one of Writer’s Digest’s best websites for writers.
The site is followed by novelists, readers and industry professionals and has featured interviews with everyone from Dean Koontz to Nicholas Sparks. The Novel Journey team is made up of journalists, writers, commentators and even a devotional writer.
If you’re a writer, or aspiring writer, this site features excellent information and networking opportunities. If you are simply a lover of good books, you’ll discover as many new authors as you’ve got time to read—Gina Holmes being the newest of this group. After ten years of rejection and over five years of promoting other authors, Ms. Holmes will debut with Crossing Oceans, releasing with Tyndale House in May, 2010. The book is already getting rave early reviews and is being called a cross between Jodi Piccoult and Nicholas Sparks but written from a Biblical worldview.
Selected posts from Novel Journey will be syndicated and available on The Literary life in the future - giving everyone something to look forward to.
Lauren Dane is a well-published author who has written books in the genres of romance, paranormal romance, and erotica. Her bio and her FAQ explain a great many things about Lauren. Her latest bookLaid Bare has received rave reviews. Despite her aggressive writing schedule, she freed a few minutes for BookSwim.
When did you decide to use the pen name Lauren Dane and how did you decide upon it? Did you have any that didn’t make the cut? Lauren - I knew at the very beginning that I’d need a pen name. I live in a small suburb outside Seattle and my husband’s job is pretty public and high profile so I wanted to give them all some distance from my writing. I have great, creative friends so I tossed it out to them, asked them for ideas and what they looked for or caught their ear when they heard names. I wanted simple, easy to spell and a combo of syllables (yes, I am sort of obsessive that way) so we started going with two syllable first names and one syllable last names.
A few that didn’t make the cut: Anna Dane. I thought it sounded sort of like a medication for high bloodpressure. Laurel Reed was another that didn’t make it. I liked the way Lauren Dane sounded, it’s pretty easy to spell so I figured people could find me easily enough at a bookstore and online.
Laid Bare - Your most recent book - has received rave reviews on Amazon and Good Reads (Averaging more than 4 on each). Did you expect it to be so well received when you were writing it? Lauren - I didn’t really know what to expect because I had one idea for the book and sold it that way but it changed so much when it started writing itself as a menage. Laid Bare was not like anything I’d ever written before - not the menage part, I’ve done those before, but never a contemporary one and never where it doesn’t become a menage until about 70% in. I chewed my nails until my editor wrote and told me she loved it. Then I chewed my nails until I got the RT review. To be totally honest, I’m a bit overwhelmed at times by the reaction to the book. It’s been so much more than I ever imagined it would be. When I’m writing, I never really know how it will be when I finish. I go through “wow this is AWESOME” parts and then “this is the biggest piece of suck ever written” parts. By the time I’ve finished edits and polishing and critique, I have pretty much lost any distance and ability to know what others will think, LOL
What advice would you give to readers of romance novles - in specific, your romance/erotic novels? Lauren - Hmmm, well gosh, I don’t know. I suppose I always sort of say up front, I use words some people may have issues with. Words have immense power in my opinion, and so when I’m writing a sex scene, I’m deliberate about my terminology. I use words to create a feel. But I use graphic terms and my characters usually also tend to be foul mouthed at least on occasion. I like to hope my heroines are always strong and my heroes, even when they’re alphas, don’t cross into abusive territory. In the end, individual stories connect with individual readers for a whole host of reasons. Some of my biggest fans might avoid my BDSM books while others love them to death.
Do you use rate R language in your normal life - or is it a fun escape while you write? Lauren - I do. I find the F word to be one of the most perfect words ever coined. It can be a verb or a noun, you can add stuff the end and make it silly and less hard edged. I do have three kids so I make an effort not to when they’re around. I like to switch it up here and there. In my house we say, “Stop poodling around and get your shoes on!”
Have you written any books that you have ditched halfway through? If so - why? Lauren - Oh sure. This has changed over the years because the way I write has changed. I used to sit down and write a book from start to finish. I didn’t have other projects going and I didn’t outline or use a synopsis. But then I started selling on proposal - so what happens is you write three chapters and a synopsis and then if it doesn’t sell, you have a partially finished story, or three or whatever. Sometimes I’ll go back to a story I was very excited about at the time, and I can’t really get that feeling back. I can’t connect and it’s forced so I let it be. And lastly, sometimes the story just sucks and isn’t going anywhere so I put it away. Later I may strip elements from it to use elsewhere if I liked a character or something.
With Romance/Erotic it seems that covers are very important. Do you have a say in the covers of your books? Has your publisher ever settled on a cover that you didn’t like? Lauren - Covers are always important I think. If you can get a book into a reader’s hand, at least to look at the blurb, or if it stops them online enough to check you out, that’s a huge gift. I do get asked what my opinion is when it comes time to conference a cover at Berkley (Spice also asked for input). Samhain has cover request forms where authors can make suggestions, etc. I have covers I adore and yep, there have been covers I’ve hated. In the end, marketing has a lot of power in this arena so while they seek my input, they do their own thing when it comes to selling the book as a package.
I’m pretty blessed when it comes to covers though. Big or small publisher, I’ve had some total winners. Berkley has really designed some gorgeous covers and series concepts. The overall book is packaged very well.
For you - is romantic fiction a way for you to explore something you may not be able to in real life? Or is it a way of expanding on something that is real for you but to a further degree? Lauren - I believe our relationships with others are a huge part of who we are. They brand us, shape us, whether we’re talking siblings or parents, children or best friends. Your romantic partner or even that woman at work you hate - connection to others is hugely telling. I have that happily ever after, I’ve been with my husband 23 years, we just had our 21st wedding anniversary. I do use parts of my life in my books, but romantic fiction, like any other kind of popular fiction, is well, made up, LOL.
So I don’t write menages because I think they’d be awesome in real life. I write them because the particular story calls for it, those characters do, whatever. People’s most intimate moments are very compelling to create on a page.
You have a few series that have fictional universes “Federation Chronicles” “Witches Knot” and “Cascadia Wolves” If you had to pick one of these universes to live in, which would it be? Lauren - Hmmm, Witches Knot and Cascadia Wolves are pretty much set in a contemporary world with those realities still in existence. Only with werewolves and witches, LOL. Not a whole lot different, but I tend to love my Cascadia world because it’s pretty similar to what I have now. It’s set here in the Northwest for much of the first story arc. My Federation Chronicles are fun, because they present endless realities to inhabit. I like the idea of that, like the idea of a universe I’d be able to create from the ground up.
You mention in your expansive FAQ that all your books have a “Happily-Ever-After” Have you tried the inverse? Lauren - The unraveling of a relationship? To answer the question though: I do have non romance ideas, though I would most likely use a separate pen name for one of those (writing one now actually). As I said, I’m fascinated by people’s intimate moments and life is filled with tragedy as well as triumph. So yes, I have and I do write those stories that show the slow disintegration of a character.
What is your favorite childrens book? Lauren - Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. I love that book even today. If I had to choose younger grades, Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Thank you again to Lauren Dane for your time. If you leave comments here, I’ll make sure that she sees them - so comment away.
Cherie Priest is a well-established author whose latest book, Boneshaker, hit the market this past September. She is the author of seven books in total, as well as an associate editor for Subterranean Press. I’ve reviewed her latest book Boneshaker in a previous posting here on the Literary Life, and I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Cherie and finding a bit more about this great author.
If you could go on a dinner/movie date with any character from Boneshaker, who would it be? Cherie - I’m not really sure. Lucy would probably just talk throughout the whole movie. Possibly Captain Cly. He would eat all your popcorn but I can see him being fun - as long as he’s not sitting in front of you. He’s a large guy and I wouldn’t be able to see.
What do you hate most about writing? Cherie - Getting started. I can imagine one million and one reasons not to write. My house has never been so clean. I will sit down and think to myself, “There are dishes in the sink. I should clean them,” or “The floor could use some vacuuming.” Once I finally get myself sitting and begin writing, then it’s fine and I can write and write and write.
How often do you read and where is your favorite place to read? Cherie - I read daily - whether I like to or not. As an editor, it is my job to read and review, but when it comes to pleasure reading I find myself either on the couch or the bed.
What lead you to write a novel with so many different concepts in it - zombies, steampunk, historical fiction, etc? Cherie - I moved from Tennessee to Seattle about 4 years ago and I have always enjoyed writing about the different places that I live. I grew up a military brat so I’ve moved many places and I really like to capture each place. After arriving in Seattle, I had that urge again. As well - Seattle was the Mecca of steampunk. As I was learning more about steampunk, a few things just didn’t gel with me - such as why everyone wore gas masks. I decided to write a novel that connected a few of those gaps.
You changed quite a bit of history around - so much so that you placed an Author’s Note at the end of your book asking history buffs not to be angry! Why did you choose to use an existing place and time instead of something completely fictional? Cherie - I’ve always been drawn to realistic places. The truth is often far crazier than history has written it - so I liked the concept of taking something that could be one of those crazy truths. After taking the Seattle Underground Tour, I realized how much potential there was. I’m originally from Florida and I wanted to capture the essence of Seattle. I wanted this book to take place in 1880 because of the world setting at the time, but nothing was really happening in Seattle at that time. It wasn’t until the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897 that Seattle grew to any significant size. So, I just sped up history a bit and had the Klondike Gold Rush happen a few years earlier - which lead me to the idea of the Bonecrusher to begin with.
There have been quite a few steampunk movies - Wild Wild West, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Astroboy. Do you see Boneshaker as a film? Cherie - I think it would make an awesome film! In fact, there have already been preliminary chats about buying the rights to the film - but I have no control over that.
What is your favorite children’s book? Cherie - Howliday Inn by James Howe and Lynn Munsinger. There was a whole set of them where they solved mysteries and dealt with a vampire bunny!
How has Twitter and social networking changed or helped you as a writer? Cherie - Social networking has always been a useful thing. I’ve been bound to the internet due to editors. It has also been a great way for me to connect with my readers. I work from home, so I do not get much social interaction during the day. The internet has provided me with a sense of community and an outlet to feel less alone while I work. In fact, most of the people I know in Seattle I met online and chatted with for a while before meeting in person.
If you could send a Tweet to the whole world, what would it be? Cherie - Spay and neuter your pets. I used to be involved in rescue work for animals. I love cats and dogs but there are just too many of them. That would be my message to the world.
A question came in from one of our readers: You maintain a public and well-read blog. Do you feel you have to tailor your writing about the mundane for an audience? Cherie - Yes and no — which is to say, I’m much more aware of what I put online than I was eight or nine years ago, when I was just doing it for fun and nobody was really reading me. Now, of course, I have editors and other writers, reviewers, friends, readers, and heaven knows who else bopping by every once in awhile. I use my webpage to give fans the heads up and to keep people abreast of what I’m working on, but at the same time, it’s a personal blog — an open letter to distant friends and family. It’s a strange balance to try and strike. So while I constantly try to keep the audience in mind, I still try to keep it casual — and I don’t do a great deal of self-censoring.
Cherie has two books coming out next year that are set in the same world as Boneshaker: Dreadnought from Tor and Clementine from Subterranean. Thank you again to Cherie Priest for your time!
Bethanne Patrick is many things; a blogger, book reviewer, a wife, a mother, sloppy knitter, and as she states perfectly, “above all else, a reader.” Bethanne has written author and book reviews for The Washington Post, PEOPLE magazine, and BookReporter.com, and also ran the old AOL blog The Book Maven. Her most recent work is featured on The Book Studio. Through all of this, she has been interviewing authors for the last 8 years. I thought it might be interesting to turn the microphone in her direction and interview the interviewer.
Is it more fun to write a good or bad review? It is more fun to write a good review because it is more challenging to tease out why a good book is actually good. A bad review can be fun and interesting if the book isn’t completely bad, but the challenge of a good review with reasons is what I enjoy most. Some reviewers shy away from writing bad reviews as they don’t think its worthwhile. Recently, I wrote a bad review for Audrey Niffenegger’s book Her Fearful Symmetry.
Who was your favorite author to interview? My favorite all-time interview was Richard Russo (Interview can be found on The Book Studio). I’ve interviewed him previously for AuthorAuthor which was a single camera interview. What I’ve found is that different authors shine in different mediums. Since I’ve interviewed authors via online chat, phone, audio, and camera, I’ve found that different authors interview differently.
Were there any interviews that went out of control? I’ve never had an interview go out of control, but I do have a good story. When I worked for AOL, I interviewed celebrity authors - one of which was Martha Stewart. One of my questions was “What did you learn to clean while in prison?” She laughed and told me stories how she learned to use the floor buffer and that it was fun. Later, Martha’s publicist freaked out and was telling me that I wasn’t allowed to ask that question and that I would have to pull it from my interview.
Out of the many projects you have what is/was your favorite? The Book Studio because it is a culmination of a bunch of ideas. It isn’t just about interviewing the authors or putting up new content, it’s about doing the basics and having a website designed around those basics that provides a great experience to the readers. I did enjoy my time at Pages, though, because I was able to sit with authors for hours and interview them. That no longer happens with the new media space.
Where do you do most of your reading? Most of my reading is done at my home in an armchair. I’m always reading. I travel quite a bit, so the kindle works well for me when I’m on the go.
What is your favorite children’s novel? Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. When I was growing up in the 70s, there wasn’t a plethora of reading for young adults. Harriet was a spunky girl and I liked that. I also loved Secret Garden and Little Princess but they weren’t modern little girls who wanted to be naughty at times.
If you could go on a dinner/movie date with any author, who would it be? Joseph O’Neil. He is very droll and would be the kind of companion that you would not get tired of during dinner and a movie.
You’ve read so much - have you thought of writing? Actually, I do and have. I have a book coming out in mid-November by National Geographic called An Uncommon History of Common Things. Also, I’ve signed with an agent and am working on a proposal for a memoir - but I cannot say more about it at this time.
What startling thing have you learned about the book industry? When I first started doing interviews I would call a publisher asking for a galley (very early release copy - before ARC) of whatever book I was to be reviewing. They would often tell me they couldn’t and I would get annoyed at this. I later found out that the cost of creating a galley is quite high. So to all who want to be a book blogger, just wait for a book to come out to review it. Galleys and ARCs are expensive and it may be very difficult to get your hands on them.
Do you have a process around reading/reviewing books? No. A few other reviewers have tight processes, but the only rule I have is to give myself time to reflect between reading and reviewing a book. I will sometimes use post-its when reading actual books or scribble in the margins of a galley or ARC, but I don’t have a rule around it.
I want to thank Bethanne Patrick for providing me a few minutes of her time as well as you the reader for reading.
Danielle “The Book Huntress” is, in every sense of the word, an exceptional reader, having rated more than 2300 books and reviewed more than 600 on the popular book social networking website GoodReads.com. I got a chance to sit with this maven of the reading arts and find a bit more about her.
What was the first book you remember reading?
Danielle - Argh!!! That would be really difficult to say. I know my mom used to read fairy tale books with us, particularly, Andrew Lang’s color Fairy Tale books, so I’m going to go with those. My mother said I have been reading since the age of four.
Explain the moment when you knew you were addicted to reading.
Danielle - I was very young, and I remember how happy I was to get my own library card in my name. I think that is probably the most lucid memory of my reading addiction.
What is your favorite childrens’ book? Danielle - The Gruesome Green Witch by Patricia Coffin. I remember checking it out of the library so many times. I would read it and get really scared, but I always came back for more.
What social networking tools do you use and how have they changed the way you read? Danielle - I mainly use the reading sites, such as Goodreads and Shelfari, and the Amazon.com forums, also Yahoo groups for various reading/book groups. Strictly romance-related, I love All About Romance. I also use Blogger.com to blog about my reading and to read other reader’s blogs. These online sites have increased by ability to talk to other readers. I don’t meet too many readers offline. Also I have bought and read so many books because of my online contacts.
Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a favorite time to read? Danielle - I like to read in bed with the covers pulled up over me. I love to read before bed and I like to spend lazy Saturdays reading.
Will you only read a book if someone says it is great, or will you read a book if others say it is bad but has tons of hype? Danielle - I won’t read a book because it’s hyped. I have to be interested in reading it. I really dislike jumping on bandwagons. I am more likely to read a book that my trusted friends say is great, if I’m interested in the first place.
What is your favorite reading moment (any moment in your life where you were reading counts in this)? Danielle - When I read Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase and I realized it was my favorite book ever.
What do you hate most about reading? Danielle - That I don’t have enough time to do as much of it as I want to do.
If you could have a dinner/movie date with any author, who would it be and why? Danielle - CS Lewis. I think he was a brilliant man, and I love his love for the Lord and how he used his rational mind to spread the word about God. I think he was an interesting person, and I am sure that he would completely captivate me for that time I spent with him.
You can read all of Danielle’s reviews on GoodReads by clicking on her name above. Thank you Danielle for giving me a few minutes of your time.
Dear readers, I have an author interview tomorrow for an amazing rising author: Cherie Priest. In preparation for the interview, I picked up her latest book - Boneshaker (pictured left, link takes you to the BookSwim title page for that book). Despite my average reading speed, I managed to get through nearly 250 pages of the book in 2 days and am looking forward to the next 150 pages.
There are a ton of great reviews about this book, and most of the teasers really describe it well - so I won’t reiterate too much on that realm. A quote on the cover handles it well, “A steampunk-zombie-airship adventure of rollicking pace and sweeping proportions, full of wonderfully gnarly details. This book is made of irresistible.”
At first, I was expecting (and hoping, as I’m somewhat of a steam-punk guy) a sci-fi steam punk adventure of epic proportions. What surprised me was that it was so much more. In fact, there is a huge element of mystery in this book that I’ve seen left out of many book reviews and teasers. Bare in mind, I haven’t completed the book in full yet, but I am going to very shortly. Below I am going to list the reasons why I think this is a great read. If they seem to fit your fancy, make sure you add this to your pool.
The book has quite a few steampunk elements to it, although not enough to make an inventor drool. If you didn’t go to engineering school but think machines are cool - this is right up your alley. As well - if you DID go to engineering school, you won’t see anything mind-blowing but still worth it.
While I love the concept of a good zombie adventure (Book, Movie, or Video Game), I am not a fan of zombies being the main driving force. Boneshaker splashes in zombies as one piece of an intricate maze - as an accent if you will (as much as Zombies can accent anything). Great for those who love zombies as well as those who don’t.
The characters are very well thought out. Every character is given detail and history that brings them to life. This is a must for any good book in my mind, and this one executes.
It moves and it moves quickly. There is never a dull moment and rarely is there a mention of time - which is something that I found gripping. I’d be reading for three hours straight and a character would mention that night had began to fall. Another character would remark how surprising it was that time passed about the same moment as I would. Not to knock one of my favorite authors of all time (JRR Tolkien) but there is only so many pages of description about Bilbo Baggins’ cuff-links that I can read before I require a nap. Boneshaker has not bored me yet.
It is a great jump into a new genre for those who haven’t dove into science fiction/steampunk. I find that the science fiction books that I recommend to non science fiction readers tend to be received poorly. Boneshaker does a great job of not being too sci-fi as to allow the average mystery or novel reader to jump into the genre and get a taste of it before diving head-first into hardcore science fiction.
I promise to update this review after I have completed the book, but I put this out there now as I am interviewing the author Cherie Priest tomorrow and I wanted to generate some buzz as well as see if there were any questions that our audience wish to ask?
Hello everyone! As this is my first real post on BookSwim’s Literary Life, I think I will start with a bit about who I am. My name is Nick Ruffilo and I am the CIO/CTO of BookSwim (Basically I oversee all the technology and information that BookSwim has). On top of all that, I am currently running our twitter account (@bookswim), as well as will now be a regular poster on our Literary Life blog. I read quite a bit in high school and in college found myself reading quite a bit. After college, I kept up my reading and did quite a bit of writing as well. Most of my writing was in fantasy - but I did take a break from my normal genre to write a very special book. My wife is a huge reader and I decided that as a unique proposal, I would write her a book. As would seem obvious - she said yes. If you’re looking to get in touch with me, I’m active on GoodReads (http://www.goodreads.com/bookswimnick) or you can leave comments for me on any of my blog postings.
A bit of backstory to this post - my wife is an extremely avid reader. While I’ve never considered myself a voracious reader, I always read a bit more than all of my friends and pride myself on having read most of the “classics.” (Thank you highschool/college). To explain what I mean by avid reader, my wife has - on more than one occasion - checked out the maximum number of books from the library at one time (50), while having a personal library of nearly 800 books (200 of them still unread). She devours nearly 10 to 15 books a month while working a full-time job and partaking in non-reading activities.
The past few months have been busy for me with work as well as a few personal matters and sadly my reading habits became very poor. My wife pointed out to me that I wasn’t reading and in defense I state, “I bet I’ve read quite a few books that you haven’t.” Always up for the challenge, my wife waited patiently for me to list books so that she could proudly say that she’s read it. To both our great surprise, I had read quite a few books that she had not. When it came to some of the longer classics The Arabian Nights: Tales from One Thousand and One Nights and Canterbury Tales, it wasn’t a large shock that she had not read them, but when I came to some of the more quintessential children’s literature, I was shocked to hear she hadn’t read them. Most notably, she had not read The Little Prince, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, or Where the Wild Things Are.
Between my local library and my personal collection, I got a copy of those three amazing children’s novels and selected The Little Prince to read first. My choice was partially selfish as the only time I had read the book was for French class, and I would be lying if I said that I understood more than 50% of what I read. It all started about 2 weeks ago, but now, every night before going to sleep, I pick up where I have left off and I read a few pages of a classic to my wife. I enjoy reading but most of all I enjoy sharing.
An open challenge to all readers: If you have a husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, son, daughter, niece, nephew, or even someone you babysit who has not read any of the following classics, take a few minutes a day to enlighten their lives by reading to them.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
One of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury, enthralled me with his book “The Martian Chronicles.” After reading that, then devouring Fahrenheit 451, then many of his short stories and poetry, I found myself using those as a basis for good literature. I would gloat some more, but I will let the video speak for itself. Ray Bradbury discusses the importance of books as well as a bit about how he got started as a writer.
Bookmarks Magazine’s September/October issue featured a piece on 
Carrie is a high school English teacher, owner to a pug named Spencer, and an avid reader. I had a moment to chat with Carrie and learn more about her as a reader.
BookMarks
Karen currently reigns as the #1 best reviewer on GoodReads.com as selected by fellow Good Reads users, as well as the 16th most followed reviewer. All this on top of juggling college and a job! Generous as she is, she squeezed me in between work and studying and spared me a few minutes of her time for an interview:
Hello readers and writers. My name is Nick Ruffilo and I am the CIO/CTO of 
Bethanne Patrick is many things; a blogger, book reviewer, a wife, a mother, sloppy knitter, and as she states perfectly, “above all else, a reader.” Bethanne has written author and book reviews for The Washington Post, PEOPLE magazine, and BookReporter.com, and also ran the old AOL blog The Book Maven. Her most recent work is featured on 
