Support A Starving Writer (Or Four)
The Argyle Sweater Cartoon by Scott Hilburn
Denver Post 2/20/10
Feb. 23 was a big day for four of our good friends over at the League Of Reluctant Adults. It was Release Day!! Here’s the list:
Blood of the Demon – Diana Rowland
Dead Matter - Anton Strout
Demon Possessed – Stacia Kane
Battle of the Network Zombies – Mark Henry
All four will satisfy your cravings for a good read and in the process, you’ll bask in the warmth that comes from knowing your support saved another writer from standing on a street corner with a sign “Will Write For Food.”
Remember, we’re all just one book sale away from unemployment.
It’s back again:From Shelf Awareness: J.K. Rowling's name has been added to a lawsuit that alleges she stole ideas for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from a 1987 book, The Adventures of Willy the Wizard--No. 1 Livid Land by the late Adrian Jacobs. The Associated Press reported that Jacobs's estate "also claims that many other ideas from Willy the Wizard were copied into the Harry Potter books."
Although the lawsuit was filed last June against Bloomsbury Publishing, Rowling's name was added more recently when it was discovered that "the statute of limitations to sue her had not run out, as previously thought," the AP wrote.
Rowling’s Reply:
"
I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry," said Rowling. "The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author's estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book. The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd."
From Abe Books:Be careful what you use as a bookmark. Thousands of dollars, a Christmas card signed by Frank Baum, a Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card, a marriage certificate from 1879, a baby’s tooth, a diamond ring and a handwritten poem by Irish writer Katharine Tynan Hickson are just some of the stranger objects discovered inside books by AbeBooks.com booksellers.Lots of story ideas here! The creepiest one is from Sandra at Nan’s Book Shop in Ill.
“Inside an old children's book, I found a green card; on one side was written in a child's print: “I love you, do you love me?” The answer was written on the reverse: “ I hate you and nobody loves me.” There were several additional cards saying "Nobody loves me."Anyone seen Wolfman yet? What’d you think?The finalists have been named:Worm Hunters, Nazi spoons vie for odd-book prizeLONDON – Worm hunters, lethal robots and Nazi spoons are in the running for Britain's quirkiest literary award, the Diagram Prize for year's oddest book title.
The six finalists are "Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter;" "Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich;" "Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots;" "The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease"; "Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes;" and "What Kind of Bean is This Chihuahua?"
The shortlist, announced Friday, was narrowed down from 90 entries, including "The Origin of Feces" and "Bacon: A Love Story."
The Diagram Prize was founded in 1978 and is run by trade magazine The Bookseller. The winner, decided by public vote, will be announced March 26.
Previous champions include "Bombproof Your Horse" and "Living With Crazy Buttocks."
Gotta love those titles!!
Still more remakes:From the
Hollywood Reporter –
Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes) Martin Freeman (Watson) Rufus Sewall (Aurelio Zen)
BBC Worldwide and PBS' Masterpiece Theatre will co-produce a remake of "UpstairsDownstairs," as well as new series based on Sherlock Holmes and Aurelio Zen novels.The announcement takes a page from the big broadcast network playbook, giving PBS a trio of popular titles, with two that tap into the crime procedural genre."Sherlock" will present a 21st century spin on the classic detective stories and stars Benedict Cumberbatch ("Atonement,") as Holmes and Martin Freeman (U.K.'s "The Office," "Hot Fuzz") as Dr. Watson."Upstairs Downstairs" will air in 2011 and be set in the same house as the original in 1936, during the period leading up to World War II. "Upstairs Downstairs" won seven Emmys during its run on "Masterpiece Theatre" in the 1970s.And finally, Rufus Sewell ("The Eleventh Hour") will star as Italian detective Aurelio Zen in three episodes based on the mystery novel by Michael Dibden. The series is being shot in Italy."I'm so proud of this particular group of programs," says "Masterpiece" executive producer Rebecca Eaton. "These three series say everything about what 'Masterpiece' aims to be: iconic, rich with wonderful actors, witty, literate and timeless. I can't wait to see them all.""Upstairs Downstairs" is a BBC/Masterpiece co-production; "Sherlock" is a Hartswood Films and Masterpiece co-production; "Aurelio Zen" is produced by Left Bank Pictures for the BBC in association with RTI (Mediaset Group), Masterpiece and ZDF.Caption for pic: Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes) Martin Freeman (Watson) Rufus Sewall (Aurelio Zen)For you writers—a couple of contest you might want to check out:Rocky Mountain Fiction
WritersWriter’s Digest Annual
ContestA market newsletter with lots of good info:
Cindi Myers Market NewsAnd if you follow these things: 2009 LA Times Book Prize
FinalistsPS Mario asked me to remind our fellow Denverites that he will be appearing at:Schlessman Library
2PM February 27, 2010
100 Poplar St
Denver, CO