S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 211

Endweek NaNoPost

I'm a bit late today thanks to temporary insanity + Black Friday + the most I've laughed in months, which convinced me to ditch my original draft of this post and write up something new.

First, a little backstory: I never leave the house on Black Friday because of the crowds and general madness; there is no sale that could ever tempt me to navigate through this annual mess. My guy also works in retail, and when he crawls home after a very long and arduous eighteen-hour day I like to be here and do what I can to make a nice evening for him.

Unfortunately this year my daughter and her friends wanted to go and see the new Harry Potter movie, and talked me into taking them to a Friday evening show in the city (this is when the temporary insanity kicked in, when I said okay. I couldn't help myself, the kid hardly ever asks me for anything.)

It's been so long since I've been out on a Black Friday that I was rather overwhelmed by the traffic, the crowds and the Herculean task of finding a parking space. Since I'm not much of a Harry Potter fan I decided to skip taking a nap in the theater while they watched the movie and instead dropped off the kids. My two-and-a-half hour wait, I decided, would be spent over at a big chain bookstore's cafe nursing a hot tea and hopefully doing some editing. I figured of all the shops in the mall, the bookstore wouldn't be crowded.

I was right and wrong. The store wasn't too busy, but every table and chair in the cafe was packed with the sale-shocked and exhausted, all of whom appeared to be hunkered down for the duration. Twenty more drooping souls stood waiting in line for counter service, and another ten or so were leaning against the railing waiting for a table to free up. More tired backsides had claimed every one of the benches by the magazine racks, and another dozen kids were sitting on the floor around them. So much for that brilliant idea.

I didn't really mind. I never met a bookstore I didn't like; it's a bit like being at a huge writer's conference where no one talks, touches you or infects you with whatever crud they brought with them (there's a conference I'd attend in a heartbeat: the Silent Germ-free Writers' Fest.) It's also been forever since I had the luxury of time to cruise the shelves for hours, and I had a list in my purse of titles I need for the holidays, so I picked up a pretty tote and went hunting.

The first novel I tracked down was a copy of Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas, which I've never read but my Sanctuary Reads winner Crystal posted as her pick (this is another way I try to expand my horizons; I often pick up what you guys mention in the giveaways and discussions here at the blog.) I also spotted Shiloh Walker's The First Book of Grimm, which went into the tote, along with Liz Carlyle's One Touch of Scandal and Stephanie Tyler's Promises in the Dark. Then I spent a few minutes facing out titles by me and my writer friends because that's another annoying thing writers do when we're in bookstores.

I didn't find anything tempting in the mystery or SF/F aisles, so I moved on to the remainder tables. Not much there but learn-how-to kits, coffee table books and untempting leftover hardcovers. The seasonal tables had a pretty dismal collection of themed titles, mostly buried under toys and other gift-giving junk. But I saw some encouraging things, too: Larissa Ione's Sin Undone prominently displayed among the latest bestsellers (go Larissa!); an endcap with all of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson books artfully arranged (an amazing series), and Bill Peschel's Writers Gone Wild already faced out in Literary Theory (we definitely need some more humor in that section.)

I headed to the back shelves, where all the lovely nonfic shelves were waiting to be browsed. I always try to hit one section in particular, and there I spotted a shiny new title that I hadn't seen before. I picked it up and read the first page, which was rather awful and thus an instant sale-killer. I read a bit further and couldn't believe how badly-written it was, so I looked at the cover again. The byline belonged to the author of that wretched book I tried to read a few weeks ago. It was like finding a rattlesnake in my hands; I shoved it back on the shelf so fast I knocked another book off onto the floor.

As I picked up the book I'd knocked down, I started giggling over the rattlesnake release and my reaction to it, and then I couldn't stop, even when I went outside the store and laughed so loud I scared a couple of exiting patrons. Which only made me laugh at myself even harder. Once I did manage to control my mirth -- took a while -- I went back inside in a wonderful mood, and shopped merrily until it was time to pick up the kids, get everyone home and collapse on my couch. I found my guy there, cuddled up with the pups and snoring away. After I dragged him off to bed, I likewise fell asleep instantly (this never happens) and enjoyed six hours of uninterrupted Zzzzzzs.

My Black Friday bookstore adventure left my feet a little sore, but not a high price to pay for a pretty tote and a nice pile of books for myself and family. It was also a great reminder that as ridiculous and rife with rattlesnakes as this biz can be, it's also the world of great reads, wonderful writers and things to make you laugh at yourself. All you have to do is look for them.

I'm not finished, but I know some of you have been stacking up the stats on your NaNo novel this week. Anyone reach the finish line since my last post? Still slogging away this holiday weekend? Getting close? Let us know in comments.

Online Break Rooms

The American Psychological Association has just released its 2010 Stress in America Findings (for the .pdf version click here). I've heard plenty of complaints that the internet causes all kinds of stress, but surprisingly about a third of those surveyed reported surfing the internet as a method of managing stress.

I think it's all in where you surf and why. I view the internet as an endless virtual library with work rooms, play rooms, art exhibits, movie theaters and concert halls. You can join other explorers or lurk around by yourself. And yeah, there are also a range of not so great places, where the unwary can be pecked to pieces by hen parties, fleeced by scam artists and sold shoddy goods by the unscrupulous, but with a little common sense you can avoid all of them.

When I'm writing I like places where I can visit during my ten-minute breaks to have some fun (I employ a kitchen timer to keep me from spending more than ten minutes.)



Wordle is definitely my favorite online break room; I probably visit at least twice a week now. My latest trick is to feed it long lists of synonyms for my story keywords to get title ideas (poetry works great, too) or for descriptive bits that I'm having trouble composing.



Thanks to Gerard over at the Presurfer, I just discovered White Jigsaw, a virtual point-and-drag game with a puzzle that grows larger each time you solve it. Although at first glance it may seem intimidating, it's really not that difficult. I find it rather soothing (I also get tired of it quickly so it doesn't suck my brains out of my skull and tempt me to stay longer than ten minutes.)



I've always been something of a fiend for crossword puzzles, so I have to be careful when I go over to BoatloadPuzzles.com to take a break there. But I like this site because if you put in the wrong word it highlights it with red letters, and it's simple enough for a kid or anyone as technochallenged as me to use.



My oldest online break room is Seventh Sanctum, where there is a generator for just about everything an RPGer or storyteller could want. Much of what I generate is tongue-in-cheek stuff, but often I find bits and pieces I can recombine and mortar together into new story concepts, character profiles, plotlines and so forth. SS also reminds me not to take myself too seriously or slip into the blues, something I've really needed lately.

Do you think the internet is a stress-inducer or a stress-reliever? Where are some of your online break rooms? Let us know in comments.

Wishing You

Midweek NaNoPost

We're down to the final 7 days of NaNoWriMo, and today I'm prepping for my NaNo deadline week as well as Thanksgiving. I've decided to use my November novel as part of a presentation I'm giving in a couple of weeks to some marketing and publicity folks, so there's additional pressure to get it done, buffed, polished and ready for inspection (which means I have to finalize the cover art, too.) So I've given myself the somewhat brutal task of wrapping up this story in seven days.

Why, yes, I am a masochist. Sometimes I think every writer is.

I've got some stuff waiting at the finish line as additional motivation to keep going: three new novels by some of my favorite authors that I've been saving to read, taking my daughter and her friends to see the latest Harry Potter movie, and dinner out with my guy. If by some Act of Divine Intervention I make it all the way to 50K, I'll also give myself a little bookstore shopping spree.

A lot has helped me get back on track this past week, and it's not been related to my NaNo novel: spending quality time with my guy, my kid and the pups; finding my favorite apple strudel recipe (which I'm making into a bookmark so I don't lose it again.) I've also taken some time to read books by Erin Bolger, Alison Kent, Emma Holly, Jackson Pearce and Chris McKitterick. All of these things refilled the well of me the person, the lover, the mom, the reader and the caretaker.

There's something most folks don't think about: our self-esteem doesn't come from just the well of creativity. We can have many wells.

Example: this past weekend I cleaned out my fridge to make room for our Thanksgiving turkey. I try to keep it tidy, but when other people around here use it they only worry about remembering to close the door when they're through looking at everything. Thus my fridge is generally in some state of controlled to cluttered chaos.

To me a clean, organized refrigerator is like a sparkling bathroom; you don't mind anyone going in there (versus when they're in dire need of be sanitized, when you'd rather padlock them shut.) In the process of tidying up I realized I won't need to buy any sort of mustard again until maybe next June (how did we end up with seven different kinds of mustard? Beats me.) Anyway, it felt so good cleaning out the fridge I went ahead and tackled the freezer, too. At which point I determined I might need to talk to my daughter about her growing predilection for frozen pizza products.

Of course, once the fridge was completely clean, I had to tackle the pantry, rearrange my non-perishables, check expiration dates, and alphabetize the spices. Go ahead, snicker, but at my age it's pretty easy to look through the wrong spot in my trifocals and pick up the cumin instead of the cinnamon. Gives a whole new meaning to homemade coffee cake, too.

Getting my household stores re-organized for the holidays gave my spirits a nice, much-needed boost. Seems silly, arranging spices and stacking cans, but it's comforting to me to know where things are and to be able to see everything I've got at one glance (and no more hunting for my little cans of organic tomato paste that always seem to hide behind Kat's favorite canned pasta.)

A deadline week is when it all comes down to the wire, and it's a time when you really need your head to be in a good place writing-wise. At the same time, you need to balance the work with life. Doing something non-writing related that makes you feel better about yourself, your home, your job, your friendships, etc. may give you that extra dose of self-confidence you need to cross the 50K finish line. It doesn't have to be a huge, time-consuming project, either. Spend an hour playing Scrabble with your family, take care of a chore you've been neglecting, or call a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Here's another thing most people don't realize: fill one of your wells, and it will spill over into the others.

Your turn: how are things going with your NaNo novel? Are you doing anything in particular to keep your wells filled? Let us know in comments.

Sub Ops Ten

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities

Blue Leaf Publications is "looking for completed novels--35,000 to 65,000 words in length--in the genres of: science fiction: hard/soft/space opera; fantasy: urban/shapeshifter romance; science fiction/futuristic romance; shapeshifter/werewolf only; other 'spec fic' works with similar themes. We prefer third person POV. Please have your manuscript critiqued, beta'd, proofread and/or edited before querying!! [Good suggestion.] Stories without a "happy ever after" are acceptable. For romance titles, intimate
scenes should be mild (PG-13). We will consider YA titles only if they fit in the above genres. Reprints by professional authors are considered if the title was previously published through a reputable publisher (print or electronic). Please do not submit any previously self-published works. A common inquiry about word count: Will BLP consider manuscripts over 65K? Yes, we probably will, but be warned: If you decide to send us something longer than 65K, the writing and story had better be dead-on." Payment: no mention of advance that I can find; pays annual royalties of 30% of net on e-books and 15% of net on print books. No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

AE ~ The Canadian Science Fiction Review webzine "welcomes submissions from both established and emerging authors. We publish exclusively science fiction, though our interpretation of the genre can be quite inclusive. We are interested in stories from 500 to 3000 words in length. We are not soliciting poetry or screenplays at this time." Mentions they will accept subs from non-Canadian authors but are limiting how many of those they publish. Payment: "CA6¢/word (art=$20-$100)" No reprints, electronic submissions preferred, see guidelines for more details.

Corpulent Insanity Press has an open call for their Clones and Crucifixes anthology, and is seeking "tales of futuristic horror. Only, there's a catch. Each story must involve a demonic possession. Think The Exorcist mixed with Blade Runner. We're not interested in run-of-the-mill exorcism tales, either. We want something new. Something fresh. Something that will make our eyes widen and our sphincters clench. Well, maybe not the latter, but you get the idea." Length: 1-3.5K, Payment: 1 cent per word, no reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: December 20, 2011.

Dark Metre is "an email newsletter published on the 1st Sunday of every month with the current issue being posted on the website for one month." From the editor: "I'm looking for poetry reprints in the horror genre and will publish two per issue. I will pretty much look at any style of poem but I do not want anything vampire related or anything that involves bad things happening to college kids, school kids or young children and definitely no woe be me poetry. Please send poems up to a maximum of 35 lines in the body of the email to poetrysub@katybennett.co.uk. Please put poetrysub - poem title - your name in the subject field. Also include details of where it was originally published and a short bio and a link to your web site or blog if available. You can submit up to three poems but only send one poem in an email. Payment terms: I'm paying £2.50 via paypal on publication." Reprints only, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Dragon Ink House has an open call for their 20Spec anthology, and they want to see "Speculative stories set in the grit and glamor of the Roaring 20s. Think gangsters, the Klan, and political upheaval; the rise of communism and fascism. Women's suffrage, androgynous fashion, and bootlegging. Jazz and speakeasies; "The Diamonds as Big as the Ritz." The rise of the Machine Age– radios, Model-T Fords, and mass-production. Hyper-inflation and excess. Tell decadent stories that take place after dark, far from home, in abandoned stills. And don't be afraid to travel abroad. Europe, Asia, Africa– anywhere is fair game! This is not only an anthology of Urban Fantasy set in the 1920s. While UF will most likely have its place, we welcome Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror, including Bizarro, Slipstream, New Weird, Hard-Boiled Noir detectives, even (especially) stuff that defies a particular classification. The story is paramount, but we'd like to be able to represent all speculative-fiction fields. (Critter fiction (e.g. vampires, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, etc) is acceptable, but will be a tougher sell, due to the typical quantity of it.) [Ouch.] Attention to the culture, slang, and feel of the 20s is vital. Send us stories that roar, whisper and shriek." Length: "Ideally stories will be between 1500-5000 words, but we will consider flash-fiction and poetry as well. Nothing longer please." Payment: 1 cent per word on publication. No reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: December 20, 2010.

Eschatology, the Journal of Lovecraftian and Apocalyptic Fiction, is looking for some traditional ghost stories for a special Christmas Day edition [apparently during the Victorian era telling ghost stories was a Christmas tradition, which puts a whole new spin on a Christman Carol.] Their sub guidelines state they want: "well written, original short fiction up to around 1000 words. There is no firm maximum word count, though pieces exceeding the 1000 word guideline by too much are likely to be rejected." Payment: $5.00 via PayPal upon publication, no reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: December 15, 2010.

io9.com is holding a writing contest: "We can't prevent environmental disasters without preparing for them. That's why io9 is going to pay $2000 each to two people who write the best stories about environmental disaster. It's io9's Environmental Writing Contest - for science fiction and non-fiction." Also: "Your story should be between 3,000-5,000 words. It must be an original story that has not been published elsewhere. The contest has two categories: Non-Fiction and Science Fiction. We will pick a winner from each." "Winning stories will be published on io9, and we will give $2000 each to the winners in each category." There's a lot more on what they want to see, so if you're tempted, definitely check out the contest subs page. Deadline: December 11, 2010.

Permuted Press is "now accepting queries for novel length horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction. We're interested in: Completed novels of no less than 70,000 words and no more than 125,000 words (around 85,000-95,000 words is perfect for us). We're trying to expand our horizons a bit here at Permuted, so we're looking for horror, sci-fi, and spec-fic of the following types: Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic tales (not just zombies!). Obviously we love zombie novels, but we're really interested in new and unique takes on the apocalypse. Bring something new and interesting to the table! Lovecraftian and Cthulhu Mythos works. We're primarily interested in seeing some fresh takes on the old (elder?) Mythos. Think William Browning Spencer's Resume With Monsters and Seamus Cooper's The Mall of Cthulhu. Time Travel and multi-universe stories. We love to see this sort of thing done well. Examples include Ken Grimwood's Replay and Paul Melko's The Walls of the Universe.
Novels with false realities or realities in question. Think along the lines of The Matrix, Inception, or most of the works of Phillip K. Dick. Survival horror. Fun, fast-paced tales with a person or group trapped in bad situation. Great examples of this type of work include Richard Laymon's Island, John Carpenter's The Thing, and the television show Lost." No details on the website about payment, but the publisher states in their FAQ that they do pay an advance and quarterly royalties, terms of which they will discuss upon acceptance (I'd be sure to nail these down in writing before you sign anything.) Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Realms of Fantasy magazine (recently purchased by Damnation Books) is "a professional market for the best in fantastic short fiction. Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words, and can address any area in the realms of fantasy: heroic, contemporary, traditional, feminist, dark, light, and the ever-popular "unclassifiable." What we do not want to see is standard SF (this means no alien worlds, no hard-edged technology, no FTL drives, etc.) Additionally, ROF is not a market for poetry. What we do want to see is the very best in the field—Realms of Fantasy is a highly competitive market." Payment: "6¢/word & up (>7½k pay breaks to 4¢/word & up)" Query on reprints, no electronic submissions (will e-reply to non-US subs), see guidelines for more details.

The Library of the Living Dead has an open call for their Zombies Without Borders anthology, and are "Seeking original previously unpublished zombie stories. The theme of this book is about location. Instead of just stating where your story takes place use culture, geography, and other indicators to showcase the setting. Stories can take place anywhere on Earth except the United States of America. It is urged that authors submitting from outside of the USA choose a location other than their home countries. (e.g. if are submitting from England your story should not take place in England.)" Length: 4-7K, Payment: Pay: 1¢/word + copy, no reprints, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: January 2, 2011.

Most of the above submission opportunities were found among the many market listings over at Ralan's place.

Gift Pass Ten

Since Black Friday is just around the corner . . .

Ten Things I Don't Want for Christmas

Chocolate. Not only can't I eat it because it's not part of my heart-healthy twigs-and-bark diet, but I then have to give it to someone else and watch them eat it. Which is when I start sobbing.

Gadget Docking Stations, Accessories, etc. I do not own an iPod, an iPad, an e-reader, a fancy mobile phone or any of that other junk. I have nothing that needs a recharging station, and I don't want a netbook, a boogie board, a happy light, anything that displays up to ten thousand digital photographs, or that tells me on the hour what the weather is like in Sydney because I can't figure out how to program it for my time zone.

Grow Your Own! Kits. I'm not especially enamoured of tomatoes that grow upside down, herbs in tiny pots, Chia pets or ugly brown bulbs that are supposed to produce gorgeous flowers but no matter how carefully I follow the directions only remain ugly brown bulbs.

Hair DooDads. I am older now, and so is my hair. At long last we've made peace with each other. So you can understand why I might not want to bump it, extend it, french twist it, scrunch it, straighten it or otherwise torture it. Leave. My Hair. Alone.

Motion-Activated Candy Dispensers. Okay, this is just downright cruel.

Pens. You know when people say they own a thousand pens? I actually do.

Singing and/or Dancing Holiday Figurines. Seeing Santa in the throes of an epileptic seizure while he belts out Elvis tunes is simply not my thing. Same goes for the mounted fake bass that turns its head and starts talking (I saw that once at a friend's house, and I still have nightmares.)

The Snuggie. I'm a quilter and a quilt collector, so believe me, the one thing I am never going to be in my house is cold. Plus if I want to be warm and keep my hands free, I'll put on one of my thirty-odd quilted jackets.

Toothbrush Sanitizer. Soaking your toothbrushes once a week in some rubbing alcohol doesn't cost thirty bucks (just remember to rinse it thoroughly before using it again.)

Waterproof Shower Radio. We live so far out in the boonies that it only picks up live broadcasts from stock auctions and the exciting sermon of whatever nutcase evangelical minister is advocating burning the Koran this week.

What are some of the things you don't want as holiday gifts this year? Share the pain in comments.

PBW Nation

Gerard over at The Presurfer always finds such cool things online. This time one of his links sent me to Sharenator.com's WebEmpires, which visualizes your blog or web site as a country. Naturally I had to see what sort of world power we'd represent:



Break out the strawberry margaritas; looks like we're a nice-size Caribbean island, a bit larger than Montserrat here:



If we all got together one day to hang out, we'd look a bit like this:



While WebEmpires is still tinkering with their demographics feature, we'd probably also have a nice-size international segment in our population:



I like PBW being an island nation: great views, no billboards or tourist traps, no ties to any other/bigger/nastier nations, and lots of visitors who stop by simply to relax and enjoy themselves. Now I wonder if I can string up some virtual hammocks . . . .

Endweek NaNoPost

Before I get into my NaNoWriMo post, the winner of the Sanctuary Reads giveaway is:

CrystalGB, whose sanctuary read is Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

Crystal, when you have a chance please send your BookWish request along with your full name and ship-to info to LynnViehl@aol.com so I can start waving the magic wand here. My thanks to everyone for joining in and sharing so many of your sanctuary reads.

If you don't know why I'm glad this week of NaNoWriMo is over, just backtrack a few posts. I think there are weeks like this during the writing of any novel, and the key to getting over them is not to drag them along like the unnecessary baggage they are. We've been there, we've done that, now let's burn the T-shirt and move on.

There are ten days left in November to work on my NaNo novel, and while there's a national holiday right smack in the middle of them, I know I can make the time I need to write. I will be getting up an hour earlier every day, and switching my editing and writing times around (I can edit while I'm cooking a turkey, but I can't write, not unless everyone wants an extremely well done bird.) I've also rescheduled a few things that can wait for me to do them until after December 1st. In addition to all this work, I've planned to do some extra fun things to keep my spirits up, because during crunch time play is as important as the work.

The ups and downs will continue on as they always do. Just today I've received some rather bad news, some very good news, and some more work to add to the December schedule. We call this gig a juggling act because the writing life doesn't just toss you silk scarves; occasionally it throws in some chainsaws. You can't handle either if you're afraid of trying.

This last stretch of NaNoWriMo will put you to the test, and I know some of you are tired, worried and/or feeling the pressure. You may not be happy with what you've accomplished so far, and in that respect I am right there with you. But I also know I have a week and a half on my side, and I'm not going to throw that away, not when I can use it to write exactly what I want. To give that up is like being offered a free ten-day vacation and saying, "I can't go because I'm afraid I won't have a good time." No way I'm doing that.

Now it's your turn: how are things going with your NaNo novel? What are you doing to keep yourself motivated? Any early finishers out there? Let us know in comments.

Heart Warming

Cooking is one of my self-prescribed therapies, and I've already confessed to being something of an emotional baker. So it shouldn't have surprised me when my daughter picked up this cookbook for me (the kid has the gift of spooky timing.)

Author/baker Erin Bolger combines a very funny narrative of her emotional life with simple recipes that literally define making your own happiness. There are so many luscious-looking treats in this one that I may spend the whole winter trying them out on my family. I also love the hilarious titles she bestows on her many baked delights: So Far So Good Bar, Who Needs a Man on Valentine's Day Biscotti, My Eggs Are Not Getting Any Younger Crème Brûlée and I'm So Done With You and The Horse You Rode In On Haystack Cookies. I don't know when I've laughed out loud so much just reading the names of recipes.

The Happy Baker was the perfect book to land in my hands at this moment; I'm definitely going to buy some extra copies to hand out as gifts this holiday to stressed-out friends. I'm also going to send a copy to whoever wins the BookWish for my Sanctuary Reads giveaway as a little something extra to warm up your kitchen and your heart.

Sanctuary Reads

I've finally set aside the critically-acclaimed clunker from the remainder bin. While I haven't yet decided what to do with it (I've entertained various destructive fantasies which include but are not limited to burning, shredding, and strapping it to the business end of a Titan IV rocket) I am in great need of a sanctuary read.

I have a shelf of these in the book room, a special collection of poetry and novels that always restore my faith in the work. They're not just keepers and re-readers, they're healers; books that actively repair the damage done by exposure to the truly awful. e.e. cummings has bandaged the spiritual wounds inflicted on me by horrible reads more times than I can count; so have novels by Mary Balogh, Patricia Briggs, Virginia Coffman, Mark Kurlansky, Rosina Lippi, Catherine Nicholson and Nathaniel Philbrick, to name a few.

Mostly I run to them (okay, hobble) when I need to clear my head and remind myself that craft is more important than hype, not all the great storytellers are deceased, and there is always another sanctuary book out there, just waiting to be discovered. To remember that sometimes one must wade through a great deal of manure to find a rose.

Sanctuary reads have another important function, in that they offer a professional challenge. Every one of them murmurs You can do better to me the writer, and that keeps me from stagnating. After you've published enough novels and/or enjoyed a certain amount of success, it's easy to fall into the career complacency trap and believe you have nothing more to learn, and no need to improve. Instead of raising the bar for yourself, you weld it in place -- and that is probably the cause of innumerable clunkers.

Do you have a book that serves as a sanctuary read? In comments to this post, tell us the title and/or the author (or if you're still looking for one, just toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, November 19, 2010. I'll draw one name at random from everyone who participates and grant the winner a BookWish*. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

*A BookWish is any book of your choice that is available to order from an online bookseller, with a maximum cost of $30.00 U.S. (I'll throw in whatever shipping costs are involved.)