Natasha Deen's Blog, page 74

5 Stars–Barnabas Bigfoot: A Close Shave by Marty Chan

Okay, seriously, how does Marty Chan do it? I'm reading this book and thinking it's fun, it's good, and then suddenly, I'm realizing some of the big issues the novel addresses, and once again, I'm amazed at Chan's ability to talk about important things without preaching.  Genius.

Back to the review.

It's a great book: funny, socially conscious, appropriate for kids/early teens with enough intelligence to make it a fun read for adults.

My Top Five Reasons to read the book:

The hair...

How to Start a Monday

Drinking tea while you feel your dog's breath on your skin as he falls asleep in your arms.

Saturday Funny

And the Dilemma Continues - Trestle Press in Trouble

At last night's meeting, one of our members brought it to our attention that Trestle Press is in trouble for using copyrighted images, without permission or payment, for their artwork.
Here's my disclaimer: I've never worked with the owner of TP, though I had a couple of opportunities to meet Giovanni Gelati when he signed up as a host for two of my internet book tours (with Partners in Crime Book Tours). So, while I found him a fun person to chat with, I can't really speak to the current s...

A Follow Up on Simon & Howard's Posts

Simon & Howard's thought provoking posts got me thinking about how subjective this industry is.  I think that's one of the hardest things about being a writer—there are no clearly defined roads to walk down, no schools you can attend and get a diploma that labels you a "writer" and thus deserving of an agent or publisher.

I've had friends who wrote for ten years before landing an agent, friends who have had to fire their agents (or been let go by the agency), folks who wrote their first...

Agent Contest

Agent Natalie Fischer Lakosil from the Bradford Literary Agency will be judging the contest, which opens at 9 am EST on Monday, January 30th.

The contest entry window is 24 hours and will end at 9:00 am Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, January 31st.

This contest is open to the following genres:

Commercial fiction, with an emphasis in children's literature (from picture book to teen), romance (contemporary, paranormal and historical), and upmarket women's fiction. Specific likes within ...

Why I Love Morgan Freeman

I was watching a documentary on MF, and he was talking about being interviewed/auditioned for a disaster movie in the late '70s/early'80s…the director calls him in and asks, "What do you think?"

To which Morgan replies, "You have a movie about 7 scientists, a cook, a caretaker, and a mechanic. All the scientists are white, the cook, caretaker, & mechanic are black. How do you think I feel?"

Needless to say, he adds, he didn't get the job, but he said he refused to "take any part that...

Toronto Star Writing Contest

You can win up to $5000. Details here.

Twitter Spam

If you get a direct message with: "You seen what this person is saying about you?" just delete it. It's spam.

True Grime Gets 4th for 2011's Book of the Year

Thanks to everyone who voted!