David Abrams's Blog, page 126

Friday Freebie: The Home Place by Carrie La Seur

Congratulations to Carl Scott, winner of last week's Friday Freebie, Life Drawing by Robin Black.

This week's book giveaway is The Home Place by Carrie La Seur.  I'm very pleased to bring this debut novel by a fellow Montanan to your attention.  Wiley Cash (author of This Dark Road to Mercy ) had these words of praise for the book: "The Home Place is a lot of things: a mystery, a crime drama, a family saga, and--most importantly--a very, very good book.”  I'm all about putting ve...

Trailer Park Tuesday: Liberty's Torch by Elizabeth Mitchell

Welcome to Trailer Park Tuesday, a showcase of new book trailers and, in a few cases, previews of book-related movies.




Elizabeth Mitchell's history of the Statue of Liberty shines a beacon light from its place near the top of my To-Be-Read pile, and this witty, quick-moving trailer will give you a good idea why I'm really looking forward to reading the book.   Liberty's Torch is subtitled "The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty" and, as Mitchell tells it, what an adventure it w...

My First Time: Kelly Barnhill

Photo by Bruce Silcox My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands.  Today’s guest is Kelly Barnhill, author of The Witch's Boy , which has just been published under the Algonquin Young Readers imprint.  Kelly Barnhill lives in Minnesota with her husband, three children, and very old dog.  Her debut nov...

Sunday Sentence: Bicentennial by Dan Chiasson

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


          In high school we had parties in the woods
          In the winter, and we rode snowmobiles
          Higher and higher until we were high enough

          Nobody could see any sign of our fire.
          If there was a girl you liked, you sort of
   ...

Afraid of the Machine: Technophobia in Modern Literature

By Brandon Engel

Technophobia, defined by Merriam-Webster as a “fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices,” has been used by science-fiction, horror and fantasy authors as a tool for playing on the innate fears of technophobic readers since the idea first took hold during the Industrial Revolution, as skilled workers in the textile trade began to be replaced by framing machines and powered looms, operated by lower-paid, unskilled workers.

A group of textile craftsmen, known as...

Books Are Not Garden Tools or Diapers or Flat-Screen TVs: The Authors Guild weighs in on Amazon-Hachette dispute

Yesterday, Authors Guild members received an open letter written by novelist Richard Russo ( Bridge of Sighs ), co-Vice President of the Guild, on the Amazon-Hachette dispute.  Because this is a blog which is both writer- and reader-centric, I thought I'd share Mr. Russo's thoughts with you--primarily because his words are some of the most reasonable and balanced I've read in this debate thus far.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this latest book world brouhaha, a brief primer.  At...

Friday Freebie: Life Drawing by Robin Black

Congratulations to Heather Johnson , winner of last week's Friday Freebie 10-book bonanza: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Labor Day by Joyce Maynard, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan, The Explanation for Everything by Lauren Grodstein, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, The Tilted World by Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly, Note to Self by Alina Simone, Tampa by Alissa Nutting, and Guests on Earth by Lee Smith.

This week's giveaway is Robin...

God is in the Emails: A conversation between Lydia Netzer and Alyson Foster

This is what happens when two novelists come together to talk about outer space: you get some big meaty chunks in the conversation.  Lydia Netzer, author of How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky , recently talked with Alyson Foster, author of God is an Astronaut .  They've kindly allowed me to share part of the interview with Quivering Pen readers.  I thought the pairing of the two writers was particularly apt given the fact that Lydia's debut novel, Shine Shine Shine , was about...

My First Time: Angela Pneuman

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands.  Today’s guest is Angela Pneuman, author of the just-released Lay It On My Heart .  This debut novel tells the story of one unforgettable month in a Kentucky girl’s thirteenth year.  Julie Orringer, author of The Invisible Bridge , said Lay It On My Heart “e...

Sunday Sentence: Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I've read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


She takes him to a party at a friend's apartment, a chain-smoking assemblage of writers and intellectuals.  John H does not speak French well enough to follow their conversation, which whirls and flashes like a festival, but he gathers she loves to argue, her tongue quick as a matador's cape.
Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks