Tara Lynn Masih's Blog, page 11

Bronze for Field Guide!

I'm very happy that our small little guide book packed a big enough punch to receive the bronze medal from the ForeWord committee for Book of the Year in writing. Really, check it out if you haven't yet. It's a great guide for anyone who writes, not just flash writers. And thanks to all of you who have read it and supported it this past year!

Male Readers vs. Female Readers and Tempting Reviews

I just got a dream review from Small Press Reviews, written by Marc Schuster. It prompted me to contemplate how many of the reviewers who have weighed in on my recent story collection have been men. Yet more women have been buying the book. Sometimes, it's like pulling teeth to get a man to buy the book at an event, and if they do, they have me sign it to their wives or female friends. It's as if they automatically feel that if a woman wrote it, it won't be of interest to them (I wonder if they read it in secret before passing it on). Now, there are men who have marked it to read on goodreads, and they are certainly a more enlightened bunch.

I hope more men will consider the works of contemporary women authors, as many of us are going into territory that is considered at the furthest reach "male" subject matter, and at the very least matter that is important to both genders. Thoughts?

Here's the review. See if it tempts! http://smallpressreviews.wordpress.co...

A Mark Twain Autobiography!

Exciting news for Twain fans. Apparently he dictated an epic autobiography and instructed that it not be published for 100 years. Well, we've reached that milestone. Here is the Times article. I hope it will feature more than the scandal they are promoting here. I hope we get a peek into much, much more.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.u...

#7 on B&N

OK, not their complete bestseller list, but happy to see Dog Star climb and reach a high of #7 on their new story collection bestseller list for Feb-March. And a thank you to Jane's Stories Press Foundation for listing it as recommended reading in their latest newsletter. All good as I gear up for my first trip to AWP. Hope to see some of you there for the first time! I hear it's a lot of fun.

Great Beginnings

I'm wiped out by this past week's events, but happy. The Field Guide was listed as a favorite anthology of 2009 by Fiction Writers Review, and the story collection garnered a great review from Publishers Weekly online. Plus, the launch party on Tuesday was packed, and we sold out! Thanks to some goodreads friends who attended.

PW Review: http://www.publishersweekly.com/artic...

First Book Review in from BookLoons

You all are the first to see the first review of my new story collection. It's been a tough month waiting for a review, any review, and I opened the link with trepidation. But it's all good! Elizabeth Schulenburg did a great job of understanding the book and the characters.

http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Revi...

J D Salinger Guest Blog

For anyone not yet tired about opinions on JD Salinger's passing, here's my short take on his choice for privacy in today's publishing market. If you care to, weigh in on what you think might be a writer's first most valuable property.

http://quotesonwriting.blogspot.com/2...

"SIx Questions For" interview

For any aspiring writers, here's an interview I did for a wonderful new blog that publishes editors' answers to all those writing/submission questions you have. Mine is up for a week, then will be archived. Note there are other interviews to check out as well.

http://sixquestionsfor.blogspot.com/2...

free copies of Where the Dog Star Never Glows!

We had some issues with Amazon starting to sell my book before the release date, but that's all cleared up now. If you are one of the lucky ones who are getting an early peek, do let me know what you think. In the meantime, we ARE giving away 3 free copies on goodreads giveaway. Here's the link. The site admins. make the choice of who gets them, but it's often based on how active you are in doing reviews. Hope you win!

All best!

Tara

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

The Writer Reviews the Field Guide

Great review in the Dec. issue of The Writer (I found it at Barnes & Noble). A thrill to pull the one-page review off the racks!