Tara Lynn Masih's Blog, page 8

Why I LOVE Goodreads (and an interview)

As Facebook goes through another massive wave of growing pains, I hear the refrain over and over, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." More and more, I turn to Goodreads as a social site. They have the right formula, I think. It ain't broke, so we'll just tweak here and there with some great improvements and features. Nothing grand to learn, no breaks in privacy, no complex changes we older gen have to keep up with, no flashing spy feed. And great motivations behind the "friends." We love books. Love to read. Simple as that.

And for me, as an author, it's offered up many more valuable connections and experiences than Facebook. I've connected with friends on my list at readings, with reviewers, and with bloggers. With that, I have to thank Rachel over at Freelance and Fiction for her current interview of me and her interest in my story collection. Where did she hear about it? On Goodreads, of course! Interview at: http://freelanceandfiction.weebly.com...

Sale at Untreed Reads

Untreed Reads is having a sale and my ebook collection is 30% off at $3.49. And check out the other great sales. Till the end of the month ...
http://store.untreedreads.com/index.p...

Borders, RIP

For anyone who doesn't already know, this is Borders' last week. As someone who grew up with bookstores only, no online stores or ereaders, walking into the store this weekend was an odd experience. I felt like one of those scrungy folks in A Christmas Carol who come to find objects they can steal from a dead body. But my New England instincts drove me forward, looking for those bargains in the dust. Bargains there were, but I wonder if the authors will see a cent. If their publishers will get paid, or go bankrupt themselves on the money owed for months. It's not a chain I spent much time in (probably part of the problem), but we are all connected in some way, and it remains to be seen what the trickle-down effect will be.

Ambrose Bierce, Master of Suspense and Compression

For anyone who is a fan of flash fiction or suspense and horror fiction, and you don't know American author Ambrose Bierce, here's a look into his past in an interview by Library of America with editor S.T. Joshi. Bierce is the author of the famous "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," one of the most reprinted stories in American lit. Read the interview at:

http://www.loa.org/images/pdf/LOA_Jos...

Note the discussion of novels and compression. Enjoy!

"The Shrunken Manuscript"

Finished a novel, and having trouble seeing the big picture? I thought this was an interesting take on editing. For those of us who are visual learners, this might be a great tactic to try. See the following blog by Darcy Pattison for instructions on shrinking your book down to viewable size.

http://www.darcypattison.com/revision...

A List of the 10 Most Disturbing Novels

An interesting list, though #1 is actually a short story and a favorite of mine. Thought this was timely in light of my recent review of Bell's The Color of Night. It should be on this list. Any others that should be on here?

http://flavorwire.com/180094/10-distu...

Thanks to Fiction Writers Review

For the blog entry on my flash fiction for Short Story Month (yes, it's that time of year again). The editor nicely posts some teaser lines and the links to some of my online flash. This is a wonderful blog, and I'm honored. So "Curl Up," and enjoy!

http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/...

Dog Star #9 on Kindle's Fiction Anthology list

Based on Amazon ratings, the Kindle version of Dog Star is at #9 in fiction anthologies. So, thanks to those of you who took time to rate it so well! And a reminder it is ON SALE for $1.50!!! Buy it while this great sale lasts. And here's the link as proof as of 4/25 (the rankings change daily, so don't hold me to this number).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/top-rated/di...

Another Free Giveaway from Untreed Reads

Already listed as a Top 10 of 2011 on Unabridged Chick's review blog, one e-version of my story collection is being offered by my publisher. Just leave a comment either after the review or the interview at http://unabridged-expression.blogspot...
DEADLINE APRIL 22! Read why even a reviewer who does not normally like short stories loves this book.

How I Got to Be on Beth Hoffman's Brava Blog

I am so thankful to the author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt for the invitation to blog on her site, and for her lovely words about my story collection. We need more important writers like her who extend a hand and say good things about fellow writers. Brava to Beth for her generosity! Here's the link to the blog post: http://bethhoffman.net/celebrating-a-...