Jane Litte's Blog, page 975

REVIEW: Capturing the Silken Thief by Jeannie Lin

"Tang Dynasty China, 823 A.D.

Musician Jia needs a valuable book of poems by a famous courtesan to buy her freedom…and she believes Luo Cheng has taken it. Her attempt to steal the book from him fails, but the tall and powerful scholar unexpectedly offers to help her quest! But when they finally find the book–and the arousing poems and artwork inside–Jia's longing for freedom is replaced with a new kind of desire for Cheng…."

Dear Ms Lin,

This is the first book of yours I've read. I think...

REVIEW: Wedded in Scandal by Jade Lee

Dear Ms. Lee,

I fell head over heels in love with your hero in the very first few paragraphs of your novel, Wedded in Scandal.

"Yer wants to go in there? But, er, why?"

Robert Percy, Viscount Redhill, ignored the mine manager and began stripping off his coat and gloves. They were in the shack outside a coal mine that his father had purchased in a fit of drunken entrepreneurship. Sadly, the earl didn't fall down in his cups like a normal person. No, instead he bought businesses, which Robert...

Tuesday News and Deals: DABWAHA Updates, Asian Sexuality and Deals.

News

Second Chance Bracket:

Bracket busted? You get a Second Chance! Starting with the Sweet 16, pick your winners – and there's prizes for this tourney, too!

Deadline:  3/21/2012 at 11:59:00 PM ET

This is a separate contest – your picks in this tourney don't override your picks in the main tourney, in other words. The winner of the 2nd Chance Bracket will receive a Kindle Fire, a $100 Amazon giftcard, and an ARC of Echoes at Dawn, book 5 in the KGI series from author Maya Banks.

2nd place in the ...

Are Fictional Characters Copyrightable?

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Short Answer: It depends.

Longer Answer:

The courts have constructed a two part test to determine if characters enjoy copyright.  This test has been unevenly applied across the circuit courts (the courts just below the US Supreme Court).  The first test is to determine whether the character is capable of copyright.  In other words, a vague, undeveloped character may not even be capable of copyright.    This test is known as the "distinct delineation" threshold.

Distinct Delineation Threshold

Judg...

REVIEW: The Silicon Mage by Barbara Hambly

Computer programmer Joanna Sheraton must rescue an imprisoned wizard to save the universe from destruction.

There was a time when Joanna Sheraton knew nothing of the Void. She was an ordinary computer programmer, toiling in a cubicle in air-conditioned Southern California comfort, unaware that sinister forces had penetrated her universe. But from across the interdimensional divide, an evil mage had put in motion a scheme for eternal life, by transferring himself into a computer that feeds on...

Monday Dear Author News

First up we have the winners of the Molly O'Keefe ARC and the Caitlin Crews novel.  We are giving these away in conjunction with a beautiful post by the two authors on Shame and the Romance Heroine.    Winners have been emailed and requested to please fill out the form at the bottom.

Next, we have a couple of new features at Dear Author.  First is an Author Cloud. This is a representation of every author we have reviewed here at DA.  We will be deploying more features surrounding this in the c...

REVIEW: Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould

Dear Ms. Gould,

I love stories that feature relationships between female relatives, especially sisters and cousins close in age. I also love the idea of an all-female secret society that controls the world from the shadows. So when I saw that your novel combined the two, I snatched it up with excitement. Unfortunately, I discovered that might have been premature.

Laura della Scala is the younger of two sisters. Because her overambitious father didn't want to pay two dowries when it came time f...

Fan Fiction, Slash, and M/M Romance

Sarah: My experience with fanfiction comes from two different directions: as a Jane Austen scholar and as a reader of m/m romance.

I have to say from the start that I don't willingly read fan fiction. I know that it can be a wonderful thing for writers and readers and fan communities, as Jan and Has so brilliantly attested. I certainly don't think other people shouldn't read it. It's just not for me. RPS creeps me out and I'm uninterested in reading alternate or continuing storylines from...

DA/SBTB Bestseller List Ending March 13, 2012

Week ending March 13, 2012

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel by Jonathan Safran Foer A | BN | K | S | A Moneyball by Michael Lewis A | BN | K | S | A Unfinished Business by Nora Roberts A | BN | K | S | A Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison A | BN | K | S | A A Match Made in Scandal (Donally Family) by Melody Thomas A | BN | K | S | A The Mistress Diaries (Avon Romantic Treasure) by Julianne MacLean A | BN | K | S | A Marry Me (Marrying Miss Bright) by Susan Kay...

Fan Fiction, Plagiarism, and Copyright

Introduction:

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The issues of plagiarism and copyright overlap in fan fiction (and fiction in general) causing a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding.  Wholesale copying without attribution (giving credit to the source) is plagiarism but not always copyright infringement.  Copyright infringement can happen even when credit is being given.  This piece attempts to talk about the two in a broad sense. None of the following should be considered legal advice.  If you have a specific legal...