Kelly McCullough's Blog, page 116

Smart Things (updated)

Matthew Hughes: No surrender. Just go read it. Trust me on this one.

Kristin Nelson on pitching to agents and earning out.

Ilona Andrews on publishers as gatekeepers...or not.

EMI joins the growing legions of heavyweight opposition to the Google books deal. w00t!

And here's part of why the "w00t!" above: Google books plans to turn some of those digital books it's scanned back into paper books. So, lets see, scan out-of-print books, offer the author's a pittance, and then reprint them without all ...

Smart Things

Matthew Hughes: No surrender. Just go read it. Trust me on this one.

Kristin Nelson on pitching to agents and earning out.

Ilona Andrews on publishers as gatekeepers...or not.

EMI joins the growing legions of heavyweight opposition to the Google books deal. w00t!

And here's part of why the "w00t!" above: Google books plans to turn some of those digital books it's scanned back into paper books. So, lets see, scan out-of-print books, offer the author's a pittance, and then reprint them without all ...

Monday Open WIP thread - "What's that thing with all the letters on it for, again?" Edition

Welcome to the Monday WIP post. I'm Doug, and I'll be rambling at you today.

Actually, I'm hoping to anything but ramble around the house today. After my traditional "school-is-out-and-I'm-home-with-the-kids,-maybe-I'll-get-some-writing-done,-oh-who-am-I-kidding?"hiatus, I am facing my first full day back at the computer. And while it feels good, it's also a bit daunting.

See, I had to stop working on my latest effort (Hawthorn Queen) almost exactly mid-book. Oh, I've hacked and fiddled with it...

Friday Cat Blogging—Nip Edition

Pre Nip, disapproving cats disapprove:



Need more NIP!



Leave me, I just wanna be alone with my...whasat?



Melllllooooooow:



You must give me the NIP!



Have you ever really...oh...itch...uh hi...were you talking to...



Writhing wrocks!

Wyrdsmiths Credited with Author's Success

Two Wyrdsmiths are mentioned by name in the Isanti County News's report on second place Writers' of the Future contest winner, Gary Kloster! Go team.

The Book That Wasn't....

I'm not sure that I posted the announcement here, but my publisher rejected proposals to continue the Garnet Lacey series. A sad day, but the good news is that my editor is still interested in seeing things from me, just no more Garnet.

However, I thought it might be fun to post the "books that almost were" proposals over on my other blog: tatehallaway.blogspot.com. The first one is up today, and the next two will follow over the next few days.

Even if you're not a fan of the series, you may e...

Monday Morning WIP Thread—Trim Replacement

Still working on the house more than books but that's slowly shifting. Pics below. What about y'all?

Here's the last of the counters (to be installed later)



And the back porch which is no longer slowly falling off the house:



Rotten Trim 1 (not good but...):



Rotten Trim 2 (oh my):



Rotten Trim 3 (well damn):



Patch layer 1 (structural and underlayment):



Closeup of structural work:



Trim replaced:



And painted:

Dumb Things

The Outer Alliance is highlighting a GLBTQ unfriendly decision by flash fiction online in regards to carrying an ad. Details can be found here, with further discussion at the Outer Alliance. Stupid and bigoted decision by FFO followed up with an offensive rationale for the decision, for a trifecta of dumb.

New Cover Art!

Here's the preliminary (but 99.99% finished) cover for my new young adult novel, ALMOST TO DIE FOR, which is scheduled to be an NAL Trade in August 2010.

In case you've forgotten, the back cover copy says:

On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker's present winds up being the shock of a lifetime. When her mom referred to her absentee dad as a deadbeat it was actually half true—he's a vampire. And a king, no less. A king who wants his daughter to assume her rightful position at his side...

Much Smartitude

Jay Lake on story length, lots to chew over here.

Dean Wesley Smith, turning writing truisms on their heads and shaking them hard. Fast vs. slow writing. All writing is rewriting. And, growing out of the rewrite discussion, redrafting. There's a ton of stuff in here that's really really worth reading.

James Scott Bell on keeping on keeping on and the writer's job.

Scott Lynch does a very nice smackdown on an over-entitled, whiny, "reader" who doesn't think author's should put up tip jars.

The US ...