newsletter Archives » Page 16 of 64

Stranger Will Tour Stop #73: Dan Donche’s blog – a reaction video to Donche’s website (Video Blog Ep 003)

November 11, 2011

I've been making a few videos lately. They aren't well-produced by any means, but hopefully they bring a smile to 80% of people who watch them (for the other 20% I hope for frowns; got to maintain my street cred, right?). Today my blog tour brings me to Dan Donche's blog where I offer a reaction video of me watching content on his website. It's meta. Click here to watch the guest post video. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff. UPDATE: Here's the video for your viewing pleasure.

[Guest Post] The importance bringing people together through fiction by Jane Smith

November 10, 2011

This is a guest post by Jane Smith. Jane Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. If you’re reading this, you’d likely agree that nothing delivers the same intellectual delight as reading a compelling work of fiction. Generations of writers and casual readers alike have sought shelter in the sheer joy of reading as a means of escape or as a landscape by which to navigate and explore their imagination. The long line of omnivorous consumers of books from Gutenberg to you, dear reader, stands as a testament to the universal allure of the bound volume. But for all the draw to reading, there’s an complicit solitude involved; while reading engrosses us, it simultaneously isolates us from sharing the experience with others by virtue of being a solitary activity. This truth is particularly difficult to bear when we read a work that blows our minds or takes our breath away; there’s…

How to standardize your author name for search engines

November 10, 2011

The always wonderful Jane Friedman recently posted and responded to a question from a writer about the standardization of an author name and how search engines interpret (or cannot interpret) the various spellings of a single author’s name. I won’t post Jan O’Hara’s entire question here, but definitely check it out. A representative excerpt follows: Depending upon the blogging platform I’m using, it variously codes my name as OHara, O’Hara, O\Hara, or Hara...While some search engines or bookselling sites prompt the reader to find the correct spelling, this is not consistent. I cannot be guaranteed a reader who searches for “ohara” will be sent on to “O’Hara.” This is an important dilemma. In fact, it’s one I myself have wrestled with for years. The truth is, way back in 2000 or so when I first started seriously considering a career as an author, I went by Caleb Ross (sans the…

Stranger Will Tour Stop #72: Bukowski’s Basement – Writing in Weird Places

November 9, 2011

I drop by Bukowski's Basement today to offer a few words on the romance of writing to unique locales. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

A short list of books I own, are currently within reaching distance, but have not yet been read

November 8, 2011

Not enough time. The forever growing stack of to-reads will never be tamed due to this one simple fact. Though I read every day, sometimes for hours at a time, I'm never able to get to all of the books I feel deserve to be read. With that, I bring you this short list of to-reads that I own already but have, embarrassingly, not had the chance to read. Why this post? Perhaps to keep me honest. Or, perhaps a way to get a few people to comment with variations of "what?" and "how could you?" To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Is my procrastination justified? No. This book was required reading in high school, yet I managed to coast by with barely even cracking the spine. Back then I was not into reading. I existed on a steady intellectual diet of video games and Family Guy. Even if the message…

Stranger Will Tour Stop #71: Tom Williams’ blog – In Defense of Concept Fiction

November 7, 2011

For this post, so graciously hosted by Tom Williams, author of the incredible The Mimic's Own Voice, I was going to take the title of his book literally and write something verbatim from one of Tom's previous posts. But then I realized that such a thing would be stupid. Instead I write about something that I feel I am always defending, so I figure it's time I write a post about it. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #70: Chris Deal’s blog – more comics created using author bio pictures

November 3, 2011

Author bio photos often seem to me as stuffy, strangely manicured posturing that is supposed to be a way to connect the reader to the author (and drive sales), but do they work? I'm not sure. However, they are good for displaying humorous captions. Check some out today at Chris Deal's blog. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.