Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in isabelswift's LiveJournal:

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Friday, June 26th, 2009
12:22 pm	My Body of Content, My Choice Many of you have heard of the suit the Association of American Publishers and the Author's Guild (a class action suit) brought against Google in response to Google's plans to digitize copyrighted content without the copyright holder's permission. Google additionally gives a complete digital copy to the libraries from whom they were getting the content, to do with what they wanted. While Google said they were only planning on using "snippets" (not a legally defined quantity, so it's whatever they decide) to aid in search, and felt that the open wording of Fair Use would cover them in making entire copies of protected material, Publishers and the Author's Guild did not agree. Both Publishers and the Author's Guild felt that anyone making a full copy of a copyrighted work should ask the copyright holder's permission. After two years of negotiation, a Settlement was reached, which you also may also have heard about. The Settlement has been delayed and there will be fairness hearings on October 7th. Now it seems that everyone and their kitchen sink is weighing in with issues, and the settlement may not go through. That would not be good news, in my opinion. While the settlement is by no means perfect, it's a start. Without it, content creators and publishers are left very vulnerable on the digital frontier. And it is literally a frontier. To continue the metaphor, settlers are going out in their covered wagons, putting stakes in the ground, claiming the open land. It's not an easy life, and initially, fortune seems to favor lawlessness. But once enough people move out there, laws become increasingly important to be able to survive and thrive as a society. You've seen the movies–it's a challenging process, but respecting property and creating and abiding by a rule of law is a key next step. That's what needs to happen on the digital frontier, and the settlement is a great first step. The settlement needs advocates–authors, publishers, content creators of all kinds–to counter the 'all digital content should be free and accessible to all' voices, also the 'I'm a competitor of Google and I don't want them to get anything' guys with deep pockets. I'm sure there are more--and likely more compellingly presented–arguments! They may have some valid points. But if they succeed in blocking the settlement, they sure aren't replacing it with anything better. We're just back to the frontier, where having copyright will not protect your content from being fully digitized by anyone (Google, Microsoft, Jane Doe, whoever). It will be used as they see fit, banking on the ambiguity of Fair Use to protect them until something is so egregious, someone sues them. Is this sounding familiar? For those that don't see the problem of making a full digital copy, here is my metaphor: If I want to show (or not show) parts of my body to the public–maybe I wear a short skirt, or maybe I wear a scarf, or maybe I go topless in a particular place–that's my choice. But to those that want to take a full body scan of all of me–yes, EVEN if you promise you'll only show little bits, even if it's for medical reasons–you have to ask me. My body of content, my choice. John Sargent, an AAP member, was featured in an interview in the June 8th issue of Publishers Weekly (Sargent Makes the Case). Additionally, Tom Allen, the new CEO of the AAP had a recent op-ed in Publisher's Weekly. In recent days some strong arguments in favor of the Settlement have also appeared in print from individuals who are not party to the Settlement. Reuter's financial columnist Mark Gimien has a recent piece "In Defense of Google Books" which describes the benefits and goes on to debunk some of the myths that have been circulating with great clarity and is well worth reading. Another is a letter to the Financial Time"Booklovers should cheer Google’s plan" from David Balto a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and former Policy Director of the Federal Trade Commission. These should offer a better understanding of what’s at stake. I also wanted to include some broad information about the Settlement and why it seems a very positive step. Take a moment to review the points. Romance may not be on the front lines of what is at issue, but the principal affects us all, and we need to stand together: Millions of copyright-protected books are out of print and largely out of reach, available only through the largest research libraries in the country. The Google Book Settlement announced in October 2008–the result of 30 months of negotiations between and among authors, publishers, university libraries and Google–changes all that, working a revolution in the access to knowledge. If approved by the court, the settlement will: • Provide readers and researchers with access to millions of out-of-print books, many of which are currently difficult or impossible for readers to obtain, in a searchable online database. • Turn every public library building in the U.S. into a world-class research facility by providing free access to the online portal of out-of-print books. • Permit any college or university in the U.S. to subscribe to the same rich database of out-of-print books. • Give new commercial life to millions of books, while protecting the economic rights of authors and publishers. If not approved by the court, the litigation between AAP, the Authors Guild and Google may continue for years, and with a great risk that authors and publishers will have no effective means to stop the widespread use of copyrighted material that is likely to follow. I. Benefits for Readers and Researchers The settlement unlocks a vast archive of out-of-print books, providing readers and researchers with far greater access to books than ever before. Access at your public library. The settlement turns every library into a world-class research facility, by offering every public library building in the U.S.–all 16,500 of them–a free online portal to millions of out-of-print books. Access at colleges and universities. The settlement offers students and teachers in even the smallest and most remote American colleges and universities access, through institutional subscriptions, to millions of books previously available only in the largest academic libraries in the country. Faculty members and students will be able to tap into this library from their offices and dorm rooms. Access at your computer. Anyone online in the U.S. will have free “preview” access to hundreds of millions of pages of text (up to 20% of each book). Review hundreds of accounts of the Battle of Vicksburg, or of the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, or of the sources and interpretation of Moby Dick, at no charge. Find one book particularly compelling? Buy access to the entire book. Access to public domain books is free, of course, and authors controlling the rights to their books can choose to give away access for free. II. Benefits for Authors and Publishers Out of print books have value, but that value is lost to the market and to authors and publishers. The settlement breathes new commercial life into out-of-print books, while leaving the existing market for in-print books alone. Find new readers. Out-of-print books need no longer be relegated to the used book market. The settlement will make out-of-print works available to hundreds of millions of readers, through ad-supported previews, sales of online editions, and institutional subscriptions. If a book catches on, there will be sales data to prove it, which may create an opportunity to bring the work back into print in traditional form. In-print books are unaffected. A cardinal rule in the negotiations was not to disturb the market for in-print books. Titles that are in print won’t be made available through any of the means described in the settlement, unless the author and publisher expressly want them to be. A Book Rights Registry to protect rightsholders. A non-profit registry governed by authors and publishers will oversee the settlement on their behalf, to help make sure rightsholders receive the benefits they’re entitled to. (Sign up for the Registry by filing a claim at googlebooksettlement.com.) A fair share of revenues. 63% of gross revenues go to authors and publishers; Google keeps 37%. Funds will be paid to the Book Rights Registry, which will pay authors and publishers after retaining a modest administrative fee. If rights have reverted to authors, they will receive 100% of the rightsholder revenue. Unprecedented control for authors and publishers. Authors and publishers will manage their rights through an account management page at the Book Rights Registry. Authors who control rights to their works, for example, may choose to allow Google to display ad-supported previews of books, sell online editions (authors may set the price or let an algorithm do it for them), and license the work to colleges and universities, or they may choose to block all display uses. Authors can change their minds, at any time, with reasonable notice. What if a book comes back into traditional print? The rightsholder can then simply turn off all display uses, if it chooses, and permit the publisher to sell the work through standard retail outlets. Authors’ estates, too. Authors’ estates exercise the same rights as authors. At least $45 million in payments for unauthorized scanning. Any of Google’s digitizing of in-copyright books done before May 5, 2009 is considered unauthorized under the settlement. Google will pay to obtain a release of these copyright infringement claims. Under the settlement, Google will pay at least $60 and as much as $300 to rightsholders for each book that it scanned without authority, for a total payment to rightsholders of at least $45 million. III. Benefits for All Viable Market. The settlement creates a viable economic structure for a new digital market of on-line access to out-of-print and lesser known works. Encourages competition. The settlement encourages competition by making non-exclusive all the rights granted to Google in the Agreement and by empowering the Book Rights Registry to negotiate arrangements with Google’s competitors. Well, if you've gotten this far, congratulations and thank you! I want to continue to inform and clarify this issue for the community. We need educated advocates to support this important step. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 18th, 2009
1:18 am	Do you make Lists? Well, in addition to "To Buy" lists or the more mundane "To Do" lists? Years ago I created another kind of list & recently revived it. The summer after high school graduation, a girlfriend & I decided to travel and settled on hitchhiking around England for a month. In addition to planning our itinerary, we also developed The List (as it applied to the UK). It contained things that we felt were quintessentially of the place, and enumerated things we wanted to have experienced before the holiday was over. The list "ingredients" didn't have to be difficult to achieve; that wasn't the issue. It was meant to measure what we felt was a true and full experience of a new environment. I can't remember the exact elements for the UK List, but it was things like: 1) eat fish & chips 2) see Buckingham Palace & the changing of the guards 3) drive in a London taxi cab 4) see someone in a kilt 5) visit a castle 6) see Shakespeare at Stratford-on-Avon 7) buy an umbrella 8) drive in a Rolls Royce 9) go to Hyde Park 10) be invited to tea... You get the picture. We would argue and add things to the list as their quintessential-ness was discovered and determined. Recently I went on a road trip with the same friend some 35+ years later. She lives in Alabama, so we went on a trip around the area. I found myself creating a list--it sort of was made as it happened instead of beforehand. But we argued through the essentialness of the ingredients, and I think we pulled together a good collection. I realize it is a girl list. You boys will just have to work on your own. Here it is: The Deep South List: 1) Receive an Unsolicited Greeting (i.e. hello) My friend didn't think this should count as a key indicator of Southern-ness. I really had to explain that NO-ONE in New York would say hello to a stranger walking down the street--you'd think they were pan-handling. 2) Courtly Solicitation #1 was men & women; this is just for women--Male interactions with females are often touched with a decorous flirtation, a sense of 'Southern Charm,' an awareness and appreciation of your femaleness, e.g. 'I always stop for pretty girls,' or have door held for you.. 3) Bitten by Ants Apparently, this is standard. I can vouch for it happening. 4) Drive on a dirt road; visit a farm/meet a farmer; wait for Cows to clear the road The South has its share of cities and industry, but rural South seemed quintessentially Southern, not found elsewhere, and needed to be experienced. I didn't get a photo of him, but our farmer was driving a tractor...not unlike the one pictured on the billboard below... 5) Roadside Attractions One of the carved living tree in Tinglewood, ALA and Bourbon St. New Orleans, LA 6) Breakfast with Good Ole Boys, eat Grits with Unidentified butterlike substance OK, he's not a Good Ole Boy, he's the god of the forge, Vulcan, who presides over Birmingham, ALA. Magnificent, isn't he? And I know you're distracted, but really, there's no butter in the South. My grits came with a pat proudly announcing it was 40% margarine. It never told me what the other 60% was and I was too scared to ask.... 7) Tea: Sweet/Unsweet Well, I may have to make an exception for New Orleans, where it was hard to find anyone who'd give me sweet tea--it was all DIY. You do have to specify "Hot tea" if that's your preference, as tea = ice tea. 8) Being asked where you come from Yes, this would also be on a California list--but it's just not Northeast in my experience & always startles me & reminds me I am somewhere away from home. In some parts of the South, I am sure you are asked where you are going--i.e. which grave yard will you be joining--to better understand your status. Location, location, location. 9) y'all 10) Cotton fields Well, I hadn't thought of posting while I was traveling, so didn't take appropriate photos, just captured a few things that appealed. Here's a a rather remarkable ironwork cornstalk fence in New Orleans. 11) Church signage with admonishions, instructions, information about Jesus I regret not having photographed some of the Church signage: you have to see it to get it. Here's one man's front yard sculpture--it captures some of the spirit. And here we are with our trusty black bug at the end of the trip. Think of the photo as modern art, creating a sense of immediacy and motion (and covering any bad hair or poor clothing choices). Since we created out list as we went, we were sure to accomplish every one. Do you make lists? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 4th, 2009
9:49 pm	The Final Four of Everything... The Bracketology book: The Final Four of Everything is out now with my contribution on Best American Romances. As I don't profit from the sales, I figure it's OK to be excited about it. I had solicited your opinions and am indebted to many for their thoughtful, challenging and helpful responses (I also post on other blogs and asked my Facebook friends to help!). The Bracketology concept is simply taking what we see every year with the NCAA Basketball playoffs: selecting the top 32 teams & pairing them against each other to get to Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, the Final Four and then the two top players' final match to declare a winner and applying it to things other than basketball. Bracketology is a great decision-making tool, a fund of entertaining argument (you may recall in Diner, the pitting of Sinatra Vs Mathis for who offered the best "music to make-out to," clearly a Bracketology moment) and it's a great way to clarify your own thinking. Check out p.114 to see where the world of American Romance Novel's square off. I tried to capture samples from what I saw as significant sub-genres (romantic comedies, futuristic, inspirational, time-travel, multi-cultural, etc.) If you don't like the choices and didn't help out, then you have only yourself to blame! And hey--it (and I) even got mentioned in the May 12 New York Times Paper Cuts by Gregory Cowles. This book takes the Bracketology concept further, to 150 different segments. Check out categories like Movie Gunfights, Lousy Husbands, Celebrity Mugshots, First Ladies, Untimely Deaths. It's a great compilation from some impressive experts: Roz Chast, Manohla Dargis, Mary Matalin, Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf, A.O. Scott, and of course me. It's guaranteed to make you think, disagree, and want to use the method to build your own version. There's a blank sample to fill in in the book. But also, the publisher, Simon & Schuster, has created a truly fabulous site. You can amend the existing brackets or make you own--which are posted and can be send to friends and foes alike. Check it out--you'll never think about your preferences in the same way again! Enjoy! (Comment on this)
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
9:43 am	Trees My childhood reading of Greek mythology and the Narnia books has meant trees are always magical to me. I love them in the winter, when no leaves obscure the beauty and remarkable uniqueness of their shape--each branch drawing a different line against the sky, gnarly, delicate, twiggy, smooth and reaching for the heavens. So Spring is bittersweet, bringing a future of rustling bushy green blobs. But Washington, D.C. offers such a feast of spring attire, I thought I'd share. Sure, you've likely heard of the Cherry Blossoms, but D.C. is a citywide feast of flowering trees. Here are a few favorites in my neighborhood: I don't know what kind this is at 3236 N St NW--it has little snowball blossoms. I love this Weeping Cherry at 3053 P St NW. Here it is again with its companion Tulip tree. The house is a lovely frame. The Tulip tree is beautiful against the gray stone of the Lutheran Church on Wisconsin Avenue and Volta Place. This little Weeping Cherry is very elegant at 3201 P St NW. I don't know what this red blossoming tree is at 3025 P St. NW, but it is bushy and enthusiastic. It kind of clashes with the painted red brick behind it, though. I fantasize about painting its companion house a dark cream... Another Tulip tree by St John's Church on O St and Potomac NW. Technically they're called a Tulip Magnolia and are a hybrid. When they lose their petals, the sidewalks can get a bit slimey. Yes, this ebullient row of Apple (maybe) borders the Georgetown Safeway Parking Lot. No one told them they should be dressing down for the environment. Here is an alley beside 1235 Potomac St NW that started me off on this post. Just to remind us that "beauty is its own excuse for being" (Emerson) and that trees don't need a proper setting or occasion, they just do their job wherever they are. And I appreciate that. (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 28th, 2009
6:19 pm	Information about the Google Settlement The Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Author's Guild launched a lawsuit against Google. Below is some background and information that might impact you. Authors need to be notified about the Google Litigation Settlement Agreement. In October 2008, AAP announced that a Settlement Agreement had been reached which, upon court approval, would resolve the two pending Google Book Search copyright infringement lawsuits – a class action suit brought against Google by the Authors Guild, and a separate suit brought against Google by five AAP members supported by AAP. Because it resolves a class action lawsuit, the Settlement Agreement, if approved, will affect the rights of all book authors, book publishers and other persons – both inside and outside the United States – who own a U.S. copyright interest in books or certain other copyrighted works that Google, without permission, has scanned or may scan and display. It is important that such “class members” receive timely notice of the Settlement Agreement so they may exercise their rights and options, including whether to opt out of the settlement or, if not, claim their books. With AAP, the Authors Guild and Google are coordinating notice efforts to ensure that their combined actions will satisfy the class action legal requirement to provide “the best notice practicable under the circumstances, including individual notice to all members who can be identified through reasonable effort.” This is an effort to provide direct notice of the Settlement Agreement to authors and direct them to the official settlement website at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com. Please pass this on to anyone you feel might be impacted or interested. Thanks for your help. (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 15th, 2009
12:48 pm	HQE Press Release: To create a series of Mystery Case Files books & Harlequin Presents games Wanted to share a Harlequin Press Release, FYI... Market leaders to create a series of Mystery Case Files books and Harlequin Presents games Toronto and Seattle, January 23, 2009—Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, and Big Fish Games™, the world’s leading online destination for games and interactive entertainment, today announced a new licensing partnership. In the summer of 2009, Big Fish Games will begin publishing interactive games inspired by Harlequin Presents, the most popular romance-novel series in the world, which regularly tops eRetailer and retail bookstore bestseller lists. These games will be sold on line exclusively at www.bigfishgames.com and at all major retail stores. In the second quarter of 2010, Harlequin will begin publishing a branded series of books inspired by Mystery Case Files®, Big Fish Games’ award-winning franchise with over 3 million units sold. These novels will be written by Harlequin’s bestselling authors. Harlequin will be the first to publish women’s mystery fiction for Big Fish Games. “We are delighted to be Big Fish Games’ partner in this venture,” said Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin Enterprises. “Our companies share vast and rapidly growing female audiences. Our partnership with Big Fish Games will allow us to engage our customers in a truly unique manner.” “The Harlequin and Big Fish Games brands are an excellent match,” said Jeremy Lewis, President and CEO of Big Fish Games. “Harlequin has a uniquely talented team, and we are thrilled to be collaborating with them in bringing these exclusive new products to our worldwide consumer base.” In 2008, Harlequin sold 130 million books and enjoyed a total of 252 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. Almost half of all romance readers read Harlequin, and the company has some 13 million series readers. Harlequin sold a book every 4.1 seconds in 2008 and has sold 5.76 billion books since its inception. Also in 2008, Big Fish Games served its global customer base nearly 400 million games. About Harlequin Enterprises Limited Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 29 languages and sold in 107 international markets. The company produces more than 120 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,200 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 19 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or press.eHarlequin.com. About Big Fish Games Big Fish Games is the world’s leading online destination for games and interactive entertainment. Based in Seattle, Washington, Big Fish Games offers “A New Game Every Day™”. Big Fish Games works with more than 500 game developers and distributes over 1 million games per day to consumers worldwide. Big Fish Games Studios develops and publishes some of the industry’s leading brands, including Mystery Case Files®, Hidden Expedition®, Azada™ and Fairway Solitaire™. For more information, please visit www.mysterycasefiles.com and www.bigfishgames.com. (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
7:15 pm	Harlequin: Celebrating 60 years of pure reading pleasure - 60 years - 5.8 billion books sold - 2,700 authors - 34,000 titles - 640 bestseller placements - 1 Publisher To thank our many readers for taking Harlequin into your hearts and homes for 60 years and making us the world’s leading publisher of romantic fiction, Harlequin is giving every woman in America a free book. In fact, we’re giving away 16 free Books that you can download from our website, starting January 29! Please share this giveaway with friends, family, neighbors – and with that colleague or acquaintance you know would love a romance if she (or he!) would just read one.... Here's a list of the free books: Harlequin Harlequin American Romance, Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren Harlequin Blaze, Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly Harlequin Historical, His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls Harlequin Intrigue, Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels Harlequin Presents, Price of Passion by Susan Napier Harlequin Romance, The Bride’s Baby by Liz Fielding Harlequin Superromance, Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson Silhouette Silhouette Desire, Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child Silhouette Nocturne, Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf Silhouette Romantic Suspense, Stranded with a Spy by Merline Lovelace Silhouette Special Edition, Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne Steeple Hill Love Inspired Love Inspired, A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight Love Inspired Historical, Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart Love Inspired Suspense, Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry Kimani Kimani Romance, Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson Nascar Nascar, Speed Dating by Nancy Warren You have to admit that is one compelling line up of great authors and great stories--something for everyone! You can download the books as a PDF or as an eBook. Moreover, in a couple of weeks you will be able to download a version for your iPhone. Harlequin has a lot more celebrating planned throughout the year for their 60th anniversary including: The Harlequin Famous Firsts Collection: – In March, June and September, look for reissues of some of the very first series books written by current New York Times bestselling writers, The Heart of a Woman: - Harlequin Cover Art 1949-2009: Harlequin is sponsoring and exhibition of original cover art at the Openhouse Gallery, May 29 to June 12 in New York City. Series Spotlight: – Every month a different series is in the spotlight. Look for diamond-themed miniseries, series stars and more from all the Harlequin and Silhouette lines. Little did Richard and Mary Bonnycastle know what they were starting 60 years ago when they founded Harlequin, but we’ve been satisfying women’s desire for romance, speaking to their hearts and transporting them beyond themselves ever since. With hopes of continuing to touch your heart and share stories that will inspire, comfort and delight you in the years to come! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
6:12 pm	2009 Bloggies--Voting ends February 2nd! Suzanne McMinn not only writes for Silhouette Romantic Suspense, but is also one of my fairy blogmothers. Her blog, Chickens in the Road, is a finalist in the 2009 Bloggies, which apparently is like the Oscars of the blog world with top blogs nominated in various categories—it's a fun and interesting list. If you are reading this blog (just a wild guess) you should be voting on the Bloggies, because you clearly know great blogging. And according to Suzanne, hers is the only romance writer's blog to ever be a finalist in the Bloggies. Which is very cool. When you get to the Bloggies 2009 site, the scroll is to the right rather than down. She's a finalist in the Best-Kept Secret Weblog category (fairly far to the right). Voting ends Feb. 2nd. You can vote once per email address. Suzanne's website is suzannemcminn.com with info there as well. Get out and Vote! (Comment on this)
Monday, January 26th, 2009
10:24 am	In Memoriam I wanted to share an excerpt from "A Memorial to the Men of the Yale College, Class of 1918 Who Died in the Service of Their Country, 1917-1918" New Haven 1924, compiled for the Class by Cassius Marcellus Clay and Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis. I found it not only touching but also remarkable as a piece of writing by a young man of perhaps 27—Robert Emerson McClure—about a friend who had died before he'd reached 21. It seemed a compelling example of what can be done with a few words to make a person and an era come to life. Frank Stuart Patterson: born September 3, 1897, Dayton, Ohio; Died June 19 1918, Dayton, Ohio. He was very tall—over six feet three, I think—and he had the figure of a young frontiersman: very long and sinewy arms and legs, a slouching walk with head thrust slightly forwards, a small face, finely sensitive. He was, I think, secretly proud of the fact that nearly everything he wore and used was oversized and in most cases made to his order: his furniture, his bed, his shoes, his shirts, that fabulous leather sofa which was probably the largest affair ever coaxed into a Yale dormitory room. And I have always thought of him as oversized in soul as well, as unique in all his spiritual measurements. I do not mean that his was a case for superlatives only; he was after all but a boy when he left New Haven; a boy on that day some thirteen months later when he plunged to death. He was one of the youngest men in our class, and one of the most boyish and fun-loving; devoted to sports, pathetically afraid of girls and in his quiet way, capable of ardent enthusiasms. These included baseball, trap-shooting, hunting, motoring, firearms, boxing, winter sports, the theatre and among books, Conrad, Kipling, Robert W. Service and stories of Western adventure—particularly tales of "two-fisted, gun-toting bad men," which he read clandestinely and cherished as a secret vice. I mention these tastes because they always seemed to me characteristic of a type of romantic idealism grounded on a love of outdoor life—an idealism very youthful, very charming, and curiously frequent in those sprung from pioneer stock; also because they reveal an essential quality of Stuart Patterson's shy, quiet, rather inarticulate spirit; and finally because they contrasted, in their youthfulness, with the astonishing maturity of his attitude toward less material things. I say maturity—his tolerance was mature, and his austere faith in all the elemental virtues: honor and cleanliness, fair play, courage, self-restraint. He was one of the purest men I have ever known, and the farthest from priggishness or cant. His was a fundamental decency, as instinctive as the act of breathing. His ideals of conduct were part and parcel of his heritage, like the strength of his wrists and his will; and they enabled him to see things simply, clearly, sanely. To make up him mind as to the right or wrong of a question without wavering or equivocation. Others had Calvinistic standards; in Stuart Patterson they went hand in hand with charity of mind. Making no truce with weakness in himself, he was yet quick to allow generously for it in others. I remember his dislike of dogmatism in any form, and his invariable insistence of "hearing the other side." In three years' close association, I never heard Stu Patterson play the bigot or snob; never knew him to miss an opportunity to help another in distress, whether that distress were physical or moral or financial; never saw him betrayed by disappointment into envy or meanness of any kind. His patent to spiritual nobility was unobtrusive, but he carried it with him in his daily life, and it was honored by all who knew him well. He would have made a notable record in the war. To a superlative degree, he had the qualities that go to make a great aviator—coolness in danger, presence of mind, self-reliance, a sense of tactics, a contempt for death. Long before our entrance into the conflict, he longed to go; and I think it was from a hope of later service, as much as his attraction to flying as a sport, that he took his pilot's license in the summer of 1916. When war came, he was among the first to leave New Haven. But it is his life, rather than his death, I would recall; a life singularly pure, and generous, and noble; a life not lived, nor even lost, in vain. — — — This new year brings loss as well as new goals and possibilities. I was inspired to share the above on hearing from Robert Guntrum that his wife, author Suzanne Simmons Guntrum, had passed away on December 28th, suddenly, of a heart attack. I worked with Sue when she wrote for Silhouette Desire many years ago and we have remained friends ever since. How I wish there was "audiography"—that is an audio equivalent of a photograph. Something that would allow you to take an audio snapshot of someone, so I could hear Sue again. One of the most memorable aspects of Sue for me, was not just what she said, but how she said it. Her voice—not quite husky, not really midwestern, but some remarkable amalgam of some combination of something. She would share her thoughts with a comic's sense of tone and timing, a quick wit, charm and combined a sense of pragmatism with an appreciation of the ridiculous. Unafraid to say what she thought. Always willing to hear your point of view. I will miss her. I try to remember that the scope of your loss is the gift you were given. I am glad I appreciated it while I had it. Indeed may we all look forward to the coming year with a renewed sense of appreciation and delight at what we have. Right here. Right now. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
7:52 pm	January 1st Marks the Preliminary Launch of HarlequinCelebrates.com To celebrate 60 years of pure reading pleasure, Harlequin will make 16 full books available for download on HarlequinCelebrates.com beginning January 29th – our anniversary! For the month of January, a teaser site has been created where people can sign up to receive a reminder to come back for the unveiling of the full anniversary site and to download free books. Visit HarlequinCelebrates.com to sign up for your reminder! And if you want to learn more about what's happening in digital at Harlequin, check out Tote Bags 'n' Blogs January 14th post: Sneak Peek at Exclusive Digital Publishing from Harlequin by Malle Vallik. Lots of good info there! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
2:22 pm	A New Year's Treat: what's really under that Kilt? (Warning: Racy content!) A friend emailed me these photos. I don't know the etiquette—don't know where they came from, who took them, who the subjects are (aside of true kilt-wearers). But it was such a lovely photo essay—one that so clearly indicated the proper way to wear a kilt (along with some gaffe's and some clear gaps in lessons learned on "how to sit cross-legged in a skirt")—that I just had to share. I remember with the success of Liam Neeson in Rob Roy, I got phone calls from journalists asking "Did you know that men in skirts were romantic?" Duh! I responded: "Men in skirts, men wrapped in bedsheets—Scots, Sheiks, we are on it. Wake up!" Enjoy: This one is my favorite. I keep searching his face to see if this was planned... He seems rather vacuously cheerful—and surely there are easier ways to lose your job—though perhaps he needed his 15 minutes of fame. Still...!!!???!!! Now you know. Happy New Year! (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
3:28 pm	Helpful hints on presetations... Guest posting today, November 3, 2008 on Tote Bags 'n' Blogs on some presentation tips... (Comment on this)
Friday, October 31st, 2008
11:20 am	AAP, Authors Guild, Google Announce GroundbreakingSettlement over Google Book Search Library Project I wanted to share with you the recent press release and annoucement regarding a tentative settlement (pending court approval) regarding the lawsuits brought by the Associate of American Publishers and a class action suit by the Author's Guild against Google. This is a highly complex issue with strong opinions in every direction! Put perhaps overly simplisticly, these organizations actions were in response to Google's plans to digitize copyrighted material (entire books) without the right's holder's permission. I wanted to share this information, and the material below was taken from and is available on the AAP website. It has been a very long and arduous process to get to this agreement. I applaud the participants and I think it is a remarkable and positive step that will significantly benefit all parties. October 28, 2008 AAP, Authors Guild, Google Announce GroundbreakingSettlement over Google Book Search Library Project On October 28, 2008, AAP announced a groundbreaking settlement agreement in the Google litigation that will expand access to out-of-print books online for millions of American readers, allow rightsholders, if they wish, to include in-print books, and will create a mechanism for payments to authors and publishers by establishing a Books Rights Registry. AAP President and CEO Pat Schroeder stated "AAP is proud to have been a part of the process that has produced this historic, landmark agreement. We believe this settlement, the product of many years’ hard work, is a great 21st Century solution." For More Information: Press Release Joint FAQ Settlement Documents Statement from AAP Chairman Richard Sarnoff Settlement Website(Google) Author's Guild Website Past Coverage: Click here to view the full complaint from 2005 (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
11:31 pm	The Great American Romance Novel... I've agreed to help a friend (not HQE) with a project to create a list of the best American Romances of all time, and I need your expertise, if you're willing to share it.  1). So tell me, what would be your top ten American romances of all time be? (it can be more than ten, if you're inspired). While I'd love to see them ranked and have you tell me why you made the choices you did, just a list of titles/authors would be great. 2). I also want to include a range of categories within the genre: i.e. Contemporaries, Historicals, Paranormal, Futuristic, Fantasy, Westerns, Civil War, Saga, Romantic Suspense, Romantic Comedy, Multi-cultural, Inspirational, etc., so welcome your favorites in a particular category you're fond of. What do I mean by American? Well, an American author or one living in America. What do I mean by Romance? Basically a focus on the developing romantic relationship between a man and a woman with a satisfying and positive ending.   Yes, there are some stories out there that don't entirely fit that definition that I plan to include--I have to include GONE WITH THE WIND.  While it doesn't have a traditional happy ending (HEA), I've decided that (dreadful sequels aside) we know in our hearts the book stops, but the story is far from over. S o while I'd say a firm "no" to, say, LOVE STORY, I dowant to hear your favorites, just alert me to any caveats or concerns about fit that you might have.   So would love to hear your thoughts to ensure this list is a stellar collection of truly wonderful stories. Thank you! Isabel (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
10:48 pm	Harlequin Podcasts I'd been meaning to do a post on the Harlequin Podcasts. I'm proud to say I've learned how to use an iPod, I've discovered the many free podcasts available on iTunes and have discovered the joys of hands-free, eyes-free 'reading.' Then I saw Michelle Styles' excellent post on Leena Hart's Tote Bags 'n' Blogs . Well, I thought it was a great presentation of the podcasts from a perfect source--a published author. Michelle and Leena kindly agreed to let me post Michelle's excellent piece, so here it is! Until earlier this year, I will admit that I was only vaguely aware of podcasts and podcasting. However, then Harlequin began to put editorial podcasts on its website and I started to listen. And a new procrastination tool was born. You can download them to an ipod or you can do as I do and listen via your computer. The editorial podcasts are basically two editors talking in depth about one particular line. Each podcast lasts between 20-40 minutes. They are not only interesting from a writer's point of view but also from a reader's point of view. Ultimately they are a masterclass in what each line is about.The editors have tried to explain what televisions shows/movies the line is most like. Romance used Love Actually to sum up the line -- lots of stories each month but each being about love. SSE chose Brothers and Sisters. At the moment, the recent podcasts have been from the London office. So Senior Editor Tessa Shapcott and Editor Sally Williamson explained the differences between Modern and Modern Heat as well as the difference between Presents and Presents Extra. Presents Extra are grouped around a specific theme. And they talked about titling and why titles are chosen the way they are. With the Historical podcast, Sr Editor Linda Fildew and editor Joanne Carr talked about popular time periods, themes and heroes. In the most recent podcast on Harlequin Romance, sr editor Kim Young and editor Meg Lewis dispel some of the myths about the Romance line as well as explaining what it is about the line that makes it so special. They also explained that within the line secondary characters provide flavouring. This is different from some of the other lines where secondaries play key roles. Medicals should be coming up soon. Earlier podcasts included ones on Nocturne, Blaze, Superromance, Intrigue, Special Edition, Desire etc. And the intention is to do all the lines. For me, it has been an education in what makes up series romance, plus I have discovered several new authors. And as it is sort of working, I can justify the listening. I know when I listened to the historical podcast, I came away with a ton of notes about how my latest books could be improved. And in several places, I thought -- ah that is what my editor meant when she said xyz. Has anyone else listened to the podcasts? Or does anyone know about any other good podcasts? Thank you Michelle! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
10:48 pm	Harlequin Podcasts I'd been meaning to do a post on the Harlequin Podcasts. I'm proud to say I've learned how to use an iPod, I've discovered the many free podcasts available on iTunes and have discovered the joys of hands-free, eyes-free 'reading.' Then I saw Michelle Styles' excellent post on Leena Hyat's Tote Bags 'n' Blogs . Well, I thought it was a great presentation of the podcasts from a perfect source--a published author. Michelle and Leena kindly agreed to let me post Michelle's excellent piece, so here it is! Until earlier this year, I will admit that I was only vaguely aware of podcasts and podcasting. However, then Harlequin began to put editorial podcasts on its website and I started to listen. And a new procrastination tool was born. You can download them to an ipod or you can do as I do and listen via your computer. The editorial podcasts are basically two editors talking in depth about one particular line. Each podcast lasts between 20-40 minutes. They are not only interesting from a writer's point of view but also from a reader's point of view. Ultimately they are a masterclass in what each line is about.The editors have tried to explain what televisions shows/movies the line is most like. Romance used Love Actually to sum up the line -- lots of stories each month but each being about love. SSE chose Brothers and Sisters. At the moment, the recent podcasts have been from the London office. So Senior Editor Tessa Shapcott and Editor Sally Williamson explained the differences between Modern and Modern Heat as well as the difference between Presents and Presents Extra. Presents Extra are grouped around a specific theme. And they talked about titling and why titles are chosen the way they are. With the Historical podcast, Sr Editor Linda Fildew and editor Joanne Carr talked about popular time periods, themes and heroes. In the most recent podcast on Harlequin Romance, sr editor Kim Young and editor Meg Lewis dispel some of the myths about the Romance line as well as explaining what it is about the line that makes it so special. They also explained that within the line secondary characters provide flavouring. This is different from some of the other lines where secondaries play key roles. Medicals should be coming up soon. Earlier podcasts included ones on Nocturne, Blaze, Superromance, Intrigue, Special Edition, Desire etc. And the intention is to do all the lines. For me, it has been an education in what makes up series romance, plus I have discovered several new authors. And as it is sort of working, I can justify the listening. I know when I listened to the historical podcast, I came away with a ton of notes about how my latest books could be improved. And in several places, I thought -- ah that is what my editor meant when she said xyz. Has anyone else listened to the podcasts? Or does anyone know about any other good podcasts? Thank you Michelle! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
1:55 pm	Do you have a teenager? This may be a tricky issue, as some children may view parental advice with suspicion, but I've just experienced a major hand-shaking event with various friend's children & friends of theirs. I feel compelled to alert parents: in addition to the drug, alcohol and sex conversation, you need to tell/show/explain to your child how to shake some one's hand. Yes, I experienced a lot of 'dead fish,' 'limp noodle,' 'wet dishrag' and 'consumptive squeezes.' I wondered if anyone had explained to them what a handshake was supposed to be--not that all adults are free of the aforementioned problem, but this seemed excessive, perhaps indicating cluelessness. I don't want to go all Dale Carnegie on you, but he has a point. A handshake is a big first impression, and surely it's not too hard to offer a firm grip, a brief squeeze and release. You can even throw in eye contact for extra credit. Maybe it's an issue of a child/young adult not feeling confident, but I don't care--act it, at least. Surprisingly, confidence will come and people will give you the benefit of the doubt for starters. Reach out an touch someone...properly. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
8:16 am	RWA Conference Report 2008 - San Francisco brought to you by Shirley Hailstock Last year, former RWA president and multi-published author (Harlequin, Silhouette and Kimani among her publishers) Shirley Hailstock was kind enough to let me post her report on the RWA. I'm delighted to have her informative and entertaining take on the conference for this year as well. Thank you, Shirley! The Twenty-Eighth Annual Romance Writers of America Conference (RWA) was held in the city by the bay, San Francisco, CA., July 30 - August 2, 2008. We all know that the economy affects businesses and writing is a business. The 2,059 members attending the annual conference expected to hear the doom and gloom stories of how bad the industry was doing. Surprisingly the atmosphere was calm and upbeat. Here are my comments regarding this year’s event: The conference planners always try to add a little spice to the proceedings, doing things differently and keeping the plan from being predictable. They began even before we got to the conference by eliminating the huge book of handouts. The handouts were on the website and could be printed before you arrived. Also, everyone received a CD with the handouts on it. While there was a little discussion on this before we began arriving, I heard only a few comments about it after we arrived. The conference kicked off with a motivational speaker, Theresa Behenna. Her high-energy presentation combined music and discussion on how to reinvent yourself. She played the piano and sang. Of course we all got to join in on I Left My Heart in San Francisco and a special song written specifically for RWA. Her presentation worked for me. First, I love to sing and once she finished, I felt like rushing back to write. And this was only the beginning. Last year I said I thought the PAN (Published Authors Network) workshops were the best ever. And they were. Of course, this year they were the best ever. Kudos to the planners. Like the general conference opening session, PAN also began with an inspirational speaker, Gail Blanke. A former vice president at Avon Products, Inc., she is the founder and president of Lifedesigns, a company that empowers men and women to live exceptional lives. The full schedule of workshops must have answered a lot of needs since most were packed with attendees. I attended the two African American panels, one with booksellers and one with editors. The editors panel (Glenda Howard-Kimani (Harlequin); Hilary Sares-Kensington; Monique Patterson-St. Martin’s Press; and Esi Sogah-Avon) said the African American book were thriving. Even with the dip in the economy and the enormity of gas prices, they did not see a slowdown. Glenda Howard mentioned that 2008 marked the 15th anniversary of the Arabesque Line, which produces four books a month, and was the first African American line of romances. (Sorry guys no cake to celebrate the benchmark.) Arabesque is a line of single title romances. They are 75,000-80,000 words. Kimani Romances at 55,000 words is doing well. Kimani can include family melodramas and the level of sensuality is dictated by the book. Glenda also mentioned Kimani After Dark, a release of dark, provocative, sexy books. Rochelle Alers’ After Hours was cited as an example. Hilary Sares was standing in for Kensington’s Dafina editors Selena James and Rikia Clark. Dafina is looking for books with imaginative hooks, drama girls, brothers, etc. Hilary said both Indian and Chinese stories are being well received in the marketplace. (Another diversity door opened, yeah!) Kensington is also branching into children’s book with the Marimba imprint. Monique Patterson of St. Martin’s Press likes mythology and folklore. She’s looking for something that is not on her list. She likes series or connected books, romantic suspense, comedy, military romances with alpha men, and tear jerkers. St. Martin’s publishes 3-4 romances a month, yet they have no set amount. They do multiple book contracts since they work with authors, not books. They want to grow their talent. Esi Sogah, assistant editor at Avon Books, works on women’s fiction and erotica. She’s looking for romantic suspense, romance novels, and military romances. Avon is doing them in trade size. The booksellers (Sue Grimshaw—Borders standing in for Ernesto Martinez, the multicultural buyer for the Borders Group; Margaret Terwey—fiction buyer from Books-a-Million; and Shannon Aviles-multicultural, marketing and publcity specialist) stated some of the same things as the editors panel. There was a discussion regarding bookstores separating the African American books, regardless of type, into an African American fiction section. Margaret said when they did this sales in that section increased 47%, however, she could not distinguish between romances and other types of books. Margaret Terwey said that Books-a-Million is expanding their number of stores. She listed the states where new stores are opening. Some of them are filtering into the north, although the majority are still in the South. When asked about sending author promotions to the stores, Margaret said authors should send their information to her and she could distribute it to the stores. Overly sexy/suggestive covers don't work for her stores. She doesn't mind receiving ARC's (Advanced Reading Copies), however. Sue Grimshaw outlined a program called Lift Every Voice which highlights the contributions made by African American in the literary arts. Additionally, she said shelf-talkers (the small card-stock labels on the ends of the bookshelves directly below the book being showcased), increase sales by 15-20%. She gave us a sample of one for Virginia Kantra’s new book. I passed it along to Virginia who didn’t know they had done it. She nearly cried when she saw it. Sue also had written comments from Ernesto who could not be at the conference. Questions were submitted prior to the conference. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before she read all the answers. Our moderator, Tracy Monahan, solved the problem by taking the answer sheets and e-mailing them to the attendees after the conference. Levy’s representative was not at RWA due to a family emergency, but the African American bus tour they did last year was repeated again this year. I believe it was in August. The authors on the bus signed books at Wal-Marts in the Mid-West. (Levy and Anderson News distribute to Wal-Mart). Like last year, all of the buyers said historicals were making a comeback. This was a message that resonated throughout the conference this year as did the fact that paranormals are still strong and publishers want more of them. Enough of the market news. There was a full schedule of other workshops going on. Here’s some I observed: I didn’t attend the Chat With Linda Howard, but the people coming out of it were in high spirits. Many said the RWA Board member was down to earth and a hoot. From reading her wonderful books, we all knew that. PAN also presented a workshop on A Day in the Life of a Sales Rep. I attended this with great anticipation. I even sat on the front row, making it hard to leave when you get bored. I work with sales people in my other identity, and the discussion centered around a 3-million book shipment that was about to drop for a young adult title. He gave very little information about romance. I missed the Harlequin Spotlight so I went to the forum. A visual presentation was given by several of the company’s executives. Dianne Moggy has been promoted, (yeah Dianne!). She showed us some of the efforts taking place in France and England. The Sales guy had a short compilation of publicity stills that Harlequin has received in light of the sixtieth anniversary of Silhouette. Next year a specially developed logo will appear on all Silhouette books denoting the sixtieth milestone. (I bet you there’ll be a cake for that, maybe even sixty cakes.) I can’t leave a discussion on Harlequin without mentioning the party. It was at the Four Seasons, a beautiful hotel within walking distance of the conference activities. The music was loud and awesome with the D.J. intuitively knowing what would bring the crowd to the floor and himself getting into the act. To say a good time was had by all would be an understatement. Some of the members I talked to after the party, couldn’t remember what time they finally fell into bed. Remember what happens in San Fran stays in San Fran. And I’m not talking. Friday night is usually so packed with things to do that you have to miss something. I guess the publishers heard this and many of them scheduled events of Thursday. Guess what? Thursday was a packed day and night. Victoria Alexander was the keynote speaker at Thursday’s luncheon. When you read peoples books, you think you know a little about them. But who knew she could double for a standup comic? She kept the audience laughing during her humorous address about the travails of her career. I suppose the word for this conference was inspiring. Victoria Alexander’s speech was both inspiring and hilarious as she dropped bits of wisdom on life and writing. While she kept us laughing, she also told some home-truths about why we write and whom we write for. The fact that our stories take people away for a few hours to a private happy place where real life is held back keeps us going to the computer day after day. We work with fictitious people whom we talk to and who talk to us, sometimes even argue with us. Only our writer friends understand this, people we can call at any time who will talk us down or pump us up when we receive rejections or some other not-to-good-news about our publisher or agent. Yet writing is the best job, telling stories that inspire people makes all the trouble worth it. Not to be outdone, the Awards Luncheon speaker was Connie Brockway, delivering an incredibly moving and inspirational speech that spoke of the real deal in publishing. Taking a slice from Christopher Volger’s The Writer’s Journey , Connie gave it her own unique twist, outlining the travels of the super-heroine’s journey. In whatever stage of writing the audience was, Connie reminded us that not only are our characters on the road, but we as authors are on our own personal journey. And the possibilities of where this could lead are endless. The parties. I can’t call them the Friday night parties anymore, since many events span other days and times. They were again upbeat and a great place to meet and talk to old and new friends. Because it was California, there were many more Australians and New Zealanders in attendance. These were the people I kept running into. G’day mate as they say in the U.S. produced commercials. Not sure if anyone in Australia ever says this. PASIC (Published Authors Special Interest Chapter) had a gathering in the Rotunda of Neiman Marcus. After we figured out how to get to the Rotunda after dark and the store was closed, the space was fantastic. The Rotunda overlooked the lobby of the store from several floors up. If you have vertigo or are afraid of heights, stay away from the balustrade. The conversations were lively and of course centered around books and publishing. Saturday night, major awards night, was the highlight of the conference. RITA winner Suzanne Brockmann acted as the Mistress of Ceremonies. The opening film clips had Suzanne touring San Francisco. Her expressions said it all, laughter, frustration, tiredness, extreme joy at all there was to see and do and how you could do it. The Golden Heart (highest award for an unpublished romance) and the RITA (highest award for a published romance) program was its normal high-caliber affair. I sat with former RWA President Harold Lowry (aka Leigh Greenwood), as we watched the excited finalist become winners in their categories. A list of all the winners is on the RWA website. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. The ceremony was followed by enough chocolate desserts to overload our endorphins to the power of ten. But do you think that stopped us from eating them? Duh! Finally the week was over, and we had to look toward returning to the real world and the saga of airport travel. I ran into another former RWA Board member and president of Belle Books, Deborah Dixon as I jockeyed for a place to check my book-laden luggage. (Yep, I packed my books and the airline didn’t blink an eye.) New Jersey Chapter president, Caridad Scordato (Caridad Pineiro) joined us. We spent pre-flight time looking at some of the books covers Belle Books is planning for upcoming releases. They were beautiful. So with all this going on, and I’ve only brushed the surface of possibilities, did I see any of San Francisco while I was there? Only the part between the airport and hotel. I left the hotel to go to events that were in connection with the conference and they were all within walking distance. I’ve been to the city by the bay before. I toured Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf and have seen the same tourist statues and clock towers that are shown in all the movies set there. The one thing I missed was going to a party on Knob Hill. I had a conflict with a meeting I couldn’t miss, so I’ll have to meet the rich and famous another time. I’m back home now and waiting for the next RWA conference. Washington, DC will be the locale in 2009. I’m looking forward to this one. No air travel. I can drive to the nation’s capital and I’m familiar enough with the city to avoid being a tourist. (I used to live in D.C.) In the meantime I’m back to writing and writing and writing.... Until next time, keep reading. Shirley Hailstock Look for Shirley's September title, Last Night's Kiss. Her next Harlequin will be out April, 2009--look for Nine Months With Thomas. Then in June, 2009, look for The Right Wedding Gown from Kimani. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
10:11 am	Are you my friend? OK, I am somewhat anti-social as well as being older than 20something, but that hasn't protected me from getting sucked into a social network! Here's my etiquette dilemma: What do you do when you get a "friend" request from someone who you're not sure you know. Yes, you check out their lists of friends & hopefully find people in common that may jog your memory. But what do you do when, in the 'family' of the romance, there are a lot of people who might know of me, just as I might know of them, but we don't actually know each other, have never spoken or met. Are they my...friend? When I launched into the uncharted waters of virtual reality, I ran around & made all my friend's children 'friend' me (the 20somethings were everywhere). Then I discovered authors, and found good friends there. But for me there was a delicacy—I felt I had to actually know someone to friend them. I wasn't using the site to do business, reaching out to strangers to expand my circle. I was just trying to find my friends—people I knew, had worked with, had met—virtually or actually. I tried to always write a message with my friend requests saying Hi, often reintroducing myself and reminding them how we knew each other. That seemed, well, friendly. Like when you see someone at an actual event, you say 'Hello, I'm ... and we know each other from ....' Even if you know them well, you still say Hello! And if you don't know them, of course you introduce yourself. I realize that there are those for which 'size counts' and like counting piles of money, they delight in piling up a virtual world of people who are willing to be a notch in their friend-post. But I'm just not that kind of girl. So I have actually ignored friend requests when I didn't know for certain that I knew the person personally (sorry), and it makes me feel so ungracious! But all these requests are impersonal—no note, no greeting, just click here so I can add you to my list—I don't even need to say Hello. And there's also no place on the sites to share your philosophy or to alert people of your feelings on friending. I worry that I might actually know them, that I ought to have remembered them—I've met them at a conference, they're a Harlequin author, I took them out to dinner, they were kind enough to host me at an event, or may have read my blog (thank you!). But just like at an event, if someone came up to you and said, 'You don't know me, but I'm a fan of your writing/met you briefly @ a conference/heard you speak...& would like to connect' you'd be happy to get to know them. They've reached out, shared something of themselves, we'd found common ground and become new friends, or a friendly acquaintance. Or just a business colleague who chats and hands you their card. Seems to me the same framework could—should—apply in this virtual world. Friend is a word that means something, and that matters to me. Many years when I was a 20something my older brother's buddies would complain bitterly that often the girls they were checking out & were interested in wouldn't "put out." My girlfriends noted that that was likely because they weren't "putting in"—actually reaching out & putting themselves on the line. I'm not comfortable ignoring people, but I do think I am going to maintain the standard. I'm not putting out unless the requester 'puts in.' (15 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
12:51 am	The MacGregors are everywhere! Look for Nora Roberts' The MacGregor Grooms, heading your way July, 2008--and you can still get The MacGregor Brides. Check out the cover connection--don't they belong together? The MacGregors are everywhere--and here's my story. Took a trip to South Africa. Here are my phone photos to prove it. First some establishing shots: This is the Cape of Good Hope. Doesn't this look like the very tip of Africa? While it's not the Southernmost tip, it is apparently the Southwesternmost end. This is the actual Southernmost tip of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet (note sign). Not nearly as dramatic as the Cape! At times driving around felt like Northern California, sea to one side, mountains on the other--but every once in a while something would wander by and remind you you really weren't in "Kansas" anymore! So as mentioned, there we were, driving around in South Africa and what do we see? Yes, we were faced with an impossible choice--Robertson (Nora Roberts' family name) or Macgregor (a Nora Roberts family name). Which would you pick? Luckily for me, I picked...Nora Roberts! Here we are at her summer event. Yes, my husband has stopped eating her potato salad long enough to take a special phone photo of us. FYI in South Africa, we stayed in the charming town of Mcgregor at a lovely B&B, sleeping under a MacGregor tartan coverlet. At breakfast, the hostess explained about the Scottish immigrants that had originally settled there and I sent her a complete set of Nora's MacGregor series, of course! So here's my pitch. This is a photo of me as a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding (yes, of course I cropped out my head, it was an art concept I was going for). Some time ago I'd given a copy of the cropped picture to the art director because I thought it would be a great concept for a cover. Months (if not years) later, I see the Brides cover--pretty similar, eh? I think I was the inspiration. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. (Comment on this)