imkittymyers at hotmail dot com
Saturday, July 23, 2005
WEEKEND BRIC'A'BRAC
Johnnie Ray Experts SoughtFor a feature documentary currently in production I am seeking on-camera interview subjects in Los Angeles and/or Nashville who can be considered experts on the life and career of former pop crooner Johnnie Ray. No compensation but the film will be screened on the festival circuit so exposure is guaranteed.
Please — no fans. We need credentialed experts, meaning you are either an academic in pop culture, a published author, etc. The film is not about Ray but his story is integral to the piece, particularly any stories related to his recording of “Just Walkin in the Rain.”
8 Making Millions: [T]he myth persists that published writers are wealthy people. Not counting JK Rowlings, Stephen King, and Danielle Steele, that is.
8 Feel the love: The rejection letters ranged from the formulaic "not right for me" to "fuck off and die” Ouch!
8 Is it possible that people are reading (among other activities;) instead of going to the movies? Good vibrations in the publishing industry
8 Fun at picnics, or on dull dates, not to mention necessary should you find yourself stranded in the wilderness: Starting a fire with a Coke can and a chocolate bar.
And now without further ado ...
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I never did see that movie.
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Friday, July 22, 2005
SEVENTY-SIX PAGES LATER ...
For about a year now I have bought all of my books online. I love book stores; I love just being in book stores, but I have had the worst luck choosing books in book stores and actually liking them enough, once home, to read them cover to cover. They invariably end up being donated to the Public Library. The books I have purchased online were "sold" to me by readers' recommendations. POD-dyMouth has reviewed three books which I've bought and thoroughly enjoyed. Rachel, at TinkertyTonk, mentioned the Carl Wilcox series by Harold Adams. To date, I've read the first four of the series and there's not a bum in the lot. I've read readers' raves on blogs and other sites, all of which have prompted me to buy them, and I've rarely been disappointed.
However, I do love patronizing book stores, so this is
HOW I CHOOSE A BOOK IN THE BOOK STORE:
1) Without a doubt, the COVER must grab me. I don't bother even picking it up if the cover is boring.
2) The TITLE is the next most important factor. If it's boring, I progress to ...
3) the BOOK FLAP's description, which has a track record of being "okay" 50% of the time, which is why I'll always flip to the first page.
4) I at least read the first sentence, and if that's not a grabber ...
5) I read the first paragraph.
6) And if that 1st graph is boring, I give the book one last chance by reading the rest of the page.
Recently, I was in our local B&N -- we no longer have a local independent book store -- browsing the mystery section when I happened to spot one of the greatest covers I have seen in years. Very evocative, so much so that I almost bought it without ever opening it up. But I did, and much to my pleasure the story is set in Montana! Woo-hoo! The book is The Right Madness, written by James Crumley. I've never read any of his books before, but I was anxious to start with this one. I read the flap and the first page and couldn't wait to get home to crack its spine. Seventy-six pages later I find that I just don't care about these people. You can't imagine how badly I wanted to love this book, how I tried to read more than a few pages at a sitting. The fact is that those 76 pages required many tries to get that far. It's possible that I just wasn't ready to read this book, or any book, as I haven't picked up another one yet. I can't tell you how it broke my heart to put it back on the shelf. I'll definitely give it another shot, maybe when the weather turns cold.I was going to post that much anyway, and then I read Agent 007's latest post in which she explains how/why agents, and editors, choose the books to be published. I gained a new appreciation for the other side (a.k.a. "The Dark Side") of the book business.
A CHALLENGE FOR AUTHORS, and an Answer for the Skeptics
So let me ask you, when you visit a bookstore, what makes you buy a book? Do you read every page before deciding to plunk down $24? Or do you look at the cover, read the flap copy, check out the reviews, take a gander at the author photo and bio, before opening to the first page and reading a paragraph (maybe two), and then and only then do you decide whether it’s worth the investment of your time and your money?
It's a pretty safe bet that there are books you don't even open. And lots that you don't even pick up, even though they're on a fancy display table at the front of the bookstore.
So is it fair to fault the editor for thinking like a reader?
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
A WRITER BY ANY OTHER NAME
Lee Goldberg poses an excellent question. I just happened to be the first one to comment. Pay no attention to my goofs. I bitch-slapped my keyboard for making the mistakes. Check out some of the answers and leave your own.
I am, I SaidI've always posted under my own name where ever I go on the Internet. I consider it a matter of principle. I can't help noticing that 99% of the most opinionated flamers and abusive insult-slingers always hide behind pseudonyms in newsgroups and back-blogs. That makes it easy for them to behave in ways they never would if they had to take personal responsibility for their words and deeds. But that's my reasoning...what's yours for using your own name or choosing to use a pseudonym or handle instead?
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BYTE ME
Miss me? Like one day I don't blog and the world comes to a screeching halt? Oh well, a girl can dream, right? When I'm not blogging, I'm writing, except when I'm washing dishes and doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom and mowing the lawn. Y'know, all those glamorous activities that writers do. Actually, I write very little ... okay, almost nothing ... when I'm blogging, which is why I needed to take a break yesterday.
If I were really serious about writing I'd put blogging on hold ... indefinitely. But blogging is disease like alcoholism. Someone could make a good living by conducting a 12-step AA-type program for recovering bloggers.
Hello, my name is Kitty and I'm a blogger.
Hi Kitty.
By 6:00a.m. I'm surfing online newspapers, magazines and other sites. I read everything with a blogger's eye, accumulating blog fodder as I go aloong. Some days I tell myself, "Today I will NOT post. I will surf then write." I have more luck resisting chocolate. (Btw, I've had chocolate from all around the world and Hershey's is the best, hands down. The only other one which came close was some chocolate from Scotland.) By 10:00a.m. I usually have a decent INTERBLOGATORY TRAVELS list to post at LifelikePundits plus a few choice possibilities for KittyLitter.
Honestly, though, I really do need to put more time in my writing, so if I'm not here one day, or two, don't worry. I'll return. After all, I am a blogger, so byte me :)
8 BEHIND THE BLOG: "Jolie in NYC" is Nadine Haobsh, a 24-year-old associate beauty editor at Ladies' Home Journal, who hoped someday to parlay the site into a book deal, yet was genuinely surprised at how angry her bosses were when she was unmasked.…
[B]y yesterday evening, the blog had been shut down. And even before that, the more inflammatory entries had been removed. "
Remember Washingtonienne?
BreakupBabe blogger got her book deal the write way.
8 BUZZ GIRL on soon-to-be-released books: Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the US Army by Kayla Williams. An unprecedented and no-holds-barred young woman’s perspective on the US Army. Williams served in Iraq. Much press expected.
Synopsis found here: [A]n unprecedented and no-holds-barred young woman's perspective into the U.S. Army.
8 Color me blue: There’s a navy blue folder on top. The editor's fingers touch her lips to hide a tiny gasp. It’s a celebrity book of some sort! Who can tell? The cover letter has three lines. All it says is the celebrity’s name. There’s no title! There’s barely any material inside. But this celebrity is finally ready to tell everything about something, and if I buy it, I’ll get to meet that celebrity! I may get to go to the celebrity’s house and end up on Page Six! I may get to go backstage at Letterman or sit in the front row at Oprah while my résumé builder… I mean, celebrity author… tells the world about the book I acquired!
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Tuesday, July 19, 2005
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MIKE GALLAGHER IN CORNING
I've listened to Mike on occasion, but his show coincides with my blog prep time, and trying to listen to the radio while blogging/writing is not one of my options. (The only exception I make is Rush. I can listen to him while posting my blog but not while writing.) Also, while I agree with Mike on many issues, his personality can get in the way. All that aside, I have to admit that I was mildly excited when I heard that he would be doing his show from Centerway Square in downtown Corning, NY. He's on his book tour: Surrounded By Idiots: Fighting Liberal Lunacy In America.
I tuned in this morning for a few minutes and heard him talking about Her Royal C and today's USA Today article, Can Hillary be elected commander in chief? Mike was warning that it is possible. Here in Corning, which is supposedly so conservative, I've spoken with one local prominent elected Republican official who told me that he will vote for her.Why?
Because she's nice.
So what? Why would you vote for her?
Because she brings home the pork to this town
I reminded him that that same money was ripped out of his pocket, but he didn't seem to care. And that's a problem with voters: They bitch about the confiscatory taxes yet still demand that their elected officials bring home the pork. Never mind that NY State is fraught with mega fraud and abuse, and that the return on their tax dollar is pathetic. All some voters care about is getting theirs. Mike is right; Hillary can be elected president. The same Hillary who kissed Suha Arafat can be elected president. I'm not saying she will be, but I do acknowledge the possibilty.
Talk radio voice set to visit Crystal CityGallagher's visit to Corning, co-sponsored by the Gaffer District Business Association, is part of a nation-wide tour to promote his new book, "Surrounded by Idiots, Fighting Liberal Lunacy in America."
Following the show and an invite-only luncheon with local business leaders, Gallagher will sign copies of his new book from 1:30-4 p.m. in Centerway Square. Watkins Glen retailer Story-lines Book-store will be on hand, selling copies for $24.95.
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Republicans outnumber Democrats in the city 2,708 to 2,060.
8 Hillary in 2008?: When you consider that John F. Kerry - to my mind a walking disaster as a candidate and as a human being - polled 48% of the vote, it’s something worth concern on our part.
PLEASE NOTE: The picture above is an old one of Centerway Sq., not a picture of Mike's visit.
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Monday, July 18, 2005
LOCAL GIRL MAKES GOOD
Collins comes from Elmira, NY, right down the road, and Corning is where I live.Corning Inc. windows used on all spaceflights
CORNING - Corning Inc. doesn't do windows - at least for use on earth.
But whether shuttle commander Eileen Collins is sneaking a peek at her home planet or staring into the vastness of space, her only glimpse of the world outside the shuttle Discovery is through windows - up to 3 inches thick - made by the Twin Tiers' largest employer.
"We've provided materials for every manned spaceflight in American history," said Andrew Filson, the worldwide commercial manager for Corning Inc.'s semiconductor business.
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THE OLDEST PROFESSION
This was her goal all along. It's worth noting that a minister loves Hillary and will vote for her.Clinton enters White House race - this time for his wife
Mr Clinton's message was that the party has to win back support in "red" (Republican) America. Calling himself "the world's most famous sinner", he spoke of a Pentecostal minister in his home state of Arkansas who had voted for him but then backed Mr Bush because "ever since you left, nobody in your party talks to us any more". But, he said, the pastor added: "I would vote for Hillary. I love her."
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Think Her Royal C will make Slick the "vice" president.PORN STAR TAKES MADISON
PORN queen Brittany Andrews caused a commotion on Madison Avenue last week by stripping down to her see-through panties and parading down the chi-chi boulevard…"There were no obscenity arrests during the Clinton administration, but there have been hundreds already with the current administration."
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HOT DAWG!
Chris, at LuckyDawgNews, has a message for Bernie Ebbers:Buh-Bye Bernie
I did a special salute with a song to Bernie Ebbers crying like a baby as he got sentenced to 25 years. I am an ex MCI'er (pre-Ebbers) so it made my day to see him bawl like a girl. My brother lost 10K on MCI stock cause of this man.
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Sunday, July 17, 2005
HAPPY 6th ANNIVERSARY!
Their wedding day was in the mid-90s with a tropical humidity level for added fun. The ceremony was set for (I believe) 4:00p.m. I can't quite recall since it was delayed for about 30-45 minutes due to a torrential downpour, with gale force winds, that could only be described as Biblical in its force. All summer we had been in a drought. Lawns had been reduced to cocoa mats and gardens were memories. To give you an idea of how bad the drought was, that puddle in the picture had originally been a pond which was reduced to less than half its size. The water level was so low the frogs were beginning to worry where they would live. So it was only natural that the one half-hour of the one day of the whole damned summer which we had hoped would be dry would be the one half-hour that it would RAIN! So, we sat inside and waited and were thankful that at least the reception area, with cake :), was all enclosed in those big white tents. As I said, the delay was minimal, and the wedding was lovely.
Happy Anniversary to Nurse G & C.O.!
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AND JUST FER LAFFS ...
Jaaay-zus, can anyone be more self-obsessed than an actor? Val Kilmer wants you to know that he cares, about the London bombings and 9/11 (don't worry, though, because Val is fine) and that Live 8 is the way to go.
And for another howl,
MARIO'S NUDGE: AMONG those urging Gov. Pataki to test the presidential waters is no less an authority than his predecessor, Mario Cuomo. Pataki, who's in Iowa this weekend, was an unknown from Peekskill before he scored a stunning upset to oust Cuomo from the governor's mansion in Albany. But Cuomo recently told a close confidant of the Republican: "You guys have got to give Pataki this chance . . . you'll never forgive yourselves if you don't give him this shot at the presidency."
Yeah, right. Don't get me wrong; I'm no fan of Pataki's. But Mario the Cuomo encouraging GP to run is like Repubs pushing Algore to run. So, I guess that moldy one-speech politicos can be just as self-obsessed as actors ... maybe more so.
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