Thursday, May 25, 2006
New Interview: C.E. Murphy
Every so often you find an author whose work simply resonates. It may be difficult to put your finger on exactly what it is about that author that is so appealing, but it is there.
I wasn't expecting to like the work of urban fantasy writer
Catie Murphy. For one thing, I'm simply not that interested in modern urban fantasy nor does Native American lore hold much appeal for me. So
Urban Shaman isn't a book that would normally even be on my radar.
Then I read the novella, "Banshee Cries" in
Winter Moon that was published in a collection with
Tanith Lee and
Mercedes Lackey. That took me back to
Urban Shaman and I realized I'd found an author whose work was entertaining and filled with good humor.
As publisher of Book Help Web, I recently had the good fortune to
interview her in conjunction with her May release of
Thunderbird Falls. She's as personable and filled with good humor when talking about herself as she is writing about her characters and worlds.
She's also one busy lady. For an author who was published for the first time just last year, she already has multi-book contracts for four different worlds.
C.E. Murphy now has a permanent place on my reading list. She'll be one of those short-listed authors whom I make sure I always pick up her latest book.
If you're looking for some good summer reading, I'd recommend taking a look at her books, especially her Luna books, The Walker Papers.
Monday, May 22, 2006
The Best Fiction
It's always difficult to name the "best" in literature. Awards try to do it. Newspapers at the end of each year and decade try to do it. It's always controversial because what speaks to people is so highly subjective and you'll getting people to agree to one offering or one list can be a Herculean task.
That didn't stop the New York Times from attempting to determine what was the best piece of American fiction for the past 25 years. They consulted critics, editors, and writers and asked them to come up with the single best piece of fiction.
The winner?
Toni Morrison's Beloved.
The runners-up were
Underworld by Don DeLillo,
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy,
Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels by
John Updike, and
American Pastoral by Philip Roth.
They
list other books that received multiple votes as well. They make a decent reading list and it will be interesting to see whether time upholds
Friday, May 19, 2006
A book from beyond
Robert Heinlein has been dead for nearly 20 years, but that doesn't mean he can't still publish books.
Granted, he has to have a little help now. Back in November 1955, he wrote an outline for a book that he was never able to write. That outline was passed on to another science fiction writer, one who was considered to have inherited Heinlein's mantle,
Spider Robinson. He was chosen by the Heinlein Prize Trust to write the novel,
Variable Star.
That book has been turned over to the publisher, Tor Books, which has scheduled it for hardcover release of September of this year.
In the first chapter, there are song lyrics called "On the Way to the Stars." According to Spider Robinson's Website, fellow author, folk singer, and Heinlein fan
David Crosby is composing a tune to go with it.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Cruising with authors
In my wanderings through book newsletters and publisher press releases, I came across a tidbit about cruises that are designed for book-lovers.
At first glance, this seems like an odd idea. After all, when one is indulging in a good book, it isn't necessarily a social occasion. You want to be holed up with just the book and maybe a little refreshment on the side. You don't want to be feeling guilty about all the things that you should or could be out doing.
So the idea of paying hundreds of dollars for a nice place to read a book seems a bit absurd.
Yet, after exploring the
Authors at Sea page, I'm a little more willing to be convinced.
They bring authors on board and set up book chats, roundtables, and games. They even have a Book Jeopardy. One also assumes that there are plenty of cubbyholes to sit and read.
They also have an imitation of American Idol that they're calling American Title. An editor will read the first page of a manuscript and provide detailed feedback. There's a brave editor!
While most the authors aren't exactly household names,
Dean Koontz is the host for the Bon Voyage party. It's also got to be a wonderful way for the authors to promote their books. Sure, they're working, but what a wonderful environment to do promotions in.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
From page to screen
This month sees two highly successful books take their chances on the screen.
It's one thing to take a relatively unknown book and put it up on the screen. When there are relatively few readers to complain about changes, screenwriters can take a pretty free hand and make sure that they're telling a good story in their medium.
But I'd be pretty daunted if I were the screenwriter undertaking
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (coming out May 19). Given that the book has sold millions--in fact, the paperback release sold millions in its first month out--there will be an awful lot of fans ready to take the movie to task for any variations.
Nor will the viewers of
Hoot be very forgiving if the movie doesn't live up to Carl Hiaasen's young adult novel. It was released on May 5 and the critics have been pretty lukewarm toward it so far. It's been called predictable and sweet. Hiaasen's charm as a writer is one of those things that is difficult to translate to the screen. Yes, his plots are good, but its the way he says things that makes him such a good writer. Movies are typically light on narration--with good reason. So it's easy to see how this book might lose some of its charm when translated to the big screen.
The other page-to-screen offering this month has the advantage of being merely inspired from the pages of a graphic novel; its story is its own. It's also building on two prior successful movies:
X-Men 3.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
2006 Giesel Award
We knew him as
Dr. Seuss.
He taught a generation how to read and infused our culture with icons of his creation. It's fitting that when the American Library Association wanted to create an award that recognized "the author and illustrator of the most distinguished contribution to the body of beginning reader books published in the United States", that they named the award after Dr. Seuss.
Of course, they used his real name and just stuck the Seuss in the middle, making it the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.
The first Theodor Seuss Geisel Award was given out this year.
The medal winner was
Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Sucie Stevenson.
Monday, May 08, 2006
George R. R. Martin
It is with good reason that
George R. R. Martin has earned himself an enthusiastic following.
His
Song of Ice and Fire was something different in the fantasy world. Yes, it had dragons. Yes, it had magic--though it was very uncommon. Yes, it had journeys and struggles for power.
What made it different was the complexity and the willingness of the author to have terrible, fatal things happen to his characters. Fans of his series quickly learned to not get too attached to any one character as there would be little guarantee that the character--no matter how crucial his or her role seemed to be--would survive.
The
Song of Ice and Fire is epic in scale, telling the story from numerous points of view. Last fall, the most recent book,
A Feast for Crows, was released. Mr. Martin is now working away on
Dance With Dragons, a book that takes places simultaneously with
A Feast of Crows.
We at BookHelpWeb were thrilled to be able to talk to Mr. Martin about the series--an
interview which is now available at the site. He talks about the series, his writing, and his research.
"When you're doing fantasy, it has to be bigger than in real life," he told us. "The castles are grander. Fantasy is painted in larger scale and brighter colors. "
The
Song of Ice and Fire is definitely bigger than real life, painted in vivid colors, and told in a most compelling style.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Laurie R. King's Writer's Improv
Author
Laurie R. King, creator of the
Mary Russell and
Kate Martinelli lines, has been named the Santa Cruz Artist of the Year. As part of her activities for the year, she is going to hold a Writer's Improv, something she calls "Performance Art with a (Plot) Twist".
On May 20, she is going to write a fantasy-mystery set in south Santa Cruz County. However, the story will be required to use prompts that she has received from the public and which she is given only minutes before she begins writing.
She's soliciting prompts from anyone who wants to send them to her. They are due by 5 p.m. on May 8.
What prompts is she looking for? Any or all of the following 7:
- The first line of the story
- A name for a middle or junior high school (not a real one)
- The name and a description of a video game that a 13-year-old might play (again, this should not be a real game)
- A magical device from the imaginary video game--what it's called, what it looks like, what it does.
- A middle school or junior high school research topic (any class, any grade)
- A favorite snack (no real brand names)
- Name of a favorite hangout (not a real place)
If your entry is chosen, you'll receive a signed Laurie R. King novel and be thanked in print when the collection containing the story is published.
Interested? You can find more information here.
