Upcoming books for March

It's Leap Day! I figured I'd take today to post about the books I'll be reviewing in March.

• Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors
• Kiss Me, I'm Single by Amanda Ford
• One Love for Liv by Marianne Arkins
• Across Time by Linda K. Silva
• Money and Manifesting by Dyan Garris

I'll also have interviews with all of the authors. This was a great set of books to read, one historical fiction, one time travel and paranormal, two psychology and one romance.

Alas, I don't have any new books on my bedside table today. I did read The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend picking up a copy. It's one of Target's breakout books.

Have a fantastic weekend and spend a little time reading.

Something to be said for a quickie...

A few things this morning -

• Thursday Bram kindly asked me for an interview (little 'ol me!) and has posted it on her blog today.
• I have four pieces being published in the month of March - an essay, a short article and two long articles.
• Mr. Jim Melvin informed me that parts of my review of his first book, The Pit, will be included on the inside of his fifth book, in the six book series, The Death Wizard Chronicles.
• If you go to Barnes and Noble.com, and look up The River, By Moonlight by Camille Marchetta, and you click the Editorial Reviews link, you'll see my review.
  

That is all.

Interview - Susan Breen, author of The Fiction Class

Today's 5 Q&A is with Susan Breen, author of The Fiction Class






1.) Who are you?
I teach creative writing for Gotham Writers' Workshop in Manhattan. THE FICTION CLASS is my first published novel (but there are two other ones under my bed). I started off as a short story writer and a number of my stories have been published by literary magazines, among them www.anderbo.com and The Chattahoochee Review. My husband and I have been married twenty-five years and we live with our children in Irvington, which is a suburb of Manhattan.

2.) What is your all time favorite story about one of your students?
My favorite students are those who commit one hundred per cent. (If you want to get me crazy, tell me you're writing as a hobby.) So my favorite student story involves a young man who took his first class with me six years ago. He was working sixteen hours as a manager of a store and he did not have much money or formal education, though he was always reading. I used to cringe whenever his work would come up for critique, because the reviews would be so harsh. But he didn't give up, and now, his stories are very well-received and I think he will be published very soon. Best of all, he has a unique voice and a great story to tell.

3.) What is your writing space like (office, kitchen table, nook) ?
I have a small office with a computer and a desk that I assembled myself one insane day along time ago. I've stacked my favorite books on top of the desk and I've papered the walls with every encouraging note I've ever received from anyone.

4.) What is your favorite book?
This changes from day to day, but at the moment it's The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. I feel like that book has everything in it--tragedy, joy, laughter, tears.

5.) What's next?
I just gave my agent a synopsis for my new novel. It is tentatively titled The Dickens Affair and it is the story of a woman and her teenaged son and a traveling troupe of actors.


Thank you, Susan!

Blog Stop Book Tours blog

I posted about book promotion at Blog Stop today. Here's the link if you want to stop in and read.

Book Promotion... are you ready?

Query Letters

When I first started learning about freelance writing, I discovered that in order to get my ideas to the editors, I had to write a query letter. A query letter is basically a note introducing your idea for an article or essay. That might sound pretty easy, but it's not. I really struggled with the first few. The blank Word document would stare back at me from the computer screen, waiting for me to fill it with my brilliant idea, and I had no idea where to start.

I think I have finally figured out what works for me. When I have an idea, I write it down - right away! Then, I let it grow in the back of my mind for a little while. When I have a better picture of what the article or essay will look like, I add some notes under the original idea. I talk about the piece with one or two people I trust, and then I write the first draft of the query as if I was sharing the idea with a dear friend. Everything pours out onto the screen openly and informally. I wait a day or two, clean it up and make it look professional, have a friend proof it for typos and then send it to the editor.

How do you approach query letters? And do you have a fear of writing them?

Review - The Fiction Class by Susan Breen

The Fiction Class
Susan Breen
Plume
ISBN # 978-0452289109

"On paper, Arabella Hicks seems more than qualified to teach her fiction class on the Upper West Side: she’s a writer herself; she’s passionate about books; she’s even named after the heroine in a Georgette Heyer novel.

On the other hand, she’s thirty-eight, single, and has been writing the same book for the last seven years. And she has been distracted recently: on the same day that Arabella teaches her class she also visits her mother in a nursing home outside the city. And every time they argue. Arabella wants the fighting to stop, but, as her mother puts it, “Just because we’re family, doesn’t mean we have to like each other.” When her class takes a surprising turn and her lessons start to spill over into her weekly visits, she suddenly finds she might be holding the key to her mother’s love and, dare she say it, her own inspiration. After all, as a lifelong lover of books, she knows the power of a good story."

The Fiction Class is the story of a woman still growing up. Arabella struggles with her self-image, her writing aspirations and taking care of her elderly mother. While teaching a writing class, she learns a few lessons herself - about life, love and the written word.

Susan Breen has written a beautiful and inspiring story with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Read it! There are so many layers to this book, you'll find something that touches you or inspires you.
(February 26, 2008, pp 304, $14.00)

Bedside Table Books

There aren't too many books on the bedside table today. I finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - fun, fun, fun book! I'm still working on The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by Patricia L. Fry. I'm hoping to have it finished by tonight. Extremely good information in this one.

The only new book on the table is Anno-Dracula by Kim Newman. My husband picked this one up at Goodwill a few weeks ago. My 16 year old started reading it, and decided it wasn't for him. So, I'm going to give it a whirl while I'm waiting for a couple more books to arrive for review.

Stop by Monday for a review of The Fiction Class by Susan Breen. She is the first author to tour at Blog Stop Book Tours (in April).