Frankly My Dear, I'm Too Busy Reading

John Darrin at the Baltimore Book Festival!

2010-09-22T12:00:00.002-04:00

Baltimore's having a book festival this weekend ...
and I'll be there.

That's right, I'll be back in Baltimore on Friday, September 24 from noon till 8 at the Author's Tent right at the center of Mt. Vernon Place at N. Charles St., near the Washington Monument. I'll be the one wi th the long line of fans waiting for me to sign their copy of my novel, Screenshot.

Please come by and entertain me because, contrary to the flippancy above, I'll be talking to myself for most of the day.

I don't have email addresses for all of my friends and associates back there, so please pass this along to anyone I missed, or to anyone with $12.95 to spend on a really good book. (My opinion, only. Other readers may suffer side effects including nausea, regret, bewilderment, dry mouth, sexual dysfunction, and rickets. Readers with heart conditions or good taste should consult a physician prior to reading. No subpoenas are permitted in the Author's Tent.)

I hope to see at least one person I know there.

John

Authors are really nice!

2010-04-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

Click here to win a free flip phone!

Author Jessica Brody's newest book, The Karma Club, is out on April 27th and she's so excited she's giving away cool stuff! We love authors who give back to their fans!

Click on the link above to enter.

Jeanette Walls Interview

2010-03-28T19:23:00.002-04:00

Jeff Kinney Interview

2010-03-28T18:43:00.002-04:00

Nicholas Sparks Interview

2010-03-28T18:05:00.002-04:00

Book Club Queen Events

2010-03-28T17:44:00.008-04:00

BCQ had a busy fall 2009. We attended the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC. We also held our first in-person event at In the Streets in Frederick, MD.

Here a few pictures -

National Book Festival

Queenie C interviews James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross series.

Queenie D chats with Jeanette Walls, author of The Glass Castle.

Moderator Kristina talks candidly with Nichoals Sparks, author of The Notebook.

Queenie C interviews Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

In the Streets

Queenie C, Princess C, Queenie D feature Joanna Campbell Slan, author of Cut, Crop & Die.

Joanna Campbell Slan signs books for passersby.

A Conversation with author K.J. Fraser

2009-10-29T17:35:00.002-04:00

A Journey, a Reckoning and a Miracle
interview with K.J. Fraser and Queenie D, October 2009

Queenie D: Why did you decide to write about the world immediately following 9-11?

KJF: My novel was really a creative response to the Iraq War and the 2004 election rather than 9-11, although you could say the Iraq War and the 2004 election were consequences of 9-11. The past eight years, I think, will be viewed as a pivotal time in American history, and so these years are ripe fodder for writers. First we had the 2000 controversial presidential election, then the disaster of 9-11 (the worst attack since Pearl Harbor, perhaps even worse as it was basically an attack on civilians), and then the Iraq War, which in my opinion and that of many others was completely unnecessary. This war will have wide-ranging consequences, including the American and Iraqi deaths, the injuries (which will require very expensive care for remainder of the lives of those injured), the huge (charged, not paid for) costs, the corrosive effect of torture, the ripple effect on our allies, and the spawning of more terror.

As I write about these events now, I can feel myself becoming as angry as I felt with these events at the time. I don’t recall any other external events in my lifetime that have stirred up my passion to this extent, and I think that’s what propelled me to write my novel. I had written some other unpublished fiction in response to a divorce, the cancer death of a good friend’s husband, and the search for a home, but it was my cumulative anger over the historical events mentioned above that focused and pushed me to finish a work to publication.

Queenie D: How did you go about figuring out how to write from George W’s perspective? Did you worry about offending him or anyone else? Technical question-did you have to get permission to do this?

KJF: Ever since we first heard about George W. Bush, we were informed of his religious beliefs and his midlife spiritual awakening, which helped him to quit alcohol. When I heard about the possibility of the Iraq War and reviewed the information about it, I decided that it was a very bad idea, so I wrote a letter to President Bush reminding him of his Christian beliefs and that this planned war did not seem like the sort of thing a Christian would do. Unlike many others who didn’t vote for him, I believed (and still believe) that his religious statements were sincere, and that was my initial starting point for writing the story. The Iraq War certainly didn’t go the way that he and his advisors thought it would go, and I thought he might have regrets about it. I imagined after he left office and had time to reflect, his doubts would appear to him in the form of spirits of deceased American soldiers, a la Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I imagined other nightmares and day mares descending upon him. From my psychiatric work I know that change is hard, not straight forward, and none of us really know what goes on in another person’s mind. But we certainly had a lot of information about George W. Bush available to us between 2000-2008, and I used this information for my novel.

I can’t say that I worried about offending George W. Bush. Whenever I started to consider that, I would think of the ways that he offended others, and me. In my opinion, starting an unnecessary war is one of the worst things a president can do. I was a child and teenager during the Vietnam War era, but I remember watching the news, and as I got older I had friends who fought there. As a psychiatrist I worked in a VA hospital in Dallas and saw the effects of that war 30 years after it happened. I couldn’t believe that someone could start something like that again with seemingly little thought to the very obvious consequences. I think I was relatively compassionate with George in my novel. Some readers thought I wasn’t tough enough on him, and one felt I took an American Kwan Yin perspective (having compassion for all sentient beings). Some thought I took a similar position to that of Oliver Stone in his movie “W,” which also had a surprisingly compassionate view of George W. Bush.

I did worry a bit about offending others, both on political and religious angles. However, I needed to write what I needed to write and luckily we all have First Amendment rights in this country. People can choose what to read, and if they read something they don’t like, they can respond to it. And they can write their own books! I have actually thought that there may be someone out there right now upset about the current president and writing a book with Barack as a chief character.

On the last question, I was told that as long as I indicated that this work was fiction and a work of the imagination, I was fine. When I recall what was written and said about George W. Bush over the last nine years, I think my work is relatively mild.

Queenie D: The book is obviously very religious. Would you call it Christian fiction? Why did you include such heavy religious undertones?

KJF: As I mentioned above, the kernel of my story started with my conviction that George W. Bush is a religious man and that his stated beliefs werhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife/are sincere. Also, America is a very religious country, especially compared to other western democracies, and as this is my “great American novel” it had to include a lot of religion. Finally, religion and spirituality have been a big force in my life since my divorce in 1992, so the topic interests me.

I wouldn’t call this Christian fiction although it might be of interest to Christian readers, perhaps more liberal Christians. Jesus inspired one of my characters, Bill, a young Jewish veteran who exposes some Abu Ghraib torturers and saves his fellow veterans from suicide.

One of my other main characters is Lucy, who comes from a fundamentalist Christian church in Killeen, Texas. I think her character was inspired from all the information about fundamentalism we heard about since the 2000 election. I was outraged by the notion that some people are saved and the rest of us aren’t and, according to Rapture believers, that the saved people will go to heaven and everyone else will be left behind in the hell that Earth becomes. Of course, this is not just a belief of Born Again Christians. Some conservative Jews, Muslims and others believe the same for people of their faith. I read one of the Left Behind books by Le Haye and Jenkins and was appalled to find the message of the Rapture intertwined in compelling and bestselling fiction. I then read a very interesting book, The Rapture Exposed by Lutheran minister Barbara Rossing, who went point by point through her thoughts on how the ideas of the Rapture have nothing to do with Christianity. I heard an interview in which she said that the fiction of the Left Behind series had a powerful effect on readers and she hoped that writers would counteract this storyline with fiction of their own. I have tried to do this with my book.

My book is published by O-Books, which does publish mostly books of a spiritual and religious nature.

Queenie D: Which character is closest to your heart – Lucy, Judith or George? Why?

I would say that both Lucy and Judith are close to my heart, Lucy more for my past and Judith for my future. I was never a fundamentalist Christian but we all start out in life with certain beliefs, and then experiences and people can change our beliefs, sometimes quite profoundly. Lucy is on a journey, both real and spiritual, and I feel as though I’m on one too. Once, as part of a cultural awareness activity in psychiatry residency, we were asked to imagine what type of person we would least like to be and what type of person we would most like to be. I’d grown up in Tennessee, so my least desirable person was an ignorant southern redneck. And one of my most favorable was an African American female entertainer, someone like Judith before the accident. Back then I had imagined I would be more of a singer, dancer and pianist, a cross between Aretha Franklin and a young Tina Turner. Humor and comedy entered the picture in Judith’s character. I have more of a sense of humor as a middle-aged adult, and it seems that comedy is a more pervasive force in our culture now. For example, many people get their news though comedy shows like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart; the latter is called “the most trusted man in America.”

But I can’t really leave out George W. Bush. In a way you can say that he made me a novelist (as this is my first novel and first book). I couldn’t have written this book without him. Also, like him, I have been inarticulate at times, and like everyone, I have made mistakes. I, like most Americans, want to think the best of our presidents, and in my opinion, the only way he could redeem himself is to acknowledge what he did wrong and then make amends. This is an idea from Alcoholics Anonymous, a spiritual program to help people quit drinking, though its principles can be used to help in other situations where change is required. And change is required of all of us at times, me included.

KJF: Do you plan to continue writing? Can you share anything with us about your current or future writing projects?

Yes, I will continue writing. I want to return to a novel I started in 2001, the one about finding a home. It was inspired by one of my great-grandmothers and goes back and forth between 1901 and 2001, exploring the very different lives of women in those two eras and how a home is found. I’ve also started writing a non-fiction book tentatively titled Creative Responses to Distress and Despair: Inspiration and Practical Suggestions for Your Work. This book is a direct outcome of my novel, as it was a creative response to my own despair and I realized that this concept might be helpful to others. Many of my patients do creative work and I think it’s one way, along with medications and psychotherapy, to help pull people out of depression.

Thank you very much for the interview. If readers would like to find out more about my novel, please check out my website at www.jrmstory.com.

My "Real Time" Book Club

2009-08-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

July 2009

2009 National Book Club Festival

2009-07-24T21:56:00.002-04:00

Just found out about the National Book Festival that takes place annually in Washington, DC. This year the Obama's are serving as honorary chairs of the committee.

Check it out for more info.

Book Club Queen will be there in some capacity, even if only as regular ol' book readers ourselves!

In the Streets

2009-07-24T21:45:00.003-04:00

The downtown, historical district of Frederick, MD plays host to a monthly event called "First Saturday." The first Saturday of each month finds shop owners, restaurateurs, and visitors skipping along Market St. as they are handed a flower to make a bouquet, given a bag of treats for their doggies, or anticipating a spectacular fireworks show. This all sounds pretty good right?

Well, the month of October really takes the cake! October's First Saturday is affectionately dubbed "In the Streets" which literally means the downtown crew takes it to the streets! Each block is shut down, tables come out, and everything from petting goats to 401k plans from the local banks are available to view.

Book Club Queen is proud to announce that this year, we will have a table in the Arts block of this event! We will be hosting a "Meet the Queenies" where readers can come and chat with the Queens behind BCQ. Even more enticing to readers will be the awesome Book Lover raffles we'll be hosting with great prizes such as book club sets, summer reading baskets, and even an Ipod Shuffle!

Mark this on your calendars! It's a Must-Do this Fall!

When: Saturday, October 3
Time: 11am-5pm
Where: Downtown Frederick, Maryland

Click here for more info

Marshmallows for Breakfast by Dorothy Koomson

2009-07-06T20:32:00.002-04:00

Queenie D's rating: 3.5 stars (see Book Rating for explanation)

This book caused quite a stir at our last meeting. I originally gave it a 4, but after much chatter I realized that it didn't actually rank quite that high for me.

The plot is interesting - a young woman flees from Australia to England with a broken heart and a tragic past. She meets a set of twins living with their incredibly devastated father, as his wife (their mother) has left them and gone to America.

Kendie, as she is termed by the twins, falls into the place of "second mother" quietly and efficiently in just a few short weeks. Her inability to have children of her own and the fragility she sees in both Summer and Jaxson, help this transformation along easily.

Many characters come and go through this story as Kendie comes to terms with her past and her adopted family, dad included, learn to move forward together as a new family unit.

Sounds good right? It is, in many ways. Where it falls short is that Kendie, the main character and the one we should care about most, is terribly annoying. Often times she is such an extreme martyr that it's hard to even like her. Sometimes that is the author's intent but I'm not sure in this case. Koomson is a great writer so it had nothing to do with quality or style. Her character simply was unlikable.

On the other hand, her ability to write about a divorce from the viewpoint of a child is amazing.

A Book Club Twist

2009-07-06T20:17:00.003-04:00

My real time book club has been together for well over two years now and we're about to start another round of picks. First up, yours truly.

At our last meeting we got to talking about the best and worst books we've read so far, and we decided it was time for a change. I threw out the idea of a theme or genre specific round, more specifically a biography round.

Now if you know me at all you know that I'm NOT a huge fan of nonfiction. I read it and I appreciate it but I don't make it my first choice.

When I suggested 10 months (that's right - 10) of biographies, I actually shocked our whole group into momentary silence. But then the idea was pounced upon and the girls really let the ideas roll.

Our agreed upon rules:
1. It must be a bio or autobio - no memoirs.

2. It cannot be more than 350 pages, 400 at the ABSOLUTE most.

3. The subject should be a famous person but can be famous in any capacity. Princess Di, Thomas Edison, Michael Jackson, or Kate Gosselin are all fine.

4. The person chosen should be of interest to the chooser - no random grabs from the bio shelf.

5. If after 2 months we aren't all happily ensconced in this theme, we will reserve the right to go back to regular book club selection (this is our out just in case it's a terrible idea!).

I'll get back to you on how it goes. I get to pick the first biography so no pressure or anything :)

Improper!

2009-01-31T23:02:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling like BCQ has been a little bit violated over the past few weeks.

Let me explain.

In our Author Zone, we allow (and encourage) published authors to submit a profile for themselves and their book so that visitors have many, many books to choose from when looking for something to read.

The Zone, as I like to call it, is a HUGE success and continues to grow on a daily basis. The only stipulation we have is that the book submission be appropriate for all audiences (no bad words or steamy sex talk) because we cater to a general audience. We don't mind romance, we just ask that the profile "keep it clean." So far, we've had no problems with this.

We also offer, on each book's profile page, a place where visitors can make comments if they so wish. Again, we only ask that the comments are appropriate for all audiences. Up until a few weeks ago, we had no problems with this. Both authors and readers have come together to create a wonderful unified community where everyone is comfortable sharing their work and opinions. We are thrilled!

All of the sudden we've been getting very slanderous posts directed at one particular author (unnamed here) in the Zone. I've continually deleted these comments and have gone so far as to ban the author of the comments from posting on our site. This person continually tries to submit inappropriate comments about a particular book.

Now I'm all for freedom of speech and I believe that all books are subject to both good and bad reviews. The problem is that this commenter is launching a personal attack on the author. The comments have nothing to do with the book. It's as if this commenter is using BCQ as a vehicle for online bullying.

Of course I will continue to delete and ban, delete and ban but I'm frustrated this evening as it's a waste of my time and totally immature. Don't people have anything better to do with their time than bully people in cyberspace?!

Book Club Queen goes FaceBook

2009-01-31T21:00:00.002-05:00

BCQ joins FaceBook!

Visit our group at Book Club Queen.

A great place to keep in touch with other readers and to find out what's new in the world of books!

Reviews, reviews, reviews...

2009-01-31T20:19:00.003-05:00

I recently read an article titled Who Reviews the Book Reviewers?

The point of the piece was to discuss whether or not a writer should take a bad book review seriously. The author of the article (left unnamed here) was very adamant that there are far too many people online that write book reviews with no credibility and, therefore, should not be paid the least bit of attention.

Hold up, wait a minute...

Who is a credible reviewer if not the consumers and faithful readers in the book world? Some of us have simply decided to take it to the next level and share our opinions with the public. The beauty of the information age is that we can freely offer our thoughts and ideas to other like-minded people we've never had the opportunity to meet in person.

In my experience the only book reviewers who have any success or gain any sort of following are those who write well and are objective about the books they review. These reviewers have proven that they are fair and interested not in hurting or slandering writers but, instead, interested in giving other readers some "food for thought." There is nothing wrong with this. The general public is smart enough to recognize the difference between a good reviewer and one who is just looking to take a cheap shot.

To the person who asked the question, "who reviews the book reviewers" I say this: nobody needs to!

A Conversation with Alexa Wolf, author of My Mother's House

2008-09-19T09:03:00.004-04:00

Queenie D: After a life time of writing, what do you think really pushed you, inspired you to tell this story to the world?

Alexa: When my mother died – and the way she died – shocked me into just stopping every other thought process. I had to write this book. I think the compulsion of a writer or artist or photographer or whatever to capture an event through their art is as powerful as any animal instinct.

Queenie D: You obviously had a very conflicted relationship with your mother. Do you think that the people we become are direct results of our upbringing? To what extent do we have control over how these situations influence our adult lives?

Alexa: I wonder about this all the time. I'm sure I would not be as sick as I am – and would have achieved career success – had my mother not emotionally abused me and had instead been supportive, or had someone else close to me been sane and supportive. Yet I also believe that as an adult, I'm responsible. Jung says that outside the field of ego awareness – out where all our complexes are running around – we're NOT responsible. It's an excellent but impossible question. There is help for those of us who did not have loving support as children or who were abused, but that takes money. If I could afford help from someone who practiced EFT or EMDR, I could probably get past my past. As it were. If there is someone who can afford either of these psychological practices, they would probably benefit profoundly.

Queenie D: You've met some interesting people in your life. Who was most memorable to you and what made them so?

Alexa: One of the more interesting people was a New Zealander named Peter Balin. He'd traveled all over the world, he painted, lectured, had had amazing experiences, and was brilliant in different ways. When he was in Mexico he wanted to visit a certain Mayan village but every time he would pass an Indian and asked if he was going the right way, the Indian said yes, and he never got there. He finally realized that they thought it was impolite to say no. So the next time he tried to find the village, he asked a passing Indian, "If you were going to this village, which way would YOU go?" He also always offered a perverse take on things that I loved because I had such a strong Good Little Girl side. When he was in some Latin American country, I forget which one, he was on a bus that soldiers stopped. They forced everyone out of the bus with their guns. I'd have cowered in terror. He got angry and told them he was from New Zealand and they better not mess with him and so on. He intimidated them, and they let him get back on the bus. Of course that perverse side of him was so extreme it finally came between us in our friendship.

Queenie D: If I look at this objectively, as a story, it seems to me that you had somewhat of an obsession with your mother's influence and control over your life. Do you think this is a result of being an only child of a divorced couple? You have just each other to focus on so you become the heart and soul, which of course entails anger and resentment, of each other's lives?

Alexa: Of course, if you're taking your cue from the story, remember that the focus of the story was my relationship with my mother. That was the story. So aspects of my life that did not have to do with her were not included. On the other hand, yes, I shudder at the word "obsession," but certainly her influence was intense; and yes, I do think it was partly because I was an only child of a divorced couple for precisely the reasons you suggest.

Queenie D: Do you think your mother truly didn't think she was affecting you as she did as a child? In the part about her mother slapping them because "where else can I take out my anger?" as she says to her children, your mother seemed totally unaffected or concerned by that behavior. Is that simply a "pretend it didn't happen and it won't have" technique used for survival?

Alexa: When I look at small children today, I cannot imagine doing to someone that vulnerable what my mother did to me. But I know she was not vicious, just horrifically insecure. No, she did not know what she was doing because she had never consciously experienced what she must have been feeling when her own mother slapped her or presented her sister as "the best" of the siblings. How can someone who is oblivious to their own deepest feelings be conscious of the feelings of others? This is what I mean when I say I don't know where personal responsibility begins and ends for our behavior. We can't eliminate responsibility and yet I cannot say she was responsible for her behavior because she was controlled by psychological forces beyond her awareness, let alone control.

Queenie D: In retrospect, do you place any blame on your father for the intensity of the relationship between you and your mother?

Alexa: I hope I'm clear that I'm not blaming anyone for what happened to me. The quest is to deal with it if it takes your whole life, which unfortunately if often does. As you know, certain cultures allow several lives to deal with our issues.

Queenie D: When some people read about chronic health issues such as fatigue or thyroid problems, they don't see the seriousness in how life-debilitating it can be. Were you victim to this attitude at all in your life?

Alexa: It was always a problem. Humans simply don't understand something they haven't experienced themselves. People always thought that I just wasn't trying hard enough. As I say in my book, even my best friend of many years told me, "The more you do, the more you can do." When I tried to do more and only got more exhausted, she simply didn't believe what I told her about my experience. And of course I internalized this attitude, feeling that I was faking it. Later, along the same lines, it was difficult for me not to blame myself for my failure to save my mother from the nursing care system, especially for making decisions based on fatigue and the lack of judgment that comes with inadequate sleep.

Queenie D: How can you mentally move past the treatment given to your mother in the homes? Does it make it hard for you to forgive and forget? Is the goal of this book partly to make others aware of what goes on, especially with the elderly that don't have a voice or an advocate in their corner?

Alexa: As Gandhi said, forgive but don't forget. It's actually hard for me to forgive, too. But I'm not angry – at least consciously. But I do want to warn people what this aspect of our health care system is about. When I was younger, I was always proselytizing in my writing. It was pretty boring. Then someone told me to just tell the story and let the story show what you want people to know. So I told this story, and people really get what happened to my mother, which was definitely part of my goal in writing it. Although my mother's abuse and death in the nursing care system only covers about a quarter of my book, that is what people respond to. I think this is because I really captured my mother's and my personalities and our story prior to her entering that system, so by the time she gets there, the reader is totally empathizing with what happens to her. You can only make tiny dents in the world, but these little dents of new awareness give me some sense of relief. I feel I've really accomplished something.

Queenie D: I'm sure writing this memoir took a lot out of you emotionally and physically. Do you plan to pursue publishing any other works?

Alexa: I'm actually starting another memoir – about me and my bird, Captain Kirk the Parakeet. This will include more transformations I went through after I finished MY MOTHER'S HOUSE. The working title of my new book is MY LITTLE BIRD: A Memoir About A Girl and Her Bird, Her Mother, Her Bird's Vets, Her Transformations, and A Possibly Fatal Error. In the next week or so, I'll be posting a few early pages on my website, alexawolfonline.com, along with links to bird rescue organizations, bird info., etc.

Queenie D: Can you give one piece of advice for mothers and daughters in general as to how they can be friends instead of enemies even after they've hurt each other?

Alexa: As you may have gathered, I can't be brief about anything. I won't give advice, but I will say that what my mother and I built a good relationship on was a foundation of love that always underlay all the crap. I've noticed in friendships that a basic, core commitment to truth has to be there in order for two people to overcome the obstacles that inevitably arise in relationship. I used to think that commitment to truth was necessary. But maybe mother-daughter relationships are different. My mother was never able to see, or admit, either her abuse of me or her own experience of abuse as a child and teen. I had to let go of my need for that in order for us to evolve. Then, ironically, as you read in my book she somehow transformed without conscious effort and was, in the end, able to see certain others of her own behaviors a little more clearly, to the point that we could laugh about them. Again, that transformation in her and in us came from the foundation of love. Maybe I will give a little advice after all. Love and truth have to be there to some degree – varying with each individual circumstance – for a bad mother-daughter relationship to transform. When it happens, it is wonderful; but sometimes, tragically, the essential elements just aren't there, and no one should feel guilty if they can't make it happen. If my mother hadn't had to conquer cancer, she might never have made the inner changes she did that in turn made our changes possible.

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult

2008-07-20T14:59:00.004-04:00

I just finished reading it for my "real time" book club this month. I'm going to admit that I was skeptical having been less than a fan of Picoult in the past.

Boy was I pleasantly surprised! I don't if pleasant is actually the right word because more than anything else I was horrified as I read this 500 page drama. I kept telling my husband, "I've been alternately crying and throwing up in my mouth a little at every page." I guess it's the mark of a good book that produces such an emotion.

Turns out I am so emotionally distraught over the book I haven't slept much in the past week and can't even begin to think about reviewing it for the site. As the mother of an 11 month old, this book just sent shockwaves through me over the importance of positive, involved parenting. Sure I already knew it was a big deal to be actively involved in your child's life but I just didn't realize to what extent a little person's life can be dictated by their parents not doing the right thing in a bad situation. If there is one major lesson to learn from this story (and there about 300 major lessons at the least) it's that parents should love their children for who they are, never compare them to anyone else, and NEVER NEVER NEVER turn a blind eye to problems at school or one day your child may become the culprit of the problem.

Every teacher, parent, teenager, and guidance counselor - plus the whole rest of the world - should be required to read this book.

Facebook

2008-07-20T14:54:00.003-04:00

So I just signed up for Facebook in an effort to remain "cool" when my little brother told me that "nobody's on myspace anymore." I thought, great - took me long enough to get into myspace and now I've got to change it up again!

I'll admit Facebook is pretty neat. If I can actually find a few hours to really mess around with it, I bet it could be pretty fun. Within an hour of signing up I was chatting away to an old college friend I haven't talked to in years! So kudos to the book for re-connecting me with an old friend!

Peter Shankman, God of all things PR, also seems to find Facebook the most handy for personal networking so it must be good. On top of that, every author, PR rep, and publishing house employee I've ever worked with seems to have a profile which is a pretty fantastic way to keep in touch.

And I can do neat little things like make bumper stickers and "poke" my little brother when I'm bored. It's also quite possible that I've just created a virtual bookshelf to spotlight all the books I'm reading right now.

Who uses myspace anymore anyway?....

We Now Have a Banner!

2008-07-02T00:37:00.003-04:00

I just figured out how to give people a chance to link to the site by using our own banner!

If you want to get the code to link, visit our homepage. HTML is so great!

So Many Books...

2008-06-14T12:49:00.002-04:00

I've recently been scheduling author interviews for the site up through January 2009 and am completely awed by how many people have actually sat down, written a book, and had it published.

CONGRATULATIONS!

As someone who walks around narrating a debut novel in her head, I realize how extremely time consuming and how hard it is to actually write a book that a company is willing to publish. Working with all these authors has shown me that perseverance really does pay off.

I'll admit, it scares me a little too! There are so many great books out there waiting around on a shelf for someone to pick them up and love them - how can a regular ol' person like myself ever hope to join the ranks? Maybe that's just an excuse for me not to give it a real go and hopefully the old adage "there's something for everyone" will ring true in this instance.

Anybody struggling out there to get published? What do you find to be the biggest challenge?

Anybody out there who was published with ease? What was your best selling point?

Change of Pace

2008-06-14T11:34:00.002-04:00

This blog began as a way for me to "spill over" my thoughts about books in a more informal way then I do on my official website, Book Club Queen.

That worked for a while and I've enjoyed doing that but what I'm realizing is that I haven't been posting much because it started to feel like a chore to make sure everything was absolutely book related first.

Keeping this blog book related is my goal. But I've decided to change it up a little by also turning it into a true blog journal of what's going on in my world so that Book Club Queen visitors can get to know me a little better.

Books are still my focus but now I can sneak the occasional personal ramble in as well :)

Glad to meet you!

The Author Zone

2008-06-13T12:45:00.000-04:00

If you're the author of a published book and you're looking for a free way to promote it to avid readers, head on over to our Author Zone at Book Club Queen.

We've created a place where authors and publicists can build their very own press web page for their books to share with our visitors. After the page is created and submitted, visitors can rate the book and leave comments for others to see.

The response has been fantastic! The authors already "zoned in" are getting lots of traffic on their pages and I'm sure generating some good sales buzz for their books!

Join in the fun at www.book-club-queen.com/free-book-notes.html !

Peter Shankman

2008-06-13T12:26:00.000-04:00

As I was doing research I came across Peter Shankman's website, Help A Reporter.Com.

And it's totally fantastic! I submitted a query for published authors and have received about a thousand responses! Thanks to Peter we're going to be featuring 2 fantastic authors a month all the way through next year and that's only the first block - more still coming in every day!

On top of that it led us to create a really cool feature on the site called The Author Zone where publicists and authors can come and submit their book title and review for our visitors to see. It's totally free publicity and a great way to build a community of authors and readers looking to connect.

Here's Peter's blurb if you're interested in his site:

Help a Reporter Out helps editors and reporters locate authors another subject area experts willing to be interviewed for articles,books, blogs, and podcasts. Once you register-for free-you will receive up to 3 e-mails a day, each containing up to 10 detailed queries from reporters looking for individuals willing to be interviewed.

If you're a journalist looking for individuals to interview, visit the press page at www.helpareporter.com/press and submit your query. Your query will go out to over 10,000 publicists, small business owners, and other professionals and experts in all walks of life, increasing the chances of you finding that hard-to-find source pre-deadline.

If you're a source, simply sign up for the 3x per day newsletter athttp://www.helpareporter.com/

May Book of the Month

2008-04-26T18:29:00.003-04:00

Book Club Queen chooses The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs as it's May book of the month.

I got to interview Kate Jacobs which was a totally fantastic experience as she is really down to earth and has lots of inspiring thoughts to share with budding writers. Check out my interview at Kate Jacobs on Book Club Queen.

Want to decide if this is a book you'd like to read? Read my Friday Night Knitting Club review.

Come join us for a fantastic book discussion on this book at Book Club Queen's Book of Month Club!

Paranormal Adventure?

2008-04-26T18:20:00.002-04:00

So I recently reviewed a book called Ripples on the Lake by Dawn Rotarangi. I also was able to interivew Dawn which was really neat because this is my first foray into the paranormal genre.

And let me say - it was really good! I'm definitely a "scaredy cat" about movies, any story really, that deals with ghosts or the supernatural. I've been known to stay up for nights on end after watching something really frightening (Poltergeist anyone?) and I still call a certain movie I watched in 8th grade the "C-Man" because saying the title would just be too terrifying for me.

It was with much trepidation that I began Ripples, certain I would be losing sleep. Turns out, it WAS a good thriller and it WAS paranormal and I DID stay up at night over it but not because of what you think. The supernatural element was interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat and left me wanting to know more background about the legend the book centers around. The reason I was up at night was due to the fact that I was pondering the possibility of something like this actually happening. I don't want to give anything away so suffice to say it was a great "first read" of this genre and I definitely recommend it!

I'll be posting a review and the interview shortly on my site so visit the author page to check it out!

Top 5s - a twist

2008-03-17T00:21:00.003-04:00

Well my last post got me thinking so how about Top 5 LEAST favorite books of all time? Much easier. Again, in no order.

1. The Greaty Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb

3. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

4. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

5. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Can you tell I was an English major in college? If you can't commit to top 5 favs, do this one with me!

Top 5s

2008-03-17T00:13:00.003-04:00

Top 5s is a favorite game of my household. Whenever we get around to the books category I beg off because I just can't ever commit to any 5 books as my favorite.

Now I'm going to try.

These are in no certain order and I'm going to cheat and say a series of books counts as 1.

1. Harry Potter Series

2. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

4. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Greggory

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Okay, I've done it. But what about Wuthering Heights? The Deep End of the Ocean? The Westing Game? Catch-22? The Lady and the Unicorn? The Hobbit?

I'm getting myself all stressed just thinking about it...

So let's hear 'em - commit with me! It'll only take a second.

True Crime Genre

2008-03-16T00:08:00.000-04:00

So it was my month at our "real time" book club to pick the book. Instead of something current on the bestseller list, I opted for one I've been wanting to read for a while and just haven't had the motivation to do so - The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. He is the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which totally makes my top 5 list of favorite books so I've always thought I'd like this book.

Let me also preface by saying I haven't started the book yet. But my problem is that often times I go to the true crime section and pick something up (Devil in the White City, The Count and the Confession) and then spend months, I mean months, trying to get through it. I ended up selling back The Count and only finished Devil because I had to for book club. Now I love a good mystery - as a matter of fact that might be my favorite genre. So why can't I get into the true crimes?

I think the bottom line is that no matter how I swing it, I'm just not a nonfiction girl. I appreciate it and when my mom tells me about her books or sends me a review for the site on a nonfic, I get really into the story. But when I try one on my own I just can't stay focused.

Is there anybody out there that feels my pain on this one?!

Exciting Author Interviews!

2008-03-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well we've been plugging away at Book Club Queen for 4.5 months now and have enjoyed every last minute of it. We weren't totally sure what direction the site would go in once we really got it up and running. Our only thought was that we wanted to bring the best book club info we could find including really good, honest reviews of books so that other readers could make an informed decision.

Early on we started thinking about reviewing and interviewing authors. Mamet, Hush Ma, got us started and it's just kept picking up from there. We've had the pleasure of interviewing Marc Leepson, Beth Harbison, Mike Monahan, and David James so far.

We have Dawn Rotarangi and M.J. Rose on deck and are really excited to be working with them.

The newest author we've just started working with is Kate Jacobs of The Friday Night Knitting Club. For me this is a very exciting development because she is a role model for me as a writer. Seems that she's just a regular gal who knew something about knitting and friendships and ended up writing a NY Times Bestseller! This is my dream someday. During the interview I hope to get the chance to ask her about what it takes to go from dreaming and brainstorm writing to finishing a successful novel.

For updates and to read our current interviews, Ask the Author.

Holocaust Hoax

2008-03-02T11:26:00.002-05:00

Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years by Misha Defonseca

Reminiscent of the Oprah controversy about A Million Little Pieces but way, and I mean WAY, worse.

I completely understand freedom of speech and expression and agree with it wholeheartedly. However, I don't think anyone should take a very tragic historical event, fictionalize it, and then call it "true." If she wrote this book as fiction based on what she imagined could happen to a child living during this time, that would be totally different. But to embellish the events and call it a memoir is deceitful and misleading. What about the people who truly suffered? It somehow makes light of the real survivors situations.

Playing the devil's advocate though, I wasn't nearly so hard on James Frey and actually thought Oprah went a little too far in persecuting him for his "memoir" of a drug addiction. I think maybe it's the circumstance that causes the strong emotion. While horrible, a drug addiction is more of a personal journey in my mind so an embellished memoir is par for the course. But the holocaust? Those are facts, terrible facts, about the genocide of a whole group of people. Embellishing upon that seems immoral to me.

It would be interesting to hear Oprah's take on this one...

Is Rowling REALLY writing her own HP encyclopedia?

2008-03-02T11:10:00.005-05:00

By now all Potter fans know that J.K. is adamantly objecting the publication of the "Potter Lexicon" by Steven Vander Ark and RDR Publishing. The gist is basically that she feels her copyrights have been violated and her own creation of a Potter encyclopedia impeded by this possible publication. The counter? That for years people have been publishing "companions" to literary works and this is no different.

So who will win? Most likely Rowling as she is "richer than the queen of England" these days. Do I agree? I can't decide. I think that the blood, sweat, and tears over the Potter series without a doubt belongs to J.K., but where would she be without her loyal fans?

It sort of leaves a bad taste in your mouth when an author isn't willing to share her love and passion with the people who have helped to make her famous. A vast majority of internet sites are based on other people's work - TV, Movie, Music, Books - what would happen if all authors of all arts/media decided to take full ownership of their work? Like the commercial a few years back said, we'd "reach the end of the internet."

Don't get me wrong - I'm a fan of Rowling. I think her success story is amazing and well deserved. I also think she is a literary genius. But, I don't think Rowling should be able to control what fans do with their passion. She certainly reaps the benefits of her fans money. The price of fame and fortune for her I guess is sharing Harry.

And do we really think she's writing her own encyclopedia? If she wasn't, she sure is now...

Read my Harry Potter Book reviews

Slacker...

2008-03-02T10:17:00.003-05:00

Well I've been so busy working on a few new things on the site that I haven't had time to blog lately!

We (mom and I) are VERY excited to be gaining such interest at Book Club Queen, especially with published authors! Our Ask the Author page is really coming along and we have been extremely fortunate to work with some very talented writers from all over the world so far!

Most recently we have finished interviewing Mike Monahan about his book, Barracuda, which is a must-read! Think Jaws meets the Godfather and that's all I'll say...

We are just beginning work with Dawn Rotarangi, Ripples on the Lake. We are also in discussion with M.J. Rose, The Reincarnationist, and hope to begin working with her soon as well. David James, Paris Bound still in the works.

Pretty cool huh? It's such a fantastic experience to actually talk to published authors about what motivates them and where their inspirations come from.

Frankly My Dear...

2008-02-18T23:27:00.002-05:00

...I'm Too Busy Reading!

So I've fallen in love with the site Cafe Press and I've been building my own designs for shirts, bags, onesies - just about anything. Of course they are all book and reading related :)

I am so proud of my most recent brainstorm I just had to share it! I've had quotes on the brain lately and was trying to come up with some cute phrases for a shirt based on a variation or adaptation of a well-known quote. This led me to think of famous book and movie combos which led me to AFIs top 100 quotes of all time which led me to Rhett Butler!

I ended up thinking I'm so clever that I put this new quote on several different items (ladies you MUST check out the girls only item - you'll die laughing!)

Anyway, any inspirations for me on a new quote?

My Cool Book Lovers Gifts!

I started a Yoga Book Club!

2008-02-18T23:22:00.002-05:00

I've been a busy little bee working on my website, Book Club Queen and have taken a break to come up for air and write some thoughts.

I have been thinking on types of book clubs lately and have noticed that a lot of people ask about these main 3 - a kids book club, a spiritual (or christian many times) book club, and a mystery book club. I wrote pages up on those types of clubs and it was fun! A different twist to your traditional reading group.

Well not too long ago someone asked us via the site what we thought about a yoga book club. I hadn't really thought about it because I've never been into yoga before and it just wouldn't naturally pop into my head.

Of course, the request for info about a yoga book club got me thinking. So, as I always do, I've been trying it out! I started one up (following my own guidelines yoga book club ) and it's been an absolute blast! What a great way to get in shape, meet with friends, and read some extremely different types of books!

If you have the inclination to stretch and relax, I strongly recommend getting a yoga book club started in your area!

Eat Pray Love it or Hate it?

2008-02-07T15:03:00.001-05:00

I guess there is a lot of controversy right now about Elizabeth Gilbert's "spiritual quest for self" Eat Pray Love.

Some thinks she comes across as full of herself. Some think she's generalized and tried to find a quick fix for Eastern spirituality and thought. On the other hand, some love her. Women everywhere are setting out on their own pilgrimages for a search for meaning and a better life.

My jury is still out on this one. While I like to read about people who had enough "get-up-and-go" to stop complaining about their disillusionment and actually do something about it, I'm always hesitant about a "I found myself through a quest" kind of book. I think her voice is fresh and funny at times. I think she's genuine but also fake. I think she's telling about her experience but also preaching just a little. But hey, when I actually sit down to write a real book, maybe I'll do the same.

I have to give her credit for making her own personal quest into a highly-successful book that got her all the way to Oprah's couch.

Perhaps all the naysayers are really just jealous they didn't do it first...

Oprah's At It Again!

2008-02-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

You either love her or hate her. It's not often you find an "in between" opinion on Oprah.

Well I admit, I love her. I'm not as faithful of a viewer as some people I know but I think she is a genuine good soul who has worked hard for what she has and does a good job of "paying it back" to us little people, like authors!

It's no "secret" that Rhonda Byrne was catapulted to stardom with the help of a seat on Oprah's couch. She may have had a following before that but now she's a household name. My husband is currently working on his "secret" to get a good parking space everywhere we go.

So she's back at it with her newest book club selection - Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth - a self help book by an author who sold millions of The Power of Now.

I think it's fantastic that Oprah is helping this genre out and of course book clubs can't be all fiction. But could she pick something controversial again (A Million Little Pieces) or classic (Sula) for us non self-help readers?

I mean Eat. Pray. Love while cute just can't take the place of a fav like The Lovely Bones.

Guess I'll just keep waiting...

Check out my favs from Oprah's Book List!

Is Our Country Still So Behind the Times?

2008-01-23T10:53:00.001-05:00

Alabama Republican, Gerald Allen, has proposed the removal of any books from the public school libraries that are written by gay authors - even targeting Shakespeare!

He says that being gay is "an unacceptable lifestyle" and he's not censoring but "protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

So.....So.....SO......what the heck?! I can't believe in this day and age there could be someone, an actual lawmaker, that is so shortsighted and close minded as to try something like this. Being a gay writer has no effect whatsoever on an authors validity or talent. Some of the best people in our world, past and present, are gay - Elton John, Ellen, Leonardo DaVinici, John Milton, Gertrude Stein, Andy Warhol - the list goes on and on. Censoring books based on an author's sexuality is ridiculous. In my opinion it's the same as saying "we're going to take all books off the shelves written by authors who like Coke better than Pepsi." Stupid.

I think what really gets me is that I have no tolerance for judgemental people. I can't stand it when someone claims to be "educated" and speaks out under the guise of what's right for our children or our world and then proceeds to slander masses of people based on a personal, private lifestyle choice. It's the same as racial prejudice, gender stereotyping, and societal classes. I have friends who are gay. I have friends who are black. I have friends who are poor. I have friends who are male and friends who are female. Do I care? No! What I care about is that we are all good people who enjoy each other's company and confidences. Aren't those the things that SHOULD matter?

Just like when choosing a book to put on a public school bookshelf - shouldn't we be thinking about more important things like "Is this an engaging subject for struggling readers? Is there a lesson that can be learned from the story? Does this give some insight into the past or the future of our country or world? Is the level appropriate for the readers it's targeting?" Instead of wasting our time trying to rid the world of anything that isn't considered "normal" why don't we spend our time trying to help this generation, especially in America, of children become better readers so that they can become intelligent, well-informed adults.

Allen - if you're out there - put your position of power to good use. Because right now, you're wasting our time.

Read one of our reviews of a book about a gay author?

Jane Boleyn Unveiled

2008-01-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford by Julia Fox just hit book stores and I must say I'm psyched! I was so enthralled after reading the story of Henry VIII told by Philipa Gregory that I started checking out any and all books I could find about his wives. Another great one if you're a Henry fan is The Last Wife of Henry VII by Carolly Erickson.

If you've gotten to know me at all you've figured I'm not much of a nonfiction reader. Not because I don't like the content but because I can't stand the dryness it's usually written with. So historical fiction is def. for me. I like authors who can take real life events like the beheading of Ann Boleyn and the seduction of her sister Mary and imagine the emotions and small day to day happenings that surrounded the bigger drama.

I've heard good things about Julia Fox's book so I'll be eager to pick it up and see if I can actually find some love for the horrible Jane Boleyn. I guess we can give her that in a man's world she is a survivor. She had no problem with betraying anyone who stood in her way.

I'll be working on getting my hands on this book and reviewing it for you!

Interested in The Other Boleyn Girl?

The Way We Were...

2008-01-14T11:38:00.000-05:00

A trip down memory lane for me: http://stranded101.info/stranded1997vol1-2/blatchley-blige/

A freshmen in college, the world at my feet, on my own for the first time and putting my love for writing to good use in an English class led by an extraordinary teacher, Gardner Campbell.

It wasn't just about learning the art of composition, he understood that we were just starting to find out about who we wanted to be and what paths our learning might take us down. Little did I know all those years ago that I would end up an English teacher, website creator, and hopeful writer (in process these days). I do know that after "Stranded 101" as he called it, I went on to take all creative writing classes and of course every literature class I could get my hands on.

Just a salute to a fantastic teacher and a reminiscence of some of my beginnings....

What's Up Alice

2008-01-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

Sebold?

I just finished The Almost Moon, Sebold's new book and I have to say - yuck! I think I might be the hugest fan of Lovely Bones alive (aren't we all) so I was really psyched for her new one.

But I have to say - boring! I think she tried so hard to be shocking (first line - "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily") that it ends up being not shocking if you will. Killing your mother is definitely cause for concern but after that astonishing admission, the book spirals into the no man's land of mental illness and a daughter who idolized/loved/hated/pined for her mother and her mother's affection. Just not original.

Sebold is, as always, a master at the skill of writing. Her sentences are constructed beautifully and she knows where to pack the punch. But the characters in Almost Moon are just flat and boring to the point that I actually didn't really care what happened to any of them which is never a good sign.

I guess I just needed to rant here because I was so disappointed. Anybody else read this book? Or better yet, read it and LOVED it? I'd like to talk to you!

For my full review: Queenie D and The Almost Moon

Who Knew Age Would Matter So Much?

2008-01-07T12:10:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares (author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). I'm not sure why I have so much to say on this subject but I do!

The 3 main characters are in their early twenties but the way they think, act, and feel seems so much older. I just can't decide if Brashares meant for them to be old souls in young bodies or if she just miscalculated the age and should have been writing about 30 year olds.

The love story between Paul and Alice is powerful and built up to the explosion point for the reader so when they finally consummate it you're on the edge of your seat begging for it to happen. But she's 21. It's like an oxymoron to me. In one sentence she is described as an innocent virgin, in the next the mother he never had. So good job on complexity, that's for sure.

I liked the story itself I just felt discombobulated while reading because it didn't fit together. It's very melodramatic and one of the main characters dies which of course is totally sad. The way it's dealt with by the family makes the parents feel like the children and vice versa. I'm all for the unique, creating new paths, and inverting responsibilities of characters but I just want it to be systematic. I didn't like feeling like one second I was reading about a little girl and the next an old woman in her rocker on the front porch.

Then again, maybe Brashares is a genius because I haven't been able to stop thinking about what I think about the book since finished it last night!

For more and to submit what you think of this book, http://www.book-club-queen.com/the-last-summer.html

Harry Potter Fans...Weigh In

2008-01-03T12:03:00.000-05:00

So I was watching the news a few days ago and caught a small glib about Rowling entertaining the possibility of writing an 8th Potter novel, picking up where she left off Harry's adventures. Rumor has it that her daughter has been pressuring her to continue the series so she's actually considering it.

This really threw me. I so highly anticipated the release of The Deathly Hallows that I didn't sleep much the week before it came out (could also be linked to the fact that I was 8 months pregnant at that time!) I read the book in one sitting through the afternoon, evening, and middle of the night. I was SO worried that I'd be disappointed by it that I was almost scared to finish.

But then I did. And I was thrilled! I loved the way she wrapped things up. I loved that Harry was willing to die in order to finally defeat Voldemort. I loved that there was an epilogue which showed us a glimpse of how things had turned out for all the main characters. I loved that she spared Hagrid and Mr. Weasley. And I truly loved that Harry got to see Dumbledore one more time.

Now I'm thinking "wait, an eighth novel? How can it be?" I mean, if she picks up where she left off BEFORE the epilogue than we have loads of years that we can find out about. Except there won't be a Voldemort for Harry to fight. Does this mean Rowling will have to create another dark wizard for Harry to fight? Because if she does I don't think just one more book is going to cut it. We could be looking at a whole new series. I know, as a fan, I have that in me to read but I wonder if after all the build up there could truly be a better completed story than the one she's already created? She might be safer just writing about their kids. A whole new generation that fights bad wizards.

Not to mention that Daniel Radcliffe would be 40 by the time the HP movie series came to an end. And you know we'd all want the movies to keep going....

What do we think HP fans?

Check out my World of Harry Potter

Polygamy...We Should All Be So Lucky

2007-12-29T23:35:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading a book called Hush Ma by Mamet. We actually had the opportunity to interview this author for our website (www.book-club-queen.com/writer-interview-mamet.html).

The interview was enlightening and also horrific at the same time. Mamet is very candid and honest about some of the atrocities that go on in tribal Africa. As a victim herself, I would say she is an expert.

So the two main customs I'm talking about that are unacceptable are polygamy and female circumcision. I don't know which is the lesser of the two evils considering they are both demoralizing and bordering on inhumane. The women that are subjected to female circumcision are done so because the men of the tribe wish to make sure that their women don't have any sexual feelings at all, therefore taking away any likelihood that they will be unfaithful. The surgery, if you can call it that, is painful and oftentimes performed with rusty equipment. These women are scarred for life.

And who came up with polygamy? Obviously - men. Who wouldn't want to have as many partners as they felt like having with no moral responsibility to the idea of being faithful to one person. There are many who might argue that humans are not meant to spend their lives with only one person but in these tribes described by Mamet the men take full advantage. It might be a totally different story if the women were also allowed to practice polygamy.

It made me angry to read about these practices but I also thankful that strong women like Mamet are out there and willing to share their message with the world so that hopefully it will eventually stop.

Nonfiction? Nah!

2007-12-13T21:06:00.000-05:00

An interesting quote just came up in a book my mom was reading and reviewing. It's from Fannie Flag's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. (for the full review check out www.book-club-queen.com/fannie-flagg-books.html).

"Scratch any person over the age of sixty, and you have a novel so much better, certainly more interesting than any fiction writer could make up. So why try?" (33)

This got me thinking. I'm a lover of fiction. I can't help it - I just am. I have tried over the years, very unsuccessfully I might add, to read the token nonfiction book because I'm an English major and also English teacher so I figure I need to cover the two main genres.

But what I've found is that I'm NO GOOD at it! I can never seem to get into a nonfiction book. Here and there I've come across the rare literary nonfiction (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) that I've found totally fantastic. But really, I just can't get into them.

This quote from Can't Wait to Get to Heaven got me because I actually agree! Real life people are SO much more interesting than made up characters. So why don't I love reading about them?

I think I've figured it out. Real life people that write books about themselves don't generally do so using the same "storyesque" quality that authors who write about made up characters do. Hold on though, what I realized is, most great authors of fiction base their best characters, at least in part, on someone they know. In essence, many of them could be writing a nonfiction but "the names are made up to protect the innocent." This gives the author a full range of freedom. If they write about someone or something they know under the pretense of it being false, they don't have to worry about being totally accurate. I know, when I finally write my book someday, this is what I'll do.

The thing of it is, maybe I do like nonfiction after all. Perhaps the labels are just not up to par...