Publisher’s Weekly reports a libel lawsuit has been filed against John Grisham and three other authors, based on books published about a 1982 murder of a cocktail waitress in Ada, Oklahoma.
Amazon and Borders launch two new Novel Contests. The Amazon contest is looking for the ‘Next Breakout Novel’ in fiction. The winner will receive a $25,000 advance from Penguin. The Borders Group contest is looking for the ‘Next Great Crime Novel’ with the winner receiving $5,000 and a publishing deal through Border’s.
As one of the most well-liked stories about teenage angst, S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” is still relevant today.
I read this novel when I was about the same age as Pony Boy and Johnny. Although the literary crowds were critical of it, I loved the book. It spoke to me as if it understood who I was during those difficult teenaged years.
At that time, all I read were adventure thrillers and horror stories. But my eighth grade English Teacher, Mr. Weldon, opened my eyes to many other genres and stories and the The Outsiders’ was among them. Reading The Outsiders even convinced me to read ‘Gone With the Wind’ (a real slog when you’re 15).
I remember the story and the characters well, and I’m fond of the memories and the feelings that story elicited all those years ago.
Starting today you can sign up for the National Novel Writing Month, which begins November 1st. If you are not in the know you’ve gotta go to the NaNoWriMo home page to learn more.
The secret? Dumb down. It’s really amazing what people consider to be a good read.
You’ve gotta love the British. They make being blunt an art form. The Observer analyzes the book Crystal and figures out how to write such a blockbuster.
