You won't find it here, either

This morning Terry Teachout posted a list of five things we can count on him not to blog about:

• Star Jones Reynolds

• The sixtieth anniversary of the bikini

• Superman’s politics

• Superman’s sexuality

• Rob Schneider’s fainting spell

I deeply appreciate his restraint, and I hope he will also avoid blogging about:

• The possibility of Harry Potter's death in Book Seven

• Harper Lee's "silence-breaking" in Oprah's magazine (It was just a letter, people. Sheesh.)

• Anyone under the age of 21 who lands a Big Money Book Deal from a major New York publisher

What subjects do you wish bloggers would just shut up about?


Technorati Tags: blogging, Terry+Teachout

Excuse for not blogging #59

I can't think of anything to blog about today. Suggestions?


UPDATE: 11:10 a.m.

Okay, somebody has asked me to post one of the playlists on my iPod. This one is called "Hot Stuff". (If you can't read the list, click on the pic to make it bigger.)

Best song on the list? The one that's playing right now: "Tiny Little Fractures" by Snow Patrol. ("What do you mean, I don't love you? I am standing here, aren't I?") Great song, but a 2-1/2 minutes, it's way too short. (Go to this page at Amazon and click on "Listen to Samples.")

[Edited at 11:32] It's been brought to my attention (You people are really quick, you know that?) that two of the songs are switched on Amazaon's sampler list. If you click on "Tiny Little Fractures" you'll hear "Whatever's Left." So if you want to hear "Tiny Little Fractures," you'll have to click on "Whatever's Left." Clear? Good. Now I'm going to go read a romance novel.

Technorati Tags: blogging

Class is in session: did you read your assigned romance novel?

A blog called Teach Me Tonight ("Musings on Romance Fiction by Some Academics who Love It") was launched this past Sunday with these words by E.M. Selinger:

So, let's see--this is my new blog about romance novels.

Well, not my blog. At least, not mine alone. Pam Regis, author of the indispensible A Natural History of the Romance Novel, will be joining me. So will other members of the RomanceScholar listserv, if they'd like--and so can you, if you're an academic who wants to post about romance fiction, whether as a critic, teacher, or fan.

I'd also love to see here--which means I'll post here--any syllabi, class notes, paper topics, or other ancillary materials you'd like to share. I do have another website under construction, "Resources for Teaching Popular Romance Fiction," where such materials could go, but alas, my webmistress is away for the summer, so that project is on hold. Bring them here, post them up, share the wealth, everyone!

Mr. Selinger followed that with the syllabus for the popular romance fiction course he teaches. Click over and take a look at his delightfully diverse reading list.

I'm weary of hearing romance novels ridiculed by people who pretend they're too smart to read "that fluff." It's about time we had some scholarly discussions in the blogisphere about the literary merits of the well-written romance novel. Sure, myriad romance writers have blogged in defense of the genre, but Teach Me Tonight promises a fresh perspective, and I can't wait to see what they stir up. (Thanks to Booksquare for the link.)

Technorati Tags: romance, novels, fiction

Blogging milestones

This is the 500th post I've written for this blog since I began publishing it on December 27, 2004. And sometime this week, the SiteMeter odometer in my sidebar will turn over to 50,000. That number represents actual visits, not "visitors", as the graphic claims, although I do have the counter configured so that you won't be counted more than once in any 24-hour period. (My own visits are never logged.)

Fifty thousand visits isn't a terribly meaningful number. It could indicate that one person has visited on that many separate days. Except that I haven't been blogging for 50,000 days. It might mean that 50,000 people have come here one time each. Except that I know my sister stops by fairly often. So the number of actual warm bodies that have clicked over to this blog lies somewhere between one and 50,000. Too bad we can't know where in between.

Now I suppose you're wondering why I bother posting the visitors total since it's an essentially meaningless number. Well, I'm hoping you'll see "50,000 visitors" in just over a year's time and be like, Wow. She's clearly a popular blogger. I should tell my friends about her.

At least, I hope you'll be like, Wow. But maybe you won't, now that I've explained all this. Still, 500 posts and 50,000 visits impresses me. Which is why I'm blogging about this today.

The blogisphere is a big place, and I'm very much aware that there are myriad bloggers out there who are smarter and funnier and prettier than me. But not one of them appreciates their readers more than I appreciate mine. Trust me on that.

So thanks, everybody, for reading No rules. Just write. You make blogging fun.

Technorati Tags: blogging, counters

Hint to publishers: maybe some books don't need titles

I bought some new CDs for my iPod the other day, and as I was browsing titles, it struck me how often new bands and artists self-title their first albums.

Why don't novelists do that? Wouldn't that be a great way to build name recognition? Then instead of saying, "I loved Finding Hope by Brenda What's-her-name," people would say, "I loved that Brenda Coulter book. Are there any more Brenda Coulter books available?"

Sure, everyone talks about "the latest Stephen King book", but he had to get big before we started doing that. Why shouldn't authors start out drawing attention to their own names instead of obsessing over book titles that rarely stick in readers' minds, anyway? My e-friend Tony Hines' first book, Waking Lazarus, has just come out, and everyone keeps calling it "Walking Lazarus." Wouldn't Tony and his readers be better off if we just called it "the T. L. Hines book"? Titles aren't copyrightable, anyway, which means Tony couldn't stop a smart-alek like me from calling my next romance novel Waking Lazarus.

Book titles shouldn't be more important or memorable than the authors' names. Maybe the book business should follow the example of the music industry and start trotting out some self-titled novels.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll pop back over to iTunes and buy the latest Counting Crows CD. I forget what it's called, but I know they released a new one this month....

Technorati Tags: publishing, books, Waking+Lazarus, Counting+Crows

Questionable content

Are blog polls annoying?
	Absolutely. And I can't belive a classy blogger like you is doing one.
	Not at all. Let's do more!
	I have no opinion, but that's not going to stop me from participating.
	42. Thanks for asking.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Technorati Tags: blog+polls, stuff, nonsense

A big, bad word

Occasionally I come across a new word and think, why? Brobdingnagian is such a word. It doesn't look cute in a sentence and it isn't any fun to pronounce. It's not even particularly useful, as all it means is, "really, really big." If you want to say something is really, really big, just go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot easier, and people won't look at you and go Huh?

Those who have read Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels will remember Brobdingnag as the country of giants. That was in contrast to Lilliput, a place where all the people were very, very small.

"Lilliputian" is a cute word. It's fun to say. I sometimes use it when I want to convey that something is really, really small. But that other word? It's just plain dumb.

Technorati Tags: words

Time management on the internet: Five things I don't do anymore

In the past week, four people have asked me where I find the time to do all that I do on the internet. The questioners ranged from the faintly disapproving to the clearly awed. My answer is always the same: I don't watch television, so the couple of hours a day that most people spend watching TV "to relax," I'm playing around on the internet. Friends, this is my idea of fun and self-education. I use the internet. It does not use me.

Regular readers of No rules know I've been struggling with some health issues during the past few months. Nothing life-threatening, merely uncomfortable and inconvenient. (I had a migraine nearly every day for almost two months. Then when my resistance was down, I got hit hard with bronchitis--and that's still hanging on. The migraines are coming about once a week now, and they usually take my mind off the coughing and chest congestion and give me something fresh to complain about to my hunk o' burnin' love.)

Since I've been sick, I've pared down my internet activities. And because I often hear people complain about the internet (and e-mail, in particular) taking up too much of their time, I thought I would share five of my best timesaving tips:


Five things I don't do anymore

• I don't check the spam folders in my mailboxes. Ever. It's just not worth reading two hundred offensive subject lines every day just to make sure I haven't missed an important message. If G-mail or AOL thinks a message is spam, that's good enough for me.



• I don't feel that I have to answer e-mail messages the same day I receive them. Sometimes I peek to see what they're about, but if I don't have the time or the inclination to answer right away, I don't feel even a twinge of guilt.



• I don't read every message that comes through the dozen or so e-mail loops and message boards I participate in. Quite often I'll glance at the subject line or even the sender's address and just delete the message unread. (Bonus tip: If you want people to read your stuff, put something meaningful in your subject lines, avoid inane chatter, and refrain from endless "ranting.")



• I don't try to catch up on my blog-reading. If my Bloglines box gets too full, I do a mass delete. (I'm currently subscribed to 66 RSS feeds). Do I worry about missing something good? No. The blogisphere renews itself every day, and there will always be far more juicy posts out there than I have time to discover.



• I don't blog about everything that's on my mind. When I link to an article and blog about it, don't expect an exhaustive post on every point I agree or disagree with. Most of the time I'll just blog about the first thing that hit me when I scanned the piece. (And if the piece is a long one, it's entirely likely that I didn't even read the whole thing.)

Hope this helps somebody.


Technorati Tags: time+management, blogging, e-mail, internet

Anne's gift from the sea

Originally posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was born 100 years ago today. I'm still a bit under the weather, so I'll just rerun my blog post from this day last year.

---

Today is the birthday of Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She led a fascinating life and died in 2001 at the age of 94. Today she would have been 99.

About every other summer, I pull out my battered little copy of Gift from the Sea. Although it's a very short book and I'm a ravenous reader, I never rip through it in one sitting. It usually takes me a week of sunny summer afternoons and a dozen frosty glasses of minted iced tea to get through it. I pluck a sprig of fresh lavendar for a bookmark (it's also good for sniffing and twiddling as I alternately read and daydream), then I settle into my favorite chair on the patio and whisper the book to myself, allowing Anne's wise words to wash over me like warm, gentle waves caressing a seashore.

Could you use a mini vacation right about now? Dig up a copy of Gift From the Sea, then fill a tall glass with some wonderful icy drink and indulge in a little summer dreaming.

A byline has been added to this post to foil a site which has been stealing my daily writings and passing them off as its own.

Technorati Tags: Anne+Morrow+Lindbergh, Gift+from+the+Sea, books, reading

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Originally posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

Sometimes the internet is just not a very nice place. Last week, for instance, an individual who's been stealing my blog posts for months and presenting them (without attribution) as if they were written for his site came over here and left a comment in an attempt to pass off his theft as a compliment to my "art." And now, my website has been hacked.

Don't worry, I fixed it. (If tech stuff scares you, close your eyes for this part.) Somebody had dropped an iframe tag into my code that pointed to a nice little (this is sarcasm, folks) Trojan horse program. I have reason to believe it was not my admin password that was compromised, but the security of my web host's server--which means I can't prevent this from happening again. Yes, I plan to change hosts, but at the moment I don't even want to think about uploading and testing my 30-page website.

Frustrating? You bet. Especially when I'm still struggling with a terrible bout of bronchitis that isn't responding to treatment.

Outside my office window, the sky has grown dark and rain is hammering the patio. Thunder is crashing and my lights are flickering. After losing my internet connection three times, I have switched over to dial-up just long enough to publish this post.

And then I am going back to bed.

A byline been added to this post to foil a site which has been stealing my daily writings and passing them off as its own.

Technorati Tags: hacked, Trojan+horse

Excuse for not blogging #5

Originally posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

Sick. I'll go have some more chicken soup, and maybe I'll see you all tomorrow.

A byline has been added to this post to foil a site which has been stealing my daily writings and passing them off as its own.

A bird (almost) in the hand

Originally posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

After spotting this cardinal through my kitchen window, I snatched up my camera and then slowly, slowly, opened the back door.

The bird didn't twitch a single feather, so I closed the door behind me and moved two steps closer and snapped this photo. The bird remained perfectly still. Surprised, I just watched him for several seconds, until it hit me that he was dead.

Sheesh, I was taking pictures of a dead bird. What was I going to do next, start stalking celebrities with my camera? I put the camera on the patio table and approached the birdbath, wondering about the best way to dispose of a dead bird.

I was almost close enough to reach out my hand and touch the poor little thing (not that I was planning to do that) when his head jerked in my direction and he flapped his wings and retreated to the safety of the viburnum hedge on the left side of this photo.

"Hey, I understand daydreaming," I said to him. "But you need to understand that my neighbors have a cat that thinks he owns this garden."

The cardinal gave me a look that said, "Point taken," and then he flew off to perch high in our mulberry tree.


A byline has been added to this post to foil a site which has been stealing my daily writings and passing them off as its own.

Technorati Tags: cats, birds, garden

Talk to me!

Originally posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

When it comes to contemporary novels, if I don't get dialogue on every page, I'm not going to make it very far into the book. Movies, too. Even a great actor like Tom Hanks couldn't make me like Castaway because there just wasn't enough conversation in the movie. (No, I'm afraid Tom interacting with the volleyball just didn't do it for me.)

When I write, dialogue comes first. It's fun. It's easy. It's what I'm best at. So the bare bones of my books are laid out in conversations between the characters. All the rest gets filled in on subsequent drafts.

Other writers have different strengths. You may shine when it comes to storytelling, but struggle with dialogue. Or you may be brilliant at descriptions, but stink at making your characters talk. But even if you're good at dialogue, most of us could benefit from an occasional tip or reminder. So today I'm pointing you to an excellent post by James Scott Bell at The Charis Connection. He's written an enormously helpful and entertaining piece entirely in dialogue. Here's a sample:

"Tell me about dialogue!"
"If you'll put that gun down, maybe—"
"Now!"
"Sure. You've just helped. Your dialogue, not to mention your pointing a gun at me, adds to the conflict."
"How?"
"By arguing with me. Put two characters together who have different agendas. That should be revealed in their dialogue. In fact, that is one of the two primary goals of dialogue—to create conflict."
"Oh yeah? What's the other?"
"To reveal character. And you're doing that, too. Our readers will get the idea you're a rather brusque fellow."
"Says you!"
"See? And you don't talk like me. That's another key. Each character should have his or her own way of speaking."
"So I'm doin' somethin' right, is that what yer tellin' me?"
"Almost. I'd avoid overuse of idioms and accents, like 'yer' and 'tellin',' unless they're absolutely necessary. They're too difficult to read. A mere suggestion every now and again is all you need. The reader's imagination will do the rest."
"So I'm NOT doing it right, is that it?"
"Calm down."
"I AM calm!"
"At least you're a man of few words. Dialogue in fiction should be brief."
"What if I've got a lot to say?"
"Heaven help us. But if you must, avoid long speeches. Break the speech up, using other characters' interruptions and—"
"Interruptions?"
"Perfect. And with little actions that demonstrate emotion."
"Like this?"
"Yes. Waving the gun in my face was just right. You're catching on quick."

There's lots more. Head over there and enjoy.


A byline has been added to this post to foil a site which has been stealing my daily writings and passing them off as its own.

Technorati Tags: writing, fiction,

Rose parade

Originally posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

Yes, the garage door needs painting. The other day I pointed that out to my hunk o' burnin' love, then admitted it looks sort of charming as it is. He was quick to agree. Maybe I'm the suspicious type, but I think he was more interested in taking a paperback thriller for a ride in his backyard hammock than getting out the scrapers and paintbrushes.

Although I'm a fine one to talk about letting things slide. I didn't get around to pruning this tangle of "White Dawn" roses earlier this spring, so they went a little crazy. I took this picture several days ago, just as the buds were beginning to burst open. Why don't I get out there and take another picture and show you what it looks like now that the plant is covered with white blooms? Because as soon as I finish blogging, I'm taking my computer outside to write a little romance.

These shell-pink "New Dawn" roses quickly scrambled up their sturdy 8-foot trellis and reached for the sky. I suppose you'd have a better view of them if you flew over my house in a hot-air balloon or rode past it on a giraffe, but I thought I was being creative when I stood next to the trellis and pointed the camera up.

A byline has been added to this post to foil a site which has been stealing my daily writings and passing them off as its own.

Technorati Tags: roses, gardening

Writing lesson from Snow Patrol: tease and smash

Posted by Brenda Coulter at No rules. Just write.

Over the weekend I downloaded a couple of Snow Patrol CDs for my iPod. I was already familiar with several of the alternative-rock group's songs, but what made me hit the "purchase now" button was this bit from Mike McGonigal's editorial review of the "Eyes Open" CD: "If there was ever perfect music to get lost to while driving around confused about a relationship, this is it."

I imagine he's right. Which is why that CD has been rattling my office windows this morning as I work on my romance novel.

Believe it or not, this middle-aged writer has a great deal in common with that bunch of twentysomething Scottish/Irish alt-rockers. I, too, am creative, and I know what it's like to strive to express a particular mood. I, too, start with a snatch of "melody" and a handful of images and then begin shaping my piece, adding a little here, carving off a bit there. I know what it's like to stand back and look at my creation and feel those flutters in my gut and know that something's not right, something more is needed--or perhaps something less. And I know the satisfaction of having created a work that resonates with my audience.

Last night I perused the (digital) liner notes on the "Wide Awake" CD, in which frontman and lyricist Gary Lightbody wrote about the song "Open Your Eyes":

It was the most ambitious song we have ever attempted. Built around one hypnotic rift and a very claustrophobic opening verse which opens...out into an ever building, rolling landscape. We wanted to increase the tension in the song to the point where when the final release came it made you exhale. We wanted it to tease and then smash.

I especially liked that part about teasing and then smashing. That's precisely what I try to do with my romance novels: Draw you in, encourage you to live the story right along with my characters, and then rip your heart out. Tease and smash. Of course, with a romance novel there's an extra step, which is bringing the hero and heroine back together and giving them an emotionally satisfying ending.

I've never written a song, but I think I know what it feels like to write one. Similarly, I believe Gary Lightbody knows what it feels like to write a romance novel. Do you suppose he realizes that?


UPDATED 11:45a.m. EST

Welcome, visitors from Miss Snark, the literary agent. I appreciate her linking, but the post you're looking for is yesterday's. Thanks for stopping by. Have fun!

The byline at top of this post has been added to foil a site which has been stealing my daily posts and passing them off as its own. See this post for details.

Technorati Tags: writing, Snow+Patrol, Gary+Lightbody

Great read: A FAMILY FOREVER

When a man sworn to protect his dead brother's fiancée discovers she's pregnant, he marries her, convinced that God will honor his good intentions and lead the couple to love.

A FAMILY FOREVER is a deeply moving story about love and faith from award-winning romance novelist Brenda Coulter. We recommend it for summer reading, so rush to Amazon.com and order your copy today.

---

What's with the advertisement, you ask? Oh, that's just me having a little fun at someone else's expense. You see, for several months now, a certain website has been hijacking my blog's RSS feed and presenting my daily entries as articles written for their site. The idea is to plump up their site's content in order to draw more visitors so they can make more money selling ad space. They use my post titles and my writing and even my photographs without ever attaching my name to any of the "borrowed" material.

Since they copy all of my posts, I decided they could jolly well advertise my book for me: I designed the first half of this entry to appear as though the offending site is endorsing A FAMILY FOREVER. They usually truncate the articles, so their readers won't see this explanation unless they click on the link to read the entire article. Of course, the thieves might catch on to my little trick and manually delete this post from their site. But I'll have already had a good laugh on them.

I'll let you know what happens.


Update: 3:00a.m. EST (Yes, I'm up late.)

As soon as the RSS feed went out, they snagged it. Want to see it? I'm not going to link to the site or even print its name, because they might stumble across it in a Technorati search, but here's a clue: Take the Xs out of the following and type what's left in your browser window:

AllXWomensXTalkX.com

If you don't see my post on the main page, you'll find it under "Articles and Features."


Update: 11:30a.m. EST

A March 23 article at ConsumerAffairs.com addresses this copyright infringement issue and explains why I can't stop it. The site mentioned in the article is the same one that's lifting my material.


Technorati Tags: plagiarism, copyright, RSS+feed, blog+content

New BOBB

I just put up a new BOBB. Hope you all enjoy it.

A book on a stick?

The other day I came across a website advertising something called a BookFob--a little memory stick that holds an e-book and the software needed to read it. You can carry this little wonder everywhere, the ad copy tells us:

There is no e-book reader software or e-book content to download. Simply plug your bookfob into your computer and a built-in e-book reader pops up with your book contents. Attach it to your key chain, backpack, purse, or briefcase and carry your books with you everywhere!

Yeah, just be sure to lug along a computer, too. And make sure it's a Windows-running PC, not a Mac. Otherwise, you won't be able to read your books.

Why purchase an old heavy textbook or novel when you can now purchase a BookFob (digital book) that can be carried in your purse or pocket at all times?

Well, for starters, I can carry a paperback novel in my handbag, and that's a whole lot lighter and less bulky than my computer.

If I wanted to order an e-book, I could download it and read it right now. But if I wanted a novel on a BookFob, I'd have to order it online (and wait for delivery by mail) or find a brick-and-mortar store that carried the things. How is that convenient? Wouldn't it be simpler, faster, and cheaper to just stop by the drug store on my way to the dentist's office and pick up a paperback novel?

Look, I'll give these people points for creativity, but what good is a BookFob? Am I missing something?


Technorati Tags: BookFob, e-book,

Watch THIS one go through

Blogger's been glitchy all day. Three times I have tried to post, only to lose my work when I hit Publish. So I'm giving up until tomorrow (Friday).


Technorati Tags: Blogger

Life cycles

Regular readers of this blog know that my Number One Son, who pops in here from time to time and leaves a comment, is all about bikes. When he was five and we took the training wheels off his first bike, we quickly learned that we'd been holding the kid back. Instead of wobbling around with a worried expression on his little face, he stood on the seat, kicked one leg out behind him, and sailed down our quiet little street, thrilled to have two wheels under him. Years later, when all of his friends were buying cars (where we live, everyone drives), Tristan sank his fortune into a sexy new bike and all kinds of gear. He was almost nineteen when he finally bought a car, but he sold it when he moved to downtown Chicago to work and attend school--and hang with the bicycle messengers, who now know him as their current skid champion.

Tristan is excited that his new, custom-built track bike is finally finished, so he e-mailed and asked me to blog about it. I invited him to say a few words, and here's what he e-mailed back.

---

Wow! What's this, you ask? A SPECIAL GUEST BLOG ENTRY! You may remember an entry my mom wrote several months ago with a picture of me holding a goofy looking pink bike frame. Nearly a year after I received the frame, the bike is finally all built up and ready to race!

This bad boy is for velodrome use only, and is a purebred race steed. It's light, fast, stiff, and expensive. All the things a good bike needs to be!



Here are all the bike-geek oriented details:

Frameset:
Custom hand-built Don Walker frame & fork. A carefully selected mix of Columbus Zona & Reynolds 531 steel tubing.

Components:
FSA Orbit II XL threadless headset
Look ErgoStem (adjustable from 0mm-150mm)
Nitto B125 38cm
Velox cloth bar tape
Thompson aluminum seatpost, zero setback
Salsa seat clamp
Miche bottom bracket & Crankset (49t)
KMC extra wide chain
Dura Ace rear cog, 15t aluminum
28h Mavic CXP 30 tubular rims, Dura Ace 7600 series track hubs
Vittoria Pista Evo CL tubular tires, 19mm
Look pedals

Many thanks to Don Walker and my boss Marcus at Yojimbo's Garage for helping me get exactly what I wanted.

Rubber side down,
Tristan



Technorati Tags: track+bike, velodrome, bicycle+messenger, bike

This, that, and the other thing

Scary news from Bloggers Blog:

Today is 6-6-06. If you have hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia then you are very creeped out today.

Hey, I got creeped out just trying to read that long word. Do you suppose there's a long word that means "fear of long words"?

---

For those of you who just can't read enough litblogs ("literary weblogs"), the disgustingly energetic Bud Parr of Metaxu Cafe has put together a comprehensive list of litblogs for PubSub. If it's not on Bud's list, it's probably not a litblog. I can't tell what earthly good the "LinkRanks" are, but the site's useful if you want to make sure you're not missing some delightfully quirky little bookish blogs.

Speaking of links, if you're linking to my blog and aren't yet listed on my sidebar (which I finally got around to alphabetizing), please let me know. In most cases (see the disclaimer over there on the sidebar), I'm good for a reciprocal link.

And once again, I'm way behind on my e-mail. If you're waiting to hear from me, please accept my apologies. I hope to catch up very soon.


Technorati Tags: litblog, literary, blogs, Technorati+tags

Is Harper Lee still writing?

"It takes time and patience and effort to turn out a work of art, and few people seem willing to go all the way. I see a great deal of sloppiness and I deplore it. I think writers today are too easily pleased with their work. This is sad. There's no substitute for struggling, if a struggle is needed, to make an English sentence as beautiful as it should be.

"I want to do the best I can with the talent God gave me. I would like to leave some record of... small-town middle-class southern life. All I want to be is the Jane Austen of south Alabama."

So said Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, in her last major interview, which took place 42 years ago. She's quoted in The Independent Online in an article about a new and very much unauthorized biography of the reclusive writer.

I've never been moved by any of the speculation that Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote might have ghostwritten her one and only novel. Neither am I fascinated by discussions of her possible alcoholism or her fear of success or by any of the myriad hypotheses that have been put forward to explain why she stopped writing--because I don't believe she did stop writing.

Call me crazy, but I think we'll see further novels from her, although they may well be published posthumously. I believe she has written and may still be writing other stories because quotes like the one above reveal somebody with a passion for writing; and as a passionate (though far less gifted) writer, I don't believe it's possible that she could have simply switched that off and walked away.

What do you think?

Excuse for not blogging #214

I've decided to start my weekend early. See you on Monday. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this garden photo. It didn't make the cut last time.

Do you believe in ghostwriters?

If I was forty years younger, still in my twenties, and if I was afflicted by that absurd ambition to write books for a living, I hope I would have enough good sense to realise that the only practical way forward would be to become a ghostwriter.

So says Michael Allen, also known as The Grumpy Old Bookman, and if that's not an eminently quotoble paragraph, I've never seen one. If you've ever wondered exactly what a ghostwriter does, scoot over there and read today's post, which also includes some fascinating anecdotes about celebrities who have "written" books--like the footballer who was fined for an offense his ghostwriter embellished for the book, but which "sounded" enough like the athlete that it was taken for a confession.