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Harlequin, in its quest for world women’s fiction domination (and I don’t mean that in a bad way), is launching a new line called Prime Time, geared toward older heroines in July, 2005. They currently plan to release four books a month — given HQ‘s marketing genius, it’s just more evidence that certain segments of […]

I’ve never understood the human need to achieve new heights of ridiculousness. This is why I won’t be remembered like Norris McWhirter. Not only did McWhirter appreciate the folly of our humanity, but he published it successive editions. In each of us is a special person…alas, modern society makes it harder and harder to claim […]

While I continue to deal with my household’s disappointment that Neal Stephenson’s only apparent Los Angeles appearance for The Confusion will be the LA Times Festival of Books (and this after I’ve agreed repeatedly, “Yes, he ignored us completely when touring for Quicksilver“), Neal is speaking to the press everywhere. He sits down (virtually, I […]

PW also reports that the public appetite for behind-the-scenes of the White House news (and, for me, this is a non-partisan thing) is growing. We’re buying Bob Woodward’s Plan of Attack because it gives us insight into how our government works. Hey — I’m a self-confessed Ari Fleischer/Scott McLellan junkie, and I still want the […]

I have to say that I’m a firm believer in supporting causes I believe in. And I don’t download free music (that’s what friends are for). MediaBistro is great about providing cool information, a lot for free. Man, I really do sound like a shill for the man. Alas, I’m just a writer who understands […]

Here’s the thing: if you don’t subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly (and I assure you I’m not a shill for the man), you don’t get their daily email newsletters. Which means you don’t know the fascinating story behind Dan (DaVinci Code) Brown’s editor. Peripatetic? Can that even be applied to a guy who hasn’t hit forty? […]

ProLiteracy (if you don’t know, shame on you) reports that they will receive a $50,000 Oprah Winfrey Book Club award to support ProLiteracy’s international partners’ work with children and their families in Colombia. This comes about after Oprah’s choice of One Hundred Years of Solitude as her latest bookclub pick. ProLiteracy Website

The plan, as I recall it, was to sit down and write a few romance novels. I would then take the money and open a store that sold greeting cards and balloons. Quite possibly, I would continue the writing because it would be easy and the money would be excellent. It’s okay — you can […]

There are some who say comedy is a finely honed craft. There are others who suggest it’s innate. And then there are writers, searching for that elusive first line. You know the one. It conveys your story, your brilliance, your ability to grab the reader by the throat and hold on for dear life. That […]

The Booksense bestseller list for 4/19/2004 is leaving me ever so slightly desirous of, well, a major surprise. A blockbuster. A book that captures America’s imagination as no other books has. Sure, all my money’s on Eats, Shoots and Leaves, but I’m thinking a backup book might be a good idea. Seriously, these lists are […]