This is another new one for me. Back when I wrote about how much I coveted a chance to read Do the Devil’s Work for Him: How to Make it in the Music Industry, I never expected co-author Rick Florino to get in touch and ask if I’d like to interview him. I don’t usually do these things, I said, but … what the heck. I used to conduct interviews all the time and lately, I’ve had the tables turned and have been doing interviews of my own.

So… Rick kindly sent me a copy of the book. I devoured it, much as you’d expect. And then I drew up some questions for him. This got long (well, MY idea of long), so I’ll split it into two parts.

Q: Reading Devil’s Work was like taking a step back in time for me. I left the industry in 1991 and from the book, it seems that not much has changed since then. Yet the music biz is an entirely new world.

Given that, why do you still recommend the tried-and-true internship as a way in, versus setting up a shingle on a website somewhere and getting busy? What are the advantages of interning that a website can’t give you?

The best way into this business is through networking—building relationships with colleagues in the industry. The most effective way to start networking and making those contacts is through physically working with other people and interacting with them on a day-to-day basis. At the end of the day, there’s nothing better than face-to-face interaction. Allow your co-workers the chance to get to know who you really are and what you’re capable of in a work environment. I think the best solution is to do both. Get an internship at a record label, management company, publicity outfit or law firm and then start your own web site on the side. Really, get two internships and have your own thing going online too! It’s best to infiltrate the industry in every facet that you can, but you need contacts. Make them in every arena available to you.

What are the chances of someone who sets up a website getting an offer to jump to a label?

It all depends really. If your skills evinced on the web site fit the job you’re looking for then your chances are as good as anybody else’s. However, it’s mainly about personal interaction and cultivating those relationships. If you’ve already interned for someone and they know you, you’re more likely to get hired.

What are the advantages of making that leap and working for someone, rather than hanging out at home, doing what you’d like all day long?

Hopefully if you want to be a part of the entertainment industry, working for someone will be something you’d like to do all day! This is isn’t an industry where a degree guarantees entry. You really need to hustle, make contacts and build a personal brand. If you’re working for someone and you deliver on every promise, the personal satisfaction will be immense and you’ll begin your long journey on a career.

What about street teams? Are they really still around, active, and viable ways to get your name out? (I haven’t heard a whisper of one in eons! Yet you do mention them in the book.)

Street teams do still in fact exist but, more often than not, they know rule the electronic realm. Teamers will typically promote artists and projects on MySpace, Facebook and numerous message boards, as well as other online outlets. However, you will see the occasional group of teamers handing out stickers or other swag outside of concerts.

Q: The book is geared mainly to the people who aspire to enter the biz as writers. Yet it seems relevant for anyone who’d like to do anything at a label. Is that because once you’re in, you can move around, or are there certain label jobs (A&R) or biz jobs (management) that require different entry methods?

Yes, most definitely. There are a few basic skill sets, and then the sky’s the limit. I feel like once you’re in the proverbial door, you can do anything if you’re willing to work with those around you and listen. It’s fun to move around too!

Q: At the end of the book, when you give others their say, one theme that keeps popping up is the idea that labels are on their way out and the entire model of how music is distributed is changing. Your views?

I think the industry is definitely undergoing an evolution. The old model, the label system, has become archaic. Even though it seems like Rome is burning, there is an immense amount of freedom for artists these days. There is no set way to become a success in the music world. It’s really up to you. Given that labels aren’t a surety, give us something we haven’t heard, seen or felt before and I guarantee you you’ll get what you want. Keep the past in mind, but look towards the future—I think Matt Sorum said that in my book, hahaha. Listen to him, not me!

Q: In the past ten years, corporations such as LiveNation have taken over the concert industry. I’ve heard from many friends, from stage crew on up to label folk, that they’ve ruined a good thing. Do you see a chance for the little guy to come back into live music, from the concert promotion end? Where is live music headed?

Live music will always be a necessity. I do think there is a chance for the little guy to come back. It’s a matter of doing things differently though. If there’s a new band on MySpace that comes up with some revolutionary idea, they WILL get noticed. That’s the climate we live in these days. People are so starved for original ideas. Think of something new, take a risk and go for it. Also, buy our book…just kidding. In all seriousness, live music is undergoing the same revolution. Festival culture is a big part of the American music landscape now, and it’s fantastic because you can see M.I.A. and Mastodon on the same bill. That wasn’t necessarily the case even a few years ago. There’s a Lollapalooza feel to it, and people are more open to those things now, which is fantastic. Even if LiveNation or AEG or whoever is at the top, if someone comes up with something new, they will all take notice. That’s the most important thing.

What about the fact that concerts were once events? That’s gone — or is it? How do you view the changes in the fans who come out to shows?

I don’t think that feeling is gone at all. Quite contrary, Coachella is bigger than ever. There’s Outside Lands in San Francisco now. Lollapalooza in Chicago. Stagecoach and now Epicenter in Southern California. That’s the one I’m most excited about. You can’t beat a bill with Tool, Alice in Chains and Linkin Park. If that’s not an event, then nothing is! Fans will always go to show, and there’s always a younger generation to get excited about seeing their favorite bands for the first time. I think the format has changed a little bit but I feel like the love, passion and excitement are no less palpable or genuine than in any other era.

And how do all these changes affect the desire of music fans to go into the music biz?

There will always be people who are passionate about music. I don’t think that any exterior changes can shake a real fan’s fervor for the ‘biz. If those changes do, then said fan should probably find a new hobby!

Q: How about radio? With the XM-Sirius merger (a move I, a subscriber, regret), are there fewer opportunities for a band to break on air? Is college radio still a testing ground? Or has that early synergy moved online, to places like MySpace, where people can stream music?

Radio is a funny game these days. Kids discover music online these days. They watch MTV for The Hills not for their favorite band’s new video. I don’t think they typically find new bands on the radio either. It’s really word of mouth, MySpace other online outlets and video games. So many kids have found their new favorite band in Guitar Hero. As strange as it sounds, it’s true. So, yes I feel like that synergy has moved online.

Same question: in my day, demos were the things we talked about, passed around. They built community. That’s all gone now… so how does it affect the desire of fans to work in music?

Again, I think true fans will always want to be a part of the industry. I started in 2004 during the download era and the decline of major labels. I didn’t experience college radio or demo-trading in that way, and I feel like I love music and being a part of this just as much as anyone else. I just came from a different era. But passion is passion, you know? I don’t think there should be any deterrents.

Q: I am seeing publishing making many of the same mistakes that the music biz did — dealing with piracy, with clinging to outmoded business models, with increasing prices when the clamor is for less. If you were the Metal Guru with a long history of awesome advice that never leads the listener astray, what would you say to the publishing industry?

I’d say embrace the new model and roll with it. Don’t shun it, but utilize it to your advantage and truly build authors into brands online.

Thanks, Rick! I’ll have part two up next Monday, but in the meantime, check out Rick’s website. Be sure to check out the videos on the links page — do any of these real-life rock stars make you think of a certain fictional band who likes to hang out here?

If you’ve been hanging at Win a Book at all lately, you’ll know that author Stephanie Kuehnert has been hosting authors to come and talk about their ballad, a song that affected them deeply and has altered who they are. This has been the way in which she’s been gearing up for today’s release of her second novel, Ballads of Suburbia.

So. Being me, I turned the tables on Ms. Kuehnert and asked her THE question: What song makes you think of your book?

Here’s what she said:

Choosing just one song that I associate with Ballads of Suburbia is difficult. After all I put together an entire 33-song soundtrack for the book. I was leaning toward “Suburban Perfume” by Office, which I used in my book trailer for Ballads and I think captures the feeling of innocence lost in the book. Office is a Chicago band and so is Screeching Weasel and their song “Hey Suburbia” I think captures the flipside of the lost innocence feeling– the I just don’t care and I’m gonna have fun aspect of the book. Or there are a couple punk songs that inspired the whole ballad/storytelling aspect of the book: “Story of My Life” by Social Distortion and “The Young Crazed Peeling” by The Distillers. But honestly, the book that I think would capture the overall feeling of the book best and that I listened to repeatedly while doing revisions is “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by the Offspring. In fact, the song used to frustrate me because they distilled what I was trying to say in 300+ pages into a 3 minute song with a catchy chorus. But there it is.

Here’s the link to the song. I sorta dig the Offspring, myself. Okay, more than sorta dig.

Need to know more about Ballads of Suburbia? Me, too!

Here’s the blurb:

There are so many ballads. Achy breaky country songs. Mournful pop songs. Then there’s the rare punk ballad, the ballad of suburbia: louder, faster, angrier . . . till it drowns out the silence.

Kara hasn’t been back to Oak Park since the end of junior year, when a heroin overdose nearly killed her and sirens heralded her exit. Four years later, she returns to face the music. Her life changed forever back in high school: her family disintegrated, she ran around with a whole new crowd of friends, she partied a little too hard, and she fell in love with gorgeous bad boy Adrian, who left her to die that day in Scoville Park. . . .

Amidst the music, the booze, the drugs, and the drama, her friends filled a notebook with heartbreakingly honest confessions of the moments that defined and shattered their young lives. Now, finally, Kara is ready to write her own.

You guys know what a music junkie I am. I’ve GOT to read both of Stephanie’s books. She and I are, I suspect, cut from similar cloth.

Check ’em both out. Ballads of Suburbia and the debut, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone.

I don’t usually join the Mailbox Monday meme. I’ve never met the host, Marcia at The Printed Page.

Well, time to change that, huh?

While this won’t be a weekly thing — there’s still the Monday Poetry Train to consider — it’s fun to do every now and then. Sort of like the other memes I do from time to time.

This week seemed like the best week to join in because I got three books I wanted to blab about.

Two of them came from my friend Dar, at Peeking Between the Pages. She knew I was drooling at the mere thought of

the Painter from Shanghai, written by Jennifer Cody Epstein
and
Mating Rituals of the North American WASP, written by Lauren Lipton.

So she sent them to me. I’m touched and a little overwhelmed; I love sharing books with fellow book lovers. I can’t wait to read these. But sheesh! Have you seen Mt. TBR lately?? All my neighbors comment on it: “Oh, you’re the one with all those books!”

*sigh*

The other book I got this week came from my dear friend Ann. We’ve known each other for years, thanks to BookCrossing.com. (In fact, the link will take you to her BookCrossing profile.)

It’s Night Echoes, written by Holly Lisle.

Once upon a time (Waaaaaay back in 2005), these would have represented one week’s worth of reading. But … not anymore. Which is why I can’t shrink the stupid TBR mountain that my neighbors comment on.

Still, you guys know me. I adore books. These three will be appreciated and hated as they tempt me to abandon the band and read them instead…

Thanks to the generosity of my bud Hank Phillippi Ryan, I’ve got one autographed copy of Hank’s debut novel, Prime Time, to send to a friend in the US. (This is the re-release on Mira Books, with the sexy cover. Check it.)

Prime Time… let’s talk about it ’cause you do NOT want to miss its re-release. Why not, you ask?

WELL. Look at the accolades it won:

Winner of the prestigious AGATHA Award for Best First Novel
RITA Nominee Best First Novel and Best Romantic Suspense
DAPHNE Nominee Best Romantic Suspense
RT Reviewers Choice Award Winner and TOP PICK

Hello? You missed it???? I’ve got my copy sitting on the floor behind me (along with the follow-up, Face Time). I’m going to read it and then we’ll have more Hank goodness around here.

Here’s the cover blurb:

PRIME TIME introduces forty-something investigative reporter Charlotte (Charlie) McNally. Charlie’s smart, savvy and successful—but she’s worried her news director is about to replace her with a younger model. Now—she’s on the hunt for the story that will save her job.

Is it hiding in her email? Charlie begins to suspect some of that annoying Spam clogging her computer is more than cyber junk. She discovers it actually carries big-money secret messages to the big-shot insiders who know how to decode it. Problem is, the last outsider who deciphered the system now resides in the local morgue.

It’s either the biggest story of Charlie’s career—or the one that may end her life.

Charlie’s also facing another dilemma: what happens when a top-notch TV reporter is married to her job—but the camera doesn’t love her anymore? It’s an action-filled page-turner, with humor, romance and a scheme so timely and innovative you’ll wonder why someone hasn’t tried it. A twist of an ending will have readers going back to the beginning to check for all the clues they missed.

To enter, leave a comment. Yep, I’ll give extra entries for anyone who blogs about this or otherwise spreads the word (Twitter, Facebook, or if your friend enters and says you sent them).

You have until next Tuesday, July 7, and then I’ll contact the winner, so be sure to leave your e-mail address! No contact info, no entry. I’ve got books to read and, more importantly, books to WRITE.

Dewey used to do a Sunday Book Coveting post that I always loved to scroll through.

Now I’m doing one of my own.

I’ve come across two books that I am dying to read. They’re very different books, yet they’re both perfect Susan reads.

The first is Do the Devil’s Work For Him: How to Make it in the Music Industry (and stay in it!)

(Why do non-fiction books ALWAYS have these really long titles????)

Authors Amy Sciarretto and Rick Florino have teamed up and interviewed lots of music biz folk. It sounds like Amy joined the industry not long after I left it; heck, I could have been her. So of course I’ve GOT to read what she’s got to say.

And to switch gears to a nice paranormal romance, Number One Novels alerted me to this one. It’s called Salt and Silver, and it is the debut novel by a woman named Anna Katherine. I love the mental image of a guy sitting by a trap door all day long, waiting for demons to escape through it. Just… ooh. I love it. I’ve got to read this and see where it goes.

So… to the authors of these two books, I invite you to send me a review copy. While I don’t review books here on the site, I would be glad to hook up with my good friends at Front Street Reviews, or with any of my many book blogging friends and guest review over there.

I originally wasn’t going to answer this week’s Booking Through Thursday question, but Marie at The Burton Review stopped in and said she was looking specifically for it.

Like Trevor, I take requests.

Here’s the question.

One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day.

As she puts it:

So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.

So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

Well, the 23rd is next Tuesday. I’m not big on Tuesday celebrations; I don’t even mark Fat Tuesday. But … there’s a first time for everything.

HOW I’ll celebrate needs the second half of the question answered. Do I read Fantasy and Science fiction?

HELL YES.

In fact, I was at a book sale last week with my best friend Bridget, she who is my right hand at Win a Book, and I handed her a copy of the classic William Gibson novel, Neuromancer. Her son may or may not be ready for it; he’s pretty advanced for his age and frankly, it’s been so many years since I read it, I can’t remember much more than how mind-blowing it is. I ought to read it again, just to see how it’s held up.

The best science fiction, we were taught in that class in graduate school (the class in SciFi/Fantasy, of course!), was prophetic. Certainly, most days, I feel like we’ve moved firmly into an Aldous Huxley world. Brave New World, meet the present. Shit, I even get spam trying to sell me soma.

For me, it’s more than the prophecy. It’s the world-building. Be it space ships or a truly new race of being, think about it. We writers talk often about world-building. But in Science Fiction and Fantasy, world-building is taken to new levels. Everything from the ground the characters (do or don’t) walk on to the air they breathe. From how they dress (why don’t the skimpily-clad women ever fall out of those obnoxious tops they’re always given?) to what they eat. From their government structure to society’s structure…

Okay, this brings us back to how I’ll celebrate SciFi/Fantasy day. During that class I mentioned taking in graduate school, the one that exposed me to A Scanner Darkly, to Vonda McIntyre, to Kate Wilhelm’s brilliant Where Last the Sweet Birds Sang. Sheesh. It’s been fifteen years and these books, bought used and well-worn, still hold an honored place on my shelves, even as books that have been autographed to me by friends come down. (No offense to the friends; in fact, it’s a good thing, as my book spines have faded over the years from the natural light in here)

Wow. That was quite the run-on. Sorry. I got carried away with the great books I read that semester. (and that was only the tip of the iceberg!)

It seems to me that the best way to celebrate is to pull out the world I began building. It was the option offered to the creative writer in the class: write your own science fiction.

You never really appreciate how hard it is until you try to do it yourself.

In the meantime, while you’re checking out those great books I mentioned, check out these authors, too:

Roger Zelazny’s Amber series
Robin Hobb’s entire body of work

All this and I didn’t even tell you about how I got started reading SciFi/Fantasy.

Ah, well. That’ll keep for another day.

Go read.

Ugh. My brain is whirling, and I’ve been thinking about this all day.

The worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy are rich. They’re lush. They ARE for everyone; it’s a matter of sampling bunches of it and finding what you like.

Go for it. I promise. You’ll love what you find.

Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a book talk. I’m definitely reading less (again) this year; I need to fix that. All of you who know how big Mt. TBR is, and who know how big my wish list is, will agree.

Anyway, I wanted to check in about a fun book that wasn’t what I expected. AT ALL.

I’d been seeing Donna Lea Simpson’s Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark discussed on many of my book blogging friends’ sites. I was expecting raucous fun, laugh-out-loud humor.

What I got was a mystery with a structure that reminds me of the mysteries of old, down to gathering all the minor characters in one room on a false pretense, only to have the bad guy be revealed. Talk about a traditional structure — and a welcome one. Talk about something old that’s new again, that’s exactly what the structure of this novel becomes. Best of all, it’s well executed.

In fact, this book — about a spinster who is summoned to the side of an old friend (although I have trouble understanding WHY they are friends) and winds up helping solve a mystery, alongside the mysteriously sexy Marquess of Darkefell — is fun. It’s not laugh-out-loud fun, however. This is NOT Stephanie Plum does the Georgian period, and not just because Anne’s far from hapless. She’s not our usual kick-ass heroine, either. She is an unconventional woman for her times — and proud of it. She’s not nearly as irreverent about it as my Trevor is; it makes her immediately more likable. This is the sort of heroine you wish you were, had you lived back then.

Well-written, clever, and with a fresh voice, this is a book that seems to be a romance but is really more of a mystery with the romance tossed in like you toss croutons on a salad. Essential to the mix but not overpowering.

A sequel will be out in August 2009. A definite auto-buy for me, proving once again that while I probably wouldn’t have bought this book if there wasn’t the goodness that is PaperBackSwap, book trading sites DO inspire book sales.

More reviews of this book:
Dar, Peeking Between the Pages

Got one? E-mail it to me and I’ll add it.

Okay, before I get to the really great stuff, let me do some blatant plugging of myself…

First off, Amy at chic Book Reviews did an awesome review of The Demo Tapes. Again, here was a reader who didn’t know what to expect, who opened my book with some trepidation, and… fell in love with Trevor and Mitchell. Of course.

Amy’s also giving her copy away, although it pains her to do so. If you want to enter yourself — it’s a signed copy, folks. Makes a great gift! — here’s the link.

Secondly, I’ve mentioned the upcoming Bridgewater Book Fest before. I’ll be there, signing Demo Tapes — and let this be the official announcement: I’ll be debuting Demo Tapes: Year 2! — so I wanted to point you to the website. Recognize anyone’s name???

Okay. That’s all good, right??

RIGHT???

I’ve got better.

You see, a public library director in the Southern ‘burbs of Pittsburgh has been chosen to chair the Newberry Medal committee. The article ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday and I’ve been itching to brag about Ms. Cynthia Richey. Local girl does good.

This isn’t the first time Ms. Richey’s been part of the Newberries, and it’s not the first for local librarians to get the nod, either. I do believe that my local library’s head children’s librarian was on the committee awhile back.

And yes, this makes me think of the Weekly Geeks question which asks you to take a literary tour of your hometown. While there’s so, so much more to Pittsburgh’s literary scene, this is something worth bragging about.

What’ve you got? Join Only the Good over at Shelly’s place, will ya? Good news is always a good thing.

I’m giving away a copy of Colette Gale’s Bound By Honor. Go to the actual post for entry.

Contest is now closed!

I know! It hasn’t been very long since my last Featured New Release, but this is going to be a hum-dinger of a book, especially if you like your well-written period pieces to be steamy. Better than a hot shower after sledding steamy.

The book is called Bound By Honor, and it’s Colette Gale’s third release. It hits bookshelf stores today (Cinco de Mayo!), so venture on out amidst the parties and pick up a copy. Just… don’t do a reading AT the party or clothes might go flying.

I asked Colette the famed question: What song makes you think of your book?

Here’s what she had to say:

I had a really hard time trying to figure out which song reminds me of BOUND BY
HONOR. Interestingly enough, every other book I’ve written has always had a
song associated with it in my mind.

For example, UNMASQUED: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera‘s song was
“The Point of No Return” from the play/movie, of course. And for MASTER: An
Erotic Novel of The Count of Monte Cristo, the song was “Love Hurts” by
Nazareth. But it wasn’t so easy for this one.

But I finally decided on “Bad” by U2. I selected “Bad” because of the angst
and depth of despair in the song, and the mood of the music is raw and rough.
This book is filled with darkness and angst, along with some really hot sex
scenes–most of which take place in Prince John’s Court of Pleasure. And Prince
John is a really *bad* man! 🙂

So is the Sheriff of Nottingham, the dark, brooding Will de Wendeval. A very
bad
man who negotiates with John to have Maid Marian in his bed…instead of the
prince’s.

And then there is the charming, devil-may-care rogue, Robin Hood, who also
wants
Marian–along with any other woman he can woo into a dark corner.

There is a happy ending for those who deserve it, though! And this book is
probably the sweetest, most romantic of the three “seduced classics” I’ve
written–although there is plenty of erotica to keep me happy.

It’s the sweetest? Wow. Now I NEED to read it.

Here’s the cover blurb:

Bound by Honor: An Erotic Novel of Maid Marian
by Colette Gale

Maid Marian, now Lady of Leaford, is sent to the court of Prince John—-not to
take part in the debauchery of his Court of Pleasure, but to spy on him for his
mother. Little does she know that her secret mission will thrust her into a
whirlwind of intrigue, terror, and carnal temptations.

At court, Marian is torn between her duty to the queen and her desire for two
men: one, the mysterious highwayman the peasants call Robin Hood, and the
other, the dark, cold Sheriff of Nottingham. Given an impossible choice, she
must submit to the carnality of Prince John’s court in order to fulfill her
duty and maintain her honor. But in the end, there is only one man for whom she
will risk her life and give her heart.

Still here? Good. Colette has allowed me to jump back in the giveaway game. Leave a comment about WHY you’d like to explore the erotic side of Robin Hood and Maid Marion. This is a US-only contest, and you’ve got until next Monday, the 11th. Leave an e-mail so I can contact the winner (chosen by one of the Opening Act, at random ’cause if you think I let them near this place, you’re nuts!).

For Only the Good Friday, I’ve got a doozy. Because I always assume all my friends know each other, I’m going to my usual thing and say, “You guys know my good friend Thomma Lyn.”

If you don’t know her, you should.

Anyway, Thomma Lyn’s got a new release out, via Black Lyon press. The e-book comes out today, with the paperback hitting shelves next week (but you can preorder it starting today.) It’s called Mirror Blue, and I’ll get to the blurb in a second. First, though, comes the all-important question:

What song makes you think of your book?

Thomma Lyn’s answer:

“People are Strange” by the Doors. The hero of Mirror Blue is a Vietnam vet and I mention Vietnam-era music in the book, and “People are Strange” fits with the story, too, re: Aphra, the heroine. In the beginning of the book, she feels like a stranger with pretty much everyone, even her own family, and by the end, she still is “strange” in a good way, but no longer feels so alone (Isaac’s love, and increased understanding from both his family and her own).

This was a hard one to find on YouTube, but I did the best I could. I was looking for an actual performance, maybe. Or something not fan-generated. Still, this is worth the look. Here’s the link.

And now, the blurb for Mirror Blue:

He’s her first chance at love.

She’s his last.

Free spirit Aphra Porter never thought Isaac Lightfoot would remember the letter she wrote to him years before. But by some miracle, he does. Now a successful Web site designer in her thirties, Aphra meets the man whose writing talents she’s always idolized — an encounter that leaves her spinning. No longer is Isaac a distant image, but a flesh and blood man who looks at her like no one has looked at her before.

A critically acclaimed author and Vietnam war hero, Isaac is one tough bear of a man. Faced with the physical and emotional scars of war, a relationship with a daunting age difference, and an ex-wife bent on tearing Aphra from his life, he’s about to learn that leaving the past behind and building a new life can be the toughest battle of all.

There you go! A new book to get your hands on. If you post a review of Mirror Blue on your website or blog, send me the link. To join the many book bloggers who do exactly this, I’ll link to it here.

I know, I know. As an author, I ought to be THE BIGGEST advocate of buying books new, as soon as they’re released. I get the whole economics of how the industry has changed, just in the eight years since I created ShapeShifter. I get it.

But as a reader, just like almost every other reader out there, my finances are limited. I can spend $27 and change for a new hardback every so often, or I can support my local libraries and see how many of the 1800+ books on my wishlist (you think I’m kidding about that number???) I can find for a buck or two apiece.

More books = more book talks from me. In theory, anyway; a girl’s gotta sit and READ those puppies!

Instead, let me gush about them some more. For now, anyway.

Even though it made the barest of dents in my wishlist, I came away from the sale yesterday with ten nice new friends. I’m proud of restraining myself to ONLY what was on my wishlist; it wasn’t easy. And since 1800+ books is, let’s face it, a lot, I’m sure there were books I overlooked, too.

Still, ten’s a nice, round number. Ten books make me happy.

Here’s what they are. The buy links will take you to Powells.com, since I’m all about buying from the independents.

George D. Shuman — 18 Seconds
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child — The Wheel of Darkness
Christina Dodd — Scent of Darkness
Jonathan Kellerman — Gone
Harlan Coben — Hold Tight
Lorna Landvik — The View from Mount Joy
Lisa Unger — Sliver of Truth
Jonathan Kellerman (again) — Compulsion
Peter Blauner — Slipping into Darkness

And…

The prize.

The book that, if I’d had to choose ONE book, I’d have chosen…

Dalia Sofer — The Septembers of Shiraz

One of these days, I’ll write more about why it is I’m such a big advocate of buying used and online book trading. One of these days… *sigh*

Happy Reading, everyone! And check out the other Only the Good stuff out there, too.

I’ve mentioned before that I run my book club. It’s not always easy, especially since Holocaust literature and memoirs are so hot right now (visit my friends Anna and Serena, who are hosting a WWII reading challenge, if this is your sort of thing. Or go right to the challenge’s home page).

One of the neatest things about my book club is that I have a few women who are on our e-mail list simply to keep abreast of what we’re reading. They make suggestions for books from time to time and every now and then, the weather and their lives permitting, they’ll drop in on a meeting. They’re important and vital to the group, even though they aren’t always in attendance.

If you think I’m being diplomatic here, let me tell you this story. It’s a good one.

I ran into one of these e-mail members a few months back. She handed me a small book that she’d bought. She said she didn’t want it back, but she wanted to give it to me because it made her think of me.

Now that I’ve read it, I’m still not sure why.

The book in question is called Mister Pip. It was written by Lloyd Jones, who I’d never heard of before this, but who apparently has a long resume of books and accolades. This, I can understand.

It took me awhile to pick it up, and once I did, it wasn’t immediate love. In fact, I almost gave up on it. I’m glad I didn’t.

This was a touching book. It was also complex, layered, and skillfully written. I loved the character of Matilda and I loved Mr. Watts. I didn’t love Matilda’s mom so much, but I love the way she was constructed: wise, complex, petty, angry, giving — and more.

The story is interesting: we’re on an unnamed island near New Zealand. The island has been shattered by rebels and fighting; most people — including Matilda’s father — have fled. The women and children who remain do their best to live, and they largely succeed. When the island’s only white man is asked to give the children some schooling, in an attempt to give their lives something normal, Mr. Watts opens their eyes to the wonderful world of Dickens.

Maybe my friend thought of me because of the Dickens connection. After all, she views me as a literary person. I doubt she knows that I’ve never actually finished the one Dickens novel I tried to read, back in elementary school…

Like I said, I don’t know. Maybe she was simply smart enough to recognize a true hidden gem of a book.

I’m glad she did. You guys know how I love hidden treasures like this one turned out to be. I’m deliberately not saying a lot more about the plot; it’s best read for yourself.

***
Want to see some other stuff I’ve read? Head on over to Front Street Reviews and check out my thoughts on Bahama Burnout, the new Mick Sever novel from Don Bruns, and my strong response to Dark Side of the Morgue, the newest Spike Berenger mystery from Raymond Benson.

Did you know it’s Read an E-Book week?

No? You must not hang out in the same places I do. Let me tell you a thing or thirteen about e-books.

Getting started: hardware
1. You don’t need a Kindle or a Sony eReader to read e-books. You can read them on your iPhone, your iTouch, or your good old computer screen. I’ve also heard that some people use their Crackberries or PDAs for them. Find your mojo.

2. I yearn for the Sony reader, myself, but am torn as to the 505 or the 700. My local Target has the 505 in stock. Yes, I just checked. No, I’ve never visited it in the store.

About e-Books
3. I’ve got a good twenty e-books stored up on my hard drive, waiting to be read. Among them are releases by my good friend Lex Valentine.

4. e-Books are books like any other. The only difference is that they’re a big computer file. But they have pages and covers and dedications, just like any other book. Some even have illustrations. (No, I’ve not seen an illustrated erotica e-book yet, but I’m sure that’s because I’m not looking in the right places.)

5. Some of the hottest authors out there started in the e-book form. You’d be surprised at how many e-authors have Thirteening in their past. And some in their present! Can you name any?

6. So why am I waiting to read all these great e-books I’ve got saved up? Because whenever I read on either of my computers, I feel guilty about not writing! I need a dedicated reader.

7. People who use readers swear by them. Think about it: you can carry multiple books on an airplane without being weighed down. No need to pack your books at the bottom of the suitcase — or to lug all those pages and spines around. If you’re like me and you like to travel light, this is awesome!

8. We download music. Why not download books??? (but like music, e-books are NOT to be shared. Please don’t commit a crime. Buy your own books, and encourage your friends to do the same. They are generally but not always less expensive than print books. Remember, I said NOT ALWAYS.)

9. Just like real books, dropping an e-reader into the bathtub is very, very bad. However, it’s easier to read on a reader that’s in a plastic bag to keep it dry than it is to read a real book in a plastic bag. How will you turn those pages?

10. You never know if you’ll like it until you try it. There are even promotions where you can download free e-books. Keep your eyes open for them. (And share any that you find out about with the Win a Book team!)

11. E-books are predicted to have the largest sales increases in the entire publishing industry. Even if you don’t like them, they are here to stay. At a minimum, you owe it to yourself to find out what the fuss is all about. (see above for info about freebies!)

12. Yes, you can get an e-copy of my own book, The Demo Tapes: Year 1. Use this link.

13. Yes, we’re working on a version of The Demo Tapes for the Kindle. That’s the Tour Manager’s department, so stay tuned. Now that our best man’s complaining about not being able to get my book on his Kindle, it shouldn’t take too much longer. I hope.

There you go! It’s Read an e-book week, so what are you waiting for??? (Me, I’m reading one called Darc Ages. I’ll let you know when my review of it is up.)

(note to Tour Manager: this is NOT a plug for my birthday present. No matter how many people tell you otherwise, it is NOT a plug. Got that? And yes, boys and girls, the Tour Manager knows me well enough to know I am not a fan of reverse psychology. I’ll get a reader when the time is right and not a moment beforehand, thankyouverymuch.)

It’s too good! It is! This week’s Booking Through Thursday question:

Do you read any author’s blogs? If so, are you looking for information on their next project? On the author personally? Something else?

Dude, you’re reading one now! This is an author’s blog! Unconventional as hell, but then again, so am I.

And yes, I read lots of authors’ blogs. Too darn many, most likely, but I’m hooked. I want to hear about their new releases. Publicity that works — and doesn’t. I want to be part of this fellowship called Authordom, and gosh darn it if I haven’t made some good friends along the way.

(and then we can mention the way people at conferences tend to recognize my name from comments left on their blogs — and the way I’ll recognize you guys when you come up to me, too. Comments are beautiful things. Be sure to leave some behind!)

Yeah, you read that headline right. Win a copy of The Demo Tapes, that brilliant collection of short fiction that YOU GUYS ASKED FOR.

The Demo Tapes: Year 1, if you don’t know by now, is a collection of the twenty-five outtakes that were posted here on the blog during my first year of blogging. (For reference, year four will be ending in April. You may have missed a lot!)

I cleaned them up, edited them to make them all purty, and … (drum roll, please, Daniel!) I put them in order. Chronologic order. The collection starts with the day Mitchell and Trevor meet and continues up through to the days after Mitchell’s an old married fart. Groupies who’ve read The Demo Tapes have said that this timeline gives them new insights into Mitchell and Trevor, making it WAY valuable to any West of Mars groupie. Plus, it’s portable! You can take Trevor in the car with you! Take Mitchell on a picnic! The options are limitless when you’re not confined to a glowing screen.

The contest is limited to the US only so I don’t go broke with the shipping costs, and there are ways to earn fourteen entries. Or just one. You choose.

If you don’t win this time, there will be more chances. But don’t hedge your bets. Head on over to Mama Dawg’s. Say hello. Check her place out. And throw your name in the hat for The Demo Tapes: Year 1!

Use this link.

If you hang out at my Win a Book blog, you’ll have seen me mention that I think Rachel Vincent is the cat’s meow. That’s not me being funny, nor is it me blowing smoke — many of you have noticed that I’m quite lousy at blowing smoke. Fire’s so much more fun.

That’s why I like Rachel’s Shifter series. Faythe is better at playing with fire, too.

The third book in the series, Pride (following Stray and Rogue), is about to be released. So I went to Ms. Vincent and asked her the usual question: What song best sums up your book?

Here’s what she said:

I’ve got the answer to your question! Though, actually, I could only narrow it down to two songs. One which reminds me very strongly of the actual plot, the other which echos the emotional arc. Is that okay?

The first is Headstrong, by Trapt. The lyrics can be found here.

The second is the Seether/Amy Lee duet Broken. The lyrics can be found here.

Okay, confession time. I adore both those songs. They may not be my usual head-banging angsty fun, but when have I let that stop me?

Before I get to the fun stuff — the videos and the blurb — I want to mention a fun giveaway that Rachel’s doing at her blog. A copy of each book in the series (so far) or a gift certificate to B&N Online — and Rachel’s trademark; a bag of Godiva chocolate. Check it out. Tell her I sent you.

Here are some video links:

Headstrong

Broken

And now… the blurb for Pride!

I’m on trial for my life. Falsely accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend—and killing him to cover up the crime. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride—along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.

I’m two for three. A goner.

Now we’ve discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. It’s up to us to find and stop him before a human discovers us. With my lover Marc’s help, I think I can protect the vulnerable girl from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.

If I survive my own trial…

Excuse me, but I’ve got to go read Rogue now…

Ahh, those of you who have seen this week’s Booking Through Thursday prompt have been chomping at the bit, waiting for me to drag my sick (again) carcass off the couch and come answer it. I know you have been.

If you’re not sure why you’ve been waiting, here’s the question:

* What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love?
* Why?
* And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them?

See? Tailor-made for Susan!

Since there’s mention made of Broadway in the part I didn’t copy for you, I’ll start there. My #1 all-time musical?

Rent.

Does this surprise anyone? And not just because I came a job acceptance away from going and living my own variation on that bohemian lifestyle (Sorry, Mark. I love you anyway!).

It’s One Song/Glory that gets me. And c’mon, those of you with creative, artistic urges, you know you feel the same way. To create just one moment of brilliance that’ll survive our lives (even if they aren’t going to be as shortened as the Rent dudes’)…

*sigh* Maybe even a *swoon*

There’s also that line in Les Mis, near the end, when Fantine is dying: To love another person/is to see the face of God.

Definite swoon.

BUT… we all know I’m a rocker chick. I could talk about lyrics as poetry forever. In fact, if I’d stayed in academia, I probably would be teaching a course or two in this subject, irritating all the Fundamentalists by creating classes like Heavy Metal Poetry.

’cause, for me, this is the essence of it all. Real heavy metal lyrics, not Motley Crue’s Girls Girls Girls. Thrash, speed, whatever you want to call it. Disturbed’s Liberate, which quotes a famous prayer:

Out of Zion shall come forth a law
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem
Nation shall not raise sword against nation
And they shall not learn war anymore
For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken

Given what’s going on in Gaza, this takes on yet a new urgency, doesn’t it?

Hell, Disturbed’s Prayer: This is the way I pray.

This makes more sense when you understand that a part of Kabbalah assigns value to each letter in a Hebrew word. And in this system, the words for Prayer and singing are the same.

I doubt that’s the way the band meant it to come out; there’s some veiled sexuality there if you read the lyrics in context, but part of me thinks it’s very hard to take a band in proper context. Lyrics are personal, they are powerful. They’re sort of like tarot cards: you get out of them what you need.

(anyone who remembers Late-Night Load Out, which is in Demo Tapes: Year 1, can see this prayer/song attitude in action.)

This is the tip of the iceberg for me. I could go on for days. Look at Godsmack’s Voodoo Too: Have you ever wondered why in a dream you can touch a falling sky/Or fly to the heavens that watch over you?

Ahh, the sense of wonder in there. Of childish abandon and hope.

But for sheer power of the mental image it provokes, the award’s gotta go to the King of bands, at least in Susan’s heart. Yeah, you know. That M-band. Again.

I’m frantic in your soothing arms/
I cannot sleep in this down filled world.

(that’s copied from the lyric book, but I swear James changes down to doubt.)

Yep, in an album that most people panned as utter drek, I’ve found these two lines that create a mental image so powerful, I can’t shake it. There’s so much emotion going on here… man, I can’t wait to create some fiction based on that image. There’s a sensuality, a power, an insanity, a desperation…

Who knows? Maybe one day I WILL get to teach a course in Heavy Metal Poetry. Maybe we’ll combine it with some creative writing and use the lyrics as a prompt. Where does this take you? What does it inspire?

Look around this blog and you’ll see what it inspires in me.

(note: all lyrics are copyright of their owners. I’ve used them entirely without permission but with even more respect. Got an issue? Tell the Tour Manager and we’ll take ’em down. But the post won’t make much sense if we do!)

Yeah. Did you like that rant?

Okay, on to the best of the 87 books Susan read last year. Instead of doing this in my usual Book Talk method, I’m actually going to list ’em. Sort of boring, I know, but after that last book I wrote about, it’s all I can handle.

Be smart and read these:
State of the Onion — Julie Hyzy
St. Barts Breakdown — Don Bruns
A Day of Small Beginnings — Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum
Bad Blood — Linda Fairstein
Disobedience — Naomi Alderman
Nine Princes in Amber — Roger Zelazny
Master — Colette Gale
The Rabbi’s Cat 2 — Joann Sfar
Jinx — Jennifer Estep
The Weather Warden Series — Rachel Caine
Killer Solo — David Hiltbrand
Bobbie Faye’s (very very very) Bad Day — Toni McGee Causey
The Rapture of Canaan — Sheri Reynolds
Dancing with Werewolves — Carole Nelson Douglas
The Vlad Taltos series — Steven Brust
The Kommandant’s Girl — Pam Jenoff
George and the Virgin — Lisa Cach
Sweet Man is Gone — Peggy Ehrhart
War for the Oaks — Emma Bull
Making Chase — Lauren Dane
Stray — Rachel Vincent
Parable of the Sower — Octavia E. Butler
The Last Days of Dogtown — Anita Diamant
Life Without Music — Jeanette Clinkenbroomer
Murphy’s Law — Rhys Bowen
Club Dead and Dead to the World — Charlaine Harris
A Blessing on the Moon — Joseph Skibell
What A Scoundrel Wants — Carrie Lofty
Intimate Beings — Jessica Inclan

So. That’s 29 books I think everyone ought to read. You’ll note I didn’t rave about all of them here on the blog. That’s not because the books aren’t worthy; they are. It’s that time and space are limited. You all know how that is… you’re living it right along with me.

On to 2009, which currently is watching me read Greg Iles’ 24 Hours. It’s nice to see the good guys beat up on the bad ones.

Keep on reading, my friends. Keep me posted of the good stuff you’re discovering and I shall continue to do the same…

I’ve been putting off doing my annual reading roundup for a couple of reasons. One is that I’ve been telling you guys about the spectacular stuff as I’ve closed the back cover of each and every one. One is that I’m sad I only read 87 books this year (down from last year’s 97, let alone my high of 147 in 2006 and 2005, each.

A lot of that is due to EntreCard, which drives my traffic so nicely and has made me new friends. So… the piles of books here in my office continue to stagnate, sad to say.

My final reason for my heel-dragging is simple: since my last roundup in October (read it here), not only have I not fallen in love with anything, I read a book that shook me a little bit deeper than to my foundation. That’s probably why I was lukewarm about such potentially great reads as Carrie Lofty’s What a Scoundrel Wants and Jessica Inclan’s Intimate Beings.

I’ve never had a book shake me up like this. Ever.

I don’t like to say negative things about books I don’t finish — and of the 87 on my list this year, I didn’t finish 21 of them, which is WAY too high a percentage — but this time, I’m going to make an exception. Maybe you’ll have some insight that I’m lacking.

Let me start off by saying that I didn’t choose to read this book. I didn’t want to read this book, but my book club insisted. (Last month was only the second time in our eight-year history in which we cancelled the meeting to discuss the book because none of us could talk about it.) I tried overruling them, but they’re older than me and even though I’m the leader, every now and then, they pull rank.

I doubt they’ll do it for awhile. As I said, I was against it. (If you’ve followed the past adventures of my book club, I try to steer away from Holocaust lit — but hey, this was a memoir. That’s not literature!)

The book in question was The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, by Daniel Mendelsohn. It’s a memoir by an award-winning journalist that chronicles his quest to find out what happened to six members of his family during the Holocaust. A simple, “They died,” isn’t enough for Mendelsohn, and that’s fine.

The story had great potential.

The first problem I had was the writing style. I swear, on average, sentence length was 50 words. Ideas were repeated until you became numb — or outraged at how many times you had to revisit the same fact, character trait, detail, what have you. It held the pacing of the story up.

But I could have dealt with that. I can skim when I have to.

No. What rattled me so deeply — in fact, it’s hard to even write about it and revisit the emotions the book keyed into — was the brutality. Holy shit.

I mean, look. I’m Jewish. I grew up with the Holocaust hanging over my head. Men did unspeakable things to their fellow men — and women and children. I’ve known this my whole life. I’ve met survivors; I married into a family with a survivor. You can’t be Jewish and not know the story of the Holocaust.

After reading the details that I’d been sheltered from throughout my life until this point, I don’t know if I can look at the Tour Manager’s Grandmother without wanting to throw up.

That’s the way I’ve reacted to The Lost. I want to vomit. Just thinking about the book makes my gut churn, my bowels threaten to loosen. This book brought me to my knees. I can see the horror these people faced all too clearly. I have nightmares even now, weeks later. Sometimes, I wonder if maybe I was there in a past life and what I’m feeling now is a flashback to that.

But c’mon… past lives? Flashbacks? For real?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that I can’t face Holocaust literature right now. Two weeks ago, I started to read the beautifully written The Book of Blam. Someone at BookCrossing had requested it as part of a trade, and heck, I’d managed to read the beautiful (but bizarre) A Blessing on the Moon without being too badly bothered. I wasn’t so lucky with The Book of Blam; I gave up about 75 pages into a 250-page book and mailed it on its way.

What I do know is that when I read brutality in fiction, it generally doesn’t bother me much. The Kite Runner‘s scene with the Taliban bothered me; it rang of truth. And there was this one fantasy book that opened with a very detailed account of a disembowling that made me put the book down. In that book, the violence had been gratuitous. Stupid, even (which was my reaction to both American Psycho and Hannibal). It’s fiction, a part of me is always reminding my innocent core. It’s not real. Someone made it up.

But The Lost… it’s the story of what happened. It’s real, boys and girls. People actually treated other people this way. Some survived to document it.

And I close my eyes and can conjure the horror of a rabbi being made to dance naked on a table in front of a town’s population of Jews, blood streaming from his recently abused eye sockets while his congregation cowers, afraid of what they’ll have to endure next…

I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again.

And forgive me for what I’m about to say, but I’ve got to:

Damn you, Daniel Mendelsohn. I liked being innocent of these details. You stole that from me.