Carol's Notebook

Join in at Booking through Thursday. Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date) Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Frivolous, at least usually. Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Paperbacks, because they are easier to carry around in my bag. Fiction? Or Nonfiction? Fiction. Poetry? Or Prose? Prose. Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Autobiographies. History? Or Historical Fiction? Historical fiction. Series? Or Stand-alones? This is a tough one. I honestly don't know, since both have their benefits and drawbacks. Today I'll say stand-alones. Classics? Or best-sellers? Bestsellers, generally. Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Straight-forward, basic prose. Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Plots, definitely. Long books? Or Short? It depends on my mood. Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? Non-illustrated. Borrowed? Or Owned? I prefer owned, but I tend to borrow a lot from the library. New? Or Used? Used is cheaper, new is somehow funner. What about you?...

Thanks to Bermudaonion's Weblog for hosting this weekly event. Head over there to play along. I only ran across one new-to-me word this week. It's from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. manky- inferior and worthless "to attend a demonstration of a new carriage that boasted of being impervious to attacks by the manky dreadfuls." Any new words for you this week?...

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given. Please avoid spoilers! My teaser: If there had not been a Netherfield ball to prepare for, the younger Miss Bennets would have been in a very pitiable state, for from the day of the invitation, to the day of the ball, there was such a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once. The earth was again soft, and the dead numerous. -pg. 71,  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Graham-Smith Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along....

I want to thank David Liss for taking a page in my notebook  today to share some of his thoughts. Based on the Disgruntled Writer's Book There was a time when Hollywood film options were a nice – sometimes very nice – supplemental income for novelists.  I still recall with both amusement and delight the late-into-the-night duel between two studios for the rights to my first novel.  I recall with less amusement and less delight how, after throwing money at the wrong (not bad, just wrong) screenwriter and wrong director, the studio ended up with an unworkable project and walked away.  Now that novel has been revived as a potential film, thanks to the free options, an increasingly common arrangement in economic-downturn Hollywood.  In the past few weeks I’ve agreed to a free option and a free option renewal for two books.  The bad side is that no one is paying me money up front.  The good news is that, absent the power-brokering...

I've got a couple of sets of winners to announce, but first I have a new winner for The Juror by George Dawes Green. One of the orginal winners already got her hands on a copy. Renee G Congratulations to the winners of How to Score by Robin Wells. Laura chey Freda Mans Geraldine Carlene And congratulations to the winners of Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons. I'm sorry I didn't post this on Saturday like I was supposed to, but I was exhausted. Cindy V Belinda McNabb Marie scottsgal Amanda I'll be sending you all e-mails today or tomorrow. I'll just need your mailing address to pass on to Hachette Book Group. Thanks so much....