Cleolinda everywhere

Okay, let's talk about this.

I've kept meaning to address the internet reviewer/bloggers vs. industry writers/agents/editors business for a while now. (I can't brain this morning so I can't remember who was talking about this, but one of the key discussions I remember happening on Stacia Kane's blog.) But now it's kind of come to a head under allegations of a "YA Mafia." That is to say, accusations that the publishing industry is full of cliques, because apparently it isn't subject to human nature like anything else, or something.

Here's the thing: I haven't even published YA and I can tell you that there's no ~*YA Mafia.*~ Yeah, half the YA writers (and sci-fi writers, and fantasy writers, and...) know each other and hang out. They're coworkers. They all go to the same conventions and industry events. They're going to meet each other. And it's true, a lot of them are friends--I follow enough writers on Twitter that I see them talking to each other all the time. But you have to think of the publishing industry as being a kind of huge office where they all work. Of course they're going to gather around the water cooler. I'm e-friendlyish with a ton of writers and bloggers on Twitter because we are all there. My agent has met a lot of people because she meets them in person at said conventions. And she and I both are pretty much industry nobodies (sorry, bb). It's something that happens.

And then... my name came up. ( Read more... )

Okay, I think we need to have a little night linkspam. I admit, these are cherry-picked from my Twitter page (which you can read whether you're on Twitter or not), but I'm still trying to get back on my feet and/or normal work schedule. I also have a more expansive raw linkspam feed from my Google Reader on FriendFeed. (I've always had that, in fact.) So you see, the thing is, I'm reading the news; I just haven't been posting it all here as a list. Which I should, because it's fun. I'm just... tired and out of sorts, and have been for a long time now.

Short version: Yes, I heard about the dippy Twilight fan and/or brilliant troll who thinks that The Wolfman ripped off New Moon.

Short version ETA: Yes, I heard about the handmade emo-scented Twilight vulva soap. No, I'm not linking to it. Y'all a bunch of handcrafty trolls over there at Etsy, for real.

Long version: ( Read more... ) 

Really tired--I think it's because we've had monsoons for about three days now. Time to test out the full spectrum lamp, I guess. So I'm pretty much over here working on, uh, Secret Life-related crafts, drinking iced tea, not doing much. So I might as well go ahead and post these two things now:

yuki_onna (Catherynne M. Valente) is having some financial trouble at the moment, so:

Starting Monday, I will start posting chapters of a full-length novel version of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I will be writing it in real time, posting every Monday. It will be free to read–but please know that the sheer calories to make my brain create it require funding, and I would very much appreciate your support. Pay whatever you like for it, whatever you think it’s worth. It’s kind of like an old-fashioned rent party. There’s a button at the bottom of the post to start things out.

Meanwhile, fans and friends have set up adoptingcat.

Also-meanwhile, coffeeinhell (you may remember me raving about the marshmallows from Polidori Chocolates) is between jobs herself, so if you've ever wanted to order a dark chocolate S'mores kit or H.P. Lovecraft truffles, the time has never been better. (Someone had sent me pomegranate marshmallows of hers--I don't think she's currently selling those--and I pretty much just sat there and ate the entire bag of six in one sitting. They are big and fluffy and AWESOME and I'm going to try the vanilla ones as soon as I can.)

A very quick linkspam, because I feel like it, but short because I have a headache:

Cult author JG Ballard dead at 78; 'Empire of the Sun' author J.G. Ballard dies.

EXCLUSIVE: Watch Two Minutes Of Elijah Wood’s Post-Apocalyptic Ragdoll Fest ‘9’! I saw the trailer in front of Watchmen and it was amazing, by the way.

Lost's Michael Emerson Is Just As Creepy/Sweet In Real Life.

Set pics from Bella's birthday party in New Moon (this is where Jasper decides that Bella's flavor is too outrageous to be denied). So keep this in mind when you see the "AP article" about how post-production was "shut down" because Stephenie Meyer was accused of plagiarism. Excuse me, "plagerism." Yes, it's an admitted hoax, although Summit Entertainment also told the Twilight Lexicon officially that it's not true. Hoax more better next time, guys.

Plastic and Plush reviews the Tonner Dumbledore.

Total Recall: The Woman Who Can't Forget.

Man shoots wife in head and himself; he dies, she made tea and greeted deputy.

Meanwhile, it appears that the Secret Life of Dolls has now hit Fandom Secret. Bless.

(I don't know where "three possible candidates" came from, though. Which three are they supposed to be?)

(I'm working on the next one, but... yeah. Headache.)

And somehow, I've managed to get behind on the linkspam again. (I'm behind on most of everything, actually, comments and emails included. Fnarr.)

From rachie203: "My friend is running on a race to raise money for Neurofibromatosis research. As someone who experiences this she has had to go through a number of surgeries to have tumors removed, and she's definitely not the only one. It's a great cause and I'd love to see the some good money raised. Her personal fundraising page can be found at http://www.firstgiving.com/abbygannon, and the main event site can be found at http://run4nf.org/."

( Linkspam )

... since I won't be around tonight. And don't forget, there's no Lost tonight.

( Linkspam )

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, prolific man of letters and erudite chronicler of sex, divorce and other adventures in the postwar prime of the American empire, died Tuesday at age 76.

I was the one who had to wait for the pizza to be delivered because my mother was otherwise occupied: "I AM GOING TO BE WATCHING THE SUGAR BOWL!" And I was like, what? Why? What the hell do you expect it to do?

I'm not allowed downstairs for the duration of the game now.

Things I did today that were awesome: Actually got off the computer and read a book. Well, most of one; I'll finish the rest of it tonight. Also, stayed off the Dew. Have a slight headache now, but that may be more from reading. I'm also mulling over writing that tarot-based short story collection I've had in mind--that's what the "Strength" in the title here refers to--but that'll probably take years to come to fruition. But it's fun thinking about it.

(Wow. The headache is more than "slight" now.)

gfrancie mentioned an unclutter_2009 comm that I liked the idea of, so today's decluttering effort: Threw away a beauty product given to me by someone who turned out to be crazy. I can't really elaborate on the situation beyond that, except that said item has been on a back shelf for about two years drying out anyway, and now that bad juju's out my house.

( Sad linkspam )


( More linkspam )

God, my jaw is killing me (left side). Tension, I guess. Anyway, Sister Girl came home from the podiatrist and now she has a "flayed Achilles tendon," so I'm pretty much just waiting for the other shoe to drop and fall on my head (so to speak). Mom's foot's doing reasonably okay, though.

Alabama Mayor Charged With Fraud; Mayor arrested on bribery, other charges; Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford enters not-guilty plea, is released. Given that this is the same mayor who wanted to spend a shitload of money nominating Birmingham FOR THE OLYMPICS (as if we even had enough hotels to deal with that) and moved a downtown dome-building project OUT TO THE DOG TRACK to benefit his cronies, I am pleased by these developments.

( More linkspam )

First of all: Downloads of the third Half-Blood Prince trailer.

Two unconnected musical thoughts:

As soon as I became aware that Katy Perry (the singer I love to hate. GET OUT OF MY HEAD, "HOT N COLD." "N" IS NOT EVEN A REAL CONJUNCTION) did a cover of The Outfield's "Your Love" ("Use Your Love"), I had to hunt it down, because "Your Love" is one of my top umpteen songs ever. EVER. Shit, I would give any cover of "Your Love" at least one shot. Except that I started listening to it and I immediately got pissed off that the lyrics were changed for no appreciable reason. I mean, yes, there are a couple of lines near the beginning that you'd have to change, unless you, as a female performer Miss I Kissed a Girl, want to sing about how you like your girls a little bit older (honestly? If I were singing this in a karaoke or Rock Band situation, I'd do it, Josie and her vacation and everything). HOWEVER: let us compare (cover lyrics in bold): ( All my girls are nowhere to be found? WHAT? )

Sigh.

Secondly, there was an awesome song over the credits of the last episode of True Blood, and my understanding is that it's Dr. John's "I Don't Wanna Know" (actual spelling might vary, I'm not sure). Does anyone have it? Because I can't find it anywhere; I can't even figure out what album it might be on.

Anyway: linkspam! ( First you need to buy genitals )