Saturday, May 24, 2008
Giving You... The Rabbi's Cat 2
Yes, that's right! You've heard me raving about Joann Sfar's brilliance long enough. Now is your chance to pick up your very own copy of The Rabbi's Cat 2, compliments of the good people at Pantheon Books.
This hardback book hasn't even been opened yet; you'll get to do the honors. (That means I haven't registered it at BookCrossing, either.)
How to enter:
Go visit my review at Front Street Reviews.
Leave a comment on this post with some sort of contact information between now and 24 May, 2008. Please be sure to tell me why you'd like to experience Joann Sfar and his famous cat. Random "Enter me!" comments aren't good enough anymore.
You can be anywhere on Planet Earth. You can have won before. Please don't sell it on eBay; if I think you have done so, I'll toss any future contest entries you make.
Yeah, I'm getting mean. But a book this special deserves special treatment.
This hardback book hasn't even been opened yet; you'll get to do the honors. (That means I haven't registered it at BookCrossing, either.)
How to enter:
Go visit my review at Front Street Reviews.
Leave a comment on this post with some sort of contact information between now and 24 May, 2008. Please be sure to tell me why you'd like to experience Joann Sfar and his famous cat. Random "Enter me!" comments aren't good enough anymore.
You can be anywhere on Planet Earth. You can have won before. Please don't sell it on eBay; if I think you have done so, I'll toss any future contest entries you make.
Yeah, I'm getting mean. But a book this special deserves special treatment.
Labels: books, contest, Front Street Reviews, Joann Sfar
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thursday Thirteen with Good Intentions
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What's the saying? The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions? 1. The time the video director pitched an idea that had the ShapeShifter boys dancing. DANCING. 2. The time Kerri went to pick up a package at the post office, only to find it had come $3.50 postage due because it had been wrapped wrong and she only had $2 on her. She refused the package, which had been one of those nice gestures on the part of someone else -- but not for $3.50. 3. The time the band found a key lime pie in their dressing room. It wasn't on their contracted tour rider; the promoter had thought it was a nice touch and got whiny when the band asked him to remove it. It didn't touch him nearly so nicely when Mitchell made him wear it. 4. The sound engineer in the recording studio who forgot to push PLAY. 5. From time to time, Kerri meets someone who expected Kerry Voss, male artist, and not Kerri Voss, female. 6. The time Eric was offered an endorsement deal for a new guitar -- but only if he'd never play his current ones again. 7. The new employee of the record label who had heard that Mitchell would be mean to her, so instead of asking him for lyrics for the new disc's booklet, she did her best to interpret what she heard. 8. The time Kerri was asked to create the art for an event whose cancellation no one told her about. 9. The time the band opened a box of new t-shirts, only to find that the silver ink was red, the shirt itself was orange, and the whole thing looked like bloody puke. 10. Let's not forget the newspaper reporter who tried to write a flattering article but confused ShapeShifter with … well, they're still trying to figure that one out. But according to this person, who may or may not have ever heard the band, ShapeShifter is Satanic. Glad someone forgot to inform the band of that… 11. A local crew member, coming up to Trevor from behind, thought he was a woman. In that person's defense, his hair was waist-length at the time and, from the back, he could be confused with a woman hippie… who wears biker boots and a chain connecting the wallet in his back pocket to a belt loop. And… well, you get the idea. 12. Someone filling in for Mitchell's tech once strung Mabel upside-down. It may have been a joke, but the joke was on him when Mitchell broke Mabel over the guy's back. 13. Often, at a backstage appearance, a guy will pull a CD (in the old days, a cassette tape -- remember those?) out of a pocket and ask Daniel to listen to his demo. Daniel's always willing -- but once, the guy had given him a ShapeShifter disc, and no contact information so Daniel could make the swap. Hey, groupies! Other than #2, which just happened to me in real life today, would you like to see any of these turned into outtakes? Given time and interest, I just might do it for you. 'cause I love you guys and all. |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will try to link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Labels: creative writing, Daniel, Eric, Kerri, meme, Mitchell, ShapeShifter, Thursday Thirteen, Trevor
Monday, May 19, 2008
Susan's Author Spotlight: Sylvie Simmons
You might have missed this -- and I hope you have -- but I've been whining to myself lately that I'm not doing enough to spread the word about my fellow writers. At the RT Convention, I'd come up with this idea to do an author spotlight, but I wasn't really sure how to implement it. My friends and I launched a cool contest blog, but it's not enough. I want to do more for the great writers out there.
So I owe a big chunk of credit to my friend Bridget, who's not a blogger but who is part of my at-home road crew. She keeps me sane, listens to me vent, makes me feel guilty for skipping the gym, and drops her kid at my house so she can shop in peace while I get uninterrupted writing time. She also took my idea of an author spotlight and gave me ideas how to make it work.
That left me with the dilemma of who to choose. Ugh, the possibilities. I couldn't choose, couldn't figure out a way TO choose.
Until about ten minutes ago. I was sitting on the couch, catching up on the Metallica Club's latest edition of their magazine, So What! I'd like this mag even if their editor, who's a cool dude with the cool name of Steffan, hadn't let me write a few pieces for it. I mean, hello? Metallica, people! Susan loves Metallica.
The main feature in this issue is an interview by renowned rock writer (Steffan's words, not mine) Sylvie Simmons. I've been working through the interview slowly, wishing I had an uninterrupted chunk of time to devote to it. Every time I scrape out a few minutes, I envision myself signing into the Metallica Club's bulletin boards and asking, "Am I the only one more jazzed about the fact that Sylvie Simmons did the interview than I am by the subject?"
I probably am.
Heck, *I'd* never heard of Sylvie Simmons until I heard about her 2004 collection of stories, Too Weird for Ziggy. It was one of those books I had to have. Right then. So I ran out and ordered it for myself. Yes, from a bookstore. (Those of you who know me well know what an avid book trader I am.) Yes, from an independent book store, which is another thing that's important to me.
I'm not a fan of stories, but Sylvie Simmons totally rocked them. She created characters -- some of whom make more than one appearance in this book -- who are darker, more depraved, more sick, more gross, more grotesque than mine. In short, they are rock and roll at its essence. I write rock-lite in comparison. (And no, Trevor's not insulted by that. Nor, for that matter, am I.)
The lead-off story, Pussy, has stayed with me all this time. It's haunting.
At one point, I tracked down Ms. Simmons and asked if there was more fiction in the works. There wasn't. Not at that moment, anyway. But she had a story in a collection called London Noir...
Which is now sitting on my Mountain of To Be Reads, otherwise known as Mt. TBR. (also known as my small book problem.) It's number 315 of 349, so it'll be awhile.
But in the meantime, go check out Too Weird for Ziggy. You'll quickly see why Sylvie Simmons deserves more attention and why I'm taking up a beautiful afternoon to rave about her. She's one of those writers who I ought to be focusing on.
And so, I am. Maybe one of these days, I'll finish up that magazine...
So I owe a big chunk of credit to my friend Bridget, who's not a blogger but who is part of my at-home road crew. She keeps me sane, listens to me vent, makes me feel guilty for skipping the gym, and drops her kid at my house so she can shop in peace while I get uninterrupted writing time. She also took my idea of an author spotlight and gave me ideas how to make it work.
That left me with the dilemma of who to choose. Ugh, the possibilities. I couldn't choose, couldn't figure out a way TO choose.
Until about ten minutes ago. I was sitting on the couch, catching up on the Metallica Club's latest edition of their magazine, So What! I'd like this mag even if their editor, who's a cool dude with the cool name of Steffan, hadn't let me write a few pieces for it. I mean, hello? Metallica, people! Susan loves Metallica.
The main feature in this issue is an interview by renowned rock writer (Steffan's words, not mine) Sylvie Simmons. I've been working through the interview slowly, wishing I had an uninterrupted chunk of time to devote to it. Every time I scrape out a few minutes, I envision myself signing into the Metallica Club's bulletin boards and asking, "Am I the only one more jazzed about the fact that Sylvie Simmons did the interview than I am by the subject?"
I probably am.
Heck, *I'd* never heard of Sylvie Simmons until I heard about her 2004 collection of stories, Too Weird for Ziggy. It was one of those books I had to have. Right then. So I ran out and ordered it for myself. Yes, from a bookstore. (Those of you who know me well know what an avid book trader I am.) Yes, from an independent book store, which is another thing that's important to me.
I'm not a fan of stories, but Sylvie Simmons totally rocked them. She created characters -- some of whom make more than one appearance in this book -- who are darker, more depraved, more sick, more gross, more grotesque than mine. In short, they are rock and roll at its essence. I write rock-lite in comparison. (And no, Trevor's not insulted by that. Nor, for that matter, am I.)
The lead-off story, Pussy, has stayed with me all this time. It's haunting.
At one point, I tracked down Ms. Simmons and asked if there was more fiction in the works. There wasn't. Not at that moment, anyway. But she had a story in a collection called London Noir...
Which is now sitting on my Mountain of To Be Reads, otherwise known as Mt. TBR. (also known as my small book problem.) It's number 315 of 349, so it'll be awhile.
But in the meantime, go check out Too Weird for Ziggy. You'll quickly see why Sylvie Simmons deserves more attention and why I'm taking up a beautiful afternoon to rave about her. She's one of those writers who I ought to be focusing on.
And so, I am. Maybe one of these days, I'll finish up that magazine...
Labels: Susan's Author Spotlight, Sylvie Simmons
