Tampa Book Buzz

local wordsmitten editor kate sullivan on webcast tonight

Tonight on the Tampa Bay’s Media Talk webcast:

Kate Sullivan, founder and executive editor of WordSmitten, a concept started in 1999 by a group of journalists and authors undergoing media-withdrawal symptoms, who now provide some snappy patter and exclusive interviews for the book publishing industry, covering the people, the books, and the business of writing.

Watch the webcast tonight (or later) at www.tampabaysmediatalk.com.

wednesday’s website:www.floridabookstore.com

I’ve got a file folder full of website URLs that have caught my eye through the years.  I’m opening that folder today and diving in.

www.floridabookstore.com — Florida Books and Videos is (according to the website) a division of Florida Media, Inc. in Altamonte Springs.  I have no idea who that is, but at least I know a tad more about who’s responsible for the site.  This website offers books, CDs, posters and videos about anything and everything relating to Florida: people, places, wildlife, entertainment, sports and more.

I found all sorts of titles, from Florida Fun Facts to Florida Wildlife Impressions to Dreamers, Schemers and Scalawags:The Florida Chronicles, Volume 1.  Two to three weeks for delivery on all purchases, though — yikes!

Check out www.floridabookstore.com when you get a chance.

new website for readers and writers called nothing binding

Local author K.L. Nappier emailed me to let me know about a new website: 

There’s a new readers/writers site getting ready to go public that will be called Nothing Binding. Its mission is to give readers a central location to explore and discover what independent publishing has to offer. Already they have more than 200 authors on board, those on their own and those, like me, writing for small publishers. We’re all very pumped. What I like about this concept is that it encourages direct interaction between writers and readers, instead of ”protecting” writers from public contact. Very exciting stuff. There’s a YouTube pre-launch promo for it (but be aware that it’s geared toward writers rather than the public at this time) at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlvd2lvlb7I.

Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

sunday’s search terms

Yesterday I found some interesting search terms that led people to my blog last week:

• geekiness
• titles of geekiness
• is the adventures of harry the hedgehog a real book

Go figure.

news and notes:smith, lynskey, sanders

• Local author and blogger Joy V. Smith’s media critters collection is scheduled for display at the children’s room at the main Lakeland library in June.
• Washington, D.C. crime-fiction writer and poet Ed Lynskey wrote to let me know that his new mystery Blue Cheer was released April 30.  “P.I. Frank Johnson has moved to Scarab, West Virginia, drawn by the promise of lazy days and the lure of its tranquil mountains. What he finds instead is a Stinger rocket exploding over his back yard. His ensuing investigation uncovers a cult called the Blue Cheer, a racist group with ugly terrorist plans. As events heat up, blood starts to spill, and for Frank it all gets real personal real quick. With the help of his bounty hunter pal, he sets out to bring the Blue Cheer to justice — any way he can!”  Visit his website to learn more.
• Chicago author Deon C. Sanders wrote to let me know about the e-book release of his second supernatural horror novel I Am.  His novel is about Lucifer’s war with God and His army of angels and the real — secret – reason why Lucifer was so jealous.  “It was an unknown evil, just as powerful as God.  Its name was “No Name,” it was neither good nor evil, and it was neither merciful nor malicious.”  Click here to learn more about Sanders’ new e-book.

second annual muse online writers conference is october 8-14

From local author K.L. Nappier:

The 2nd Annual Muse Online Writers Conference is set for October 8-14. As it was last year, the conference is free. Whether you’re a reader or a writer, all are welcome. Registration is already open. I’m going to be presenting a workshop again this year and participating in live chat.

Mark your calendars!  To register or to learn more, visit www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/2007workshops.htm.

lunch hour library visit

I’m bored.  I feel blah.  I don’t feel like working or blogging or running errands or returning calls…all I want to do is lie in bed and read and watch TV.  Maybe I’ve got spring fever.  Maybe I’m having a midlife crisis. I told The Husband this morning that I’ve been bitten by a tsetse fly and have contracted sleeping sickness – thereby rendering him responsible for all bills, groceries and laundry from now on – but for some strange reason he didn’t believe me.  Just like Francie in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, I need a pickle day.

I went to the library on my lunch break yesterday to perk myself up.  Even though I have a stack of books at home to read, I checked out a few more.  I enjoy strolling the library’s aisles and selecting books at random, based only on their titles.  Wacky and striking book titles are entertaining, as well as a shrewd marketing move.  I checked out four books that I know nothing about.  I hope they’re as interesting as their titles:

• Knitting Under the Influence by Claire Lazebnik
• Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps:The Rise and Risk of the New Conservative Hate Culture by Gerry Spence
• Money, A Memoir by Liz Perle
• When I Was Five I Killed Myself by Howard Buten

I do feel a little bit better, thanks.

i didn’t inhale, i swear

I had big plans for this blog today.  But instead, I spent the afternoon keeping tabs on a fire that has been smoldering very near my house today.  (By “keeping tabs” I mean standing around with the other spectators watching firefighters hard at work protecting us all.)  I’m smoky, sunburned and very tired. 

Blogging will have to wait until tomorrow.  My favorite jammies are in the dryer and a stack of Netflix envelopes arrived in the mail today.  Later, alligator!

inaugural melissa nathan award for comedy romance

I received the following email about a new, unusual and very sweet British book award:

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR THE FIRST MELISSA NATHAN AWARD FOR COMEDY ROMANCE 2007

The Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance is the first of its kind.  This new prize will be awarded to a writer who has combined in a novel the magic, life-enhancing elements of both humour and love.  The award has been set up by Melissa Nathan’s husband, Andrew Saffron, in honour of Melissa, who died from cancer at the age of just 37, in April 2006. 

Based on criteria which Melissa drew up herself shortly before she died, the prize is open to writers of any age or gender who have written a book first published in the UK during the calendar year 2006.  This is the first time that a literary award has been established to recognise the genre of ‘comedy romance’. Its aim is to reward authors who can draw the two sections – ‘comedy’ and ‘romance’ – together in a way that is both compelling and natural.  The winner will receive a trophy and a cheque for £5,000 at an awards ceremony at the Magic Circle Headquarters in London on Wednesday, 13 June – Melissa’s birthday.

The judges for The Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance - comedian Jo Brand, author Joanna Trollope, actress Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson), Head Book Buyer for Tesco Gaynor Allen, and author Sophie Kinsella – declare the shortlist to be:

• Barefoot in the Dark by Lynne Barrett-Lee (published by Accent Press) — This title is a modern twist on Cinderella. Radio Wales DJ Jack Valentine finds a lost trainer on a station platform. With echoes of Cinderella, he appeals on his show for its owner, Hope Shepherd, to come forward. Hope handles publicity for a Cardiff based charity, Heartbeat. Encouraged by colleagues to secure Jack Valentine to raise the profile of an upcoming fun run, she reluctantly heads for the studios. The attraction between Hope and Jack is immediate but, bruised and battered by their recent divorces, they are reluctant to risk romance again.
• The Ex-Boyfriend’s Handbook by Matt Dunn (published by Pocket Books) — “It’s not me - it’s you. You’ve let yourself go, so I’m letting you go too.” When Edward Middleton hears those words from Jane, his girlfriend of the past ten years, he knows he’s in serious trouble. Determined to get her back, Edward must learn how to make women fancy him again. But what makes for a good boyfriend nowadays? Right now, he’s the kind of man who puts the ‘ex’ into ’sexy’. One thing is certain: if he’s to be Jane’s Mr Right, he needs to turn himself into a bit of all right. From Atkins and Botox, Edward begins working his way through the makeover alphabet. But can cuddly Teddy really become sexy Eddie? Can he rise from the ranks of discarded exes? Or has his journey of self-discovery taken him in a different direction entirely?
• The Cinderella Moment by Gemma Fox (published by HarperCollins) — If life’s a ball, then Cass needs an invite. A warm and funny romantic read in which the course of true love doesn’t even come close to running smooth…While off to seek her fortune, Cass meets Prince Charming in a carriage - a railway carriage, that is. That chance conversation, and the apparent good luck of finding a mobile phone, turns her whole life upside down. But, what if Prince Charming turns out to be the big bad wolf after all? A summer job in Brighton, an ex-husband who makes pumpkins look bright, and a very unlikely pair who double as fairy godmothers when not on the pull or drinking themselves into a stupor, take Cass on adventure which is almost more nightmare than fairytale. So when midnight strikes, will everything vanish, or will the real Prince Charming be revealed? This is a must-read for everyone who loves a good warm romantic read with plenty of twists and turns, who’s wanted to take a risk - or who’s answered a mobile phone call and wished they hadn’t… 
• Anybody Out There? By Marian Keyes (published by Michael Joseph) — ‘I had to go back to New York and try to find him. There was a chance he mightn’t be there but I had to give it a go because there was one thing I was certain of: he wasn’t here.’ Anna Walsh is officially a wreck. Physically broken and emotionally shattered, she lies on her parents’ Dublin sofa with only one thing on her mind: getting back to New York. New York means her best friends, The Most Fabulous Job In The World and above all, it means her husband, Aidan. But nothing in Anna’s life is that simple anymore! Not only is her return to Manhattan complicated by her physical and emotional scars - but Aidan seems to have vanished. Is it time for Anna to move on? Is it even possible for her to move on? A motley group of misfits, an earth-shattering revelation, two births and one very weird wedding might help Anna find some answers - and will change her life forever. Hilarious, heartbreaking and life-affirming, Marian’s unforgettable new novel is as epic as it is entertaining.
• Making Your Mind Up by Jill Mansell (published by Headline Review) — Lottie Carlyle isn’t looking for love when she meets her new boss, Tyler Klein. Living in a beautiful cottage with her two adorable - sometimes - kids in an idyllic village in the heart of the Cotswolds, on good terms with her charming but hopeless ex-husband and with friends all around, she’s happy enough with her lot. But Tyler’s perfect for Lottie and quickly she falls for him - and he for her. Unfortunately, there’s a problem. For reasons that are totally unfair, Lottie’s children hate Tyler. When a rival for Lottie’s affections comes on the scene in the shape of charmer Seb, the children adore him, and he’s certainly a distraction. But he’s not Tyler - and he’s not even at all what he seems. Lottie’s got a problem - but thanks, in classic Jill Mansell style, to a tobogganing accident and a delicious series of mix-ups, all will be revealed and true love will find a way. 
• The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy by Polly Williams (published by Little, Brown) — One woman’s battle to fit back into her old self. Amy Crane is in crisis. Six months after the birth of her baby, Amy still looks pregnant and can’t remember the last time she had a wax, or an orgasm. Motherhood is stirring up disturbing questions about her own childhood. And she suspects her boyfriend is cheating. Enter Alice, yummy mummy superior, on a mission to transform Amy’s body, and love life. As Amy swaps breast pads for Botox and climbs out of a vortex of self-doubt, her libido awakens from its long nap and things get rather more complicated …A wonderfully well-written, funny and sharp novel about the trials of playing hip happy families and the contradictions at the heart of modern motherhood.

Melissa Nathan’s novels are both heart-warmingly romantic and very, very funny.  Her books The Nanny and The Waitress were also Sunday Times top ten bestsellers.  Melissa’s second novel, Persuading Annie, will be re-issued by Arrow on August 2, 2007.

Nominations for the 2008 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance should be submitted by 1 December 2007 to info(at)melissanathan.com. Books published between January and December 2007 in the UK will be eligible. For further information, please contact Alex Hippisley-Cox at ahipcoxpr(at)btconnect.com.

You can also visit the website, where you will find details about the prize and about two competitions – one for  budding authors who can enter in the hope of getting their work assessed by two top publishing personalities, and one for readers who would like to win tickets to the award ceremony. 

Visit www.melissanathan.com to learn more.

book buzz:bottles from the deep by ellen c. gerth

Bottles from the Deep:Patent Medicines, Bitters and Other Bottles from the Wreck of the Steamship Republic by Ellen C. Gerth (ISBN 1-933034-07-6)

Stephen Sweet’s Infallible Liniment.  Drake’s Plantation Bitters.  Clarke and White Mineral Water.  Dr. McMunn’s Elixir of Opium.  Mexican Mustang Liniment.

These fanciful concoctions, commonplace in 19th century America, are re-introduced and detailed in Ellen C. Gerth’s wonderful book Bottles from the Deep:Patent Medicines, Bitters and Other Bottles From the Wreck of the Steamship Republic.  Gerth recounts the complete story of the Civil War steamer the SS Republic – the ship’s cargo of gold and silver coins, along with condiments, ink and other supplies desperately needed by Southern citizens; the hurricane that sank the ship after two days of high waves and fierce winds; and the 2004 archaeological excavation of the wreck (by the Tampa-based company Odyssey Marine Exploration) that yielded more than 51,000 coins and over 6,000 bottles, many of them intact.

Packed with luscious color photographs, lithographs and replicas of 19th century advertisements, Bottles from the Deep will appeal to everyone from armchair archeologists and bottle/glass collectors to us regular folk who enjoy learning something new while getting a glimpse into the past.  With her graceful, easy-to-understand presentation of historical and archeological information, Gerth has unveiled yet another recently-discovered treasure: her book.

Now if I could just get my hands on some Phalon and Son’s Chemical Hair Invigorator for my husband…

Book Buzz Barometer: A

Click here to learn more about Gerth’s book.