Elsewhere

I have to unplug for a couple of days to get some revisions finished and prepare for some bad weather on the way. So that your trip here was not entirely wasted, here are some links to some cool stuff elsewhere:

Old agent/New author Nathan Bransford has come up with a brilliant solution to every writing problem that has ever existed. Well, except that one when something keeps you from writing.

Author Karen Mahoney is very kindly hosting a giveaway on her blog for two copies of my novel After Midnight. Stop in, leave a comment to let her know what you're reading at the moment, and you'll have a chance to win one. She's also opened the giveaway to everyone on the planet, so anyone can join in.

Author Bill Peschel speculates on why we writers play so nice these days in his article Where Have All the Good Literary Feuds Gone? I know, but I'm not telling.

Author Kris Reisz runs a regular feature on his LJ called Cabinet of Curiosities, and the latest entry about the Codex Gigas, a 165lb. illuminated manuscript from the thirteenth century, is beyond neat.

Weather permitting, I will be back this weekend. See you then.

Odds/Ends

Fall Back: In the U.S. "Standard time begins each year at 2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November, with clocks moving one hour back." So all my U.S. resident visitors who did not set their clocks back last night should go do it now because Daylight Savings Time is officially over. It's also an excellent time to change the batteries in your household smoke detectors (link: U.S. Daylight Savings Time in 2010: Clock Changes - When to Spring Forward and Fall Back)

Finished, Eh: Jean M. Auel, author of the Earth's Children series which started with The Clan of the Cave Bear thirty years ago in 1980, says that The Land of Painted Caves, the sixth and supposedly final novel in the series (due out in March) may not be the end after all. I've been reading this series since I was nineteen years old when I actually hung out with Ayla in the caves, so yeah, I'd like some closure. Jean, you're 74. Write book seven if you have to, but please, finish the damn series before one or both of us buy the farm, okay?

It's Alive: For those of you who chuckled over the Mash-O-Matic, you might want to check out Seventh Sanctum's new Classic Cool Creator. This is the one I liked: Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie) with alien abduction. Covers just about everything in the entire SF genre, doesn't it?

So long, Nathan: Literary agent and popular indy blogger Nathan Bransford has abruptly quit the rep end of the biz to work for CNET as a social media strategy coordinator. Makes me wonder if I should fly to NY, swipe my agent's Blackberry and toss it in the Hudson. All kidding aside, best of luck over at CNET, Nathan.

White Night: I stumbled across this beautiful and brilliant video while out surfing and thought it showed just how, um, shattering love at first sight can be (has background music, and is about four and a half minutes long -- runs mostly in slow motion -- but is entirely work safe.):

Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.

Quickie Contest

For you YA writers out there, literary agent Nathan Bransford is holding a very cool contest on his blog for a signed copy of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard plus the winner's choice of a query critique, partial critique, or 10 minute phone conversation/consultation/dish session with Nathan.

To have a chance at winning, contestants must: "Write the most compelling (fictional) teen diary entry. It may be a diary entry or an unsent letter, but it should be in a teen's voice" not longer than 500 words, and put it in comments to the contest post on Nathan's blog (see contest post for more details.)

Contest ends tomorrow "at 4:00 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday January 6th. Finalists will be announced Thursday morning, and you will have the opportunity to vote on the winner, which will be announced on Friday."

If you've got a great idea for a YA and you want to talk it over with an agent, this is definitely the contest for you.