Snippets

Interested in crossover? E.g. science-fiction romance, erotic crime, or a fantasy family saga? If so, read Chap O'Keeffe on Detectives in Cowboy boots.

Graham Swift was interviewed in the Scotsman (link from Bookslut), and says at least one sensible thing: 'I don't want my words to be admired. I want them to transmit an experience where the reader says: I was provoked, moved, enthralled. The words themselves are not a substitute for feeling.' Unfortunately, I have never taken to Graham Swift's work. And he went to my old college, too.

The Times says that Granta is the UK's 'literary bible', so it must be true. But how come I've never even seen a copy, much less read it. At least, not since I was at Cambridge, 1958-61. There was an undergraduate magazine called Granta then. Is this the same thing, grown up?

Authors Den is a huge resource with what seem to be vast lists of books and authors on everything conceivable. You might find the site useful to plug yourself and your latest. Thanks to Nadine Laman for the link.

First lines of novels, like endings, are really quite important. And, to prove the point, Debra Hamel has set up a new web site called Twitterlit. Here, twice a day, she posts the first lines of various books, sans any other details. If intrigued, you can click on a link for further details. Good grief, Debra, I just don't know where some people get the time and energy.

Queertexts.com is a site for gay and lesbian readers and writers. It provides an online directory of literature, plus an opportunity for G&L writers to post their stuff. Founded by a group of university people, I understand. Crumbs -- does this mean there are gays and lesbians in universities?

On Booksprice.com you can enter details of a book and find out how much it is selling for in various online locations. If nothing else, this is interesting, though in my experience cheapest is not always synonymous with best service. I entered the ISBN of one of my books -- 1903988144 -- and found that you can buy it for anywhere between $9.44 and $44.49. (Prices include shipping in USA.) No, I don't understand it either. If it's any comfort, I get £1.99, roughly $4, wherever you buy it. The Booksprice stars rating, by the way, applies to the store, not the book.

The poet Vincent Spada has an idealistic message for you.

Hikikomori, by Ellen Kennedy and Tao Lin has been published online. It's a stylish piece, and it made me laugh, at the beginning. The end is sad.

Boston's Beacon Press has just published Without a Map, Meredith Hall's memoir of what it was like to become pregnant at sixteen (in 1965), and be shunned by your family, school, and a small New Hampshire community. Not a lot of fun, one imagines, but the book is attracting some enthusiastic reviews.

There's another grumpy man who's running a flash fiction contest.

Alan Moore (no, not the Extraordinary Gentlemen guy, this is another one) is dead keen on Dracula and has set up a homage page to the great man. And there's lots and lots of other stuff there too, about Whitby and Yorkshire, and all sorts. I went to Whitby once, but didn't make it to the Abbey. I know, I know....