I was Mother-of-the-Bride last night: such a happy time! Needless to say, I’ve been just a bit preoccupied. Here, at least, are this week’s Sunday Sundries:
For writers …
• The only technique to learn something new. This applies to any passion, and especially to writing.
• Write a Plot Outline: The Infographic. This is great.
• What makes authors dress up like clowns? Kathy L. Patrick’s Pulpwood Queens Author Extravaganza. So much fun.
• Elevator Pitches. We all hate having to come up with a few sentences to convey the essence of the sprawling novel we’re writing, but I’m afraid it’s important. My agent recommended this CBC podcast, and I’m glad she did.
• Was this review helpful to you? Hahahaha. Although not so funny to authors. Even one one-star review drags down a book’s sales and upsets a book’s publisher.
For promoters …
• V is for Virtual Tour provides an informative description of a virtual (i.e. blog) tour from The Publishing Bones. (How to set up a blog tour is one of my most visited posts.)
For flâneurs through history …
• In and Out of Jane Austen’s Window: people used to walk everywhere.
• Laughing at French Smiles and Dentures. This made me laugh!
• The Cloister and Accounts Payable. In researching Mistress of the Sun, I learned that Cloister life was like a mini-world, and woman the capable managers.
For Napoleonistas …
• Pacino dreams of playing Napoleon. I’d love to see this.
• Bonaparte: 1769 – 1802, by Patrice Gueniffey (translated by Steven Rendall): a translation of the first in a new, prize-winning two-book biography of Napoleon.
• Tweetable Napoleon: a collection of his quotes: a page I’ve just set up on my website.
For readers …
• A memoir I’m relishing now: H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. A woman falconer takes on the challenge of training a hawk as a way of overcoming grief. Fascinating, and beautifully written.