City of Ashes by Cassanda Clare (Book Two: The Mortal Instruments)(McElderry, 2008) is the first CosmoGirl book club pick, and in celebration, the magazine is offering an "exclusive alternate chapter" by Cassandra, among other cool features. Read a Cynsations interview with Cassandra.Hot Off the Press: A Sneak Peek at Publishers' Newest and Hottest Titles from CBC Magazine. Featured books include A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Arthur A. Levine, 2008)(above) and Magic Pickle Vs. the Egg Poacher by Scott Morse (Graphix, 2008).
Human Oddity: a new blog from author Annette Curtis Klause. Annette is the award-winning author of Alien Secrets (Delacorte, 1993), The Silver Kiss (Delacorte, 1990), Blood and Chocolate (Delacorte, 1999), and most recently, Freaks: Alive on the Inside (Simon & Schuster, 2006). Read a Cynsations interview with Annette.Q&A with Mary E. Pearson by Sue Corbett from Publishers Weekly. Here's a sneak peek: "I wanted the world to be believable but I had to be careful not to date the book and not to make it read like a science textbook. It required me to learn a lot of stuff about medical technology and ethics and then forget it so I could write the story." Read Cynsations interviews with Mary and Sue.
LGBT Children's/YA Book Nominees for the Lambda Literary Awards include: Split Screen by Brent Hartinger (Harper Collins Children's Books)(author interview).
Congratulations to debut author Elizabeth C. Bunce on the release of A Curse Dark as Gold (Arthur A. Levine, 2008). From the promotional copy: "As Charlotte struggles to manage the difficulties she inherits along with Stirwaters Woollen Mill, she discovers a shadow world at the fringes of the familiar: Dark magic, restless spirits, a mysterious Helper. A wicked uncle, an age-old curse.... How can Charlotte prevail with such forces allied against her? In this novel inspired by "Rumpelstiltskin," the miller's daughter of the fairy tale comes to life as a young woman determined to save her family and her mill--whatever the cost." Visit the Class of 2k8.
Congratulations to P. J. Hoover on signing with Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and congratulations to Laura for signing P. J.!Pickled Pixel Toe offers: "Writing and illustrating humor and inspiration. Funny shirts to wear to conferences." Source: Editorial Anonymous. Note: reminder to conference planners, review etiquette.
Video Sunday: Trailers, Cats, and Calligraphy by Elizabeth Bird at a Fuse #8 Production. Note: I particularly enjoyed the Harry Potter fandom video. Very entertaining!
My favorite comic of the week was Wonder Woman #18 (DC, May 2008): "Return of the Khund!" It's no secret that, while the art is usually fantastic, over the years Wonder Woman as a character has suffered as writers seem to struggle with offering a strong, smart, peace-loving warrior who doesn't come off as wooden or preachy. I'm pleased to report that these days the Amazon princess is mighty and good-hearted with a refreshing sense of humor that grounds the character and makes her more accessible. On another note, if you're not already reading "Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon's Season Eight" (Dark Horse), I'm pleased to report that, in issue #12, Dracula is back.First Look: Benicio Del Toro as the Wolfman by Lindsay Soll of Entertainment Weekly. Source: Gene Brenek.
Of late, I took the challenge to offer up 15 odd trivia facts about myself and tagged a few local friends. The latest entry comes from Jennifer at Jennifer Ziegler Word Processor. Here's a sneak peek: "I once made the New York Times' Bestseller List. Swear to god honest. On November 3, 2002, I made it to number ten on Children's Paperbacks. It was for a mass market prequel novel based on the TV show 'Alias.' The story was called Alias: Recruited and was published under my pen name Lynn Mason. Note: trust me when I say the previous admission pales beside Jennifer's discussion of the mysterious "Pig-Dog." Read a Cynsations interview with Jennifer, and don't miss the previous posts! Don at Devas T Rants and Raves answered with 15 Random Things, Jo at Jo's Journal responded with 15 for Team, and Alison at Alison's Journal shared her own Funky 15.
