Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for author] 

Fairy Tale Fortnight is officially over! This is our final post, one last time to speak while you are all listening, and we wanted to take this opportunity to express our thanks. It's a bit bittersweet actually. It will be nice for us to have our days back in our control, rather than being consumed with magic and wishes, witches and trolls, but at the same time, we're sure going to miss it. It's been a huge part of these last couple months. We have had such an awesome turn out! There were so very many awesome people who expressed interest and made Fairy Tale Fortnight a part of their April.

This event has been a crazy awesome experience for me! I have had a blast spending so much time in this world of fairy tales and meeting, or getting to know better, so many awesome people! Whether it's my fairy tale soul twin (I'm looking at you, Bonnie) or my Fairy Tale Sister who seems to share my Fairy Tale brain wave length (cue Twilight Zone theme song, and enter Misty!) or bringing my Twitter friends into the Fairy Tale Fun (hello to Enna, Farah, Jayme, Lynn Marie, and Laura) But everyone who participated has made this event great! It really meant a lot that so many people were able to come together and share a love of fairy tales. I hope you all enjoyed this event as much as I did.

in my blog to fill out our survey for the event, and tell us what you thought!

And for all of you who participated, and all of you who read the posts and shared some fairy tale love, Misty and Ashley have one thing to say to you:

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for joining us, for reading the posts, for writing your own posts, tweeting and spreading the word, putting our button on your sites, talking about it with your friends. Thanks to the authors who took time out of their busy schedules to answer emails and interview questions, write up guest posts and offer giveaway prizes, and generally make these two bloggers shake and shimmy squee. (be glad you couldn't see/hear it... it wasn't pretty) You are all wonderful people, truly amazing and this event would not have been this amazing without you. Again, thank you. Thank you, thank you, and we hope to see you all again next year.

What's that you say?! Next year? Yup! Fairy Tale Fortnight will return again next year. Tell all your friends.

Here is an alphabetical list of all the wonderful participants.
For links to each participants contribution, in my blog to be taken to the schedule

Alanna (giveaway [2], guest post [2]) Alex Flinn (author interview) Ammy Belle (guest post [2]) Andrea (photo guest post) Angelique (video clip) Bonnie (guest post, sent authors to us) Carolyn Turgeon (author interview, giveaway) Cindy Pon (author interview) CSI Librarian (guest post [2]) Curlypow (guest post) Danya (guest post) Diane Zahler (author interview, giveaway) Donna Jo Napoli (author interview, giveaway, video clip) Edie (giveaway) Elie (fill-in game) Elizabeth C. Bunce (author interview, giveaway) Emily (guest post [2]) Enna Isilee (giveaway, guest post [2]) Erika (guest post, video clip) Farrah (video clip) Heather Dixon (guest post) Her Royal Orangeness (guest post) Jaclyn Dolamore (author interview, giveaway, guest post, video clip) Janette Rallison (author interview, giveaway) Jayme (guest post, video clip) Jen (video clip) Jennifer (giveaway, guest post) Jessica Day George (author interview, giveaway, guest post, video hello) JG (fill-in game, giveaway) Khadija (fill-in game) Kristen (giveaway, guest post [2]) Kristen C (giveaway, guest post) Laura (guest post) Liz (video clip) Lynn Marie (video clip) Marissa Meyer (author interview, guest post) Maureen McGowan (fill-in game) Meghan Nuttall Sayres (giveaway) Mel U (guest post [2]) Mette Ivie Harrison (author interview, giveaway, guest post) Midnyte Reader (guest post) Miss Eliza (guest post) Nancy Werlin (giveaway) NoraBell (video clip) One A Day YA (video clip) Sara (guest post, video clip) (and her daughter) Katelin (video clip) Sarah Porter (author interview) Sierra (giveaway [2], guest post [2]) Sheila D (giveaway, guest post) Susan Fletcher (giveaway) Tia Nevitt (author interview) Titania (giveaway, guest post [2]) Tricia (guest post) Velvet (giveaway) Zoë Marriot (author interview, giveaway, guest post, video clip)

This week, Bernadette at Reactions to Reading asked us to share our thoughts on the subject of separating the authors' lives from their writing. Are you able to separate them? Does your view of an author and his or her work change when your own beliefs and opinions differ from that of the author? Does an author's behavior, past or present, impact your opinion of him or her? Just how much or how little background information on an author do you want to know?

Erotic Horizon says that an author's secret past doesn't bother her, but rather may increase her interest in reading his or her books. However, when it comes to certain issues, it can depend, such as an author's continued sanitation of rape scenes. An author who behaves badly is another she could do without.

Another blogger whose interest is piqued by a criminal past is Amat Libris Between the Covers. She also discusses the relevancy of politics between authors who are alive or deceased, and tackles the subject of just how difficult a balancing act it can be for an author espousing their own beliefs.

Margaret from BooksPlease admits that an author's personality and past crimes affect her reading, but an absorbing plot may be enough to get her past it. When it comes to nonfiction, credentials or lack there of do matter.

Bill Pullman is an author KT from Literary Transgressions doesn't especially like but adores his book Northern Lights. KT goes on to offer an example of how one's personal beliefs can interfere and ruin a book.

Trisha of Eclectic/Eccentric does not take much of an interest in authors' personal lives, but the internet has shed a disappointing light on a few. While she may disagree with an author's beliefs, she does promote reading books that we may not agree with:

Reading is not agreeing, and I believe that reading belief systems other than your own is actually a positive intellectual pursuit. It opens your mind to other ways of thinking and helps you determine your own personal beliefs. It sparks discussion, contemplation, and growth. And all of that is, in my opinion, a good thing.
Thanks to everyone who participated in Weekly Geeks this week, and remember to check back tomorrow for our new topic!

It's a Weekly Geek Flashback this week! We're going back to an original assignment Dewey posted for Weekly Geek's #13 on August 2, 2008. (Thankfully I still have access to her blog through the Reader. I'm so glad it works that way!)

This was one of my favorites, so I thought it was time to do it again, especially since I'm sure there are tons of new Geeksters out there that haven't done it. Anyway, that week, she posted this author meme of sorts. She suggested we post pictures of authors that answer the questions listed below, but without saying who they were. Then Weekly Geek visitors should guess, by leaving a comment, who they think those authors are. So it's best if you post at the beginning of the week, because at the end of the week you'll need to post the answers. You can even award prizes to the winning guessers if you want!

Here's Dewey's list (and feel free to add to this if you can think of other author picture categories that would be fun):

1. Photos of your favorite author(s).
2. Photo(s) of the author(s) of the book(s) you’re currently reading.
3. Photo(s) of any author(s) you’ve met in person (even very briefly).
4. A Youtube of (an) author(s) you’ve heard speak.
5. Any photo(s) you may have of yourself with an author.
6. A photo of the author of the book you’ve most recently finished.
7. Photos of the hottest author(s)!

Have fun and be sure to add your link to Mr. Linky once your post has gone up!

Matt Royal is a lawyer in FL who always seems to get into trouble of some sort. His ex-wife, Laura, contacts him. Her stepdaughter, Peggy, is missing and she needs his help to track her down. Since she's a legal adult, the police don't seem concerned. Matt tracks Peggy down to a private island in the Keys, Blood Island. The island, and a number of "questionable" businesses in the area, are all owned by the same Bahamian corporation. Matt soon discovers a hidden world of at-risk teens, drugs, cults, and prostitution. Just as Matt saves Peggy, he uncovers a terrorist plan to destroy several churches in large cities. BLOOD ISLAND is action packed from page one and keeps you hooked til the end. This is my first taste of Griffin's work and I hope to read more of his work in the near future!

H. Terrell Griffin is giving away a signed copy of his book, Blood Island, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to Terry’s book tour page, http://h-terrell-griffin.omnimystery.com/, and enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 5796, for your chance to win. Entries will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow (Wednesday). No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on Terry’s book tour page next week.

About the Author

H. Terrell Griffin is the author of Blood Island, the third mystery in the Matt Royal series.

Born in Waycross, Georgia, H. Terrell Griffin moved to Sanford, Florida, at the age of twelve. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After three years of active duty, he began his studies at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he earned degrees in history and law.

A board-certified trial lawyer, Griffin practiced law in Orlando for 38 years. In addition to Blood Island, Griffin is the author of Murder Key and Longboat Blues.

He and his wife Jean divide their time between Longboat Key and Maitland, Florida. His website is HTerrellGriffin.com.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

• In Reference to Murder: Author Interview

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

• Reader's Respite: Book Review
• Lesa's Book Critiques: Author Guest Post

Thursday, December 04, 2008

• The Friendly Book Nook: Author Guest Post

Friday, December 05, 2008

• Murder by 4: Author Interview
• Mystery Reader Discussion: Book Review
• Wendi's Book Corner: Author Guest Post

Saturday, December 06, 2008

• Allie's Musings: Author Interview
• Bookish Ruth: Book Review

Having recently been told that I'm odd because I'm not terribly interested in author interviews I've started to ponder whether there are two types of readers...those who stick to the books versus those who like to know more about the author's background, thoughts, motivations and writing process.

So, what about you?

• Do you seek out interviews with authors of books you've enjoyed? Why or why not?
• Do you interview authors on your blog? If yes what did you gain from the interview process? If no is it because you don't want to or because you haven't felt able to ask an author yet?
• Do you subscribe to the blogs of authors you like? Which ones? All the authors you like or only certain ones?
• Do you track down author websites or look for biographical information about them elsewhere? Would you skip reading a book if you couldn't find out anything about its author?
• Have you hosted an author on a blog tour? Was it someone whose books you already read or did it introduce you to a new author?

I'll be talking about being odd at Reactions to Reading

A couple of incidents have prompted this week's topic.

1. I very much enjoyed the two Susan Hill novels that I’ve read and already have the next book in her series Simon Serrailler series on my audio book playlist. Then I discovered, via the author’s opinion column in a UK newspaper, that I don’t particularly like her personality (this piece is an example of what I found mean-spirited and inaccurate about her rants but there were other articles too). Suddenly her books did not seem so appealing any longer.
2. Craig Sisterson's excellent blog Crime Watch featured an article about historical mystery author Anne Perry who, as it happens, committed a particularly grim murder many years ago (at the ripe old age of 15). "Thank heavens I'm not a fan of hers" was my first thought.

So I have been pondering the issues of whether it is possible to separate an author's non-writing life from the books they produce and thought I'd throw these questions over to you. Feel free to answer one or more of these and give examples if you have them.

Does an author's politics matter to you? Do you have a favourite book or series written by someone you know to be your political opposite? Or have you stopped reading works by a particular author after discovering that their politics was radically different from your own?

What about their personality? Have you ever stopped reading an author's work after seeing or hearing them talk because you didn't like what you saw or heard?

And how about that secret past? How would you feel if you found out your favourite author was a murderer or some other kind of criminal? Are there some crimes that you would be OK about and others that would stop you following their work? Do you know about the pasts of 'your' authors? Do you want to?

This week's topic is brought to you by Bernadette at Reactions to Reading

So the other day I was looking back at past blog posts of mine and I came across an old meme that made the rounds through the book blogs years ago. I thought it looked fun enough to do again and figured it would make a good Weekly Geek idea for us this week.

You know how when someone asks you who your favorite author is? And you feel a bit crazy coming up with just one? Now is your chance to come up with 26 (at least) favorite authors by making a list of them ABC style. (See my above link from the past for an example.) There are no rules, list a couple per letter if you feel the need. Skip a letter if you draw a blank. Make it be categories if you want to. For instance, a favorite YA author list. A favorite classic author list. A favorite "new to me" author list. A favorite mystery author list.

Or simply an all time favorite author list... from A to Z!

Be sure to come back and add your link, and then visit the links of other participants. Have fun!

Despite the long and stressful day I had on Thursday, I still awoke bright and early at 4:15 am so I could join a bunch of other book bloggers who stood in line for tickets to author signings.

When we checked in to the hotel, we were informed that the city was working on the sewer system, and hot water wouldn't be available until after 4 am. I'm an eternal optimist and assured myself that I'd be able to hop in the shower at 4:15 am and the hot water would be available. Once again, I was wrong. Nothing but cold water! Needless to say, after my very quick shower, I was awake and invigorated.

We arrived at the Javits Center around 5:30 and stood in line for author signing tickets. My goal was to get a tickets for the Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates. Luck was on my side...tickets were obtained.

After getting breakfast at a local diner, it was finally time for the exhibit hall to open. The ribbon was cut and I walked in to a book lovers heaven! Rows and rows of publishers, "bookish" vendors, you name it. I finally had a chance to meet Miriam from Hachette after working with her for over a year now!

Finally it was time for my first ticketed author signing. First up, Joyce Carol Oates. Now, I have to admit, I didn't really look at the author signing schedule before arriving in NY. After getting my signed copy of Little Bird of Heaven, I had to rush upstairs for my book blogger signing at the Firebrand booth. I was impressed at the number of people interested in book bloggers and what we did, and spent an hour answering their questions. I was pleasantly surprised when Shane Briant, author of The Worst Nightmare stopped by to introduce himself. I will be reviewing his book (and hosting a giveway) in the next month. I also finally got to meet Tyler from Scholastic Books-an amazing resource and overall great guy!

Immediately after my signing was Suzanne Collins' author signing, so I literally ran across the exhibit hall and downstairs to the signing area. I was dismayed at the seemingly endless line, but it moved quickly and I obtained my signed copy.

I remained in the author signing area for several hours, and got to meet Melissa Marr, Sarwat Chadda, Luis Alberto Urea and his wife, Cindy (who both squealed in delight when I told them who I was!).

Late that afternoon, I met with Emily from Sourcebooks. My family has always been a fan of the books Sourcebooks publishes (expecially Horrid Henry!) so I was thrilled to sit down and talk with Emily about ways that we can work together.

By this time I was exhausted. I'd slept for a mere 3 hours the night before and had been on my feet for several hours. But the night wasn't close to being over!

After a quick trip back to the hotel for dinner (complimentary due to the lack of hot water!) we went to the BEAtweetup, the first Tweet up for Book Expo America. It was packed with bookish people, of all types, including publicists, authors, etc. Here I met Valerie Russo from Hachette, Frasier and the GetGlue gang, Bethanne Patrick (aka Bookmaven) and many many other great people!

The night was still young, so we jumped in a cab and went to a Kidlit party. I met some great YA authors, which I was exceedingly happy about because I'm interesting in expanding my reviews to YA fiction.

The night came to an end and after returning to the hotel, I quickly succumbed to a deep sleep...

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking part in an author blog crawl organized by Kassa from 3 AM Blog.
She said

Instead of emailing your favorite author with your fan letter, why not post it on your blog for everyone to see?
It’s a well earned pat on the back to the author and perhaps readers will pick an author, book, or genre they might not have otherwise.
Kind of a give-back, win/win situation for all.

And we did.

30 bloggers wrote fan letters to the authors that made an impact on their reading – See the list of blogs that took part HERE and their letters. Following in that same vein I challenge the Geeker’s this week to either

A. Write a letter of appreciation to a new to you author whose work you have read and was really impressed with.
Or
B. Write a letter to a firm favourite author of yours, preferably someone alive – letting them know how much you either admire or even love their work.

Please leave link in comment - thank you.

Happy letter writing...

Please welcome me in joining fantasy author Kim Hanks on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion Public Relations as he travels the blogosphere in March to talk about his latest release, "Save the Best For Last".

About the author:

Kim is a 21 year older author who has hit the literary world with his debut novel, Save the Best for Last. Born in Uganda, mityana district. He grew up in a wonderful small family and studied in almost five different schools from childhood until college. Story telling was a secret in his blood, he also loved reading. “I always read fantasy and a variety of other genres that caught my interest. Though, I always lay my honor on books that were on my literature syllabus by then.” Kim explains.

From a comprehensive junior school, he joined modern ss where he started taking English literature classes. Exposing himself to reading earlier, these were few of his favorite authors; Stephen king, terry brooks, shake spears, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, and Charlotte Bronte. However, due to the fascinating magic spells in the world of Harry, Kim added JK Rowling on the list of his best authors, “at school, I loved the English literature teacher, she was not just a teacher, but also a parent to me.” he says now. Towards the end of his college, he wrote and self published a book, which was titled “My Trip”. It was only published in few countable copies for schoolmates and his family. Publication of that book intrigued praise from his teachers and compliments about his work started influencing his desire to write. This was a wonderful experience laying ground work to his literary craft. His fantasy novel Save the Best for Last, is the first book of the series. Now living in Dubai, he’s working on two edgy and engrossing novels coming in the near future. And he spends his free time reading and listening to music.

Book summary:

Zwick Lamps, a secret admirer to Whitney Barnes, got targeted by a genius son of the past eveil family that had lived in Green Oasis Town. However, it was once before that Zwick had finally discovered his supernatural powers that were only known by the isolated old woman Tabitha, a misfortuned lady whose husband died on their wedding day. You can visit his website at http://www.kimhanks.net/.

Check back on Thursday for a guest post by Kim Hanks.

Second Chances

There have been times in my life where I reread a book (or author) I hated--or thought I hated--but the second time around ended up loving. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever changed your mind about a book or author the second time around? Have you ever given a book or author a second chance?
If you have, I'd love to hear your stories. Blog about your experience(s) in giving second chances.

If you haven't, I'd like you to consider giving a book or an author a second chance. You can blog about your intentions to do so--or if you're a quick reader, maybe you can even squeeze something in!

Can't think of a single book or author? Don't worry, you can stretch this one to include movies or music if you prefer.

It is just very interesting to me how time can change tastes and perceptions. How subjective the reading experience is and always will be.

Leave your answers (links) in the comments!

Once again, here is a link up of all the Contemporary happenings I've stumbled across in the past week on blogs other than Shanyn's and my own! There are some seriously awesome things happening around the blogosphere, so click through the list and check it out!

And since it is absolutely impossible for me to really be aware of all that is happening everywhere, if you have seen or posted anything Contemporary related, Let me know! I will either add it to this list, or include it in next week's post!

Awesome Reading Challenge: The Keeping It Real Contemporary YA Reading Challenge hosted by Kat @ I Write, I Read, I Review. And, there will be prizes!:)

REVIEWS:

Sarah @ The Storybound Girl — Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog — Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler, Amplified by Tara Kelly, Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl, North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headly

L.L. @ The Story Girl — I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak

Katelyn @ Katelyn's Blog — The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner and My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Melina @ Reading Vacation — Past Perfect by Lelia Sales and The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin (this is the third book in the series.)

Author Jessi Kirby — Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Asheley @ Into the Hall of Books — We the Animals by Justin Torres

Samual @ Books for All Seasons — The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Danya @ A Tapestry of Words — Dear Bully by Various

Shannon @ Books Devoured — Looking for Alaska John Green and The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

The Busy Bibliophile — Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

Anna @ Anna Reads — Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Raquel @ The Book Barbies — Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Page @ One Book at a Time — Lie by Caroline Bock

Emily @ Red House Books — Reasons to be Happy by Katrina Kittle

Giselle @ Xpresso Reads — dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman, and Room by Emma Donoghue (probably more Adult than YA, but it is definitely a crossover book).

Somer @ A Bird's Eye View — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Liz @ Consumed by Books — The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Nicci @ Paper Dreams — Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez (she also wrote a fun — Five Reasons to Read Virtuosity post!)

Julie @ A Tale of Many Reviews — The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Chris @ Between the Covers — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Ginger @ Greads! — Amplified by Tara Kelly

Carrie @ Stalking the Bookshelves — Saving June by Hannah Harrington and The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Rowena @ The Book Scoop — My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Mindi @ Books Complete Me — Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

Sarah @ YA Love — How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Jennifer @ Novel Thoughts — Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Aubrey @ holes in my brain — How to Save a Life — Sara Zarr

Mary @ Anxirium — Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Lori @ Pure Imagination — Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Lisa @ The Garden of Books — Where She Went by Gayle Forman and Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

John @ Dreaming in Books — Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Kelli @ I'd So Rather Be Reading — Going Too Far — Jennifer Echols

Princess Bookie — Past Perfect by Lelia Sales and Pure Red by Danielle Joseph

For the Love of Contemporary — His Eyes by Renee Carter

Tiffany @ Tiffany Reads — The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder and Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Ashley @ Bookaholics Anonymous — Raw Blue by Kirsty Egar

Hannah @ Paperback Treasures — If I Tell by Janet Gurtler, Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson and Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott.

Bailey @ IB Book Blogging — Past Perfect by Lelia Sales

The Book Faerie — The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder (WARNING — This review DOES contain spoilers)

Jenny @ The Mimosa Stimulus — Amplified by Tara Kelly and Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Sophia @ The Book Basement — If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Natalie @ Quirky Vintage — Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (not completely Contemporary, but mostly & amazing, so...)

Karen @ For What It's Worth — Where You Are by Tammara Webber

Lisa @ The Garden of Books — Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (this is actually a short — What on Earth could I possibly say about this level of intensity — post)

AUTHORS:

The Nerd Girls @ Books to the Sky Interviewed Janet Gurtler! (And there is a giveaway!)

For the Love of Contemporary spotlighted Sarah Ockler!!!

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog interviewed Anne Pfeffer (and there is an international giveaway!) and she also interviewed Stasia Kehoe!

The Contemps blog spotlighted new author Josie Bloss and her novel Faking Faith.

Sam @ Books for all Seasons interviewed Melissa Kantor!

Liz @ Consumed by Books has a fun This or That Interview with Hannah Harrington!

Hannah @ Paperback Treasures has a guest post from Megan Bostic about the songs that inspired her book!

Melina @ Reading Vacation has a guest post from Joanna Philbin.

Kristi @ The Story Siren has a guest post from Catherine Ryan Hyde (with a giveaway)

DISCUSSION TOPICS

Allison @ The Allure of Books vlogged about her favorite YA Contemporary Books
Mandie Baxter: Why I Love Contemporary
Rowena @ The Book Scoop: Why I Love Contemporary
Author Carol Tanzman: Why I Write Contemporary YA
Bee @ Dreamcatcher's Lair: Her favorite Dark YA books. (Not all are Contemporary, but most of them are!)
Author Abbi Glines: Her 11 favorite Indie Contemporary YA Romances

Tough Stuff in Contemporary YA: (again, many of these were written as guest posts and I am only identifying the author of the post, not the host blog)

Rie @ Mission to Read
Bonnie @ A Backwards Story
Candace @ Candace's Book Blog
Jacinda @ Reading Housewives
Katelyn @ Katelyn's Blog
Cara @ Chasing Words
Mandie Baxter
Nicci @ Paper Dreams
Shannon @ Books Devoured
Ginger @ GReads!

Again — If you have seen or written a post talking about Contemporary YA or reviewing a book, LET ME KNOW!! I'd LOVE to include you in the link up AND I personally read and comment on all of them. (It takes a while, but I'm LOVING It!) So leave me a comment, shoot me an email or send me a tweet and I'll add you to my list!:)

I'm pleased to announce the first author to be featured is Elizabeth Massie. First, a bit of information on Elizabeth, taken from her website.

Elizabeth Jane Spilman Massie was born and raised in Waynesboro, Virginia, a town in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Tended by a newspaperman/journalist father and watercolorist mother, she and her two sisters and one brother grew up surrounded by words, paintings, pets, open-minded attitudes, and wild senses of humor. She was a dreadful student; she rarely paid attention in class and frequently got bad marks on her report card for not "working to her potential." Little did the teachers know that the daydreaming, the goofy drawings, and the angst-ridden stories she was doing in class instead of the assigned science/social studies/math, would some day have some relevance.

She taught in public schools in Augusta County, Virginia from 1975-1994. During those years she married Roger Massie, had two children (Erin, born in 1976 and Brian, born in 1979) and sold many of her wacky pen and ink/watercolor pictures at art shows around the state.

This was also the time she began writing in earnest. Her first horror short story, "Whittler," was published in The Horror Show in the winter 1984 edition, along with the first published story by good friend and horror author, Brian Hodge. Many other story sales followed, in mags such as Deathrealm, Grue, Footsteps, Gauntlet, Iniquities, The Blood Review, After Hours, The Tome, and many more, as well as anthologies such as Borderlands, Borderlands III, Best New Horror 2, Dead End: City Limits, Women of Darkness, Best New Fantasy and Horror 4, Hottest Blood, New Masterpieces of Horror, Revelations, and many others. Beth's novella, Stephen (Borderlands) was awarded the Bram Stoker Award and was a World Fantasy award finalist.

Elizabeth added horror novels to her repertoire in the early 1990's, and has since published the Bram Stoker-winning Sineater, Welcome Back to the Night, Wire Mesh Mothers, Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark (co-authored with Stephen Mark Rainey), Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Power of Persuasion, Twisted Branch (as Chris Blaine), and Homeplace. She has also had four story collections published: Southern Discomfort, Shadow Dreams, the extensive The Fear Report, and A Little Magenta Book of Mean Stories. Her bizarre poetry is included in the early 2004 anthology Devil's Wine, along with poems by Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, and more. Presently, she is at work on a new novel about a haunted farm house and a bunch of new short fiction for various publications.

In the mid-1990s, Beth was divorced. She also branched out with her fiction and began to write historical novels for young adults and middle grade readers. She has said, "There is a great deal of horror in history, so moving from one to the other wasn't that big a step for my creative thought processes. I love the idea of putting my mind back in time to experience what people years ago might have experienced. And damn, but some of that stuff was creepy!" Her works include the Young Founders series, the Daughters of Liberty trilogy, and The Great Chicago Fire: 1871.

On the side, Elizabeth also writes supplementary materials for educational publishers (both fiction and nonfiction) and continues to wield her inky pen and watercolors to create the characters of Skeeryvilletown. In her free time, she likes hiking and camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains, digging through antique stores, traveling roads on which she’s never traveled. She is also an active member of Amnesty International, the human rights organization to which she’s belonged since 1985.

Elizabeth still lives in the country in the Shenandoah Valley.

Be sure to check out my review of Massie's Bram Stoker Award winning novel, Sineater.

If you are a Virginia author, or know of one that would like to be featured, please contact me at jennsbookshelfATgmail.com or fill out my Contact Me form.

This week, thanks to Suey, we revisited an old favorite...Author Fun Facts. This is always a fun topic, both to participate in and to read about!

Naida at the bookworm shared information about Margaret Mitchell and Gone With the Wind, including the possible origin of that famous line, "Frankly, my dear...".

Dana at Windows Wide Open joined Weekly Geeks (welcome Dana!) with her post on Maeve Binchy, an author she "adores."

Since Ceri at Not in the Pink is currently reading The Stand (and whatever you do, don't sneeze around her), she chose to feature Stephen King.

Aggie at Some Enchanted Reading featured Susanna Clarke, author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

And Nicki at Every Book and Cranny (another newbie to Weekly Geeks...welcome!) went with Daphne du Maurier. Among other things, she discusses her connection with Alfred Hitchcock.

Thanks to Suey for choosing an oldie but goodie. And thanks to all of the Geeks who joined in this week. We'll be back tomorrow with the next topic.

Grabbed this from A Literary Odyssey, kind of fun since my brain is shot from finals.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
Sometimes, but not normally. If I do snack it's probably candy. I do go to a coffeeshop in Iowa City called T-Spoons and they have excellent cookies, so if I read there I'll get a cookie and some English tea.

What is your favourite drink while reading?
Tea, as I said previously. Otherwise water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I mark most of my books, especially literary fiction or nonfiction. This is the main reason I don't check books out from the library very often.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I love bookmarks and try to use them as often as I can. If I don't have a bookmark I'll usually rip a piece of paper out of a notebook or use a napkin until I get home with a bookmark. My favorite bookmark is from Barnes and Noble and it has a painting of Virginia Woolf on it.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I love to write nonfiction but I probably read more fiction. I think this is a recent development though, because when I look over the books I read before I started blogging more than half of them were nonfiction. I'm starting to get into it again.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I always try to read to the end of the chapter, it really throws me off if I have to start in the middle. That being said, I read on the bus quite a bit and I can't really help where I have to stop there. Sometimes I'll get off the bus and finish the chapter though, especially if it's just a few more pages.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
I will not throw anything (usually) but I do talk when I read. I'll make grunting noises, or laugh, or shout at the author or characters in the book.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Rarely. I've never been a big fan of that.

What are you currently reading?
I am still reading Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick and Scrolling Forward by David Levy.

What is the last book you bought?
I think it was Catching Fire.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I used to only read one book at a time, but with school I've gotten into the habit of reading two or three at a time and I actually enjoy it more. I find I finish books faster because I don't get bored as easily.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
I always read at night before bed, but I prefer to read during the day. As for a place to read, I usually read in my bed but I'd like to get a nice comfy chair to read in instead because reading in bed has a tendency to hurt my back.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I like series a lot, but I read more stand alones. I probably prefer stand alones.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
I recommend Notes From No Man's Land by Eula Biss to anyone and everyone with the ability to read.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
I don't organize at all right now. It's too hard when I have to move everything around all the time. Maybe someday when I have a library in my house I'll come up with a system.

Let me know if you fill this out!

Not Your Average Retelling By Marissa Meyer
Fairy tales and folk tales have been around for hundreds of years, being re-shaped, re-twisted, and re-told again and again. And yet readers continue to hunger for more, as is evidenced by not only the deluge of fairy-tale retellings in the book market, but also Hollywood’s current obsession with them. (Have you heard of the three Snow White movies coming out in the next few years?) How do writers continue to work with the same material, yet give us such vastly different renditions?

Here are some ways that today’s writers are keeping our beloved tales alive and new.

Lesser Known Tales
There are some tales that pop up again and again. How many Cinderella remakes can you list off the top of your head? How many Beauty and the Beasts come to mind? While there are good reasons these tales have stood the test of time and popularity, there are also a lot of great stories that, in the past, went ignored in our Disney culture. Not the case anymore! As the market for fairy tales becomes more saturated, more writers are delving deeper into the works of Grimm, Andersen, and even non-European cultures, and seeking out stories that haven’t yet received their due.

Tales that once would have been considered fringe (such as “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” or “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”) have received more attention lately with books such as Entwined by Heather Dixon and East by Edith Pattou, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more and more non-Disnified tales on the rise. After all, the Grimm brothers alone had over 300 tales collected, so writers have plenty of material to choose from.

Examples of Lesser Known Tales Retold:
Matchless by Gregory Maguire (based on “The Little Match Girl”)
The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott (based on “The Wild Swans”)
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (based on “Rumpelstiltskin”)

Original Settings
Another way authors are setting apart their fairy-tale retellings is by choosing interesting times and locations for them to take place in. Writers are no longer trapped in fantastical, make-believe worlds just because they lend themselves so easily to the original stories. From ancient Greece to futuristic space colonies, the options are endless, and (lucky us) writers are taking advantage of that! Will we soon be watching Puss in Boots in the court of Louis XVI? Will the next Frog Prince hop out of Cleopatra’s Nile? We’ll just have to wait and see where authors are willing to take us.

Examples of Retellings with Original Settings:
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (“Sleeping Beauty” set during the Holocaust)
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson (“Diamonds and Toads” set in pre-colonial India)
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire (“Snow White” set in 16th-century Tuscany)

Unique Twists
No matter how rare (or common) a tale is, or what fascinating time and place it’s set in, the best retellings still have one thing in common: the author has made it strictly their own. There is still something that sets that story apart from the Grimm Brothers’ or Hans Christian Andersen’s or any other author who may choose to re-spin the same tale.

Gregory Maguire is renowned for telling fairy tales from the villain’s perspective (see Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister). Gail Carson Levine turned the classic Cinderella story upside-down in Ella Enchanted, when she gave Ella an unusual curse—she must do whatever she is told to do. These “retellings” are almost more like “re-envisionings”—they may use the bones of the classic tale for inspiration, but then the author took the story in a new direction that we’d never seen before.

I believe it’s these new twists on the old stories that keep readers hungry for more retellings, because you just never know what an author is going to do next. How will tomorrow’s fairy tales differ from today’s? I, for one, can’t wait to find out!

Examples of Retellings with a Unique Twist:
Ash by Malinda Lo (“Cinderella” with an LGBT romance)
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (a modern “Little Red Riding Hood,” in which two sisters become werewolf hunters)
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (a collection of tales, including “Hansel and Gretel,” strung together into one continuous storyline)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Marissa Meyer’s debut novel, Cinder (“Cinderella” set in the future), re-imagines our princess as a teenage cyborg faced with the task of saving the world. It’s scheduled for release in early 2012. You can find her online at: Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube

This week Bernadette asked participants like you what kind of reader you are: one who wants to know all about the author or one who just wants the book and nothing more.

*Suey from It's All About Books has her own author feature: Author Pick Five.

*Julie from A Small Accomplishment doesn't want to know too much about the authors she reads.

* "I am 100%, no question about it, completely and totally, a book person," says Trish from eclectic/eccentric.

*Megan from Leafing Through Life admits that she is not an author "fangirl."

*Nicki from Every Book and Cranny says, "I seek out information about authors when that information becomes essential to understanding the context of the novel and it’s historical importance."

Thank you everyone who participated this week. Come back tomorrow for a new Weekly Geek topic.

For Weekly Geeks this week, I would like to revisit one of my favorites from the past. This particular geeky assignment was posted by Dewey back in November of 2008, just weeks before she died. Here's what she posted then:

This week’s theme is: fun facts about authors.

How to:

1. Choose a writer you like.
2. Using resources such as Wikipedia, the author’s website, whatever you can find, make a list of interesting facts about the author.
3. Post your fun facts list in your blog, maybe with a photo of the writer, a collage of his or her books, whatever you want.
4. Come sign the Mr Linky below with the url to your fun facts post.
5. As you run into (or deliberately seek out) other Weekly Geeks’ lists, add links to your post for authors you like or authors you think your readers are interested in.

As you can see, the task is simple this week! Of course, if you did this one before, pick a different author to write about. If you are like me, and can't choose just one, go ahead and write about two (or three.)

Have fun!

This week Suey chose an oldie but a goodie:

It's a Weekly Geek Flashback this week! We're going back to an original assignment Dewey posted for Weekly Geek's #13 on August 2, 2008. She suggested we post pictures of authors that answer the questions listed below, but without saying who they were. Then Weekly Geek visitors should guess, by leaving a comment, who they think those authors are.

This is always a fun topic, but let me tell you, it’s hard to write a wrap-up post for…I don’t want to give away any answers!

The Bookworm has quite a few author photos up…go see if you agree with her selection of hotties.

Zee chose to post just a single photo…her favorite author. Can you guess who it is?

Bookwormans and Rikki actually have the same photo posted for one of their authors, although I have no clue who he is!

I know three of sari’s authors! Woo-hoo! Oh, wait, this post isn’t supposed to be about me.

Can you figure out which author Bart has met (and has photographic evidence of)?

Thanks to everyone for participating this week!

The international team of researchers warns that localized issues, such as declining water quality from nutrient pollution or deforestation, can exacerbate the effects of climatic extremes, such as heat waves and droughts. This reduces the ability of ecosystems to cope with the impacts of climate change.

"We show that managing local pressures can expand the 'safe operating space' for these ecosystems. Poor local management makes an ecosystem less tolerant to climate change and erodes its capacity to keep functioning effectively," says the study's lead author Marten Scheffer, chair of the Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management at the Netherlands' Wageningen University.

The authors examined three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Spain's Doñana wetlands, the Amazon rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. While many ecosystems are important to their local people, these ecosystems have a global importance--hence their designation as World Heritage Sites. For instance, the Amazon rainforest is a globally important climate regulator.

Like coral reefs, rainforests and wetlands around the world, these sites are all under increasing pressure from both climate change and local threats.

For example, the Doñana wetlands in southern Spain are Europe's most important wintering site for waterfowl, hosting over half a million birds, and home to numerous unique invertebrate and plant species. Nutrient runoff from the use of agricultural fertilizers and urban wastewater is degrading water quality in the wetlands, causing toxic algal blooms, which endanger the ecosystem's biodiversity. A warming climate could encourage more severe blooms, causing losses of native plants and animals, say the researchers.

"Local managers could lessen this risk and therefore boost the wetlands' climate resilience by reducing nutrient runoff," says co-author Andy Green, a professor at the Doñana Biological Station. He added that nutrient control measures could include reducing fertilizer use, improving water treatment plants and closing illegal wells that are decreasing inputs of clean water to the wetlands.

Rising temperatures and severe dry spells threaten the Amazon rainforest and, in combination with deforestation, could turn the ecosystem into a drier, fire-prone and species-poor woodland. Curtailing deforestation and canopy damage from logging and quickening forest regeneration could protect the forest from fire, maintain regional rainfall and thus prevent a drastic ecosystem transformation.

"A combination of bold policy interventions and voluntary agreements has slowed deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon to one fourth of its historical rate. The stage is now set to build on this success by ramping up efforts to tame logging and inhibit fire," says Daniel Nepstad, executive director of Earth Innovation Institute.

The Great Barrier Reef is threatened by ocean acidification and coral bleaching, both induced by carbon dioxide emissions. Local threats such as overfishing, nutrient runoff and unprecedented amounts of dredging will reduce the reef's resilience to acidification and bleaching.

"It's an unfolding disaster. The reef needs less pollution from agricultural runoff and port dredging, less carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, and less fishing pressure. Ironically, Australia is still planning to develop new coal mines and expand coal ports, despite global efforts to transition quickly towards renewable energy," says co-author Terry Hughes, director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

"As a wealthy country, Australia has the capability and responsibility to improve its management of the reef," adds Hughes.

"All three examples play a critical role in maintaining global biodiversity. If these systems collapse, it could mean the irreversible extinction of species," says Scheffer.

The authors suggest their evidence places responsibility on governments and society to manage local threats to iconic ecosystems, and such efforts will complement the growing momentum to control global greenhouse gases.

Yet, in the three cases they examined, they found local governance trends are worrisome.

"UNESCO is concerned that Australia isn't doing enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef. It would be disastrous for the $6 billion reef tourism industry and Australia's reputation if they list the GBR as 'in danger.' We need to put science into action to prevent this from happening," urges Hughes.

According to co-author Scott Barrett, the problem is one of incentives.

"These ecosystems are of value to the whole world, not only to the countries that have jurisdiction over them. It may be necessary for other countries to bring pressure to bear on these 'host' countries or to offer them assistance, to ensure that these iconic ecosystems are protected for the benefit of all of humanity," says Barrett, who is also a professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Above all, the paper raises awareness of the great opportunities for enhanced local action.

"Local management options are well understood and not too expensive. So there is really no excuse for countries to let this slip away, especially when it comes to ecosystems that are of vital importance for maintaining global biodiversity," says Scheffer.

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison [March 19, 2015]