Archive for November, 2013

National Book Awards Tomorrow Night

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

Bleeding EdgeThomas Pynchon has given the National Book Awards a gift in the form of a publicity hook. He will not appear at the ceremony tomorrow night, even though his book, Bleeding Edge, (Penguin Press; Penguin Audio) is one of the five finalists, giving both the New York Times and the Washington Post a headline.

Tomorrow night, BookTV.org will stream coverage of “red carpet arrivals and interviews,” live on their Web site at 6 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, broadcast on C-SPAN2 beginning at 7:40.

9780812993806For an insider’s look at the crazy process of creating the P&L for one of the fiction finalist’s books, George Saunders who is up for Tenth of December, (Random House; RH Audio; BOT), read Dan Menaker’s “What Does the Book Business Look Like on the Inside?,New York magazines’s excerpt from his memoir, published today, My Mistake(HMH). In the Daily Beast, he writes about the most under-appreciated books he’s edited, (not mentioning that the Saunders title received more attention than anticipated, beginning with the NYT Magazine cover story, “George Saunders Has Written The Best Book You’ll Read This Year“).

Washington Post critic Ron Charles, says his money for tomorrow night’s winner, is on Rachel Kushner’s “brilliant” novel,  The Flamethrowers,  (S&S/Scribner; Brilliance Audio).

 

CATCHING FIRE L.A. Premiere

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

In case you missed the livestream of the L.A. premiere of Catching Fire, you can watch it below. It seems that Hutcherson’s pronunciation of Peetniss, the fan name for Peeta/Katniss, got nearly as much attention as Jennifer Lawrence’s dress.

The stars return to NYC today to continue the promotional tour for the movie which opens this Friday. Lawrence appears on the Daily Show tomorrow and on Letterman tonight.

Lead Cast: BEAUTIFUL RUINS Movie

Monday, November 18th, 2013

Beautiful RuinsJess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins, (Harper, 2012) appeared on most of the best books lists last year. The audio was also picked as one of the year’s best and a film is in the works.

Imogen Poots has signed on to star, reports Deadline. Directed by Todd Field, who won acclaim for the film version of Tom Perotta’s Little Children, production is set to begin in Italy in May. Author Walter and director Field are co-writing the screenplay.

The Passing of Literary Greats

Monday, November 18th, 2013

+-+760176893_140978-0-679-82642-2 2454

It’s a week of mourning for the book world. Among the greats who died are Doris Lessing, whose The Golden Notebook was embraced by the 70’s feminist movement (she told NPR that she found that notion “stupid”), Louis Rubin, who as founder of Algonquin Press (acquired in 1989 by Workman) nurtured a generation of southern writers and published several titles himself and Barbara Park, who fulfilled her seemingly modest goal of giving readers “nothing more than a smile or two” through her many books for children, including the Junie B. Jones series.

Below are links to some of  tributes:

Doris Lessing, 1919 to 1993

How Writer Doris Lessing Didn’t Want To Be Remembered, Vicki Barker, NPR

Doris Lessing dies aged 94, The Guardian

Doris Lessing reveled in her status as a contrarian, David Ulin, L.A. Times

Louis Rubin, 1923 to 1993

Louis Rubin, monumental voice in Southern literature, dies, Raleigh News Observer

Louis D. Rubin, Jr., man of letters, dies at 89, Hillel Italie, Associated Press

Barbara Park, 1947 to 1993

Junie B. Jones author Barbara Park dies at 66, USA Today

PADDINGTON Finds A Home

Friday, November 15th, 2013

paddington_movie

Currently filming in London, the live-action film Paddington “inspired by” the classic children’s book series, which began with the 1958 A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (50th anniversary edition published here by HMH in 2008), has been announced for release on Dec. 12 next year.

The computer-generated Paddington is voiced by Colin Firth. Featured in live roles are Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Julie Walters. Directed by Paul Smith, it is being produced by David Heyman, who also produced Gravity and Harry Potter.

Little Consensus on Top Ten Lists

Friday, November 15th, 2013

Four Top Ten Best Books lists are now available, giving us an opportunity to see if there is any critical mass. Library Journal released theirs yesterday, following Publishers Weekly‘s and the Amazon editors‘ lists. In addition, the National Book Award’s 5 fiction and 5 nonfiction finalists can be considered a top ten (winners will be announced Wednesday night).

Reflecting a diversity of tastes, a total of 35 titles get nods and no title appears on all or even three of the lists.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon   The Good Lord Bird

Two titles received two picks each. Anthony Marra’s debut A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, (RH/Hogarth) is a top ten for both LJ and PW (it was on the NBA long list, but is not a finalist). James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird, (Penguin/Riverhead; Dreamscape Audio; Thorndike) is a PW Top Ten and a National Book Award Award finalist.

Eleanor & park   Fangirl

Author Rainbow Rowell is having quite a year. Her Y.A. debut, Eleanor & Park, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s), which came out in February, is a Top Ten pick for both PW and Amazon (as a YA title, it is ineligible for LJ‘s list). Her second book, Fangirl, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s), which followed in September was chosen as the #1 LibraryReads title for the inaugural September list. 9781250049377_c5135UPDATE: Thanks to Sarah for pointing out in the comments that Elearnor & Park is Rowell’s debut YA title. Her first novel, published as an adult title, was Attachments, (Penguin/Dutton, 2011). We’ve corrected the post to reflect that. We should also note that Rowell’s next book, Landline (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press), coming in July, is also an adult title (or, as the author says on her blog, it’s adult “To the extent that it’s about people in their 30s“).

Sea of HooksThe smallest press to appear on the top ten lists is McPherson & Co. which PW recognizes for Sea of Hooks by Lindsay Hill,  a debut they’ve championed throughout the year, featuring it as one of their  “Big Indie Books of Fall 2013,” giving it a starred and boxed review, calling it “The Most Underrated Book of 2013,” and interviewing the author McPerson has received national recognition before. In 2010, Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon made a sensation as the dark horse winner of the NBA in fiction.

See if your favorites made any of the lists, download our 2013 Top Ten Picks.

V.C. Andrews on Lifetime

Friday, November 15th, 2013

Flowers in the Attic OriginalIt’s actually happening. V. C. Andrews’ 1979 novel, Flowers in the Attic (S&S) has been adapted as a Lifetime movie, to air on January 18.

Ellen Burstyn looks like she’s enjoying her role in the trailer, below, of the evil matriarch who abuses her four grandchildren hidden in the attic of her mansion, but Entertainment Weekly reports that she found it exhausting.

Heather Graham plays the childrens’ mother. The older daughter Cathy is played by Kiernan Shipka, who got her start in acting as Sally Draper on AMC’s Mad Men.

Entertainment Weekly dares to ask the question that will be on many minds; “Will there be incest?” Mason Dye, who plays the older brother Chris says they will go there, “We stay very true to the book.”

That subject was only hinted at in the earlier 1987 adaptation, starring Louise Fletcher as the grandmother, Kristy Swanson as Cathy, and Victoria Tennant as the mother. Universally regarded as a flop in its time, it has gone on to become a camp favorite.
 

Delayed: FIFTY SHADES, The Movie

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

1286EW-coverThe two stars are featured on the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, but the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey has been delayed.

Rather than releasing this coming August, it has been moved to February 2015 (ugh; are they thinking “perfect date movie”?).

Looks like you can go ahead and weed those copies.

DIVERGENT; First Full-Length Trailer

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

The first “official trailer” for the film adaptation of Veronica Roth’s YA novel Divergent was released at a live event on studio Summit’s YouTube channel yesterday. While remarkably similar to the “exclusive first look” trailer shown during the MTV Video awards in August, this one adds several new scenes.The movie releases on March 21.

Summit has also released is a featurette, “Factions,” that explains an important element of the story.

The tie-in editions will be published in February:

9780062289841_e3f78Divergent Movie Tie-in Edition
Veronica Roth
HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books
On Sale Date: February 11, 2014
Hardcover: 9780062289841, 0062289845
$17.99 US / $21.00 Can.

Paperback: 9780062289858, 0062289853
$9.99 US / $11.99 Can

Live Chat with Debut Author M. D. Waters

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

Also available,  Nora’s podcast interview with M.D. Waters, author of Archetype.

Click here to find out more about the book and to sign up for the program.

 Live Chat with M.D. Waters, ARCHETYPE(11/13/2013) 
3:43
Nora - EarlyWord: 
We will begin our live online chat with Misty Waters, author of Archetype in about 15 minutes.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:43 Nora - EarlyWord
3:44
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Meanwhile, here’s the cover of the book and a link to my recent podcast interview with Misty.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:44 Nora - EarlyWord
3:44
Nora - EarlyWord
ARCHETYPE U.S. Cover
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:44 
3:53
Nora - EarlyWord: 
I'm appy to see chat participants beginning to gather. You can send your questions through at any time. They'll go into a queue, and we'll submit as many of them as we can to Misty before the end of the chat. Don’t worry about typos – and please forgive any that we commit.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:53 Nora - EarlyWord
3:54
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Ooops -- first person to catch my typo wins a prize!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:54 Nora - EarlyWord
3:55
[Comment From MelMel: ] 
Missing the H in happy. ;)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:55 Mel
3:56
Nora - EarlyWord: 
You got it Mel -- give that person a ti-shirt!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:56 Nora - EarlyWord
3:56
Nora - EarlyWord
Read the book, wear the Tee
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:56 
3:56
[Comment From CharissaCharissa: ] 
MELINDA. I am so jealous.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:56 Charissa
3:57
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Well, don't be -- YOU get a tattoo...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:57 Nora - EarlyWord
3:57
Nora - EarlyWord
Get the Tatt...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:57 
3:57
[Comment From MelMel: ] 
LOL, Charissa. YAY!!!!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:57 Mel
3:59
M.D. Waters: 
Hi everyone!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 3:59 M.D. Waters
4:00
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Hi Misty, thanks for joining us. We have an eager group gathering. I’ll let them say hi.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:00 Nora - EarlyWord
4:00
Nora - EarlyWord: 
I see you out there -- say hi to Misty.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:00 Nora - EarlyWord
4:01
[Comment From Susan J.%20BickfordSusan J.%20Bickford: ] 
Hey there, Misty!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:01 Susan J.%20Bickford
4:01
[Comment From charissaweakscharissaweaks: ] 
Hi, honey :)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:01 charissaweaks
4:01
Catherine - Penguin: 
Hi Misty! thanks so much for joining us!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:01 Catherine - Penguin
4:01
[Comment From MelMel: ] 
Hi Misty!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:01 Mel
4:01
Nora - EarlyWord: 
We received some questions in advance. This one is a good place to begin:

Q: I see you went to Comic Con. But your book isn’t a comic! Why did you go?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:01 Nora - EarlyWord
4:02
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Hi Misty, thanks for joining us. We have an eager group gathering. I’ll let them say hi.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:02 Nora - EarlyWord
4:02
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Hi Misty, thanks for joining us. We have an eager group gathering. I’ll let them say hi.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:02 Nora - EarlyWord
4:02
M.D. Waters: 
From what I gather, Penguin is very excited about Archetype, and decided to highlight the novel at their booth for an hour. Beyond that, I really have no idea. All I know is that I was excited to see everyone there supporting this little book I wrote.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:02 M.D. Waters
4:02
Nora - EarlyWord: 
What was it like?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:02 Nora - EarlyWord
4:03
M.D. Waters: 
Unfortunately, I didn't get to go. Just enjoyed all the great pictures after.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:03 M.D. Waters
4:03
M.D. Waters: 
I hear the turnout was great.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:03 M.D. Waters
4:04
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Got it. I understand the t-shirts and tarts were for Comic Con.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:04 Nora - EarlyWord
4:04
M.D. Waters: 
Yes
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:04 M.D. Waters
4:04
Nora - EarlyWord: 
They have the symbol of the luckenbooth -- let see if the readers recognize what it's for...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:04 Nora - EarlyWord
4:05
How is the luckenbooth symbol used in ARCHETYPE? (1 PTS)
Symbol of high status
To identify forbidden books
To "mark" married womenCorrect Answer
Symbol of a secret society

Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:05 
4:05
Nora - EarlyWord: 
The sequel, PROTOTYPE, will be published in July, just five months after the first title. How did you write it so quickly?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:05 Nora - EarlyWord
4:06
M.D. Waters: 
I have a very supportive family of non-readers who put up with me. If I see an opportunity to zone out for hours at a time, I steal and hoard it. But really, writing is like a second job for me. I work my normal 6-8 hours for the day job, then switch computers/rooms and write until my brain shuts down. Some nights and weekends are easier than others, and obviously I have to work around dinner and diapers and the occasional drive-by wink at my husband.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:06 M.D. Waters
4:07
Nora - EarlyWord
PROTOTYPE, Sequel to Archetype, 7/24/14
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:07 
4:08
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Where do the cover images come from?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:08 Nora - EarlyWord
4:08
M.D. Waters: 
I think the designer, Monica Benalcazar, pulled every single detail of the Archetype cover from the book. From the glass to the indigo lilies to the bubbles in water...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:08 M.D. Waters
4:08
M.D. Waters: 
When asked for my thoughts on the Prototype cover, I really wanted to see Emma breaking through the glass, because she breaks through everything standing her way to take back her life. Monica outdid herself with both covers. I think they’re absolutely stunning.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:08 M.D. Waters
4:09
Nora - EarlyWord: 
One of your characters is named Declan -- that is unusual – your other characters are more common – Emma, Noah, Sonya, Charles – it made me suspicious of him from the beginning. Was that your intent?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:09 Nora - EarlyWord
4:09
M.D. Waters: 
LOL, not at all. Actually, I read the name in another series, then heard it again on the show Revenge. So the name went on this list I keep on my phone for future character names. I always saw the name connected to a strong character, and Declan (for me, at least) is that in spades.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:09 M.D. Waters
4:10
Nora - EarlyWord: 
The book’s themes revolve around how we discover truth. What draws you to that idea?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:10 Nora - EarlyWord
4:10
M.D. Waters: 
I only write what I know and/or love, and I absolutely love stories involving some sort of quest for the truth and has me guessing until the end. The best laid stories have me guessing totally wrong and make me literally gasp in surprise. I just hope I’ve managed to do this in Archetype.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:10 M.D. Waters
4:11
Nora - EarlyWord: 
The title ARCHETYPE sounds Jungian – any relationship?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:11 Nora - EarlyWord
4:11
M.D. Waters: 
Other than my using archetypes to develop secondary characters (and a few main), none. This title option came up while looking for synonyms to the original title, which was too leading and gave away the big reveal.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:11 M.D. Waters
4:12
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Congrats on the great review from Publishers Weekly -- “absorbing gothic thriller in science fiction trappings.” You are also racking up great reviews on GoodReads (love this quote, “Dystopian science fiction meets BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP”). Which are more meaningful to you?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:12 Nora - EarlyWord
4:12
M.D. Waters: 
Every single word said about Archetype, good and bad, means a lot to me. I may stalk Goodreads like it’s my job, though… I’m incredibly humbled by how many amazing reviews are shared on an almost weekly basis. I do a lot of chair dancing.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:12 M.D. Waters
4:13
Nora - EarlyWord: 
I see some more participants have joined us -- feel free to ask a question at any time.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:13 Nora - EarlyWord
4:13
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Who is your favorite character in the book (other than Emma)?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:13 Nora - EarlyWord
4:14
M.D. Waters: 
Oh, that’s easy. Arthur Travista. Definitely. I’m always partial to the bad guy—in books, television, or movies. I want to know what makes them tick, because behind those motives we consider evil are a truckload of good intensions. He’s a man with a very mysterious and sad past, who really does believe he’s doing the world a favor.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:14 M.D. Waters
4:15
[Comment From AnneAnne: ] 
I really had my thinking cap on while reading as I too wanted the truth - very good tone and keeping the tension/suspense high.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:15 Anne
4:16
M.D. Waters: 
@Anne thanks! It was a struggle, so I'm glad it worked out the way it did.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:16 M.D. Waters
4:16
Nora - EarlyWord: 
You got some great blurbs (including one from Richelle Mead) – what’s the process for getting blurbs? Does the publisher do it all?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:16 Nora - EarlyWord
4:17
M.D. Waters: 
The awesome team at Dutton gets them for me, and I can almost feel the 30-second dance parties they must have every time a new one comes in.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:17 M.D. Waters
4:17
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Any hints about what to look forward to in PROTOTYPE? (you say on your blog, “Emma wrote ARCHETYPE, and I wrote PROTOTYPE. She had a real-life story to tell, and I just made some stuff up that could have happened after.” What does that mean?)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:17 Nora - EarlyWord
4:18
M.D. Waters: 
I found Prototype insanely difficult to write in comparison to Archetype. We writers have voices in our heads, and yes, I know how crazy that sounds. And I say Emma wrote Archetype because I didn’t have to think about a single word of it. The story flew out of me in five weeks and barely changed after seeing my agent and editor. For five solid weeks, Emma was a real person in my head who had a story to tell and used me as a conduit...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:18 M.D. Waters
4:18
M.D. Waters: 
By the time I sat down to write Prototype (almost a year later), it was like Emma stood against a wall, crossed her ankles and folded her arms…then shrugged at me. It was a scary moment because I knew the basic story points, but didn’t quite feel it the same way. So, for me, it was MY story to tell instead of hers. I had three months full of false starts and character issues and must have deleted roughly 50K words before turning over the final draft to my editor. And I was scared, because what I had in Prototype was The Terminator versus A Beautiful Mind in Archetype. Probably just my perception, but that’s how it felt to me...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:18 M.D. Waters
4:19
M.D. Waters: 
Prototype begins a year and a half after Archetype ends, and starts with a fast, intense pace that doesn’t end until…The End. The action in Archetype was a lazy ride in the Mad Hatter Tea Cups compared to the battle Emma faces throughout.
I also introduce a whole new cast of characters on top of the old ones, and boy do they have some personality. I have so many favorite characters in Prototype that I can’t possibly choose just one. Two of them make me literally laugh out loud, and I can’t wait to see reader reaction to these guys.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:19 M.D. Waters
4:20
Nora - EarlyWord: 
It's hard to imagine that the pace is even faster in PROTOTYPE! It seems to race along in ARCHETYPE!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:20 Nora - EarlyWord
4:21
M.D. Waters: 
I never thought Archetype was fast paced, so it's interesting to me to see everyone say that.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:21 M.D. Waters
4:22
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Was PROTOTYPE already in your head when you wrote ARCHETYPE, or did you decide to do a sequel later?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:22 Nora - EarlyWord
4:23
M.D. Waters: 
I had a particular version I considered starting before Archetype was picked up, but the epilogue changed, which completely changed the plans I had. So my agent, Jennifer, suggested one thing and I went with it.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:23 M.D. Waters
4:24
[Comment From AnneAnne: ] 
I also saw this as a story about how precious memory is and how we do not necessarily "appreciate" it until we need it.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:24 Anne
4:25
M.D. Waters: 
@Anne I never thought of that, but you're absolutely right.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:25 M.D. Waters
4:26
[Comment From SarahSarah: ] 
I really loved this book. One of my favs of the year. What made you pursue the fertility or infertility theme?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:26 Sarah
4:27
M.D. Waters: 
@Sarah Actually, it came from a topic my dad brought up while I was still in high school. He talked about China limiting the # of children. I put that together with other possible situations that could arise and that was that.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:27 M.D. Waters
4:28
M.D. Waters: 
@Sarah And thanks:) Glad you liked it.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:28 M.D. Waters
4:29
[Comment From Sue D.Sue D.: ] 
This may be a naïve question but did you know you always had a novel inside of your head? Did you always know you wanted to write?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:29 Sue D.
4:30
M.D. Waters: 
@Sue Heck no. I loved reading, but I always listened to my dad who said how hard it was to succeed doing something like writing or being an artist.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:30 M.D. Waters
4:30
M.D. Waters: 
@Sue I had stories I wanted to tell, but no guts to tell them
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:30 M.D. Waters
4:30
Nora - EarlyWord: 
When did you decide to stop listening to his advice?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:30 Nora - EarlyWord
4:31
M.D. Waters: 
@Nora When Twilight came out along with hundreds, if not millions, of others.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:31 M.D. Waters
4:31
M.D. Waters: 
Meyer's story to publication was inspiring to me.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:31 M.D. Waters
4:32
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Ha! Good answer!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:32 Nora - EarlyWord
4:32
[Comment From SarahSarah: ] 
Is there anything planned after Prototype?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:32 Sarah
4:33
M.D. Waters: 
@Sarah LOADS OF THINGS! :) I'm playing with a spinoff and have tossed around other possible character stories to tell. The world is so interesting, and I can't imagine letting it go just yet.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:33 M.D. Waters
4:33
M.D. Waters: 
No more Emma, though.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:33 M.D. Waters
4:33
[Comment From KellyKelly: ] 
It sounds like your dad was a big influence on you. How did he like the book?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:33 Kelly
4:34
M.D. Waters: 
@Kelly My dad is so so so so proud. He carries a copy around everywhere to show me off.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:34 M.D. Waters
4:34
Nora - EarlyWord: 
This question comes from Kelly -- not sure that it came through before:

It sounds like your dad was a big influence on you. How did he like the book?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:34 Nora - EarlyWord
4:34
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Scratch that -- looks like some things overlapped!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:34 Nora - EarlyWord
4:35
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
Just curious, you mentioned that Archetype is Emma's story. Is that why you wrote from her POV, inside her head? Did it start out that way or change over time?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:35 Lucy
4:36
M.D. Waters: 
@Lucy I've always written in first person. I dabbled in several stories prior to this one. Emma's voice was by far the most different. The most alive.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:36 M.D. Waters
4:38
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Is PROTOTYPE also in the first person?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:38 Nora - EarlyWord
4:38
M.D. Waters: 
@Nora Yes! Emma all the way:)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:38 M.D. Waters
4:39
Nora - EarlyWord: 
We ran this poll earlier -- want to tell the folks the correct answer?

How is the luckenbooth symbol used in ARCHETYPE?
Symbol of high status
To identify forbidden books
To "mark" married women
Symbol of a secret society
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:39 Nora - EarlyWord
4:40
M.D. Waters: 
The "mark" of a married woman:)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:40 M.D. Waters
4:40
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
Oh, Yes, Emma is very much ALIVE from the very beginning, which is why I really liked her and how she gradually figured things out.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:40 Lucy
4:41
M.D. Waters: 
@Lucy LOL, it was both a good and bad thing for me being so deep in her head...
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:41 M.D. Waters
4:41
M.D. Waters: 
@Lucy When things got emotional and hard towards the end, I actually went into a funk for a good day or so.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:41 M.D. Waters
4:41
M.D. Waters: 
Hard to bounce back from those sad scenes.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:41 M.D. Waters
4:42
Nora - EarlyWord: 
"Marking" a married woman is an interesting idea -- we also "mark" married people, but with rings. Why did you want to come up with something different?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:42 Nora - EarlyWord
4:43
M.D. Waters: 
@Nora I wanted a way for these men to CLAIM their wives w/out fear of losing them to other men. With the shortage, I can only imagine the lengths some men will go to. Rings come off.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:43 M.D. Waters
4:44
Nora - EarlyWord: 
How did you come up with the symbol of the luckenbooth?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:44 Nora - EarlyWord
4:45
M.D. Waters: 
@Nora I was writing the scene with Emma painting her first picture and needed a symbol that represented marriage. A quick google search later... Luckenbooth.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:45 M.D. Waters
4:45
M.D. Waters: 
Totally spur of the moment.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:45 M.D. Waters
4:46
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Did you do any other research for the book?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:46 Nora - EarlyWord
4:46
M.D. Waters: 
@Nora Hmmm....
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:46 M.D. Waters
4:47
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
I've heard other authors mention that with a second (or later) book their main character wouldn't cooperate ("Emma stood against a wall with crossed legs and folder arms."). Has that happened with other characters?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:47 Lucy
4:47
M.D. Waters: 
@Nora Oh, right... SEAGULLS. I now hate seagulls.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:47 M.D. Waters
4:48
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
Sorry, should have been 'folded arms"
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:48 Lucy
4:48
M.D. Waters: 
@Lucy Sonya and I are no longer friends. LOL. She's the only one I had issues with. Her role in Prototype is pretty huge and I was constantly emailing/calling my agent, Jennifer, for help. For some reason, Jennifer GETS Sonya better than me. It's crazy.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:48 M.D. Waters
4:49
Nora - EarlyWord: 
You mentioned that Stephenie Meyer’s publication story inspired you. Any advice for first-time writers?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:49 Nora - EarlyWord
4:49
M.D. Waters: 
Learn and have patience. I spent an entire year taking five workshops a month to learn what it takes to write a novel—not that I follow all these rules off a bridge. I take liberties when the style calls for it. And once “THE” novel is written, breathe through the process and let the universe take it from there. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:49 M.D. Waters
4:50
Nora - EarlyWord: 
I promised Melinda and Charissa in the beginning that we would give them t-shirts and tattoos. Can we make good on that?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:50 Nora - EarlyWord
4:50
M.D. Waters: 
Absolutely!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:50 M.D. Waters
4:51
M.D. Waters: 
Mailing addresses to mistydawnwaters@gmail.com
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:51 M.D. Waters
4:51
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Thanks for making me look good!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:51 Nora - EarlyWord
4:51
M.D. Waters: 
LOL
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:51 M.D. Waters
4:52
Nora - EarlyWord: 
We are getting close to the end of this chat, so time to send in your last questions!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:52 Nora - EarlyWord
4:53
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Misty; Are you open to library appearances or Skyping with reading groups? How libraries contact you?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:53 Nora - EarlyWord
4:53
M.D. Waters: 
Absolutely. Just contact my publicist and she’ll handle it from there. Liza Cassity: liza.cassity@us.penguingroup.com
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:53 M.D. Waters
4:54
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
Haven't read Prototype of course, but you mentioned the possibility of a spinoff to continue in this world. Can you tell us which character you might spin off or will that give too much away from Prototype?
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:54 Lucy
4:55
M.D. Waters: 
@Lucy Sure! Not that you'll know her. I introduce Leigh in Prototype. She was a character I hadn't planned on, who showed me some interesting battle scars. She's a great character and fun to work with.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:55 M.D. Waters
4:56
[Comment From KellyKelly: ] 
Thank you for sharing with us!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:56 Kelly
4:56
M.D. Waters: 
@Kelly My pleasure!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:56 M.D. Waters
4:57
Nora - EarlyWord: 
Yes; thanks so much, Misty.

We're about to end this chat, it's been fun.

This chat will be archived on the Penguin First Flights page on EarlyWord -- tell your friends:

http://penguindebutauthors.earlyword.com/

ARCHETYPE is coming out on Feb. 6

Digital readers copies are currently available on Edelweiss and NetGalley
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:57 Nora - EarlyWord
4:57
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
Ohhhh, Thanks. Something to speculate about when I get to read Prototype! :-)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:57 Lucy
4:57
[Comment From LucyLucy: ] 
Thank You for chatting with us! Thanks to Nora for hosting and to Penguin for First Flights!!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:57 Lucy
4:58
M.D. Waters: 
@Lucy Thanks for the great questions!
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:58 M.D. Waters
4:58
Nora - EarlyWord: 
We look forward to toasting ARCHETYPE and Emma when the book arrives in February.
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:58 Nora - EarlyWord
4:59
M.D. Waters: 
:)
Wednesday November 13, 2013 4:59 M.D. Waters
5:00
Leaderboard (Top 20 Players)
LurchzPrincess
1
Melinda S. Collins
1
charissaweaks
1
CatHayden88
1
Beverly Jackson
0
LibraryNew
0
Susan J. Bickford
0
bajackson
0
Early Word
-1
Wednesday November 13, 2013 5:00 
 
 

Best Books, 2013, PW and Amazon Editors

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

The Unwinding  The Tenth of December  The Good Lord Bird 

The year-end best books lists are rolling in, beginning with PW‘s list of 101 (including a Top Ten) and Amazon’s ranked Top 100 (97 of which are adult, 2 YA and 1 picture book).

As we’ve come to expect, there’s little agreement between the lists. Just 5 nonfiction titles and 10 fiction titles were picked by both.

The National Book Awards winners will be announced next week. Only one nonfiction NBA finalist is on either best books list, George Packer’s The Unwinding(Macmillan/FSG; Macmillan Audio), which is on both.

Among the NBA fiction finalists, just two titles get nods. George Saunders’ book of short stories, The Tenth of December, (Random House; BOT; Thorndike) is #7 on the Amazon editors list and on the PW list, but not in the Top Ten. On the other hand, McBride’s The Good Lord Bird, (Penguin/Riverhead; Dreamscape Audio; Thorndike) is on the PW Top Ten, but comes in at a middling #44 on Amazon’s list.

What about the Booker? Amazon picked all but one of the titles on the short list, while PW didn’t pick any of them, not even the winner, Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Brilliance Audio).

As we have for several years, we will compile all the major lists into spreadsheets, convenient for checking against your collections, for creating displays, virtual and actual, and for placing end-of-the-year orders. You can dowload the adult lists below (and from the links at the right, under “Best Books, Spreadsheet”:

2013 — Best Books, Adult Fiction, Version 1

2013 — Best Books, Adult Nonfiction & Poetry, Version 1

SAVING MR. BANKS “Based On a True Story”

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

As part of the full-court press to promote Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, “based on the untold true story” of the making of  the movie, Mary Poppins, a video has been released with commentary by Tom Hanks, who plays Walt Disney, and Emma Thomspon, who plays PL Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, the book.

This is the first time that the iconic Disney has been portrayed in a movie. Since the studio behind it is the one that bears his name, that leads to the question posed by BuzzFeed, “Did Disney Make An Honest Movie About Walt Disney?

As they point out,  the movie had to be made with Disney, a company notoriously fanatic about controlling rights. Any other studio would have had to figure out how to make a movie about Mary Poppins, without using images or music from the film. Says BuzzFeed,

Consider the irony here: If [scriptwriter Kelly] Marcel wanted to see her work on the big screen, she had to sell Disney her movie about an author who didn’t want to sell her book to Disney … In a way, it was just as Travers predicted: Mary Poppins became a property of Disney, even if she created the character.

BuzzFeed goes on to applaud the movie for being honest about Disney’s vices; he drank and smoked three packs a day and eventually died of lung cancer.

What they don’t mention is that, as Caitlin Flanagan wrote in “Becoming Mary Poppins,” published in the New Yorker in 2005, far from the movie’s portrayal of Disney using his personal charm to woo Travers, the real-life person didn’t even meet with her at first. Instead, he left town, palming her off on the two songwriters he had hired for an agonizing, week-long story meeting.

When Travers confronted Disney after the movie’s premiere, to which she hadn’t even been invited, and demanded some changes, says Flanagan,

Disney looked at her coolly. “Pamela,” he replied, “the ship has sailed.” And then he strode past her, toward a throng of well-wishers, and left her alone, an aging woman in a satin gown and evening gloves, who had travelled more than five thousand miles to attend a party where she was not wanted.

That hardly sounds like the warm-hearted conclusion promised in previews.

Mary Poppins She WroteThe movie arrives in selected theaters on Dec. 13, rolling out nationwide on Dec. 20.

The tie-in is a re-release of a biography of Travers, published in Australia in 1999 and released here in 2006, Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers, by Valerie Lawson (S&S).

Lawson is quoted in Entertainment Weekly’s 11/15 “Holiday Movie Preview” issue, describing how Travers felt about the movie, “She’d written Mary Poppins as a way of healing the wounds of her own childhood, so to have [the character] turned into someone rather more sprightly and cheerful than she desired was very difficult.”

Official Movie Site: Movies.Disney.com/Saving-Mr-Banks

Eleanor Catton on PBS NewsHour

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

New Zealand author Eleanor Catton, winner of the 2013 Man Booker Award for The Luminaries, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Brilliance Audio), is currently making appearances in the U.S.

On  PBS NewsHour last night, Jeffrey Brown gave her a chance to explain her novel, which she herself calls a “publisher’s nightmare,” one that, says Brown, “all the reviewers [are] trying to figure out and explain to their readers.”

The book is currently at #19 and rising on Amazon’s sales rankings and, as we noted previously, holds are rising in libraries.

Link here for a  video of the NewsHour interview. Listen to Catton read from the book here.

Holds Alert: THE LUMINARIES

Monday, November 11th, 2013

9780316074315-1Once again, the UK’s major book award, the Man Booker, has influenced readers in the U.S. Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Brilliance Audio), which was released here on the day the award was announced, has been on the NYT Fiction Best Seller list for two weeks and is showing heavy holds on modest ordering in most libraries.

Reviews appeared here shortly after the award was announced. All noted the book’s unusual length (834 pages), without calling it  overlong. Said Bill Roorbach (Life Among Giants, Workman/Algonquin, 2012) in the NYT Book Review, “as for the length, surely a book this good could never be too long.”

NYT BOOK REVIEW’s Best Illus. Books 2013

Friday, November 8th, 2013

9780061783746_0_CoverCelebrating the beauty of illustrated books, this week’s NYT Sunday Book Review features the ten best of the year, as selected by a judging panel consisting of Brian Selznick, who has won the award twice himself, NYPL’s Youth Materials Collections Specialist Betsy Bird, and Steven Heller, art director at the NYT and author of many books on design.

Among the titles is Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson, (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen).

Also in the issue is a special section of children’s book reviews.

For a list of the titles, with ordering information, download our NYT Book Review Best Illus. Books spreadsheet,