Notes and News - Writing and Otherwise

Lazy days of summer? Who said that?! I don't know about you all, but things have not slowed down for me. And yet I still find time to putz around on the Net. Sigh.

Ah, but my putzing is to your advantage! Here's a quick round-up of some items I thought you all might be interested in... 

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Camp is in session! Camp NaNo, that is! This July, I'm heading back into the woods, armed with only my horror manuscript and some chocolate, and I will not return until the draft is complete! Or until I run out of chocolate...so, about July 2nd or so. 

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The CBS miniseries of Stephen King's Under the Dome starts Monday, June 24th. I can't wait! Here's a preview: 

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If you enjoy a good short story, you won't want to miss A List in Honor of Short Story Month 2013, compiled by Flash Fiction Chronicles. It contains links to over 150 stories, all suggested by readers as some of their personal favorites. (Hmm, number 100 seems vaguely familiar....)

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As a writer and a fan of Pixar movies, I just loved this - 22 Storytelling Tips for Writers from a Pixar Storyboard Artist. 

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On Sunday, June 23rd, Nik Wallenda will walk across the Grand Canyon - no net, no harness. My heart's in my throat just thinking about it! My husband went to one of Nik's local (FL) training sessions - here are some pics: 

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Planning on going to Camp NaNo this July? Will you check out any of those short stories? Are you a Pixar fan? Will you watch Under the Dome and/or Wallenda's walk? I'll be watching both!    

Book Notes and Writing News from Around the Web

Here are some notes and news I thought you all might be interested in....

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Khaled Hosseini's new novel, And the Mountains Echoed, comes out May 21st. I have no idea how he's going to top The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, but if anyone can do it, he can.

I absolutely loved Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt so I am counting the days until May 28th when her second novel, Looking for Me, comes out.

And June brings both the heat and the chills with two creepy novels  - Joyland by Stephen King and Always Watching by Chevy Stevens (whose novel, Still Missing, continues to haunt me years later!)

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Want a hilarious look at the writing and/or cleaning process? Check out Nathan Bransford's post, "How to Do Your Chores in 12 Easy Steps."       

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Two great posts on Writer UnBoxed - 

"Clawing Our Way Back to the Creative Center" by Robin LaFevers talks about having to disconnect from the real world in order to connect to her writing.

"The New Era of Self-Publishing" by Allison Winn Scotch is a great post about how she, a traditionally published author, is considering self publishing her next novel. The discussion that follows  in the comments of her post is civil and thoughtful.

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This actually has nothing to do with writing but since it's on author Joshilyn Jackson's blog, I'm counting it. Besides, it totally cracked me up - "The Third Piece of Unsolicited Advice Drops." 

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Looking forward to any - or all - of those novels? Going to check out any of the links? Is there anything you've come across lately that you'd like to share in the comments? 

Book Notes and Writing News From Around the Web

Some writing news and and book updates I thought you all might be interested in...

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In honor of Women's History Month, The Book Case had a great post about 11 female authors to watch for this spring and summer. I've already added two books to my TBR list!

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Stephen King's new novel, Dr. Sleep, won't be out until September 2013, but the cover has been revealed and I am not ashamed to tell you, it is already giving me nightmares!

Plus, here's a great interview on EW.com with King about this sequel to The Shining. And, if you can't wait until September, check out King's Joyland this June!

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The NaNoWriMo blog posted an interview with R.L. Stine: On Writing Addiction, Challenging Himself and Thrillerfest.

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I bookmarked this post from Writer Unboxed back in January and it's one for the "keeper file." In Embrace the Naked, Robin Lafevers reminds us how - "The act of writing is not only about claiming our truths, our selves, but having the courage to not apologize when we do. Our writing is where we need to be our bravest and most fearless selves. You can’t write your best work if you’re not all in—and once you’re all in, you’re vulnerable. We don’t serve our audience—our true audience—by holding back."

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Will you check out any of the books by those female authors to watch? Are you planning on reading either/both of Kings books? Are you a fan of R.L Stine? Planning on attending Thrillerfest? As a writer, do you "bare all" on the page?