On Monday, as part of deal for a reduced sentence, Hans Reiser, the Bay Area Linux programmer convicted of killing his estranged wife Nina, led police to her shallow grave. Five days earlier, California journalist/author Stephen Elliot went to cellblock nine of the Santa Rita Jail looking to talk to Reiser for his current project, [...]
Stories in Author's life:
True crime interview: remorseless
Posted by Kate Cohen,
July 9th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Journalism, Mystery/crime, San Francisco, Shades of evil
Author interview: novelist Janelle Brown
LAist has a Q&A today with Janelle Brown, who talks about her new novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, her quintessential LA reading list, and her move from San Francisco to SoCal.
Q: What is the biggest misconception about Los Angeles?
A: There’s so many old hackneyed chestnuts – “oh, the terrible traffic, [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
June 10th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author profile, Fiction, Los Angeles, New Release 2008
Quote of the day
“I never go out to lunch, watch `Oprah’ or `Ellen’ or even listen to music. I’ve been doing this 13 years and it took me until last year to feel OK with putting a load of laundry in the dryer during the work day.” — Michelle Vranizan Rafter, on eight ways to succeed as a [...]
Guest author: Daniel Olivas
Chicano lawyers who write. The editor of Latinos in Lotusland introduces us to some of the writing lawyers of California and in the process gives us some great reading tips.
Posted by Donna Wares,
June 3rd, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Culture, Essays, Good advice, Jobs/labor relations
Guest blogger Ed Humes: Breakfast with Ted and PC
Author and Daily Show commentator John Hodgman, also known as “PC” from Apple’s TV ads, opened the last day of BookExpo today. He was master of ceremonies at an oddly disparate Sunday morning breakfast panel consisting of media mogul Ted Turner, Iran-expatriot author Azar Nafisi (Things I’ve Been Silent About), and crime novelist Dennis Lehane [...]
Posted by Edward Humes,
June 1st, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Events and festivals, Guest blogger, Los Angeles
‘Some of the truest fiction around’
Critical Mass posts an interesting Q&A with Daniel Olivas as part of its Small Press Spotlight Series. Daniel, an author and attorney, is the editor of the new Latinos in Lotusland anthology. He talks with Rigoberto González about the history of Latinos in California and the selection of the pieces for the collection.
Here’s a [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
May 19th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Anthology, Author profile, Culture, New Release 2008
Book launch from hell
Author Dennis Cass captures it all in three excrutiating minutes.
[Thanks to Michelle Vranizan Rafter's Word Count blog]
Posted by Donna Wares,
May 19th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Book biz, Bookbloggery, Marketing/promotion, Web video
Second verse, same as the first
Soldier/blogger and California author Colby Buzzell finished his hitch in Iraq and returned to civilian life in 2004. Or so he thought. A couple of weeks ago, he was ordered to return to war — something his recruiter told him would happen only if World War III broke out. Buzzell’s book My War:Killing Time In [...]
Posted by Kate Cohen,
May 15th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Biography/memoir, New Release 2005, Politics/government
On being a reclusive weirdo
“So I woke up this a.m. thinking about how unsuited most writers are to the kind of self-promotion — or any kind of promotion — that publishing a book seems to require. Me, I live in a hole. I like my hole. Me and my hole have rapport … Want to know what it’s like [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
April 3rd, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, Marketing/promotion, New Release 2008
The odds couple
Mark F. at BoingBoing advises, “Harper Collins has posted the full text of Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos, by Tom Breitling with Cal Fussman. It’s available until April 14th.” For free.
The writers: “Their unlikely friendship began in college over an $8 veal [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
March 20th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Giveaways, Marketing/promotion, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, On the web
Out there: three choice morsels this week
Roam … the City of Angels through the eyes of artist and newly published author J. Michael Walker.
Revel … as Derek Powazek explores how Weird Turns Pro.
Write … your personal essay with help from LA Times Book Editor David Ulin. (Only a few seats left in his Saturday workshop.)
Posted by Donna Wares,
March 12th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Los Angeles, New Release 2008, On the web, Workshops/seminars/retreats
Quote of the day
“If a guy can write a book with his left eyelid, what’s my excuse?” That’s friend Mark Matassa after seeing the movie “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
Gotta agree with Mark. It was a beautiful, inspiring film.
End notes
The Elegant Variation notes that author Janet Fitch is collecting Dutton’s memories … and that the bookstore’s farewell party is Sunday, March 30.
Posted by Donna Wares,
March 7th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, Booksellers, Closing, Sad
My bookshop
Novelist T.C. Boyle pens a lovely ode to Dutton’s for the LA Times. “I will miss Dutton’s,” he says. “And so will everyone else who knows and loves books. We still have Skylight, Book Soup and Vroman’s, but there will be a big hole on San Vicente Boulevard.”
Posted by Donna Wares,
February 27th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Booksellers, Closing, Sad
Glorying in the road trip
The NYT’s Paper Cuts blog has an interesting Q&A today with San Francisco writer Sean Wilsey, who talks about his current project, a book called State by State, inspired by the 1930s era Federal Writers’ Project. Read more here.
Posted by Donna Wares,
February 22nd, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, History, Projects, San Francisco, Travel books
Today’s quote
“Writing tells you everything you need to know about yourself and the world you live in, in part by making you immaterial or even mute. You think you’re describing something outside yourself, but — as every photographer knows — every portrait you make is, in some way, a self-portrait.” — Pico Iyer writing in an [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
February 13th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, Philosophy/religion, Travel books
Donna’s Great Escapes for 2008
My story in today’s LA Times recounts how writing a travel book on great SoCal getaways jolted me out of my own weekend travel rut. You can read it here. And check out these handy Google maps to help find your way to five of my favorite quick escapes here.
My book is called Great Escapes: [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
January 6th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, New Release 2008, Southern California, Travel books
Today’s quote
“Writers hear voices. Which is why I never think of writing as writing. To me, it’s more like dictation. Which raises a fundamental question. If I’m not doing the writing, who is? ” — TV writer and producer Carol Mendelsohn in an essay for the LA Weekly’s series “Why We Write”
Update
Ghost Word reports on last weekend’s inaugural Carmel Authors and Ideas Festival. Here’s a snippet:
Was this conference worth $500 a ticket? Clearly, most of those attendees didn’t have to think twice about the price. Most were in their 60s or 70s and obviously very wealthy. There were many women with beautifully coiffed [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
October 3rd, 2007 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Events and festivals, Northern California
True crime interview: remorseless
Posted by Kate Cohen,
July 9th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Journalism, Mystery/crime, San Francisco, Shades of evil
File under: Author's life, Journalism, Mystery/crime, San Francisco, Shades of evil
Author interview: novelist Janelle Brown
LAist has a Q&A today with Janelle Brown, who talks about her new novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, her quintessential LA reading list, and her move from San Francisco to SoCal.
Q: What is the biggest misconception about Los Angeles?
A: There’s so many old hackneyed chestnuts – “oh, the terrible traffic, [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
June 10th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author profile, Fiction, Los Angeles, New Release 2008
File under: Author profile, Fiction, Los Angeles, New Release 2008
Quote of the day
“I never go out to lunch, watch `Oprah’ or `Ellen’ or even listen to music. I’ve been doing this 13 years and it took me until last year to feel OK with putting a load of laundry in the dryer during the work day.” — Michelle Vranizan Rafter, on eight ways to succeed as a [...]
Guest author: Daniel Olivas
Chicano lawyers who write. The editor of Latinos in Lotusland introduces us to some of the writing lawyers of California and in the process gives us some great reading tips.
Posted by Donna Wares,
June 3rd, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Culture, Essays, Good advice, Jobs/labor relations
File under: Author's life, Culture, Essays, Good advice, Jobs/labor relations
Guest blogger Ed Humes: Breakfast with Ted and PC
Author and Daily Show commentator John Hodgman, also known as “PC” from Apple’s TV ads, opened the last day of BookExpo today. He was master of ceremonies at an oddly disparate Sunday morning breakfast panel consisting of media mogul Ted Turner, Iran-expatriot author Azar Nafisi (Things I’ve Been Silent About), and crime novelist Dennis Lehane [...]
Posted by Edward Humes,
June 1st, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Events and festivals, Guest blogger, Los Angeles
File under: Author's life, Events and festivals, Guest blogger, Los Angeles
‘Some of the truest fiction around’
Critical Mass posts an interesting Q&A with Daniel Olivas as part of its Small Press Spotlight Series. Daniel, an author and attorney, is the editor of the new Latinos in Lotusland anthology. He talks with Rigoberto González about the history of Latinos in California and the selection of the pieces for the collection.
Here’s a [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
May 19th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Anthology, Author profile, Culture, New Release 2008
File under: Anthology, Author profile, Culture, New Release 2008
Book launch from hell
Author Dennis Cass captures it all in three excrutiating minutes.
[Thanks to Michelle Vranizan Rafter's Word Count blog]
Posted by Donna Wares,
May 19th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Book biz, Bookbloggery, Marketing/promotion, Web video
File under: Author's life, Book biz, Bookbloggery, Marketing/promotion, Web video
Second verse, same as the first
Soldier/blogger and California author Colby Buzzell finished his hitch in Iraq and returned to civilian life in 2004. Or so he thought. A couple of weeks ago, he was ordered to return to war — something his recruiter told him would happen only if World War III broke out. Buzzell’s book My War:Killing Time In [...]
Posted by Kate Cohen,
May 15th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Biography/memoir, New Release 2005, Politics/government
File under: Author's life, Biography/memoir, New Release 2005, Politics/government
On being a reclusive weirdo
“So I woke up this a.m. thinking about how unsuited most writers are to the kind of self-promotion — or any kind of promotion — that publishing a book seems to require. Me, I live in a hole. I like my hole. Me and my hole have rapport … Want to know what it’s like [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
April 3rd, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, Marketing/promotion, New Release 2008
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, Marketing/promotion, New Release 2008
The odds couple
Mark F. at BoingBoing advises, “Harper Collins has posted the full text of Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos, by Tom Breitling with Cal Fussman. It’s available until April 14th.” For free.
The writers: “Their unlikely friendship began in college over an $8 veal [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
March 20th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Giveaways, Marketing/promotion, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, On the web
File under: Author's life, Giveaways, Marketing/promotion, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, On the web
Out there: three choice morsels this week
Roam … the City of Angels through the eyes of artist and newly published author J. Michael Walker.
Revel … as Derek Powazek explores how Weird Turns Pro.
Write … your personal essay with help from LA Times Book Editor David Ulin. (Only a few seats left in his Saturday workshop.)
Posted by Donna Wares,
March 12th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Los Angeles, New Release 2008, On the web, Workshops/seminars/retreats
File under: Los Angeles, New Release 2008, On the web, Workshops/seminars/retreats
Quote of the day
“If a guy can write a book with his left eyelid, what’s my excuse?” That’s friend Mark Matassa after seeing the movie “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
Gotta agree with Mark. It was a beautiful, inspiring film.
End notes
The Elegant Variation notes that author Janet Fitch is collecting Dutton’s memories … and that the bookstore’s farewell party is Sunday, March 30.
Posted by Donna Wares,
March 7th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, Booksellers, Closing, Sad
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, Booksellers, Closing, Sad
My bookshop
Novelist T.C. Boyle pens a lovely ode to Dutton’s for the LA Times. “I will miss Dutton’s,” he says. “And so will everyone else who knows and loves books. We still have Skylight, Book Soup and Vroman’s, but there will be a big hole on San Vicente Boulevard.”
Posted by Donna Wares,
February 27th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Booksellers, Closing, Sad
File under: Author's life, Booksellers, Closing, Sad
Glorying in the road trip
The NYT’s Paper Cuts blog has an interesting Q&A today with San Francisco writer Sean Wilsey, who talks about his current project, a book called State by State, inspired by the 1930s era Federal Writers’ Project. Read more here.
Posted by Donna Wares,
February 22nd, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, History, Projects, San Francisco, Travel books
File under: Author's life, Bookbloggery, History, Projects, San Francisco, Travel books
Today’s quote
“Writing tells you everything you need to know about yourself and the world you live in, in part by making you immaterial or even mute. You think you’re describing something outside yourself, but — as every photographer knows — every portrait you make is, in some way, a self-portrait.” — Pico Iyer writing in an [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
February 13th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, Philosophy/religion, Travel books
File under: Author's life, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, Philosophy/religion, Travel books
Donna’s Great Escapes for 2008
My story in today’s LA Times recounts how writing a travel book on great SoCal getaways jolted me out of my own weekend travel rut. You can read it here. And check out these handy Google maps to help find your way to five of my favorite quick escapes here.
My book is called Great Escapes: [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
January 6th, 2008 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, New Release 2008, Southern California, Travel books
File under: Author's life, New Release 2008, Southern California, Travel books
Today’s quote
“Writers hear voices. Which is why I never think of writing as writing. To me, it’s more like dictation. Which raises a fundamental question. If I’m not doing the writing, who is? ” — TV writer and producer Carol Mendelsohn in an essay for the LA Weekly’s series “Why We Write”
Update
Ghost Word reports on last weekend’s inaugural Carmel Authors and Ideas Festival. Here’s a snippet:
Was this conference worth $500 a ticket? Clearly, most of those attendees didn’t have to think twice about the price. Most were in their 60s or 70s and obviously very wealthy. There were many women with beautifully coiffed [...]
Posted by Donna Wares,
October 3rd, 2007 |
Permalink
File under: Author's life, Events and festivals, Northern California
File under: Author's life, Events and festivals, Northern California
Meet the authors of the California Authors Directory. Visit the directory to discover writers like Christina Meldrum, a Bay Area attorney whose book Madapple was just released this month. “In debut novelist Christina Meldrum's mesmerizing literary mystery, 
July briefs: censorship, fires, new fiction and a b-day
No room for Freedom in Perry, Indiana. A veteran high school teacher in Perry, Indiana has been suspended without pay for teaching The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. The book by Long Beach, California teacher/author Erin Gruwell and her students [...]
File under: Author profile, Bookbloggery, Booksellers, Commentary, Education/literacy, Fiction, Freedom to read, Interviews, Jobs/labor relations, Libraries, Movies, Museums, New Release 2008, Nonfiction, Politics/government, Sad, San Francisco, Schools, Short stories, Writing