Marcia Preston, new book sweeping toward you
Straight from Marcia Preston this morning,
I wanted to let you know that my new novel, The Wind Comes Sweeping, has now been released. It should be available through any chain or independent bookstore, and of course through Amazon.com. This one’s set in my home state of Oklahoma, on a failing cattle ranch that has become a wind farm. I’ve always been fascinated with those gigantic wind turbines, haven’t you?
This book involves a long-hidden crime, and in that way resembles my early suspense books.
Here’s the book trailer.
Breaking news, look at the RITA 2009 finalist list
Holy Cow look who made the 2009 RITA Finalists for Paranormal Romance
The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN (ISBN: 0373772467)
Tracy Farrell and Margo Lipschultz, editors
The Healer by Sharon Sala
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN (ISBN: 978-0-778-2544-4)
Leslie Wainger, editor
If for some unknown reason you don’t know what the RITA Awards are all about: Romance Writers of America biggest awards!!!
RITA awards are presented annually to the best published romance novels of the year. The award itself is a golden statuette named after RWA’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for the best in published romance fiction.
March Madness of Literature
I’m loving it, Powell’s Books and The Morning News have a March Madness complete with Brackets for books.
“The Tournament of Books is an annual battle royale between 16 of the best novels published in the previous year.”
Quick, they’re already in the Semi-finals. Commentaries are great, 2666 just lost in the semis. Can’t say that I’m surprised. Books often described with the word “epic” are usually bad news.
Speaking of madness, there’s the Kindle 2. I still think $359.00 is too much and you still have to buy the books. No leaving this baby on the airplane, or dropping it into the tub. Even if the Kindle books are cheaper than the actual hardback, most of the prices I saw for the new books were around $10.00 or I guess I should say $9.99. Reviewers still say color illustrations are bad, and the screens aren’t big enough. I also read you can have it switch to audio and it will read the text to you. I suspect not nearly as nicely as audiobooks.
It might be nice not to lug around several books in the airport (in case you finish one and need another), but since I usually take used books on the plane and can jettison them when done I don’t think the Amazon Kindle 2 would be any help. And it’s nice to pass along the book to the next person who might be desperately looking for something to read. I wonder how durable they are, will the batteries wear out in record time, will the screens go black, what’s the self life of these new books online?
What does everyone else think? I’ll have to take your word for it because the purchase price isn’t in my budget these days.
Prayer shawls, with or without prayer
I know some people freak out when you start talking prayer or knitting, but I just checked out at the library, The Prayer Shawl Companion by Janet Bristow & Victoria A. Cole-Galo. The book talks about their prayer shawl ministry and is full of 38 knitted patterns. 
You don’t have to pray to get their lovely shawl patterns and the spirit of giving doesn’t have to have any particular religious context. The book includes simple to complex patterns (mostly simple it appears to me, and I’m no sophisticated knitter). I like the fact the yarns are easily accessible, or at least in gauges or plys that are possible to find. They look like they would be simple enough to imagine a grandma, friend or stranger wrapped up and happy in one.
There are stories surrounding each shawl and how it helped someone with it’s warmth but you can skip that if you want and just knit away. There’s always going to be someone out there that could use a little knitted warmth.
I love Pablo Nerudo’s Ode to Socks.
Mara Mori brought me
a pair of socks
which she knitted herself
with her sheepherder’s hands,
two socks as soft as rabbits.
I slipped my feet into them
as if they were two cases
knitted with threads of twilight and goatskin,
Violent socks,
my feet were two fish made of wool,
two long sharks
sea blue, shot through
by one golden thread,
two immense blackbirds,
two cannons,
my feet were honored in this way
by these heavenly socks.
They were so handsome for the first time
my feet seemed to me unacceptable
like two decrepit firemen,
firemen unworthy of that woven fire,
of those glowing socks.
Nevertheless, I resisted the sharp temptation
to save them somewhere as schoolboys
keep fireflies,
as learned men collect
sacred texts,
I resisted the mad impulse to put them
in a golden cage and each day give them
birdseed and pieces of pink melon.
Like explorers in the jungle
who hand over the very rare green deer
to the spit and eat it with remorse,
I stretched out my feet and pulled on
the magnificent socks and then my shoes.
The moral of my ode is this:
beauty is twice beauty
and what is good is doubly good
when it is a matter of two socks
made of wool in winter.
It reminds me that giving is good and socks (and shawls) are warm and welcome. Since I’ll never be able to get socks knitted I’ll try and settle for these lovely shawls. Even Christopher Hitchens couldn’t object to toasty toes and a warm cover.
Oklahoma v. Texas in our Hearts
What’s the deal with all the Oklahoma Romance Writers putting Texans or Texas in their books (and titles). Ok, I know it’s a big state with a big ego and probably any romance reader from there is going to jump at an opportunity to read anything with Texas in it. But give those Okie boys a chance.
Georgina Gentry has a whole series: To Love a Texan, To Tame a Texan, To Tease a Texan, To Tempt a Texanvand finally, To Wed a Texan.
Not bad looking I concede.
And there’s plenty of single titles with those Texans. Carol Finch’s Texas Angel. Please there are no Texas Angels. An
d Gina Robins’ Texas Temptation. Lisa Wingate is Texas Cooking. Peggy Moreland has Slow Waltz Across Texas and even Merline Lovelace has Texas Hero and Texas …Now and Forever.
And standing lonely on the bookshelf I found the Oklahoma Man by Delayne (Deborah) Camp. Come on Okie writers of the romatic, give those Okie boys a chance.
Michael Wallis keynote speaker at the OK Historical Society Annual members meeting
Michael Wallis, who I hope you all know as a renowned Oklahoma author or if not, maybe the voice of the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the Pixar Cars movie, will be the keynote speaker for the luncheon at the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Annual Meeting in Bartlesville. This meeting will be April 23rd, so you need to move along if you want to attend. How do you get asked to this yummy affair? To join OHS go to their membership pages and pick the one that’s right for you.
Michael Wallis is THE guy to make you proud to be an “Okie” and get over our inferiority complex. He has been the receipient of the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award, from the Oklahoma Center for the Book. We are happy to say this hasn’t stopped him from achieving many more lifetime achievements. 
If you want to get started on one of his books, go to Way Down Yonder in the Indian Nation. Then off to Route 66: The Mother Road. And of course don’t miss his award winning, The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the making of the American West. All of his books are carefully researched. You can tell by the awards he racks in: Winner of the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame; Oklahoma Book Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book ; and the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America.
It’s just down right un-Oklahoman to not read Mr. Wallis.
Trouble getting my reading read
Lately I’ve been in a stew about how I’m not making enough time to finish books started, start new ones, create interesting commentary on them, etc. Apparently those folks in congress can’t get their reading material read either. I suppose I should be glad I don’t have a 999 page stimulus bill to read.
One thing with the internet someone is always offering suggestions. I really like suggestion 15.
- Read what you love. If you don’t like what you are reading and it’s not required, read something else. There’s no law that says you can’t abandon a book just because you don’t like it. If you do love a book, you’re more likely to return to it and you’ll probably finish it faster.
I think there are probably a lot more titles I start that I should just abandon, and stop being compulsive about finishing. The fifty page (or less) rule should always apply. If it doesn’t work in fifty pages, Give up!
And number 17. can be dangerous.
- Read in the bathtub (but keep a towel handy so the books don’t get wet). If you’re no good at keeping books dry in the tub, read a magazine or newspaper, instead.
My friend just confessed to dropping a new Karen Robards in the tub and has to replace the library copy. I usually save my fifty cent booksale purchases for tub reading.
So whatever my problem I need to stop feeling guilty, probably is taking time away from reading, breath deep and pick up something good.
Kim Doner is On a Road in Africa
Oklahoma Center for the Book 2009 Finalist Kim Doner takes us on a ride with Mama O (Chryssee Perry Martin) to feed and tend to the animals at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage. Kim is obviously a very accomplished illustrator. This, her ninth children’s book, is written by her in verse. You can tell her enthusiasm for her topic throughout the book.
The front and back inside covers share Kenyan words with their english equivalent. The last pages show pictures of the real Mama O and her animals with their many caregivers.
For a fun book with Kim Doner as illustrator, check out Molly Griffis’ The Buffalo in the Mall. If you’re looking for another one written by Kim, my favorite is Buffalo Dreams. 
Buffalo in the Mall is for ages 4 to 7, and Buffalo Dreams for 7 and up.
All’s well that ends well.
Thanks to the powers that be my blog is back with all the categories.
No categories, oh no…. There’s a few problems with the last upgrade
I’m still exploring my options to see how I can recover my categories or figure out a way to start over or something. Don’t you love technology….
