Really liked this one. A bit heavy handed with the one-liners after a while but I suppose there’s no getting around that for this particular protagonist.
Russo is just a fantastic author all around. I liked this book a lot. Had some truly ridiculous scenes, very amusing, and yet managed to work on a realistic and serious level. Much like life, which is where Russo really shines.
3 stars.
Princeton University Press seeks a Senior Publicist with proficiency in social media. Princeton publishes approximately 220 new trade and scholarly titles per year.
The ideal candidate will have
–five years of book publicity experience
–excellent writing and organizational skills,
–familiarity with key print, electronic, and broadcast media,
–a successful track record in publicizing serious nonfiction.
Go here to apply. Good luck!
This was riveting. The action takes place in a very short period of time and focuses on the daughter’s thoughts and emotions about her life, her childhood, and her family. It also works with the family she has built through marriage. She is loved, and in the end takes the only action that is right for her. A great read, dark and always truthful.
4 stars!
Want more dark fiction about women’s thoughts, lives and loves? Try He Drinks Poison.
I once had someone ask if even the worst writing could be saved by editing.
Here you have to define editing. Editing can save a work that has extreme technical issues…that is, the skill level of the writing is poor.
Editing cannot address storytelling aspects, the structural issues such as character development, plot milestones, beginning and ending, etc. These can only be addressed through revisions.
Nearly all works can be rescued either by editing, revising, or a combination of the two.
What sometimes cannot happen is the shift of a manuscript from one category to another. If someone brings me a genre work and wants to shift categories, a heavy revision including rewriting can achieve that goal.
For example, a romance writer wants the manuscript to become a mainstream drama or a mystery author wants the manuscript to become a commercial thriller. In each case, the changes must address both plot and writing style. This often results in such heavy revisions and fresh writing that the plot might be similar and the theme the same but the book is entirely new.
In some cases, even this extreme level of work won’t reach the goal. Most of the time that’s due to the plot being unable to carry the weight of a different category or simply being too thin to handle the more in-depth treatment required by a different category.
So: yes, very bad writing can be saved. But even very good writing can’t always become something it’s not.
Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan, is looking for a creative Senior Publicist. The ideal candidate will have four to five years publicity experience, excellent writing and organizational skills, be familiar with key print, broadcast and online media, and have a successful track record in publicizing fiction and nonfiction. This position works closely with marketing, editorial, and sales efforts to implement successful campaigns while developing and strengthening media and author relationships.
Required Skills / Knowledge:
• Strong relationships with key broadcast, print and online media
• Ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and work independently
• Experience with multitasking while working in a fast paced, energetic environment
• Exceptional organizational skills and interpersonal skills
• Strong understanding of social media including Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook
• Minimum of four years book publicity experience
Go here to apply. Good luck!
From The Sun’s LinkedIn page: The Sun, a nonprofit, ad-free magazine in its forty-first year of publication, is looking for an Associate Editor. Duties include editing — substantial, hands-on, roll-up-the-sleeves editing — as well as soliciting writing, evaluating submissions, and working closely with authors to develop and revise their work. This full-time position is based in our Chapel Hill, North Carolina, office. Visit thesunmagazine.org for details.
This was classic Russo…in-depth look at a normal family living in very specific times and places that come alive with the everyday details. Despite the focus on the normal and everyday, Russo as usual makes these settings and people come alive in a way that provides depth to their experiences.
This story spans the lifetimes of four interlinked characters. The first one readers meet has a very interesting perspective. This perspective is what drew me into the book and in a very strong way kept me going even when I tired of the dialog (I’ve found Russo’s dialog less than captivating at times in other books, as well) and even when I thought the length could have been trimmed just a hair to tighten the narrative.
Overall, a book I would recommend. And be aware that you’ll want to read it slowly. It’s a thought-provoking book even though it can’t be described as “thoughtful” in the usual manner. You won’t be confounded by deeply meaningful discussions of issues; instead you’ll find deep meaning in very simple events and the characters’ responses.
3 stars.
Want more fiction that touches on intergenerational movements and families? Try Message Stick, a story of Australia’s Stolen Generation.
The toughest obstacle authors face is their opening pages. In fiction and nonfiction drafts, there’s often a lot of throat-clearing in the opening sections.
In fiction, authors think readers need to know the main character in detail, so they dump a lot of that person’s history into the opening sections. In nonfiction, writers introduce the history of some event or person before getting on with the show. Both equal dull, slow pacing almost every time.
The trick is to weave that historic material into the opening section. The main focus should be on something that is important to the character, or in nonfiction, a specific part of the overall topic. As opportunities arise, slip in a few sentences or even a few paragraphs with relevant bits of backstory.
Special note in fiction: Avoid flashbacks! Use them only infrequently, and make sure to use them for all the right reasons. Too often it’s an easy way for authors to handle backstories. It is well worth the effort to weave the material in. The flow will be smoother, and agents and publishers know that’s a mark of a true professional author.
Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for true stories and poetry for three upcoming titles.
Dreams & Premonitions: stories about dreams and unconscious signs, and how they influenced your life.
Make Your Own Luck: stories that reveal how you’ve made your own luck.
Christmas: stories about Christmas including Chanukah and Kwanzaa.
Length: 1,200 words.
Line count for poetry: open.
Payment: $200 per story or $100 per devotional.
Deadlines for all three titles: March 31, 2014.
Submission guidelines here.
I was rivited by this post because it speaks to so much of the frustration I feel with MANY novels in MANY genres. So, although I haven’t read this particular book, I am thankful for this in-depth analysis and comments…especially those that offer simple solutions.
I’m an author an a heavy fiction reader. I love all kinds of books but am constantly disappointed by how few “good roles” are given to women. I give GREAT roles to women in my own novels. Not to make up for the broader lack but because they are strong women with strong minds and they want to make a difference in their worlds.
I’ve found that this “oops, I didn’t include any women” (or black, or lesbian, or other underrepresented group member) comment comes from authors who aren’t putting themselves in others’ minds.
Authors first and foremost must transfer themselves into other people. They have to expand their compassion and their intellect to see, feel, hear, taste and smell the world as some other. So when men don’t write women and white people don’t write Latino characters and straight authors ignore gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning folks, they fail. They fail their stories and their readers. They fail our society, because nothing helps us reach across boundaries better than great fiction.
Really very well written. The storyline was a bit overdone in some ways (just too much like other books) but behind that plotline was a character who was fascinating. The main character here is not entirely a nice guy…and the author handles this exceptionally well. I really enjoyed this for reasons that were more about finding meaning and learning about humanity than the story. So…in a way not what I was expecting but it held my interest all they way through!
3 stars.
The University of Massachusetts Press is looking for an experienced and creative Executive Editor to develop the Press’s current strengths in American Studies, particularly history, and to build new strengths in emerging related fields. The position is based at the Amherst campus.
The University of Massachusetts Press (www.umass.edu/umpress) has been the book-publishing arm of the University of Massachusetts since 1963. The Executive Editor will sign 20 new projects per year: monographs, general interest titles, texts, and digital projects, will engage with the scholarly community at UMass and nationally, and will attend conferences and review relevant literature.
The Executive Editor will work with the director in Amherst and the acquisitions editor in Boston to chart the Press’s editorial program.
Hiring Salary Range: $49,900 – $62,700
Normal Starting Salary: $49,900 – $56,300
The Position Description for the Executive Editor can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.umass.edu/umpress/about/job-openings.
Please go to http://umass.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=56554 and submit a résumé and a letter of application articulating your overall approach to acquisitions and the areas or fields upon which you would concentrate. The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three professional references will be required prior to interviews. To receive priority consideration, please submit your application materials by the priority deadline of February 17, 2015. Applications will be accepted after the priority deadline until the position has been filled. Please include Search #R49293 on your application materials.
I didn’t get very far with this work. Too meandering for my taste, and also meanders into arenas I’m just not interested in. So although I didn’t like it, it wasn’t for lack of writing skill or storytelling…just not my kind of book. So 3 stars because I feel like the fault is not in the book, and 2 stars would be too harsh.
Candlewick Press is a premier independent publisher of books for children based in Somerville, MA. It is searching for an experienced individual to direct their library marketing group to execute all library marketing efforts and oversee the library marketing staff.
Interested individuals should send their resumes with a cover letter noting salary requirements to: careers@candlewick.com.
Columbia Journalism Review, one of the most respected magazines for journalists, is looking for writers. This is for their US Project, which monitors the quality of journalism. Details here.
Writer's Resource/Sunspot Lit 