Dude. That was like three kind of serious posts in a row. And I'm not at ALA so I don't have superfunnamedroppy reportage to offer. But I will tell you this:

- It has been a blessedly mild summer here in SLC so far. WHEW. We have yet to come within 5 degrees of cracking 100, whereas usually at this time of year it's like heat wave city. I'm grateful.

- I got my hair cut while I was in Banff. Yes, an out of town haircut in a different country for that matter, and with an apprentice! I was certainly feeling bold. And there's nothing wrong with my hair, per se, but I have crazy hair in the first place and I think the young lady in question tried to tame and iron it into submission whereas I am more a wash-and-go personality. So unless I spend all kinds of time on it, I now have what can only be described as earmuffs. Hanks, really, is what they are. Coils of thick curly hair sticking out of my head and making my ears hot and bothered and not in a good way. So I'm getting my second haircut in a one month period, on Monday, and to make it even more exciting I decided to make a return visit to my stylist from two people ago and as many years. She worked magic on me for a long time, and then, fickle as I am, I got bored and sought new thrills. Yes, I am a hair slut.

- I wish I were more interested in following every detail of the Sotomayor hearings. Apparently my political awakening of 08 flamed hot and burned out fast, because I'm so tired of it all right now. Politics as usual---is there hope for any other way?

- Tomorrow I am off to the Listening Library studios for a few days to record the audiobook for Once Was Lost, which will be released around the same time as the book. After my experience last year recording Sweethearts and Story of a Girl (an ALA Amazing Audio pick, hello!), I'm looking forward to it and to reuniting with my wonderful director, Cassandra. Last time it was very exhausting, but I hope to send a dispatch or two from the road.

Congrats to all my friends at ALA giving speeches tonight!

If you have any connection to the universe of children's publishing, you have probably heard about this. I'm not up in arms or anything, as a) I'm not completely clear on the details of the proposal and b) "best of" lists are always limited, ultimately, in their usefulness. But, the idea is that BBYA would be replaced by some kind of popular vote, and that got me thinking about the starification of our culture, something that's been bothering me for awhile now.

I love our friend the Internet. You know I do. But I've always hated that you can't write an Amazon or Goodreads review without adding a star rating. How can you rate a Carson McCullers novel using the same scale as a VC Andrews novel---that is, 0 to 5 stars? I might give both Member of the Wedding and Flowers in the Attic a 5, as they are both totally satisfying to me in their own ways. But they are hardly equal. This same star scale is used to rate all consumer products, restaurants, cities, mechanics, doctors, ISPs, hair stylists...the list goes on and on.

Aren't these things a tiny bit more complicated than a five-star rating system? What do the ratings and rankings really tell you other than an average opinion of average people who may or may not be anything like you in their needs and tastes? In an ideal world, excellent things would also be popular, but the fact that America's Funniest Home Videos has been the most widely-viewed TV show for eons tells you that is not always the case.

Some books are excellent but not popular. Some books are popular but not excellent. Some are excellent and popular--yay! Of course this all ties into the last big online debate in kidlit: Who is qualified and should be allowed to review books? Which ties into the bigger cultural picture and the demise of print journalism, the controversies over citizen reporting and mommy bloggers, and the re-evaluation of the purpose of and need for gatekeepers.

There is a seismic cultural shift going on, and the ALA is not immune. As is always the case with change, whether it turns out to be bad change or good change, something is lost. I think we lose a lot by the way star ratings have encroached on how we make choices, and I fear that they---and any kind of popular vote scenario---can even keep us from knowing certain choices exist. The breadth and depth of the BBYA list has been so great---it's hard for me to see the proposed changes as anything but a loss, with nothing gained since there are already so many ways to measure and reward popularity.

I'm at the stage with my current project when research is required. I don't like research, and don't normally do much of it---just a little fact-gathering here and there. In this case, I do need some extry knowledge. Interviewers have asked me before about what kind of psychological research I do to get into the heads of my characters. The answer is: none. Which makes me sound lazy! But when I heard Andre Dubus III speak recently, he answered a question about research in a way that made total sense to me:

A woman in the audience asked him what research he did for The Garden of Last Days to understand how a stripper thinks, how a terrorist thinks. He said he did go to strip clubs (tough gig!) and ask a lot of questions, but they weren't questions like, How does it feel? What goes through your head? They were questions like, Where do you put your tips during your shift? What do you wear backstage? How much money is a good night and how much is a bad? Etc.

When it comes to the psychological parts, he said he mostly imagines. Then pointed out there's a difference between imagining something and making it up. I don't remember the words he used to describe the difference, because I immediately knew what he meant and went off into my own little head space about that. It's something to do with approaching from the inside out vs. the outside in, and putting yourself as a feeling human in the center of things and going from there. Empathy and compassion, also involved. Knowing as many little facts and concrete details as you can helps you get there, to the place where you can imagine a whole, authentic human rather than slapping researched feelings onto a made up one.

Speaking of facts and details, Stuart O'Nan makes great use of them in Last Night at the Lobster. I seriously felt like I could run a Red Lobster after I read that. Yet, the details do not overwhelm, and the novel is full of authentically imagined humans.


Shop Indie Bookstores


Shop Indie Bookstores

The web site should be working for everyone, and by "everyone" I mean those using Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer 8.x. In older versions of IE the images may look crappy. Or, they may not. Who's to say? Okay, I do believe we can move on!

I'm doing CSA for the first time this summer, aka community supported agriculture, meaning every week I get a box of seasonal organic produce from a local farm. The best thing so far: last week's bing cherries. Best cherries I've ever had in my life. This week there are yellow cherries, and they are good, but a little on the sweet side for my taste. But what I want to ask you about are shell peas. Which I guess are the same as pea peas. Just regular green peas, they are? Apparently I can eat them raw, in salads, add to stir-fries, make soup, whatever I want! What would you do? Maybe I should do something with shell peas plus the fresh garlic that also came in CSA...

Doesn't that sound like one of those Wheel of Fortune before and after puzzles?

The new sarazarr.com is now more or less fully functional. There still seems to be an image quality problem when you look at the book covers in Explorer, and in the sidebar they should be three across, not two plus one (also only happening in Explorer as far as we can tell). Investigating. In Chrome, Firefox, and Safari it seems fine. So, here are five new things about the site:

1. If you click on the book covers in the side bar, or go to the books page and click from there, there's a little background on each book in terms of the process of writing or coming up with the idea.

2. Every book now includes an order link to indiebound. Here's the deal with that: just because I support independent book stores does not mean I think chains are evil. I really don't. B&N has been very supportive of my books, for example, and some of our local B&Ns have amazing staff. (Hi, Angie!) But, I think if people want to get my book from Amazon or B&N or wherever else, they'll just do it and don't need any help from me with a link to show them how. On the other hand, they may not realize there's a great neighborhood store nearby or that indie stores also have a lovely site where you can find a lot of information all in one place.

3. I've added a F.A.Q. page. If there's some question I seem to have missed, let me know! It can grow and grow and grow as big as we want it!

4. There is also now an On Writing page, with some of my thoughts on writing. Only some. I feel like I might be constantly changing this page, because my experiences and conclusions based on those experiences are always changing.

5. My bio is now far less abbreviated, and there is other handy stuff such as the next three events automatically feeding from Google calendar into the sidebar, as well as automatically feeding onto the appearances page. I know some of you will miss the Rand-O-Sara. I'm sorry. Change is hard, but necessary.

5a. Comments are revolutionized! You can now get email notification of new comments, and the comments are "nested" (aka threaded). Hooray! If you typically read this blog on LiveJournal, never mind, but for sarazarr.com readers, hopefully this changes your life for the better.

Many many thanks and cheers to my designer/friend Chris for all his hard work. And now, enjoy your safe, sane 4th of July weekend!

I get a lot of email about the endings of my books. Sweethearts, especially, but Story of a Girl, too. It's interesting to me to hear all the different ideas about what makes a happy ending. I got a letter about Story today and though the reader, in high school, praised it, she also said she was not fan of the ending. She wished Deanna and Lee could have really made up. She wished Deanna's father would have said "I love you."

From my perspective as a writer, the characters live on after the last page. The last page of a book, to me, is not the same thing as the end. I always say I like to give my characters forward momentum. So you can see the possibility of full reconciliation, and of the I love you. I know that isn't satisfying for everyone, but it is for me. There's a discussion going on about the Sweethearts ending at rgz---I'm the one who put the question out there, because like I said, I'm interested in how others feel about endings. (If you haven't read the book yet and plan to, don't read the comments.) I'll be back to the thread over there in a day or so to add some thoughts.

I've been staying up way too late since my vacation. In Banff, it stays light until past 11! So I am programmed. Speaking of Banff: on the plane trip there I read Jesus Land, by Julia Scheeres, a memoir that completely broke my heart. I can see why it's an ALA Alex pick. It almost reads like a YA novel, as Scheeres tells her story (mostly) with a present tense voice, and the bulk of it takes place while she's a teen. Very compelling, extremely maddening (especially for those of us religious folk who die a little every time someone does something horrible---particularly to children---in the name of Christianity). There's humor, too, and strength. It's not a "look at my tragic life and gasp" memoir. It's a survival story, and you know I love me some survival stories. On the way home, I read Stewart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster. Loved it. O'Nan wasn't really on my radar for some reason, but now I'm eager to read more.

And now, I really have to go to bed, before it's tomorrow already.

I wasn't going to post over the weekend, but this morning I realized that a bunch of stuff happened at the Readergirlz blog while I was gone. Also, while digging around for foreign edition links for the forthcoming new incarnation of sarazarr.com*, I found the German cover for Sweethearts, known in Germany as Long Lost Friend, coming out this September.



I really like this. Note Little Cameron's striped shirt. And, this Older Jenna looks very close to how I picture her. Nice job, DTV Books! The translation was done by Eva Riekert.

Now, onto the continued book of the month discussion at Readergirlz. Since my last post on this, the conversation has grown to include a question about being ditched by friends when they start dating, and ideas for a Sweethearts-themed party.

*We were close to launching the new site this weekend, then ran in to a couple of technical glitches, but it's coming soon! I'm very excited. There's going to be new content like a real bio, FAQs, and a page with my thoughts on writing. And, an all-new design, one that I'll be sticking with for (hopefully) years to come. If you notice any weirdness in site performance over the coming week or so, it's just Chris working behind the scenes so don't panic.

Fun facts about Canada! Or maybe not so much facts as bits of information I picked up during my visit of very limited scope and duration...

1. What we call stocking caps are called "tubes" in Canada. I learned this when we took our cruise on Lake Minnewanka and it was so cold and windy that I needed to purchase a hat from the shop at the boat dock. I said, "Do you have any stocking caps?" "No, just what's in the box. The baseball caps and the tubes." EDIT! In the comments, Shari says, our stocking caps are actually "toques" (sounds like "tukes"). Quiller over on LJ also said it, and Wikipedia says it, so now I know it's true. Toque/tuque, not tube. See, this is how rumors gets started and misinformation is spread, like a game of telephone! Here I am in my toque:



2. As in the south here, iced tea in Canada is by default sweetened. In fact, I could not find a restaurant with unsweetened iced tea. That was sad, because I don't drink soda and unsweetened iced tea is my drink of choice when out.

3. There is a food item I was told again and again to try while I was in Canada: poutine. Which is a really fancy-sounding name for fries smothered in all manner of gravies and toppings. As much as I love fries, I have to admit it didn't appeal. Gravy is not a favorite. Maybe next time. Convince me!

4. Speaking of food items, I almost fell over when in the Calgary airport shops what did I spy with my little eye but the legendary Kit Kat Dark. It's been legendary to me, anyway, ever since reading Steve Almond's wonderful book Candyfreak. He scored a case somewhere along the way while researching and became obsessed. I was restrained and only bought two, along with a bag of 70% cocoa M&Ms. Dark chocolate treats and my diabetes get along really well. I may have to move to Canada for health reasons.



5. Noticeable differences in restaurants there vs. here, other than the iced tea thing: They do not obsessively keep your water glass filled, and in fact may let you run dry for a long time. They do not rush you out by giving you the check five minutes after serving your food. We had to ask for it every time in every place, after sitting for long periods after a meal. Which was fine. What's the hurry, anyway? And they call it the bill, not the check. Canadian readers: am I making sweeping assumptions based on limited experience? If you haven't dined in the states, there is a total compulsion with topping off water. I noticed in general Canada (at least in Calgary and Banff) seemed greener--recycling bins in hotel rooms, dual flush toilets, etc.---so maybe the water thing is part of that.

Okay, have a good weekend!

Oh, Banff. How I loved you. Your mountains! Your lakes! Your forests! Your colorful money and your lack of Internet access!



(The view about halfway up the hike between Lakes Louise and Agnes. This is Louise.)

Frankly, I am not thrilled to be back home. After this:



(The Devil's Gap, view from boat on Lake Minnewanka)

Or these:



(Bighorn sheep at Lake Minnewanka)

But I am, and I will deal with it. Meanwhile I want to see your pictures of nature from your summer travels or local adventures, okay? Okay.

*Of course when hiking from Lake Louise to Lake Agnes, I could not get John Prine's song, "Lake Marie," out of my head. (And the wind was blowing, especially through my hair.)

1. Thanks to everyone who came out for the chat on Wednesday---that was fun. If you missed out, you can read the transcript at the rgz blog, where the Sweethearts discussion continues throughout the month.

2. I am totally chagrined by last night's SYTYCD elimination. Max is an incredibly strong dancer. But then, this season it seems like they all are, so every week will be devastating, I'm sure.

3. I want to thank, hug, clasp hands with, send flowers to everyone who has already responded to Once Was Lost. Between your tweets and emails and blog posts, I'm feeling grateful that you have made the Season of Nausea less stressful, and am excited for fall. (And, FYI to bloggers, I do not have any ARCs to send you, I'm sorry! If you have a review site and want one, you'll need to contact my publicist. With a modicum of effort, you will find her contact info on this site.)

4. Yesterday I finally watched Shut Up & Sing, the documentary about the fallout for the Dixie Chicks after Natalie Maines made a negative comment about Bush. It's very good (and maddening), dishing up a lot of food for thought: What is patriotism? Was what happened to them censorship? How does the near-monopoly situation of the broadcasting industry filter what we get to hear and see, even when there is no specific controversy? What if a grizzly dude instead of an attractive female had made same comment? The immediate reactions after the fact included referring to the women of the Chicks as twits, sluts, bimbos, and airheads. When you watch the documentary, it's obvious they are none of those things, not even close. You know the rhetoric would have been different (or non-existent) if they were not young, cute women. As a writer, I was especially interested in their conversations after the fact with their manager about what kind of artists they want to be. How far should any artist have to go in playing the game?

5. I'm getting out into the wild for a few days. I may try blogging from my phone, just for kicks, but I should probably resist that impulse when I'm trying to get back to nature. We'll see. So, see you late next week if not before!

The month of Sweethearts over at Readergirlz continues! Believe it or not, it is already June 17, so we're over halfway through. Yikes! Here's what's going on:

• Live chat tonight at the rgz blog. 6 p.m. Pacific / 9 p.m. Eastern. (7 p.m. Mountain, 8 p.m. Central! And if you're in Arizona...well, who knows. You can always check the world clock if you're not sure.) It should be easy. The chat opens at 5:45 Pacific. You should just be able to go over to the blog, and see a chat box and start yapping! The address, once again: http://readergirlz.blogspot.com

• Yesterday, Sarah Darer Littman, whose book Purge is a recommended companion read to Sweethearts, posted to the rgz about that and about her own experience with food and body image.

• Also yesterday, the featured discussion question was: Jenna and Cam's relationship isn't really romantic, and it isn't really platonic. Sara asks, "What is challenging about that kind of friendship?" Whoah nellie, what isn't complicated about that? Add your thoughts.

I hope to see you at the chat tonight where we can talk about all things Sweethearts, or just So You Think You Can Dance!

...because I'm sure there are a lot of them. So there's this band here in Salt Lake that I'm in love with, Fictionist, and I feel sort of evangelical about them. I started to mention this awhile back, and then I got sidetracked as I am wont to do and never did the follow-up post.

I heard these guys on our local indie station (which is a gem in itself) and was really impressed, then saw them live at a woefully underpopulated club and thought they were amazing. Nothing about them says "local band" to me - the production quality album is great (I bought it via iTunes, I'm assuming the actual CD is quality, too), the lyrics are thoughtful (with hints at deeper spiritual ponderings and you know how I love spiritual ponderings), the arrangements complex, and they are incredibly tight live---I don't think the lead vocalist could hit a bad note if he tried, and the quality of musicianship by all of them is first rate.

And, maybe most impressive to me, was at that near-empty club they still gave a great show, despite the fact that a guy from the next band kept walking back and forth between the stage and "audience" (okay, me and my husband and like four other people plus the entourage) with pieces of his drum kit when he wasn't busy laughing loudly at his own jokes. They did their thing and had a good time as if they had a full house. I love that. And I wanted to go up after and say I know what it's like to go to an event and have 30 chairs set up and only have 2 of them filled, and I know, too, that you do your thing and have a good time, anyway, otherwise what's the point?

It seems to me it's much harder to break out as a musician than as a writer. Publishing has its issues, but the music business seems totally convoluted. If you can't get on a Clear Channel station, is there any chance of going big? It's such a narrow door to the kind of exposure you need for major success. Who knows what kind of great and worthy stuff is not getting through that door? This is why I listen to KRCL, subscribe to Paste, fire up Pandora, and take any and all recommendations from friends. And as your friend, I'm saying you should check out Fictionist and see if you like.

http://fictionist.net
You can preview the whole "Invisible Hand" album on their site.

That's sometimes how I feel when I sit down to write a blog post. That's when I know my brain needs to be in intake mode rather than output mode. Lately I only want input. Books, music, poetry, movies, and Gabriel Byrne.



Well hello, Dr. Paul.

But seriously, watching In Treatment brings back oddly fond memories of my own therapy days, which seem to be over. For now. I mean, it goes without saying that I could crack at any moment. I do miss the format: basically paying someone to be your friend, and listen.

Speaking of listening, I like what Roger S. says about listening over on the Horn Book blog today in re book and lit blogging. Listening is something I'm trying to do more of in general. That requires reducing the noise level, and that means missing out on some stuff. The fear of missing out is one of the major enemies to a balanced life, in my experience. Letting go of that helps immensely on the quest for sanity.

Meanwhile, the Sweethearts discussion continues on the Readergirlz blog (speaking of missing some stuff, I've missed some of the discussion questions, too...scroll down and check them all out). And, the live chat with me is coming right up! Wednesday, June 17th, 6 p.m. Pacific. I realize that for people in my time zone this means missing out on So You Think You Can Dance. We can talk about that, too. I'll post chat instructions some time before Wednesday.

If you want to talk about other books, head on over to Chasing Ray where the What A Girl Wants discussion kicked off earlier this week. Register with the site to join in the talk.

Are you in Salt Lake? Come to the King's English at 5 today for pie and aprons in celebration of Shannon Hale's The Actor and the Housewife, which sounds like just what I need to read this rainy weekend.

Continuing rekindled love for the Scottish twins.

My doctor emailed to let me know that the CDC is no longer processing flu samples to prove swine flu unless the patient is hospitalized. Currently it is assumed that flu A is swine flu. Awesome! I feel pretty good. Back to routine, though I tire out fast and am still sleeping like a log at night, for ten hours or so. /health update

Meeaaaanwhile, some randomness: The Sweethearts discussion continues at the Readergirlz blog. The current question has to do with parents making mistakes. Check it out, add your response.

If you are in SLC and flu-free, come out to Shannon Hale's event on Saturday for The Actor and the Housewife. Don an apron, win a prize!

I've been listening repeatedly to The Eels' new album, Hombre Lobo. Good stuff, Maynard. (By the way, does anyone know what I'm talking about when I say 'good stuff, Maynard'? Please say yes. I feel old enough as it is.) What have you been listening to?

I am slowly, slowly working my way through Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, a novel in stories, and I don't want it to end so I'm only allowing myself one story every couple of weeks. In between, I'm reading other stuff. How about you?

Being cooped up all week without the energy to do much more than sack out on couch does not make for a happy Sara. I did venture out for book event on Saturday, and it felt so good, but also wore me down. When will I stop sleeping 12 hours a night? Soon, I hope.

I did get to watch a lot of movies. I re-watched some favorites, like State and Main and Cop Land, and also new-ish stuff like My Kid Could Paint That and Gardens of the Night. Netflix adds more and more stuff to their watch-it-now service all the time; last night we watched about half The Show Off, a 1926 silent movie, in which Louise Brooks wears the most perfect dress (a picture of which I cannot find to show you). Then at 8:30, I fell asleep. Cuz that's how I roll.

Tomorrow, flu be damned, I am throwing myself back into routine. Now that I'm through my course of Tamiflu, hopefully I can concentrate enough to write. It's so hard to get back into a work when you've taken more than a week off! I hate it. Once I'm there it will be fine, but the initial transition is kind of hellish.

1. If you are in the Salt Lake area, come out to the King's English tomorrow (Saturday), at 2 p.m., where a bunch of local SCBWI members with books out will be signing. Like Sydney Salter, Emily Wing Smith, Anne Bowen, and more! I'll be there, too. And I (and my doctor) promise you I am not infectious. In fact, somewhat miraculously I feel nearly fully recovered. The only thing I haven't tried yet is exercise, and I'll be waiting until Monday for that. Anyway - tomorrow, TKE, 15th & 15th from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. There will be cookies.

2. Hustle on over to the Teen Fiction Cafe for Good News Friday, and read some good news about Story of a Girl and Once Was Lost, as well as good news from other TFCers.

3. Sweethearts/Truth month at Readergirlz continues, with a nonfiction companion recommendation of Cylin and John Busby's The Year We Disappeared. Sounds fascinating!

4. I am so glad it's So You Think You Can Dance season again. Man I love that show. There was some heartbreak last night, as there always is. I haven't seen two brothers cry and say "I love you" so much since Biggest Loser 5's Jay and Mark. (By the way, have you seen the trailer for the remake of Fame? Kherington from last season is totally in that. Check out her high kick.)

5. The one and only ARC I brought back from BEA was The Unnamed by Josh Ferris, which I read on the plane on the way home. It's very compelling and super interesting---a good choice for a book club discussion, because there is lots to discuss (and argue about, which I think makes good book club fun). Marriage, the human body, the soul, sanity, salvation. It comes out in January. As you may recall, Ferris's first novel, And Then We Came to the End was a National Book Award finalist in what I think of as my year. So me and Josh are practically, like, siblings. Even though I walked about 3 inches from him at BEA and didn't realize it until it was past the correct moment to say hello without being totally awkward. Still. We're tight. Tight!

Now go and have yourselves a great weekend, and congratulations to all you graduates! Be safe, okay? There is no rush to experience all of your adulthood in one night.

Sorry, Billy Joel.

There's been a little dustup the last couple of days about lit and book bloggers, precipitated by a BEA panel of bloggers. I didn't go to the panel, and I actually don't read that many book/lit blogs because, as I've mentioned here before, I always feel like I need all the help I can get with work/life separation and don't like to oversaturate my life with stuff that connects in some way to The Industry. So I've kind of been picking up bits and pieces of the discussion through blog posts, like this one at Chasing Ray, and this one, and this one at the The Book Publicity Blog, and various tweets. There's been some getting-up-of-back, some bruised egos, and also some very thoughtful dialog.

Authors have a place in this dialog, too, of course. My philosophy is always to know enough about what's going on to stay smart while at the same time not getting sucked into energy-draining controversies that ultimately have nothing to do with the work I have to do when it's time to sit down and write a book. Many times I have opinions that I start furiously typing then decide, in the big scheme of things, I don't have time and really it's for other people to hash out. In this case I thought it might be helpful to book bloggers of all waves (especially to the new ones, I think) to throw in an author's view.

Clearly, few authors have the luxury of turning down publicity. A mention of our books is a mention of our books, and we're always grateful for the unique way that blogs, whatever their wave, can catalyze word-of-mouth that might break out a book or at least help it along to a steady build. I have directly reaped the rewards---I know that Story of a Girl would not have built the way it did were it not for lit blogs. In particular, an early article in Bookslut featuring the book among the "heirs to Judy Blume" helped get the ball rolling. Bloggers of all kinds have been incredibly supportive of my books and of me as a writer, and a person. I am incredibly grateful for the "big" blogs, little blogs, and everything in between that are a part of that.

That said, there is a vast range of quality of writing and level of thoughtfulness represented across blogs. Every author I know appreciates so much when a blogger has clearly put time and thought into a review. We love it when an interviewer has done a little research in order to come up with the un-asked question or the deeper-level insight. Not just because it's good for our egos (though it totally is, let's be honest!), but also because as writers we love good writing, of course, and it makes us happy to get a well-crafted question that makes us think more deeply about our work, or read an insight in a review that enriches the dialog about our books and about books in general. Unsurprisingly (I hope), writers are pro-literacy. The level of thoughtfulness and craft put into a blog definitely affects my enthusiasm for interacting with that blog when it's time to publicize a book.

The democratizing effect of the Internet is a great thing, in so many ways, but standards can suffer, too. This isn't just a book blogging issue, this is a journalism issue and we're seeing it as papers fold left and right, and anyone with an email address can write a book for the Kindle and have it listed right next to War and Peace. I try to roll with the changes and embrace technology and celebrate the good things it has brought us. All I'm saying is whatever "wave" you're in, or even if you don't accept the definition of the "waves" in the first place, if you're going to be a book/lit blogger, make it the best you possibly can. Set high standards for yourself, go to the center ring of the circus, whatever circus you're in. If you're a proud "crazy cat lady" blogger, be the best crazy cat lady there is! Like I said, most smart authors are never going to turn down publicity---we adore the bloggers of all stripes who support us (or criticize us thoughtfully). Bloggers may be fans of authors and their books, but you also have the power to turn authors into fans of you and your blog, and make us clamor to be featured on your site.