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Tag: blogs (Page 3 of 5)

Some change is the same.

April 2, 2011 /

I’m getting to know my youngest grandbaby. I’m memorizing her name and… well, – to be honest – not a lot more. She won’t be born until Friday.

Stork delivery

Things just aren’t the same as they were years ago.

Back then, you couldn’t paint the crib unless you were a gambler with those 50/50 odds of blue or pink.

Names?

You could whittle your list down to two favorites, but there couldn’t be a final decision until, you know – the event. Now, the baby’s identity is already well-known before she is born. If the doctor would just tell us her preference, we could order up and enjoy a piece of her favorite cake, right on her birthday.

Technology has changed some things for us. On the other hand, there are some staples that remain.

My step-son had a hurting tummy on Friday and couldn’t get out of his bed for school. I learned later that a miraculous recovery was affected about three in the afternoon. In fact, his road to recovery was paved with such incredible vim, he was still energetically gaming at his internet-connected ‘Nuke’em to the Stone Age’ at 3am.

In my time, that was diagnosed as ‘school-itus.’

Some things remain the same.

End of the Cave Bear

March 30, 2011 /

Hard to believe, but it was more than three decades ago that the world learned about the Clan of the Cave Bears, the prehistoric group created by novelist Jean Auel.

painted caves

In stock: Painted Caves.

The continuing series has had its doubters as to conclusion. It may seem like decades have passed for readers of Shelters of Stone, who have been patiently – or impatiently – waiting for the next episode.

During the interim, there were rumors that Jean Auel had died, was in serious decline, or had simply quit writing. Not true.

The sixth and purportedly final chapter of the series, The Land of the Painted Caves is in bookstores Wednesday, and early reviews indicate the wrap up may not be complete.

If you are not among those who have plowed through one of Auel’s reported 45 million books sold, here is an overview.

Five-year-old Ayla is an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl who finds herself taken in by Neanderthals in The Clan of the Cave Bear, the first book in the series called Earth’s Children. Through the course of five tomes (they average 700 pages), Ayla finds a mate, gives birth to a baby girl, Jonayla. Ayla isn’t an outcast any longer.

She’s the big prehistoric cheese.

The book jumped in at thte #5 spot on Amazon’s daily bestselling list.

A book. A review. A meltdown.

March 29, 2011 /

A British author was fortunate enough to get her book considered by an online reviewer. She disagreed with his opinion. Well, disagreed is wrong. She went ballistic.

I’m not going to mention her name, because I think she’s had enough publicity for one lifetime. She may have been humbled somewhat by the reaction to her reaction. Countless readers – alerted to the public meltdown that was happening – launched their own comments and the blog went viral.

The author bragged about her five star reviews on Amazon. Ooops. Now, an average 1.5 stars. It would be lower except for the early padding by friends and family.

There is a lesson here. Maybe more than one.

At the top is that, Al – who operates the blog – must be a decent sort. He eventually closed the column to comments when the author was being bludgeoned. It’s one thing to kick in a karate match. When the opponent is on the ground and the pummeling continues, it’s not a match any longer: it is a gang and a victim.

Unfortunately, the author deserved the initial roundhouse, when she came out swinging. Let me tell you, bad reviews hurt. But if you can’t live through them as a writer, you need to stick with reading. Not everyone likes the same books. That is a fact.

Even established authors get bad reviews. The good reviewers can critique without being hateful, and that is what Al, the blogger did. His pilers-on were just as hateful as the author’s crude comments.

The other lessons? Awww, the heck with it. This isn’t a writer’s school, it is a bookseller’s blog.

But if I read your book and give it two stars instead of five, it is only my opinion. Don’t go all ballistic – chill out. Read some books. Take mental notes.

Write some more.

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