Friday, November 6, 2009

Fridays are Fundays

Friday is Laura round up time:

This week, I learned something important: there's no need to blog, people. No need at all. You can be successful without it and, in the case of the PMN bloggers, perhaps despite it. You can use your iPhone instead and read your eyes out, or write your novel on your cellphone for NaCePhoNoWriMo, or tweet some literary chatter. Or you can use Twitter to find Amazon products that aren't clearly marked as advertisements (FDIC, now you don't pay attention?). If you're into snippets, you can buy some books chapter by chapter from Simon & Schuster, although you might be screwing the author on e-royalties (but who knows? I have no idea—unless you're MacMillan, in which case the answer is yes).

And all you smug, hippie e-book readers—you think you're saving the Amazon rainforest with your interweb books? Nope! And as someone from New Jersey, I can say: the environment? I don't even know what that is.

Bruce Springsteen is writing a memoir, and again, as someone from New Jersey, I can say: this is better than if Jesus Christ himself came back from the dead (again or for the first time, depending on your belief system) and wrote a memoir. Because Jesus couldn't sing for shit.

People are going nuts for authors, and authors are going bananas in general. Frank Bruni's book is being turned into a TV show, someone distilled Jodie Sweetin's memoir to the good parts, Rick Riordan is starting a new series, and Jerry O'Connor is writing a book on parenting (because being a parent for like thirty seconds requires a book, if your wife is really hot).

Glenn Beck is the new Oprah for thrillers, which is fitting, since the man's life is thrilling. He had his appendix removed after collapsing on the air (cough on the radio which is less cool cough)! But who trusts the appendix-less? I demand a full organ contingent, friends. Organ-less need not apply.

Mike Huckabee is going on a book tour, and I do have to say, I love Mike Huckabee (not necessarily for his politics, but for his adorableness and jokes). AC/DC is not going on a book tour (as far as I know) but they have a book too, and are adorable. The estate of the late Stieg Larsson is having a less than adorable baby momma drama moment, which hopefully will shake out before the ghost of Stieg has to get involved. Let this teach us all: write a will. And if you don't have any beneficiaries, I am happy to fill in for you. "Laura who blogs at Pimp My Novel" is actually my legal name.

Also making ghosts confused: re-imagined Dr. Seuss covers. Ghosts are not confused by, but rather are jealous of, the continued vampire love. Gawker asks the vampire trend to please die, but this brief history of vampire literature and this book about Dracula say otherwise. EW got an except from the Harvard Lampoon satire of Twilight, called Nightlight, which I think begs the question: what person who likes Twilight is going to buy this, and what person who dislikes Twilight is going to chuck twenty bucks down the hole to let someone else make fun of it, when they have me and I charge nothing?

If you do love Twilight, and also love Barbie, Twilight Barbie is here! If you'd like to geek out about something a little less doll-creepy, XKCD has this awesome, awesome map of where different characters are throughout the story in Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. It almost makes you want to buy the XKCD book, which has an odd traditional publishing path. Geek Dad has a book gift guide for the geeky man in your life, and there's a great list of 70 facts you never knew about Marvel (the Hulk was almost red! History: rewritten).

And NaNoWriMo writers: this e-book publisher wants your NaNoWriMo romances, and this playlist will break writer's block, as you have no time for writer's block. Keep on trucking (only 24 more days!) and you, like the fake AP Styleguide Twitter guy, can be sassy and agented.

16 comments:

  1. Fun and great write up as always! (But I think you mean FTC and not FDIC... unless Amazon has also gotten into the banking business? Wouldn't be surprised...)

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  2. Christina--thanks for the catch! And womp womp to me, not getting my government institutions straight...

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  3. OMG! OMG! Another Glen Beck fan!
    Did you see the show where he boiled a mouse alive? I kid you not.

    And the Springsteen memoir? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I'm all over that. Please keep us updated, and if you're involved or not, and where you and the Boss meet up for lunch.

    Two great posts in a row. Who knows if you're ugly or not. I may be falling in love.
    ;-)

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  4. "Because Jesus couldn't sing for shit."

    Like the blog, but I thought this was a little unnecessary.

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  5. I echo Jeremiah. Loved the blog, but...ouch.

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  6. I like Twilight Barbie but, what the heck did they do to Edwards hair?!

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  7. . . . take a deep breath. Feel better?

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  8. The Jesus comment was funny. Lighten up. Jesus has a sense of humor, trust me. Otherwise, how do you explain Pandas? They’re just ridiculous.

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  9. Panda's are just pointless. Now the duckbill platypus, that's God's ultimate joke.

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  10. Laura, you're in *rare form* today! Dig it!

    Yeah, you might go to hell a little bit for the Jesus thing. But I took it as tongue in cheek, as I'm sure it was intended. And I'm not even a Springsteen fan. Wow, maybe *I'm* the one who will go to hell...

    LOL about the pandas. Just. Awesome.

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  11. The Jesus comment made me laugh.

    You are fabulous. Don't ever change.

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  12. I'm from New Jersey so I can say, "Loved the post--if you got something else to say 'bout it I'll meet you outside in the parking lot."

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  13. Laura, Yes! Bruce! Dancing in the Dark! This gun's for hire.

    Also ran: The "you don't have to blog" thing. Liked that one, not quite Bruce, but good.

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  14. Ha ha, Amy! Glad we live far away from each other so we don't have to meet up in the parking lot. :) Love it!

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  15. I tend to think that Twilight mocks itself. I have severe issues with those books.

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