Why Fiction Matters: Lost Love

GRACIE BONDS STAPLES wrote a beautiful article on Author, Kendra Norman Bellamy in todays Atlanta Journal Constitution . Here's an excerpt...

I shall not die.

They were [deceased husband]Jimmy's words but they belonged now to Kendra Norman-Bellamy. For two years, they'd moved around inside of her, strumming her heartstrings every time she remembered the title of the last sermon he preached.

Growing up, it wasn't usual for her to record events of her life in diaries. She wrote plays, skits and poems and proudly shared them at her church, funerals, weddings and family reunions.

But not these words. These were meant for her eyes only.

Bellamy typed and cried and typed and cried until all the pain was gone, until there was nothing left but stories like hers and Jimmy's.

What would she do with those? More here...

Did Rowlings Give Potter Away to Fans?

J.K. Rowlings suit against Steven Vander Ark's lexicon is huge news. Shelf Awareness, USA Today, Times of London,MediaBistro to name a few are talking about this case.

Yeah, I know...Harry Potter is frowned upon in certain Christian writing circles, but this issue is noteworthy. Because the issue at stake isn't as clear, cut and dry as it seems.

Question: How much leeway does an author give a fan website?

Rowling acknowledged she once bestowed an award on Vander Ark's Web site because, she said, she wanted to encourage a very enthusiastic fan.

But she said she "almost choked on my coffee" one morning when she realized Vander Ark had warned others not to copy portions of his Web site. She said she now has second thoughts about all the encouragement she has given to online discussions and Web sites devoted to her books.

"I never censored it or wanted to censor it," she said, adding that if she loses the lawsuit, she will conclude she essentially gave away her copyrights by encouraging the Web sites.

"Other authors will say, `I need to exercise more control. She was an idiot. She let it all go,'" Rowling said. -Associated Press

I had the same reaction as she a few months ago...:)

Your thoughts.

Cite: Harry Potter Reading Map Courtesy of Round Lake Library

Could Your Debut Novel be an Orange?

The Orange Prize shortlist:

• The Outcast by Sadie Jones
• Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
• Lottery by Patricia Wood
• When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson
• The Road Home by Rose Tremain
• Fault Lines by Nancy Huston

The prize celebrates fiction by women and is open to any novel written in English. The winner will receive £30,000 (US$58,893) at a ceremony in London's Royal Festival Hall on June 4.

Three authors: Sadie Jones, Heather O'Neiil and Patricia Wood are debut novelists.

Imagine your debut nominated. How would you feel? I think I better go back and rewrite one more time on mine. :)