Someday I Will Be Famous Enough to Fix My Covers

I saw the initial row over this, but somehow the resolution totally passed me by (I don't spend nearly as much time on the internets these days). There are lots of stories about SF/F publishers whitewashing covers. So even if you've got a heroine who's a far darker shade of pale, it's unlikely it'll be seen on the bookshelf.

This was one of those, "Yeah, and this surprises people because...?" But it's important to remember that our silence as authors can be read as complicity. If you don't say something publicly - even if you're fuming - readers assume you're just going along with it. And that's a shame. Because as somebody who has sometimes wanted to drag a publisher out and kick them in the shins publicly, I can tell you I'm not so keen on doing it because it means, you know, I might be out a meal ticket.

That said, I need to choose my battles. Because if I end up with a whitewashed cover someday, I'm going to have to say something about it. Even if it means the loss of a meal ticket. Because at the end of the day, it's about systematic silencing, erasing. It's about lying.

That said - and understanding what JL was up against - I find this to be a pretty cool win.

Bloomsbury backs down in Larbalestier race row

Spicest Soup in the Universe

I made it, I did.

Also, I am back from a weeklong vacation, which was very nice.

And now I have a whole lot of work to do.

My First Podcast Interview!

Podcast interview with me at Buena Vista U! (oh man, I had no idea she was going to use *all* this stuff)

Listen in!

Quote of the Day

"Tarantino, I think, gets a lot of pleasure out of demonstrating over and over again that you can get the 18-45 male audience that Hollywood desires into seats, and you can give them a story about a hyper-competent female hero who kicks ass in every way, and they won’t run screaming out of the theater clutching their balls in fear."

Pretty much...ditto everything she says in this review. It was a fantastic movie, and in my opinion - Tarantino's best.

(read the rest)

Boxers, Before & After Fights

Before and after.

(via Tyim)

Perspective

"He bested the heroes, killed the defenders, overtook the world. Then he killed the narrator and he was the villain no more."
- Vijayendra Mohanty

How (not ) to Write About Africa

I've read Binyavanga Wainaina's essay How (not) to Write About Africa a few times, but here's a great spin on it: How (not) to Write About Africa read by Djimon Hounsou.

(via deadbrowalking)

You can bet this is showing up in a GW book or two....

Moscowitz is founder of the International Security Coalition of Clergy, whose mission is to train Jews in self-defense and advance fighting techniques in the event of a terrorist attack on a synagogue. He says business was slow for his Coalition until May, when the FBI arrested a group accused of plotting to blow up synagogues in The Bronx. But now Moscowitz's 100-hour synagogue self-defense course is in high demand.

Squee

Lena Headey, my favorite Spartan (and second fav Sarah Conner) is playing Cersei.

OMG.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!

Quote of the Day

"We're trying to make our life into a fairy tale."