Number One Novels Debut Authors of January 2009 Update

At the start of the year, finding new debut authors for NON was difficult. Partially it was because of the downturn in the debut releases around Christmas and the beginning of the year: the publishers try to get the debut authors out to the shelves in time for holiday buying, but by late December and early January, mostly only big-name authors are releasing novels. It makes business sense, even if it made it hard for me.

Writing as I Like

I've gotten back into the swing of writing after my wedding. Today makes the fourth day this week, and I did four days last week. That's a total of 19.5 pages of progress! Man, that feels good! I'm back to working an hour a day, and whatever I produce in an hour is what I'm happy with. Some days that's 2 pages, some days it's close to 4.

Making My Life Better, One Book at a Time

Have you ever had an author or an author's world affect your daily life? Have you ever read something and had it put you in a different frame of mind for the duration of the novel? I've had this work both ways. I've had books that are so intense, it feels like the rest of my life is dull by comparison and not worthy of my time. I've had books that get me so tense that it takes me a while to relax outside of them. And now, I've found an author that makes me feel more peaceful just from reading her books.

It's All About Harry

Netflix recently recommended The Dresden Files for me, and the name of the series tugged at my memory. After reading the synopsis, I immediately added the show to our queue. The Dresden Files is based on Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels, of which I'd read a total of one when we started watching the TV show. I liked the first a lot, but for some reason, I'd never gotten back to reading the next in the series. I took a look at my novel-tracking spreadsheet, and I was shocked to see that I read the first in the series in 2007, and apparently there have been 162 other novels that needed reading more than Fool Moon (book 2).

Familiar People Who Don't Exist

The other day Cody and I were having a conversation about a serial killer Cody likes, and I wondered aloud if an ex-spy we both know rather well would get along with him. We determined that they wouldn't get along at all, but the ex-spy would probably be best friends with a CIA operative we're both fond of who's currently on a long-term babysitting mission.

The Hidden Hazard of Cerebral Cooking

After ten years of living together and grocery shopping together, it wasn't until this weekend that I realized that Cody and I have drastically different grocery shopping styles. His style is very fast and to the point, which is the way we usually grocery shop. We have a list, we have a handheld basket (because Cody gets road rage the moment he places his hands on the handlebar of a shopping cart, though he protests each time that he won't),

It Worked!

After sitting at 180 followers on Number One Novels for eight weeks, I've finally reached the goal of 200! Much silly dancing

Guerrilla Marketing

I love hosting Number One Novels. I love getting the word out to lots of enthusiastic readers about new authors and their exciting new books (often new series) that are debuting. I'm thrilled that the followership has reached the 180 mark, too. When NON first capped 100 back in August 2009, I was ecstatic. It seemed incredible that 100 unique people go to my blog every week to read new author interviews.

I'm still a bit awed by the fact that 180 or so people follow my blog and on average 140 to 200 unique people visit the blog a week.

Cake Withdrawls

One week ago, I was getting ready to eat my third (and fourth) helping of wedding cake for the third day in a row of wedding celebrations. I was high on multiple parties and on getting married (I'm still floating in a cloud of bliss at the slightest thought of being married). Then the parties ended. A few days later, the cake was gone.

I'm craving cake now.

Writing by the Book

Ilona Andrews' Magic Bites has been sitting on my to-be-read fantasy shelf for at least six months, if not longer. Every time I went to pick it up, I wasn't in the mood for as violent a book as it sounded. Even when it made it to the first-sentence test phase (a way I help sort out which book will be my next read by which has the best-sounding first line), it never stood up to the test.

The Book I Wasn't Going to Read

I typically don't read young adult novels, which is why I had no intention of reading a second YA novel this year, but when Holly Black's White Cat showed up as a free advanced reader's copy, I decided to give it a shot.

Black's writing style immediately hooked me, and the way she built the world and main character in the opening pages was a testament to how she became a New York Times bestselling author, but by the twentieth page, I was ready to stop reading.

A Return to the Regularly Scheduled Life

It feels bizarre to be here again, in normal, non-wedding-planning, non-wedding-partying life. All of our wedding plans (one wedding day, three parties) were spectacular. I've had trouble staying focused today and I've had trouble falling asleep the last few nights because I've been replaying all the great things that happened. I'm married! I'm a wife! It's going to be a while before either of those statements ceases to cause a thrill of joy to burst through my entire body.