Jen's Writing Journey

As Christmas approaches, I’m feeling the need to get cozy and relieve some stress. Thus, I’m focusing on reading here. For those of us who haven’t finished our shopping yet, these posts can also lead you to some gift ideas.

100 Notable Books of 2008
The New York Times has compiled their list of notable releases of 2008. If, like me, you can be a little slow on the uptake, you should find this list useful. Read the books everyone else you know has been talking about for the past year!

Mammoth List of Book Review Sites
Rachel at Bitten By Books has gathered a huge compendium of review sites. So if you’re looking for a great speculative fiction novel, your sure to find recommendations and tips at one of these sites.

10 Really Good First Novels
Take some time away from the keyboard with these outstanding first novels. I’ve only read four of them, so I’ve got some catching up to do. Rachelle’s readers also provide their faves, so don’t forget to read the comments, too.

The Career Novelist
Donald Maas, author of Writing the Breakout Novel, offers this ebook for free on his site. This book will let you curl up and read while still honing your craft–a win-win. I was turned onto this by a post at the Story Sensei blog, so I thank Camy Tang for sharing the link.

• Writing Roundup, October 23 The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Before You Sign That Publishing Contract Diane Craver guests at Writers Weekly to remind us to take time to read our publisher contracts, assess the points, and decide whether the contract is really right before we sign.......
• Book Review: Self-Leadership and the One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard et al. This is not the type of book I would normally read, but I found quite a bit of useful information. And, it's a quick read. It took me about 45 minutes.The main lesson for those of us beginning or growing a writing career is the challenge assumed constraints. The......
• Book Review: Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott While stuck in the Fort Lauderdale airport yesterday, waiting for our flight to Houston, I had a lot of time to read. I finished this 1994 book, along with a novel and three magazines, during the travel odyssey.Lamott's reflections on writing and life are couched in real-world experiences that......
• Writing Roundup, October 30: The Pre-Halloween, Post-Flu Edition I missed my Wednesday post because I was down for the count with the regular-old flu. The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Special Video Interview Series with Chris Anderson Jeff Rivera got an exclusive video interview from Chris Anderson, proponent of the freemium model......
• Book Review: Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments by Jenna GlatzerThis is a great book for those of you beginning a freelance career. Glatzer provides tips on starting your freelance business, a glossary of terms, and sample queries to emulate.One of the best......

• Top 50 Romance Novel Blogs to Watch in 2009 Romance, I can't get enough of it. I'm constantly surfing the internet subscribing and looking into new blogs geared toward romance novels and the genre....
• Book Review: Insulate and Weatherize - Expert Advice from Start to Finish By Bruce Harley As energy costs continue to rise, many homeowners are starting to get serious about how much money they are wasting on home heating costs. In...
• Book Review - Season of Passage by Adrienne Monson This book review is for The Season of Passage, written by Christopher Pike. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It had a great...
• Book Review: Survival of the Sickest I spent Sunday evening browsing books at Barnes and Nobles. I picked up The Future for Investors: Why the Tried and the True Triumph Over...
• Book Review: The Green Beauty Guide By Julie Gabriel. Since my "beauty" regimen consists of a bar of soap and some deodorant, I asked my wife to review The Green Beauty Guide. :-) The...