inkwood books' 3rd annual get caught reading contest

From Inkwood Books' website:

Inkwood's 3rd Annual Get Caught Reading Contest!

2006 GET CAUGHT READING PHOTO CONTEST- We are now accepting photos for our 3rd annual Get Caught Reading contest. Send, bring, or email us your favorite original photo of a reader in action for a 20% off coupon and a chance to win big prizes! The Grand Prize includes a $100 Inkwood gift certificate and a poster on our wall. Winner will be chosen August 15th 2006.

i'm speaking wednesday night to the tampa writers alliance

Yep, you read that correctly. I'm speaking at the Tampa Writers Alliance meeting Wednesday, August 2, at 7 p.m. at the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa. Here's the write-up from the TWA website:

TWA's August 2 General Meeting...

In our ongoing commitment to present relevant informative programs beneficial to all interested writers during our first-Wednesday-of-the-month general meetings, we are pleased to have Lisa Ciurro, originator of the Tampa Book Buzz blog addressing us on Wednesday, August 2, 7:00 p.m., in the Downtown Tampa John Germany Public Library auditorium, 900 Ashley Street.

More and more authors are using this fairly new tool to promote their writing careers. Learn the pros/cons of this new marketing technique. What really is blogging? Why should writers consider blogging? How can you as a writer use your blog to market yourself (and your work) These are some of the topics that will be addressed by this well known and highly visible Tampa literary icon. Whether you write poetry, novels, short stories, plays or non-fiction, this program Lisa has a lot to offer - don't miss this one. Admission is free.

OMG! I'm a "well known and highly visible Tampa literary icon!!" I think I want that engraved on my tombstone. (Which might be sooner rather than later, if I die from fright in the middle of my presentation!)

Hope to see you Wednesday night.

great opening lines:the lovely bones

My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.

--The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

And How Was Your Week?

What have I been up to, you ask, since I obviously haven't been blogging lately? Well, among other things, I:

*Read this month's TBB Online Book Club pick The Lovely Bones almost non-stop because it's that compelling.

*Bought a new computer and began planning my defection from Blogger.

*Kept busy with things related to my film blog.

*Worked on my notes for my presentation Wednesday night at the Tampa Writers Alliance.

*Started worrying and getting nervous about my presentation.

And how was your week?

"Lessons from Joan, Living and Loving with Cancer, A Husband's Story"

University of Syracuse professor and author Eric Kingson read about the TBB Online Book Club recently reading Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking and wrote to let me know about his book Lessons from Joan, Living and Loving with Cancer, A Husband's Story (Syracuse University Press, November 2005). He told me that:

Lessons from Joan speaks primarily to life and hope and to insight--spiritual, emotional and otherwise--following a cancer diagnosis that ultimately leads to death. It tells of how my late wife's strength, warmth, humor, and love - - and that of many people we met along the way - - helped extend life and make it worth living. It also provides lessons for dealing with logistical and emotional hurdles following diagnosis with a life-threatening disease. And it contains some humor...

If you have the time to look at Lessons From Joan, I think you will find that it is a compelling and useful story – one that addresses many of themes addressed in Joan Didion's book in an equally open but gentler manner.

Kingson will be in Tampa in early September to speak at a conference and will have a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Clearwater. For additional information, visit www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/fall-2005-catalog/lessons-joan.html.

Book News--Mike Lawson, Upper Story Books, Jerry Cowling

*Seattle author Mike Lawson wrote to let me know that his latest thriller The Second Perimeter -- a story of espionage and revenge -- is now available. His
first book, The Inside Ring, has been nominated for this year's Barry Award at Bouchercon in the best thriller category and was listed as one of top ten thrillers of 2005 by the Seattle Times and other publications. Visit www.mikelawsonbooks.com to learn more.

*The Imperial Book Lodge has a new home! Now called Upper Story Books, it will share space with Tampa Antiquarian Books in Seminole Heights. (Thanks go to David at the Seminole Heights blog for this wonderful news!)

Local author Jerry Cowling has some upcoming speaking engagements. He will talk about Abraham Lincoln to the Maitland Historical Society on August 20th and to the Tampa Newcomers Club on August 29th. He will begin another round of Civil War shows and book and gift fairs in the fall, beginning with the Dade City Pioneer Days the first week of September.

TBABJ Poetry Slam July 27th

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists is presenting their second poetry slam Off the Record II:A Spoken Word on July 27th, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Studio@ 620, 620 1st. Ave. South, in downtown St. Pete.

Here's the detailed information I received via email:

The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists is organizing a poetry slam on July 27 to bring together some of the area's best poets and artists with some of the area's best-known journalists of color. This is our second time presenting such an event, and we're extending invitations to artists throughout the Tampa Bay area. It's scheduled for July 27 at Studio@ 620, with a $50 cash prize and gift certificates for second and third place.

Off the Record II: A Spoken Word event…your take on people of color, news, life and more

Studio@620
620 1st. Ave. South
downtown St. Petersburg

July 27, 7 to 11 p.m.

Door Charge: $3 donation

Theme: "Off the Record, Again" ...your take on people of color, the news, life and more.

Format: 5-minute maximum for performers. $50 cash first prize, $15 gift certificates for second and third place. All poets welcome. Sponsored by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists, a group of media professionals dedicated to improving and celebrating coverage of people of color.

For more info, email digdog@aol.com or visit www.freewebs.com/tampabaynabj/ or www.thestudioat620.com.

Read "The Lovely Bones" Before You Die

Thanks to Miss Snark, I found this list of 100 books you should read before you die. This month's TBB Online Book Club pick -- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold -- is on the list. Now I'm even more excited about reading it (um, no, I haven't started it yet).

Blogs For Readers

Fellow book lover and blogger Alice Anderson (who lives in Georgia, where I'm from, so you know she's great) has a wonderful new website called www.blogsforreaders.com. She's building a directory of online resources for readers and authors alike.

I'm honored to announce that she kicked off her "Blog Tour" with Tampa Book Buzz! How cool is that? Makes me look all official and like I know what I'm doing.

Definitely bookmark www.blogsforreaders.com. But don't forget about me (I'm very sensitive, you know.)

Florida Author J.B. Preston

Author J.B. Preston lives in central Florida, but hey, that's local enough for me to include here. He wrote me to let me know that his adventure-romance novel Autumn Under the Papagalos is now available through Authorhouse. Visit www.jbpreston.com to learn more about his book or to read an excerpt.

Books in the Mail! Kelley St. John and Diana Holquist

I love it when my mailbox contains something besides bills and junk mail. Yesterday I received advance review copies of two books that will be published in September:

(1) Real Women Don't Wear Size 2 by Kelley St. John:

Since college, Clarise Robinson has learned not to let her curves stand in the way of her life. A successful career as head of the women's department at Eubanks Elegant Apparel and her reputation for style and sass has made her "confidently curvy"...almost.

Deep down, Clarise knows she's still holding back and playing it safe. So after her 30th birthday and a trip to the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Clarise decides it's time to make some changes, take some risks, throw caution to the wind -- and maybe even find the love of her life.

I loved St. John's first book Good Girls Don't and am looking forward to reading this new one. According to the letter I received, St. John lives in Alabama, so I guess I can't call her a local author anymore (sniff, sniff).

(2) Make Me A Match by Diana Holquist:

...a charming romantic comedy with a gypsy twist set in Baltimore.

An intriguing premise if ever I've heard one.

Spend my weekend blogging or reading? Blogging or reading? Hmmmm...


(descriptions in bold above taken from letters from Warner Forever)

Random Book News

*The Clearwater Main Public Library is looking for book donations.

*Protest or censorship at this San Antonio library? Read this and see for yourself.

*The winners of the Bram Stoker Awards have been announced.

Passing The Time With A Good Book

On Monday (a vacation day!) I had to spend 3 1/2 hours waiting around for some much-needed car repairs to be finished. I brought Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat along with me to keep me company. Friedman's book is a fascinating look at how the world is being "flattened" by technology and globalization. A phone call to schedule an X-ray in Tampa could be answered by a call center in India, while your X-ray might be sent to Germany to be reviewed, with you being none the wiser. You can research your health problems on the internet before ever consulting the doctor (for that matter, you can research your doctor too).

While interesting, The World Is Flat is a tough read for me, because every so often I have to put it down to think about and absorb what I've just read. Plus, I have to force myself to stop thinking about the negative side to all this new technology: identity theft, losing jobs to other countries.....and so on. I wasn't up to reading that book for three hours straight. What to do, what to do?

Thank goodness for Saturn of Brandon's bookshelf! They had a small bookshelf full of books in the waiting area marked "bring one, take one; take one, bring one." I picked up The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus and could barely put it down to drive myself home when my car was ready. It's the perfect summer/beach/vacation/waiting-in-line read: funny, quick, light, entertaining. When I got home I refused to budge from the sofa until I had finished it. What a delightful book!

Now I just need to return it to Saturn (or drop off another book) so as to not anger the cosmic "take one, bring one" gods.

Tim Dorsey at Tampa Writers Alliance Meeting Tonight

From the Tampa Writers Alliance website:

Tampa Writers Alliance July 5th general meeting....

July's speaker is a real treat. If you attend any program this year, make it this one!

Prolific, well-known, published author, Tim Dorsey, will speak on “Living Your Dream: Writing Novels about your Interests and Getting Them Published” at the July 5 General Meeting, 7 p.m. at the John Germany Library, 900 Ashley Street, downtown Tampa. Tim, author of several novels including Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch, Orange Crush, Triggerfish Twist, Stingray Shuffle, Cadillac Beach, and Torpedo Juice as always been one of our most popular speakers. Don't miss this one. Free admission.