Free Republic

30 Writers Other Writers Loved To Hate

Hundreds of Meridian, Idaho high school students signed a protest petition when their local school board banned Sherman Alexie' young adult novel "The Absolutely True Diary of a part-Time Indian" from their 10th grade curriculum. But a private fundraising drive, organized by two Washington women, has now raised enough money to buy a copy for each of the 350 students who protested...

GARCIA MARQUEZ, SNEAK AND AN ACCOMPLICE TO THE CRIMES OF FIDEL CASTRO By Armando Valladares April 18, Nuevo Accion http://www.nuevoaccion.com/ (Translation from Spanish) All dictators and murderers have had staunch defenders; Stalin, Hitler and Fidel Castro. Perhaps the most heinous in that fauna supporting dictatorships, are writers, poets, and artists. I've been saying for decades that an honest intellectual has a commitment to society: telling the truth, fight for respect, for human dignity, and not to use the privilege to reach millions of people, to lie, and to skip over the historical reality. This is one of the biggest crimes...

As she walked into the Senate's weekly party luncheon, Landrieu claimed that leadership was warming up to her bill. "Every day we pick up new sponsors," she said. When asked whether her bill would effectively gut the implementation of Obamacare, she shook her head. "That's not true," said Landrieu. "What my bill would do is allow 5 percent of the American people who had individual coverage, that were ensured as of such-and-such a date, to keep their insurance. My bill says permanently—there might be other bills that say two years or three years. Throughout that time, many of the people...

It certainly makes for a good story: a scrappy kid from Baltimore flunks out of an English class at what is now Loyola University Maryland only to become an international bestselling author. The problem is that the oft-told tale concerning Tom Clancy is just as fictitious as Jack Ryan. “It was an urban legend that just wouldn’t die,” said Carol Abromaitis, the English professor accused of giving Clancy an F in her class. For decades, Abromaitis urged English majors to let others know the truth. Her efforts bore little fruit. “One major said to me, ‘Of course not. It makes...

Rejection -- even repeated rejection -- doesn't have to mean defeat. That, it turns out, is the lasting lesson of the Chuck Ross story. You may recognize the name; two Sundays ago, I wrote about J.K. Rowling, the spectacularly successful author of the Harry Potter books, and about how she has published a detective novel under the name Robert Galbraith. In the column, I recalled what a young and frustrated writer -- Chuck Ross -- did in the 1970s. To briefly recap: Ross had written a mystery novel that had been turned down everywhere he sent it. So, as an...

At Writer’s Bloc, I often talk about the marketing of books, because it seems so many authors still don’t understand the importance of it. That’s why, this week, I am going to touch on a couple points made by Michael Hyatt in his new book, “Platform.” To be fair, I’ve also reviewed it, but in this space, its contents are relevant. I wouldn’t agree with Hyatt about everything, of course, but frankly, his publishing knowledge is a resource that writers should use until there’s nothing left to wring-out. “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World,” is a true insider’s account...

I need your help in locating a thread I was reading this AM. A fellow freezer was looking for authors to read, and he liked what I like, mysteries, spy novels... There were a bunch of comments and some new authors for me to read, but I cannot find it. I also can hide my own Easter eggs. Two authors I wanted to add to the list are Loren Eastleman and Walter Mosley. They have a bunch of series. I am reading the Leonid McGill (Mosley) and Amos Walker (Estleman) characters. Both are PI's, loners and hard boiled. Thanks in...

I need help...I am a Vincy Flynn and Brad Thor addict...my wife has brought home from the library, and like Dale Brown books, I see right through their liberal crap...it is hard to find anything to fill the void while Vince and Brad ginn up the next ones...help me if you will with some authors who can hold my interest. Silva is ok, but I don't care about stealing a Rembrant painting...I like conspiracy, spy, etc.

<p>LOS ANGELES -- Ray Bradbury, the science fiction-fantasy master who transformed his childhood dreams and Cold War fears into telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters, and, in uncanny detail, the high-tech, book-burning future of "Fahrenheit 451," has died. He was 91.</p>

I finally completed a project that has been on my bucket list for years. I am celebrating completing my first novel. I'm now an author!!!!

"Death disports with writers more cruelly than with the rest of humankind," Cynthia Ozick wrote in a recent issue of The New Republic. "The grave can hardly make more mute those who were voiceless when alive--dust to dust, muteness to muteness. But the silence that dogs the established writer's noisy obituary, with its boisterous shock and busy regret, is more profound than any other. "Oblivion comes more cuttingly to the writer whose presence has been felt, argued over, championed, disparaged--the writer who is seen to be what Lionel Trilling calls a Figure. Lionel Trilling? "Consider: who at this hour (apart...

ON a balmy fall evening in the Mission District of San Francisco, hundreds of people spilled onto Valencia Street, where they chatted happily for a few minutes before pouring back into bookstores, cafes and theaters. ... ....Valencia Street around 20th Street is an excellent place for a visitor to begin. A cluster of shops — 826 Valencia; Borderlands, a science fiction and fantasy bookstore and connected cafe; Modern Times, a bookstore collective; and the used-book store Dog Eared Books — is surrounded by cafes and bars that host regular literary events..... ....John Durham, the owner, sat at a desk surrounded...

It's that time of the month again - no not that time - it's the first Sunday, time for C-Span2's BookTV In-Depth, featuring three hours of interview/questions and answers from maybe your favorite author. This being conservative month, the guest for today, November 7, is Jonah Goldberg, author of works including "Liberal Fascism" and "Proud to be Right". Goldberg will discuss his philosophy and writings, and reply to comments and questions from viewers' emails, phone calls, and Tweets. Program starts at noon EST.

Accuracy in Academia is featuring a true patriot and accomplished writer at its Constitution Day author’s night. Allie Duzett is the author of How To Save America: A Tactical Guide For Practical Patriots. “We must devote the time it takes on a personal level to fully understand our Founding Fathers’ intent,” she writes. “It is appropriate for us all to be experts on Constitutional intent.” “We must invest our time to understand our founding documents, including not just the Constitution, but also the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the writings of all our Founding Fathers.” “We must learn...

Book Review: Rush Limbaugh – An Army of One by Zev Chafets Rarely does a book come into my life and across my desk that I just can’t put down. This is one of them and I highly recommend you get a copy and read it. Chafets did a masterful job in writing this book. I have been listening to Rush Limbaugh since 2000. Being a political blogger, Rush has kept me sane, optimistic and motivated even when the going got tough. Always the scrapper, Rush Limbaugh gave me the strength to go on many times when I did not...

I’d like to preface this by stating, as a dog lover, I truly appreciate what Bo is doing with his enjoyable and fun-to-read book. It’s dedicated to shelter workers, rescue groups, and animal welfare proponents, and 10% of the proceeds are donated to help homeless dogs and cats. Read Bo's adoption chapter following the interview. Welcome to Dames of Dialogue, Bo. You’re the first dog we’ve interviewed and this is one interview I’ve really looked forward to. Tell us about your book, Bad to the Bone, Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger. First, let me say, I’m honored to be...

I'm seeking help finding a new author and/or book suggestions for my daughter for Christmas. She is 12 going on 13, and very smart (gifted student, genius IQ, home-schooled.) She is moving beyond her pre-teen books. I'm looking for books/authors that are early adult, without graphic sexual/horror situations. She enjoys mystery, history (fiction or non-fiction), adventure, and romantic comedy. She is a big fan of Brian Jacques and Gail Carson Levine.

Unmentionable: Best-Selling Conservative Books and the Networks that Ignore ThemResearch reveals a glaring imbalance in network coverage of liberal best-sellers and comparable conservative titles. Since the 1940s, an appearance on The New York Times Best-Seller List has been the mark of commercial success for any book. Authors with titles on the list can count on media attention to help sell even more copies. Unless they are conservatives. Conservative books and authors have been very successful recently, as evidenced by their showing on the best-seller list. Since January 2009, conservatives enjoyed 95 total weeks on the list, compared to just 80...

In the prelude http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf The names are written Dingell, Rangel, Waxman, Miller, Stark, Pallone, Andrews. Are these the exact author (s) of the atrocity? Anybody know?