RIASS stuff:
A guest post from award-winning author Carole Wilkinson on the sensitivities involved in writing about other cultures. We also have a copy of Caroles lastest book'Blood Brothers'to give away, so stop by to enter! Dont forget that were also running a'giveaway of'Revived'by Cat Patrick!
A review of A Stranger in my Street'by Deborah Burrows, a superb mystery-meets-romance set in WWII Perth. (Rating: 
)
Oh, and are you'following us on Facebook? And have you'subscribed to our updates? Well? Hmm?
Calling all bookish Melburnians! RIASS and some bookish buddies are planning a night out at the Astor Theatre on the 9th of June. All welcome, so if you're a local (or wish to commute), feel free to drop by. Details'here.
At the request of my good friend Sarah Billington: this .gif, which depicts exactly my expression after sending off my edited MS to my agent yesterday.
Other bookish stuff:
Are there any authors who just dont quite work for you? For KM Grant, its Sir Thomas More.
Neil Gaimans commencement speech as a comic.
Fairfax is outsourcing a whole bunch of subediting jobs to New Zealand.
Author and Editor Interview: Julie Scheina Interviews Jennifer E. Smith: I knew right from the start that I wanted this book to be told from the point of view of the non-magical character. So many of these types of stories are from the perspective of the person with powers, the one who changes, or who experiences something miraculous, but I was more interested in the sidekick.
Annie Dalton on ideas that just wont go away: Sometimes something will happen that reminds me of one of my forgotten story seeds. I go wildly searching for it through scribbled-on scraps of paper. Often, when I eventually find it, my idea seems completely different to how I remember it, almost as though it had been written down by someone else. 'I find myself impatiently crossing out parts of my notes, adding new thoughts, forgetting to finish my coffee, reaching for a fresh sheet of paper, rethinking the whole thing from scratch.
An interview with Leah Cypress: I used to think that mystery was the purest form of fiction. After all, you read books to find out what will happen at the end, and that is the whole point of a mystery ' to engage the reader in the search to figure out what's going to happen, or rather what has happened. I no longer think of books in exactly that way, but I still go crazy for books in which the protagonist has to uncover Mysterious Secrets Buried in the Past.
Nina Benneton on what shes learned about writing: Writers are very self-critical people. We berate ourselves for the little flaws and the big flaws. But, if we don't have self-acceptance and self-love about our writing, we don't feel safe. If we don't feel safe, we cannot see our weaknesses with a clear-eye and, most importantly, with compassion. Without compassion, the process to improve our craft will be fraught with needless self-flagellation. Stop. Be kind to yourself.
A Q&A with Linda Lael Miller (who will be guest posting on RIASS on the 2nd of June!) I think people have always loved cowboys, all the way back to Tom Mix.' They're a north American archetype, standing for honor, courage in the face of adversity, and a love and appreciation for animals.
An interview with Paolo Bacigalupi: I focus a little more on pacing when I write books in the young adult category, and of course there's the great American fear of anything sexual ' so that's somewhat backed off in YA. But otherwise, there isn't a whole lot of difference.
'The 'New Adult' Category: New Adult characters are a bit older. Late teens. Early twenties. There are different experiences and thoughts that accompany the age progression. A fifteen year old wouldn't necessarily think the same things a twenty three year old would. Which is why New Adult to me, is a great genre. The writer has a chance to explore some of those more mature thoughts and experiences.
A Kirkus reviewer takes a pot shot at romance writing and gets told off
10 Famous Authors' Fascinating Alter Egos
Summer reads for those in the northern hemisphere
Get sozzled while you read at these literary bars
A Pinterest board full of typos!
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller has won the 2012 Orange Prize. Heres the trailer:
Bono'reads Charles Bukowskis''Roll the Dice:
Jobs and Opps:
Sterling books is after a publicist.
Want to contribute to a Skulduggery Pleasant short story?
Events:
Peta-Jo, whos appeared on RIASS a couple of times with great guest posts is hosting an online chat about her publishing journey at the Bermingham Books'Facebook'page tomorrow tonight from 7.45pm to 8.30pm. If youre free, stop by to so say hello!
Jodi Picoult is in Melbourne!
Freebies:
An excerpt from A Royal World Apart, AKA Untouched Hero, from Maisey Yates (see also our interview with Maisey)
An excerpt from This is Not a Test'by Courtney Summers
An excerpt from Gossip'by Beth Gutcheon
As someone who reads a lot of Kirkus reviews, Id be more surprised if they actually posted a negative review. I think in the 100+ aggregated reviews Ive done, theyve only ever actually been critical of a book a handful of times. They are prolific reviewers, but they dont really live up to their slogan of the worlds toughest book critics.
Good point, Jason. I think critical reviewing is giving way to advertorials these days. And not to sound cynical (okay, so I am) I suppose that some of the big publications want to keep certain big companies onside in the hopes of a continued business relationship.