Bookish News and Publishing Tidbits 4 April 2012

RIASS stuff:

Q&A with Lori Foster, bestselling author of'A Perfect Storm

An interview with author Richard Hine, in which Richard expresses his doubts about the print publishing business model.

Forthcoming: a review of Dead Heat'by Bronwyn Parry

I'm off on my honeymoon at the end of this week, so if you'd like your name up in lights with a RIASS guest post, just drop me a line.

Other bookish stuff:

Qld Premiers Awards cut to save $244,000

2012 Hemingway/PEN & Winship/PEN New England'Awards

A Q&A with rural lit author Fiona Palmer: Due to my 'schooling' and not enjoying English at all, being a writer had never crossed my mind. How could someone who could hardly spell and struggled with grammar ever be a writer. I knew I had the creative side and loved to write these stories but with a teacher who was focused on the literary side, I never did any good. But my creative side didn't give up and I attempted it anyway. Sometimes believing in yourself works wonders.

Kate Noble on inspirations and aspirations:'We do not only fall in love with heroes. We fall in love with a fiction of them in our youth. And this warm feeling is formative, and continues on into adulthood. I know that if Indiana Jones (the one from'Temple of Doom'or'Raiders, not the paternal version from'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' in fact, its better if that movie is never mentioned again) walked into a bar, grabbed me by the wrist and kissed me silly, I would be helpless to resist.

An interview with literary agent Gemma Cooper:'I love the stories. The chance to read something before it's published. I love being the person who gets to make that call, 'you know your dream of getting published? Well that's going to happen.' I mean, who wouldn't love getting to do that! I love being able to be a small part of someone's success story.

How to write the Great American Novel:'But monsters, goblins, whales, beavers. They can be the best narrators. I remember some Vintage paperback about a woman who have a love affair with a dolphin. Told from the point of view of the woman! What a missed opportunity. Some ex-girlfriend gave it to me and was mad when I took it back to the store and traded it in for some Eastern European thing I wanted to read. Kafka had it right. The bug is much more interesting than boring old Gregor Samsa. No one would want to read a story in which a dude woke up in the morning to find himself transformed into some boring Czech person. No one would read that. I know, because I wrote it.

Andrew Shaffer, the evil genius behind the Evil Wylie and Emperor Franzen twitter accounts, has signed a deal for a Fifty Shades of Grey'parody.

How to search Google by reading level

French Editor's Jump to Agenting 'Akin to Treachery'

Alain de Botton and Catherine Chung on The Bat Segundo Show.

Famous Australian literary couples

Nikki McWatters on'writing her first book, being a rock groupie and her favourite music from the 1980s

Upcoming bookish events (Aus):

One Way or Another
Nikki McWatters

Benjamin Law will launch Nikki McWatters' memoir'One Way or Another'at Avid Reader Bookstore.

Date: Friday 20 April
Time: 6pm ' 8pm
Venue: Avid Reader Bookstore, 193 Boundary St, West End, QLD
Tickets: Free event.'Click here to book.

Panic'
David Marr

Join David Marr as he discusses his book'Panic.

Date: Monday 23 April
Time: 7pm
Venue: Mosman Library, Military Road, Mosman, NSW
Tickets: $10/$8 concession. To book call Pages & Pages bookstore on 02 9969 9736.

The just-released trailer for Michael Grants Fear (stay tuned for a Q&A with Michael on RIASS tomorrow!)