Transitions

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Transitions are hard to write, and even harder (for me) to make. Packing up to move back to Canada from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, is never easy. Packing up an office, sorting my books, deciding: what goes back with me, what stays. This is always wrenching: because of luggage restrictions, I invariably have to leave more books behind than I want.

It's a space (and town, and country) I love — but most of all I love a steady, daily routine, which is especially important to a writer, I think.

The transition this year was especially fraught because my husband had had surgery less than three weeks before, and, only days before we left, there were the alarming concerns about Swine Flu. It seemed we were being dealt one curve ball after another.

I'm happy to report that the trip went remarkably smoothly: we're now back in Toronto, where we'll be for two months, going back and forth to our home in the north. (More transitions!) Nonetheless, it's exhausting, and I'm relieved that a reading which was scheduled for the day after we arrived was reschedule for the end of May. I must remember this in the future: migrating birds need to rest!

Meanwhile, the Blog Tour carries on: I'm pleased with the reviews that are coming in. (See links at left.) Today I need to think about my Toronto To Do list. While here I intend to take advantage of the libraries, for research.

Introducing C.M. Mayo

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I met C.M. Mayo a year ago, at the Writers' Conference in San Miguel. I was delighted to reconnect with her again this spring. She's a tiny woman with a big talent and a quiet manner that speaks wisdom. (She will be embarrassed to read this, I know.) She has a big book out next month: The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire. I've mentioned her before, and I'm mentioning her again because she has a wonderful guest blog up on Work-in-Progress that is just about all anyone would need to know about being a writer: Guest in Progress: C.M. Mayo. Thank you, Catherine. Wisdoms, as usual!

Note: Catherine also has a very worthwhile essay on her blog titled "The Three Questions I am Most Often Asked About the Writing Business." It's about publishers, agents, and promotion. Succinct, to the point, and wise. You can find it here.


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Link to Notes on the Writing Life, where you will find all the links: http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/

A curious theft

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My tour blog post on Devourer of Books, "The Dangers of Armchair Time-travel," got picked up whole-cloth by another site, "Religion Clothing," but mangled so that it makes little sense. For example, the last paragraph now reads:

It was because of such details of Petite’s Вlan that I suggested that Jen, novelist of this wonderful blog, be familiar with Mistress of the Sun after she’d preordained start - non-poisonous and right-minded, with her newborn in her arms: a eternal gesture from the beginning to the end of all ages.

The original paragraph read:

It was because of such details of Petite’s life that I suggested that Jen, author of this wonderful blog, read Mistress of the Sun after she’d given birth — safe and sound, with her newborn in her arms: a timeless moment for all ages.

It's as if my article was put through a thesaurus grinder. What upsets me is that my name is attached to this mangled prose. What's the purpose of this theft? And what can I do about it? (Nothing, I suspect.)

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Update: EduBlog, the company (for students, ironically), has accounts on Twitter. I've yelled there, and emailed a representative. We shall see. If I don't get it taken off the site, I'll continue to yell.

Someone suggested that the blog post read as if it had been computer-translated into another language, and then translated back into English. That's likely.

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THE LATEST UPDATE: It was a spam, a "splog blog" set up to look like EduBlog.org in order to steal content. EduBlog.org responded quickly and the site no longer exists. All this through speedy Twitter communication!

Now, in retrospect (now that it's gone) (I hope), I find a certain satisfaction in having been "splogged." I don't know what it means, exactly, but I like the sound of it — so muddy, so spring-like.

A tempting story

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I've been researching the rumor of the "Black Nun of Moret" — allegedly the Queen's baby by Nabo, her African dwarf. You can read the results of my research here: "The Queen's mystery daughter."

What struck me is that this would be a fine 2-week period in which to set a novel — there are a million dramas going on at this time:

Queen was expected to die: she begged the King to forsake is mistress, Louise de la Vallière.

Prayers and processions were ordered.

Meanwhile, former Minister Fouquet's trial was heating up. Fouquet's wife provided the Queen with a secret remedy that in fact cured her — but does not, nonetheless, save Fouquet.

Fouquet is sentenced on December 20, but only condemned to perpetual banishment, which infuriates the King, who changes it to life imprisonment in Pignerol.

Meanwhile, a comet streaks across the night sky.

The Queen-mother collapses from breast cancer.

On December 26, the Queen's "monster" baby dies at one month, and is buried at Saint Denis. The King is terribly grieved.

The offending (and suspected) dwarf Nabo, much beloved by the Queen, disappears — into the Bastille, some claim, to emerge as the Man in the Iron Mask.

I love this last flight of fancy, but it is impossible, of course! If the Man in the Iron Mask were an African dwarf, we would have known!

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Link to my essay, "The Queen's mystery daughter": http://tinyurl.com/d4jr5p
Link to my Blog Tour details: http://tinyurl.com/cbk662
Link to my blog (and website): http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/
Link to my newsletter sign-up: http://sandragulland.com/contacts/index.html

Getting going again

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I started committed research again last night ("I have to get going; have to start thinking about The Next Novel; I can't Twitter my life away ... !"), and, like always, the sparks began sparking, the ideas started to come and before I knew it I was scrambling for the notepad and pencil.

Research: it works like a charm every time.


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Link to my Blog Tour details: http://tinyurl.com/cbk662
Link to my blog (and website): http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/
Link to my newsletter sign-up: http://sandragulland.com/contacts/index.html

First blog tour reviews

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I "met" Margaret Donsbach on LibraryThing.com, where she is host of the group Books Compared. I was struck by the depth and intelligence of her posts. A passionate reader of historical fiction (as well as a writer), she'd launched a wonderful website Historical Novels Info, where, I'm pleased to report, she has just reviewed Mistress of the Sun. I love this:

"Mistress of the Sun portrays both the brittle, artificial pleasures of the Sun King's extravagant court and the human—indeed, animal—nature of those who lived there. Diamonds turn out to be paste; lakes that glitter magnificently under fireworks prove to be choked with algae by day; friends become betrayers."

If you love historical fiction, be sure to check out Historical Novels. The depth and breath of Margaret's listings is amazing. Here, alone, is the listing for novels set in 17th century Europe: I learned a lot.

As I was posting this blog, another review was posted, this one to Scandalous Women: "I found it hard to put Mistress of the Sun down." Just what I love to hear.


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Link to Historical Novels Info: http://www.historicalnovels.info
Link to Scandalous Women review: http://tinyurl.com/cn5q3g
Link to my Blog Tour details: http://tinyurl.com/cbk662
Link to my blog (and website): http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/
Link to my newsletter sign-up: http://sandragulland.com/contacts/index.html

A writer's writer

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Perhaps the highest praise a writer can give is to say that a someone is "a writer's writer," someone whose writing inspires.

Merilyn Simonds is a writer's writer, and I invite you to read her new blog, the Frugalista Gardener, on gardening. "Blog" seems too crude a word to describe what are beautifully-crafted essays. (A word I love, coming from the French essayer, to try.)

It's not often that a blog is noticed by the media and reviewed, but not only did the CBC radio cover it, but it was given the following review by January Magazine:

If you love beautiful writing or if you love gardening, you will likely find something worthwhile here. If you love both, you’ll be bookmarking in haste.

I am invariably awed by Merilyn's craft, the beauty of her words, her thoughts.


Link to the Frugalista Gardener: http://www.frugalistagardener.com/en/

When did "adult" become a dirty word?

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I've been emotionally embroiled these last few days in the Amazon.com uproar. I value Amazon — they have succeeded in building a valuable community book culture, after all — and so that's one reason for my intense response. Having to forsake Amazon.com (and the companies it owns: AbeBooks.com! Audible.com!) would be wrenching. I don't want Amazon.com to be the bad guys.

In simple terms, what has happened is that books tagged "adult" are X-rated, and by stripping off their sales rank, these books are not as visible to the public: rather like the porn magazines on the high shelf with a board across the front of the shelf so that the wee ones can't see them. By not being as visible to the public, harder to find, these X-rated books will not sell as well as if they had been visible.

I don't quarrel with standards. I'm not a supporter of a wide-open, no rules barred society. I believe in certain civic restrictions. If a book were tagged as "racist hate literature" or "violent kiddie porn," for example, I would be in favour of suppression.

One problem, as I see it, is with the word "adult." Being "adult" is a good thing — is it not? — as in "Grow up! Act like an adult!" When did "adult" become a synonym for something unacceptable to society and public viewing?

One of the things that is being claimed is that an Amazon.com employee tagged tens of thousands (57,310 is the number quoted) of books "adult" — either intentionally or by mistake: who knows? — which thereby stripped these titles of their sales ranking: prize-winning literary novels, books of political theory, classical works of literature. Is it possible that it could have been a language confusion? ("Is this book adult? Why yes.")

It's doubtful that the explanation is so simple. The majority of books tagged were about homosexuals. There are many unanswered questions and as many rumoured explanations (including the hypothesis that Amazon.com has been infiltrated or hacked into by an anti-gay hate group).

However it plays out — and a fuller explanation is expected today — I propose that Amazon.com come up with a tag other than "adult," for starters. It should be a tag that is clear (and not so easy to type). The guidelines to employees should be carefully debated, considered and made public. The designation should be verified by more than one employee (who both sign off on it and are therefore accountable). It should be possible for the author and/or publisher to protest the designation.

This is time-consuming and therefore expensive and impractical, of course. The easiest, least-thorny and likely the most logical path would simply be to show the sales ranking on all books. (Already there are reports that Amazon.com is doing just that: yay!) A sales rank, after all, a numerical fact. A commenter on The Daily Beast questioned: If some sales ranks can be erased, can others, therefore, be enhanced?

I apologize to the readers of this blog for going on — and on! — about this. As someone who is usually to be found puzzling out the 17th century, I rarely get so caught up with current concerns. Perhaps I should forsake Twitter. It's like putting a finger into a here-and-now light-bulb socket.


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Link to a current L.A. Times article on the Amazon.com uproar: http://tinyurl.com/d4wc9v
Link to my Blog Tour details: http://tinyurl.com/cbk662
Link to my blog (and website): http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/
Link to my newsletter sign-up: http://sandragulland.com/contacts/index.html

Blog tour!

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I've been writing like crazy for my Blog Tour. Here are the guest blogs I've written so far:

• April 7 -- Historical Tapestry: http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.com/ Guest post: "Why I love unhappy endings."
  
• April 10 -- Reading Group Guides: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/content/index.asp Guest post: "How a bookclub changed me as a writer."
  
• April 15 -- Reading the Past: http://readingthepast.blogspot.com/ Guest post: "What to leave in . . . and what to leave out: crafting a story from history."
• April 16 -- Marta's Meanderings: http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com Review, giveaway, guest post: "The ups and downs of historical research."
• April 17 -- Travels of the Bookworm: http://travelsofthebookworm.blogspot.com/ Giveaway, guest post: "Viewing history through a kaleidoscope."
  
• April 21 -- Devourer of Books: http://www.devourerofbooks.com/ Guest post: "The Dangers of Armchair Time-travel: how to safely explore the world of the past."
  
• April 23 and 24: Peeking Between the Pages: http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com Review and guest post: "Peeking between the Pages . . . and into the Past" (how I came to be a historical novelist).
  
• April 29 -- Booking Mama: http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/ Review, giveaway and guest post:"Mothering as Key to Character"

Plus several Q&As. See my website Events page for details:
http://sandragulland-events.blogspot.com/

More to come!

P.S. I've neglected to report (how could I?!) that my agent loved the outline for The Next Novel.

AmazonFail campaign fueled by outrage

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Note about the post below: for the latest report on Amazon.com, see Publisher's Weekly: "Amazon Says Glitch to Blame for "New" Adult Policy." http://tinyurl.com/cacyu4

Also, an overview in the U.K. Guardian: http://ow.ly/2JTF


Amazon.com has stripped selected titles of their sales ranking, ostensibly for their "adult" content. Here are a few of the titles:

Oranges are Not the Only Fruit
The Well of Loneliness
Picture of Dorian Gray
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Bastard out of Carolina
Brokeback Mountain
Fanny Hill
Giovanni's Room
Rubyfruit Jungle
False Colours
A Single Man
The Beautiful Room Is Empty
Tipping The Velvet

For a fuller list of titles: here.

This is shocking! The majority of titles being "punished" in this way have lesbian or gay subjects. How can this be allowed? Do we not live in a democracy? I'm not buying another title from Amazon.com until they reverse this perverse move.

Outraged! I regret that most of my titles on my wedsite link to Amazon.com.

Amazon customer service email: ecr@amazon.com and the customer service phone number is 1-800-201-7575. Or email connect-help@amazon.com.

I've signed an on-line petition against it — here — and I hope others will as well.

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An up-date: Lilian Nattel, reporting from Canada, said that she could see the sales ranks for the titles mentioned. I checked, from Mexico, and I could as well. I posted the puzzle on Twitter, and Holly Tucker, a historian and academic, showed me what she saw for Water's Tipping the Velvet, when logging onto Amazon.com from the U.S.: no sales rank. Logging onto Amazon.com from Mexico, the sales rank is listed.

And so: the plot thickens. Apparently people in the U.S. are not permitted to see the sales ranks of books involving gay or lesbian relationships. This is unbelievable.

Tragedy and coiffed horses

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My son Chet, who lives in The Net, sends me links that I invariably find either amusing or enlightening. Yesterday's was tremendously amusing, and for my horsey readers, truly, you must check out this article on coiffed horses. [http://tinyurl.com/cy9yb7]

Today's link was "A Woman's Work" — a New York Times interview with Joyce Carol Oates that's well worth reading. [http://tinyurl.com/dcqbvs]

A sample:

Why do you find violence so alluring as a literary subject?

If you’re going to spend the next year of your life writing, you would probably rather write “Moby Dick” than a little household mystery with cat detectives. I consider tragedy the highest form of art.

Which really makes me suspect that my own work falls somewhere between coiffed horses and tragedy. (See my first Guest Blog on the Blog Tour: "Why I love unhappy endings.")

Perhaps, to the horses, the tragedy is being coiffed, but frankly, I think they're finding it greatly amusing.


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Link to "Why I love unhappy endings": http://tinyurl.com/ceau43
Link to Blog Tour details: http://tinyurl.com/cbk662
Link to my blog (and website): http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/
Link to my newsletter sign-up: http://sandragulland.com/contacts/index.html

MISTRESS OF THE SUN Blog Tour!

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(Check here for more details.)

• April 7 -- Historical Tapestry: http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.com/ Guest post: "Why I love unhappy endings."
  
• April 10 -- Reading Group Guides: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/content/index.asp Guest post: "How a bookclub changed me as a writer."
  
• April 14 -- Scandalous Woman http://scandalouswoman.blogspot.com/ Review.
  
• April 15 -- Reading the Past: http://readingthepast.blogspot.com/ Guest post: "What to leave in . . . and what to leave out: crafting a story from history."
• April 16 -- Marta's Meanderings: http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com Review, giveaway, guest post: "The ups and downs of historical research."
• April 17 -- Travels of the Bookworm: http://travelsofthebookworm.blogspot.com/ Giveaway, guest post: "Viewing history through a kaleidoscope." Hosting the giveaway right now!
• April 20 -- Historical Novels: http://historicalnovels.info Q&A
  
• April 21 -- Devourer of Books: http://www.devourerofbooks.com/ Guest post.
  
• April 23 and 24: Peeking Beteen the Pages: http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com Review and guest post.
  
• April 24 -- Epicrat: http://epicrat.blogspot.com Q&A
  
• April 29 -- Planet Books: http://planetbooks.wordpress.com/ Q&A
  
• April 29 -- Booking Mama: http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/ Review, giveaway and guest post.
  
• May 1 -- The Tome Traveller: http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com Review and giveaway.
  
• May 1 -- Racous Royals: http://blog.racousroyals.com Review and guest post.
  
• May 4 -- Shhh! I'm Reading: http://shhhimreading.blogspot.com/ Review and guest post.
  
• May 5 -- My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/ Review and guest post.
  
• May 7 -- Enchanted by Josephine: http://enchantedbyjosephine.blogspot.com Review, giveaway and guest post.
  
• May 8 -- Skrisha's Books: http://www.skrishnasbooks.com Review.
  
• May 14 -- Linus' Blanket: http://linussblanket.com Review and giveaway.
• May 15 -- Kris Waldherr http://kriswaldherr.com/blog Review, Q&A and giveaway
  
• May 20 -- Books Love Jessica Marie: http://bookslovejessicamarie.blogspot.com Review and giveaway

Check the sidebar

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I've added two items to the sidebar of my blog: one on video interviews with authors, another on book design. I come across these items and don't know where to note them, where to store them, how to share them ... and so I put them here.

I've only one video interview listed so far -- but it's a treasure: the young Mordecai Richler.

The blogs on book design make my heart ache: the covers are so beautiful.


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my blog on writing: http://sandragulland.blogspot.com/
my latest newsletter, just out: http://tinyurl.com/dl7a56
my website (revamped!): www.sandragulland.com

Writing ... about writing

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I've been busy preparing for the Blog Tour. (You can see the details on my events page: here.) The response has been far more enthusiastic than Diane (VA) or I expected, and so it has grown. All of the blogs will be reviewing Mistress of the Sun and some will be holding a raffle give-away.

For about half of them, I'm contributing an essay or being interviewed: this entails a lot of writing! This week I've written the first three, titled:

"Why I love unhappy endings."

"How a bookclub changed me as a writer."

"What to leave in . . . and what to leave out: crafting a story from history."

I'm enjoying writing these ... and I hope readers will enjoy reading them.

I've also written a post to my research blog (on — shhh — enemas) and one on bells for Hoydens and Firebrands as well.

I berate myself for "not writing" — but the fact is, I am.


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my research blog: http://17thcenturyresearch.blogspot.com/
Hoydens and Firebrands: http://hoydensandfirebrands.blogspot.com/
my latest newsletter, just out: http://tinyurl.com/dl7a56
my website (revamped!): www.sandragulland.com

My morning so far

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It isn't even yet 7:00 a.m. and for two hours I've been writing emails:

an email to my agent about an interview and the outline of The Next Novel;

an email to an author friend who had asked if I could consider reading — "blurbing" — her next novel (yes, depending on schedule);

an email to my VA about the Blog Tour coming up;

an email to the organizer of a conference, giving her a description of a talk I'm to give (which meant I had to decide what the talk was going to be about);

drafted an email to an organization I'm scheduled to give a reading for regarding possible complications (as yet on hold).

All of this is part of "the writing life," and yet little has to do with actually writing. At some point, I think I'm going to have to figure out how not to open my in-box first thing in the morning — but how? I've made this resolve so many times!

I'm going to open my plot outline now. My L.A. editor has given it thumbs up (yay!). With some minor revisions, it will be ready to send to my agent. In the meantime, between times, I need to begin seriously researching again, preparing the ground. It's so easy to get distracted.


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my latest newsletter, just out: http://tinyurl.com/dl7a56
my website (revamped!): www.sandragulland.com