Fun With Album Covers

My last post of the year! I hope you all have a spectacular New Years! Mine will be spent at a friend's house, just a small group (with kids) playing games.

I love these photos! I'd marry them... for a short period of time with a pre-nup.

Publishing Predictions for 2011

Publishing Predictions for 2011 from Richard Curtis
by Jeff Rivera on December 27, 2010 4:23 PM

1. Google Editions will be a game-changer in the e-book field
2. There will be at least one shocking merger or acquisition of print publishers or of print and e-book publishers
3. The Big Six publishers will raise their current royalty rate over the standard 25% they currently offer
4. Educators, psychologists and parents will report learning and retention problems for children reading on screens.
5. College students will reject e-textbooks in favor of paper ones
6. Print on demand will grow in stature as the preferred retail model, and traditional bookstore distribution based on returnability will continue to falter
7. We will begin to see e-book kiosks in bookstores and possibly in non-bookstores
8. Children’s, middle reader and young adult titles will dominate the trade book field
9. Authors will go on virtual book tours and attend virtual publishing conferences without leaving home
10. More and more books published by small presses you never heard of; and more niche publishing as e-book publishers discover they can make money publishing books for small, special audiences.

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And there’s still time to submit your ONE GOAL for 2011. No goal is too small or too general. Go here if you’d like to be a part of history.

http://brian-ohio.livejournal.com/257100.html

You can accomplish this goal anytime during the year, during jonowrimo, NANO, grapemo… whenever. Check ins will occur on March 21st, June 21st, September 21st and December 21st.

Combining/Manipulating Words

I've noticed lately, that the news people have been combining and manipulating words to form new words for their reports. I thought that sort of thing was only used by fiction writers. Words like...

Sharting - When you thought you were only going to fart, but ended up sh%ting in your pants.

Bromance - Two platonic guy friends hanging out.

Manstrating - The monthly male cycle.

Just this week I heard words like this on the radio during the news report. Words like...

E-lationship - A relationship that exists solely through emails

Hacktivist - An activist who shows his displeasure by hacking into websites.

Can you think of any others. I find these words fascinating!!!

Gorgeous

I saw these pictures on the news this morning.

This is a lighthouse along the shores of Lake Erie during the summer.



Here is that same lighthouse right now.

Still One of My Favorites!!!!

Where Do Ice Cream Cones come from?

Friday Five - Getting Ready for the Holidays!!!

1.) First I get out those comfy socks I just love to wear when it gets cold.

 (Notice I just shaved!)

2.) We string up some outdoor decorations. I don't like it gaudy, so we keep it simple



3. Next we put up the tree!!



4. Throw on a little Christmas Music



5. Break out the sweater my brother made for me last Christmas***



***My brother not only makes Christmas Sweaters, he's a professional Christmas Sweater Model. Here's the most recent shot from his portfolio, for those interested.

She MUST take after her mother!

I was driving my 13 year old daughter to her drum lesson last night. I missed the teacher's house, so I pulled down a side street to turn around. There was a sign on the side of this narrow road. I'm sure you've seen it before...



My daughter asks me, "What's that sign mean?"

Shocked, I ask her, "What do you think it means?"

With a straight face, she responds, "There's no electricity."

This can't be MY daughter!

Scholastic Names Trends in Children's Books for 2010

1. The expanding Young Adult audience
2. The year of dystopian fiction
3. Mythology-based fantasy (Percy Jackson followed by series like The Kane Chronicles, Lost Heroes of Olympus and Goddess Girls)
4. Multimedia series (The 39 Clues, Skeleton Creek, The Search for WondLa)
5. A focus on popular characters - from all media
6. The shift to 25 to 30 percent fewer new picture books, with characters like Pinkalicious, Splat Cat and Brown Bear, Brown Bear showing up in Beginning Reader books
7. The return to humor
8. The rise of the diary and journal format (The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dear Dumb Diary, Dork Diaries, The Popularity Papers, and Big Nate)
9. Special-needs protagonists
10. Paranormal romance beyond vampires (Linger and Linger, Beautiful Creatures, Immortal, and Prophesy of the Sisters)

Vampires

I still enjoy a good vampire story. I do. THE PASSAGE, for example, was great.

But... if vampires ever "jumped the shark", as they say, it was probably right after this moment in history.

Charles Dickens and Goodyear Tires

It's been a busy, busy weekend. Fun, hectic, crazy, tiring.

Anyway, last night I took the family (+ two boys for my 16 year old daughters) to Stan Hywett Hall here in Akron Ohio. If you're not aware, Stan Hywett Hall is the former house of Frank Seiberling, the founder of Goodyear Coorporation. It's a huge house and grounds that they decorate for Christmas.

  

   


What I didn't know was that Charles Goodyear (who invented volcanized rubber and who the Goodyear Corporation is named after) was a friend of Charles Dickens. And a collector of prized first editions of the author.

While we toured the house, they had several signed first editions by Charles Dickens displayed for viewing, including A Christmas Carol.





People kept staring at me while I sort of went nuts when I saw them. So cool!!!!