Scoop!

This is a new (new, new!) page.  We're going to give you the inside scoop on what's hot, what's not--and what's coming down the pipeline in the writing industry!  If we hear wind of it, we'll let you know . . . and if you hear wind of something exciting, you let us know, too, okay?

- Laron Glover

6.3.08  The Photo Album Writer's Need!

You're researching that book, you know, the one that takes place in Denmark.  All you can find in the library and travel books are photos of tourist traps:  the Little Mermaid, yada, yada. 

What's an author to do?  We stumbled across this nifty little site:  www.virtualtourist.com and found a wealth of information AND a peek into real photos from off-the-beaten path travelers and locals.  Key in the city and presto:  you'll find out about the nightlife, local customs, restaurants (with photos of food!), dangerous places, tourist traps.  Add a dose of realism (and originality) to your next work without leaving your office chair.  Fun stuff.

4.1.08 Hate distractions? Go Retro!

For Mac lovers:  Check it out--an article in the Seattle Times mentioned a throwback to the early (non-interrupted) days of word processing.  The software is called Write-Room and there is nothing--no menus, icons, toolbars--to distract you.  You can still do basic functions (copy/paste, drag & drop type stuff), but that's about it.  No RSS feeds.  No software update reminders popping up mid-sentence.  Even better?  You get a free trial to see if this little vanilla bean of software is the right flavor for you.  After that, it's only $24.95.

  For the Windows users, there's a similar product (free!) called DarkRoom.

Yes, we looked at the websites (pretty cool).  No, we didn't review the products--yet. 

3.18.08 PROMOTE THYSELF!

We developed a product we're super jazzed about--our do-it-yourself autograph labels for books.  Designed by bookstore-savvy professionals, we worked with a print shop to develop a label that could be printed on a color inkjet printer, is beautiful, and has just the right adhesive:  strong enough to stick; gentle enough to be removed without marring delicate book jackets.  We love this label!

3.17.08 - Poetry to Go!

We found this really cool site--sponsored by the Academy of American Poets--that provides access to hundreds of beautiful poems, direct from your mobile phone, organized by occasion and theme.  From funerals to weddings, aging to love (to aliens!)--this site has it all.  Have a few minutes on the bus or waiting in the checkout line?  Check this out and let poetry jump start your writing day! http://www.poets.org/m

3.9.08 - Who is Shakespeare?  

We're writers--we love a good mystery!  Shakespeare's identity has been questioned for years, but when I read Sweet Swan of Avon, Robin Williams's book (the author, not the actor's) book last year, I have to say I sat up and took notice.  I respect they way she laid out the facts and let the reader draw their own conclusion about the possibility of Mary Sidney Herbert as the author of Shakespearean works. Check out Ms. Williams's website at www.marysidneysociety.org

When I took a PhotoShop course last November, I started playing around with some of the few portraits/engravings available--and found some interesting comparisons.  Like Robin, I'll let you be the judge.

No modifications were made to these images other than a scale adjustment to align them, and that was done keeping the original h/w proportion (no distortions).  The last slide is a "blended" overlay, where PhotoShop is used to subtract pixels of the same hue.  Pixels that are the same are darker. 

We have one other comparison we'd like to show but that is pending permission of the National Portrait Gallery.   Stay tuned!   Credits for the photos in the slide show (3mb) are as follows:

• Nicholas Hillard, circa 1590, Mary Herbert nee Sidney
• Droeshout Engraving, 1623, William Shakespeare/First Folio

What do you think?  Let us know! 

3.5.08 - SHARE! SHARE!  WIN!  WIN!  

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month?  We knew that, but what we didn't know was that April 17th is Poem In Your Pocket Day.  Here's what the Academy of American Poets had to say: 

"Please join the Academy of American Poets in celebrating the first national Poem In Your Pocket Day.  The idea is simple:  select a poem, then carry it with you (poem in your pocket) and unfold it with family, friends, coworkers throughout the day." 

They asked us to organize our own Poem in Your Pocket Day Event.  We think it's a GREAT idea!  Here's what Ninth Moon is going to do.  Two things: 

• You share with the world:  Do you have an original poem you'd like to share with others (some of us, after all, may be looking for pocket poems!).  We will post these on our website during the month of April and May, 2008.
  
  
• We'll share with you:  We will draw a name from all of the submissions for a $50 gift certificate to Ninth Moon on April 30th, 2008. 

Start thinking about your poem!    

3/1/08 -
I received sad (heartbreaking) news this past week:  Mike Jaynes, one of my good friends and graphic designers passed away.  What's worse:  I didn't even know he had passed away until months later when several emails had gone unanswered (we're always so busy, y'know?).  It was a friend of Mike's who finally intercepted my email and let me know that he died in November, the day before Thanksgiving.  It made me realize that we often run in different social circles and sometimes those circles don't intersect--who keeps a list of "who to notify in case I die" on their desktop? 

So I sit here mired in selfishness and self-pity:  Who will go to Taco Guaymas with me now?  Knock back coffee at Peet's (a cappucino for me, just plain old, no-nonsense coffee for you)?  And perhaps my most pathetic moment yet:  who will answer my most-stupid PhotoShop questions without laughing?  

We met in corporate America.  Mike gently taught me the basics of web design ("Uh, it kind of looks like a ransom note, Laron.")--but it was our love of art that fostered a friendship that spanned over 10 years.  Ten years--which brings up another sad fact:  I didn't even have a photo of Mike.  Not one. I got this one from Kathy Barco.  (Stole, actually.  I need to write her and ask permission). 

I'm a word-artist (or hack, really); he painted with color and images.  And now he's gone.  Too young.  Too talented. 
Too soon. 

I miss you, Mike.  (oh, and did I mention my heart was breaking?)

2/27/08 -

 Natalie Goldberg just released her new book on writing memoirs:  Old Friend from Far Away.  We love Natalie, and we love this book!  Check it out--or better yet, snag a copy for yourself and hand a copy to a loved one.  She's on tour through mid-April, 08. Check out www.nataliegoldberg.com Natalie's site for details.