Spicy Mystery Stories - October 1935: Maybe There's Hope?

I was surfing around today at Wikimedia Commons for a public domain image to use on a project, and stumbled upon this magazine cover from the 1930s. 

Pretty risque, isn't it?

Thought I would share this with you, Dear Reader.  Maybe there's hope for America after all ... things are not growing more decadent by the day, if this was being sold way back when ....

Check out that evil hand with the syringe.  Scary stuff, boy. 

The Literary Character Test: I'm Scarlett O'Hara, Who Are You?

 This was fun.  I took the Literary Character Test (you can too, go here) and here's the result: 

Your result for The Literary Character Test ...

Scarlett O'Hara

Good, Epic, Straight Forward Thinker

You are basically good.  Overcoming selfish desires or cruel ways, you focus on doing the right thing, when possible, and acting in a way to benefit everyone.  You think like a champion.  Regardless of your skills, you strongly feel you can use them to their greatest ability.  Your persona is indomitable, you are a true believer.  You think straightforwardly.  You don’t feel you need to weigh too many options, neither do you feel the need to plan to far ahead, but instead take the simplest and straightest path toward your goals.
Proud to the point of haughty and determined to the point of recklessness, Scarlett O'Hara will not let anything stand in her way of taking care of those around her.  Her determination is a key to her character, and when it is set, no bonds of war, man, or even emotion can stop her.  As if to exemplify her resolve, her resolute mantra simply is "After all, tomorrow another day."

Janet Evanovich's Wicked Appetite Is Out: is Diesel the new Stephanie Plum?

Published by St.MartinsPress
read an excerpt here.

I saw the new Janet Evanovich book prominently displayed in my local Barnes and Noble this week: Wicked Appetite appears to be selling well and lotsa folk seem to like it, too (at least one did in Roanoke, Virginia -- Amazon right now is showing as many giving it five stars as are giving it one star).

The star of the book?  Diesel, whom we have met in the Plum series already.  Apparently, Diesel is getting his own series with this debut and we can look forward to another 6 or 7 books here.  The twist?  It's got a paranormal vein -- Diesel is one of the "Unmentionables," a group of humans with special (magic!) abilities.

My take?  I love Janet Evanovich as a writer, she entertains me.  She makes me laugh, guaranteed.  And that's important -- laughter at the ready.  I'll read Wicked Appetite.  However, Mrs. E is also astute in following the marketplace. 

She's tipped her hat to Nascar fever with another series (Alex Barnaby).  She's also taken a stab at graphic novels.  And, we all know she began in romance and has seen her romance work reissued over the past few years. 

So, while I look forward to the Diesel series as a reader, I'm also pondering Diesel as a writer.  Humor and paranormal, meshing?  Where else is this happening, or is it?  Is this Janet E's taking note of the success of the Twilight series?  of Harry Potter?

(Which brings to mind the mash-ups, particularly the Austen ones, but that's a different post for a different day.)

UPDATE:  I read Wicked Appetite, and I was disappointed.  Read my review over at Amazon if you want to know why. 

National Talk Like a Pirate Day - September 19, 2010

How time flies!  It doesn't seem like a full year has passed since last year's Talk Like a Pirate Day, does it? (For details, check out the holiday's International Official Web Site.)

For help in learning nuances - as well as some grammar rules and nifty vocabulary - in Talking Pirate (this is pretty funny), check this short video out on YouTube (thanks to Mental Floss for sharing it):



YARRRR!!!!!

Good vs Evil - Are You Born This Way?

With thanks to ICanHazCheezburger - how many great novels posit the same thing? East of Eden comes to mind ....

Word Choice Dilemma - This Should Make U Laugh. Avoid tinny.

PBW Made Me Laugh - Maybe You Will Too

Great post today by Lynn Viehl over at Paperback Writer. Maybe her best post ever. Go read it, you'll laugh.

And, for backstory before you do ... read this post, which explains the whole shiny pink cover horror.