Compulsive Reader Newsletter out for Oct

Hello readers.  Our October newsletter has now gone out with the usual bevy of brand new reviews and interviews, a fantastic new giveaway, the full round-up of literary news, and lots more delivered free to your in-box.  If you haven’t received it yet, you can grab a copy here:
Compulsive Reader Archive
If you haven’t subscribed, just toddle over to http://www.compulsivereader.com and sign up.

photo credit: marksmorton Biblio via photopin (license)

Poetry Monday: Free Emerald

It's almost Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday if you're in the UK). Here in Australia, Mother's Day is Sunday the 13th of May. Since I'm both mother and daughter, I thought it appropriate that, for Poetry Monday this week, I provided my readers (yes, you) with a poetry gift suitable for any mother on your list.  From now through to May 14th (US time) you can grab a copy of She Wore Emerald Then from Smashwords for the smashing price of $0.00.  Just use Coupon code KT98C at checkout.  You can even use the code to 'gift' the book to someone. Following is a new review of Emerald by the great L.B. Sedlacek, published in this month's Poetry Markets Ezine. If you prefer a hard copy, you can get a copy at Amazon.  Happy Mother's Day to all you fantabulous mothers out there.


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This poetry book is split into two sections: "The Genetic Code" (Ball) and "Dandelions in Autumn" (Howard-Johnson) with each section title page perfectly accompanied by one of Lattanzio's pictures.

In "Coil of Life," Ball punctuates her "The Genetic Code" section with a jolting look at creation. "Take a single cell/tinier than the tip of a pencil/in its nucleus the DNA blueprint/six billion pairs of nucleotides." The poem continues further on with "Binary fission/mitosis and cytokinesis/the cervix thins and dilates/the dreaming and waking cerebral cortex/already perfect signals uterine contractions/the Big Bang." Each poem weaves vivid layers (somewhat of a verbal voltage) of life and existence. From "The Fading": "eyelids closed tightly
against life/you create your own shadow/the steel bars/of your deviant past/shatter the illusion of freedom." Ball writes with a punch -- you won't fast forget her words.

The "Dandelions in Autumn" section (Howard-Johnson) is more focused on the later years of motherhood and/or mothers themselves. In "Mother and Daughter, The Thing I Learned from Depends and Other Events," Howard-Johnson's poem deals with a daughter taking care of an elderly mother "... she cannot find/her words or the beans/on her plate. Now merely a leafhusk,/I cannot find the strength/to place her head upon a pillow./I pre-order stew with chunks/chopped to the size of peas."  Each poem seems to pull from days gone by capturing a daughter's journey from child to caretaker of one's mother. The visuals - "offers us her favorite dish, whipped/cream, crusted Heath bars, melted/Marshmallows (without the rum Mother/would have added)" from "Across the Hall from Mother" - are stunning and leverage accordingly within each line.

Lattanzio's pictures add a blast of scenic flavor to the book. They are chosen and placed at just the right spots.

She Wore Emerald Then is a tribute to mothers everywhere.
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L.B. Sedlacek's poems have most recently appeared in "Ginosko," "Pure Francis," and "Testing the Waters" poetry anthology.  L.B.'s latest chapbook is "I Am My Neighborhood Watch."
http://wordpress.lbsedlacek.com
www.lbsedlacek.com
@lbsedlacek

Virtual Book Tour - last reminder

My Black Cow virtual book tour is nearing the last days and we've got autographed book packs, magnets, e-books, and bookmarks still to giveaway. It's not too late. Just drop by any of the stops below, and retweet or share in some way and you'll get another entry.  I'll be choosing a winner (after a fairly intensive tally up exercise) just after the radio show on the 8th.  If you live anywhere near Newcastle NSW, don't forget to join me in person at the Hunter Writers' Centre, 90 Hunter St, Newcastle 10:30am this Thursday the 29th March for my big in-person Aussie launch. I'll post up pics here as soon as I get them.  

Book Tour Schedule

Friday, 24 February: Educationtipster
Sunday, 26 February: Write What Inspires You

Monday, 27 February: Writing and other ways into the heart...

Tuesday, 28 February: Nancy Famolari's Place
Friday, 2 March: Brummet's Conscious Blog

Saturday, 3 March: Boychik Lit
Sunday, 4 March: The Simplicity Collective

Monday, 5 March: Slow and Steady Writers

Tuesday, 6 March: World of Ink Network (radio show, 4pm US MST)

Thursday, 8 March: The Alliterative Allomorph

Saturday, 10 March: Writers on the Move

Monday, 12 March: WOTM Webinar workshop
Wednesday, 14 March: Poetic Muselings

Thursday, 15 March: Heidi M. Thomas
Saturday, 18 March: Paper Dragon Ink

Tuesday, 20 March: The Dark Phantom

Wednesday, 21 March: Do North

Friday, 23 March: Karen Coiffi-Ventrice Writing and Marketing

Saturday, 24 March: The New Book Review
Sunday, 25 March: Blogging Authors
Thursday 29 March: Australian Book Launch (in person event) Hunter Writers' Centre, 10:30am, 90 Hunter St, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Wednesday, 4 April: The Writer's ABC Checklist - blog 
Sunday, 8 April: Book Reads (live radio show)

When the water subsided

When the water subsided

air cleaned of whistle and fog

debris swept from lawns, roads

living rooms ghosts

flattened shingles and twisted metal  treasures

there was so much silence

the tap of your hand

on my arm

was a sonic boom

compressing every sound wave

into one

gigantic sigh.

*****

Authors for Queensland made over $20,000 for the Flood Appeal! I enjoyed it so much (and Qlders now have the Yasi cyclone aftermath too), that I've decided to offer my last 5 stock copies of Repulsion Thrustposted anywhere for anyone who donates $10 or more to https://telethon.smartservice.qld.gov.au/donations/index. Just email me the receipt and your postal address and I'll get a copy to you straightaway. Thank you!

Indie Books Holiday Giveaway Event

Over at A Word Please, the marvellous Darcia Helle is holding an Indie Books Holiday Giveaway with over 76 titles (including a number of my books) from 47 authors.  I know you all like giveaways, so I thought I'd include a little link here and let you know that the event runs throughout the month of December and is open worldwide.  Do drop by and enter - you only need to fill in a form at the site.  What's an "Indie book?"  It's a book published by a publisher that is "independent of the major conglomerates that dominate the book publishing industry. Independent book publishers include small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors."  (that's from the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) website).   Because they tend not to have shareholders and high sales targets, Indie publishers often have more flexibility to be creative, innovative, and can work more quickly over longer periods of time than the conglomerates.  They are often more author friendly (especially for authors who aren't celebrities) and tend to be more focused on quality than on names or sales, and keep keep the whole industry more honest and reader/author friendly.  Of course their promotional budgets are smaller, so you might not see them in Walmart or your local supermarket, but rather in good bookstores (the kind that focus on books) or in shops like Amazon or via publisher sites.  Why not do something a little different this year and seek out smaller press, independent titles for gifts and your own reading.  You might be quite suprised at what you can find and you'll get that nice glow from knowing that you're supporting the book world in maintaining an all-important diversity.

Adopt-A-Dog Book giveaway

October is National Adopt-A-Dog Month, and to celebrate, Hatchette have kindly offered a delightful book pack including the following doggie themed books:

Katie Up and Down the Hall By Glenn Plaskin
Oogy By Larry Levin
GoD and DoG By Wendy Francisco
Dog Tags By David Rosenfelt
How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend By The Monks of New Skete

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada addresses only (sorry dog lovers in other parts of the world - I'll get something for you soon) and no PO Boxes. I'll choose a winner with my famous random selection tool on the 10th of November.  To enter, just send me an email with your postal address and the subject line "adopt-a-dog giveaway."  You can also enter by commenting on this post, but you might like to keep your postal address private (I'll delete all emails once I've chosen a winner).

Happy doggie month all you dog lovers.  With all the chickens and bunnies running around my place, a dog wouldn't be such a good idea, but I send dog wishes to you nonetheless, and also recommend that you celebrate by reading Paul Auster's terrific Timbuktoo if you haven't already.  Mr Bones is the perfect literary dog protagonist.

Another (fast) book giveaway

Today, Penguin Group launches a new monthly radio series called The Literary Life. Completely written, produced, and hosted by Penguin employees, The Literary Life features literary fiction and nonfiction from bestselling, critically acclaimed authors and fast-rising newcomers. It’s hosted by Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books. Each episode will debut on the last Tuesday of the month. In addition to candid interviews with authors, regular segments on The Literary Life include: Inside Publishing, featuring a publishing personality giving a behind-the-scenes look into the book industry; Writer’s Rant, where authors are given the floor to vent; and Penguin Mix Tape, featuring interviews and performances by musicians-turned-authors.

To celebrate the launch, we've got one of the 4 new books featured on this month’s show – Rosanne Cash’s Composed, Maile Meloy’s Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, Doug Dorst’s The Surf Guru or Sloane Crosley’s How Did You Get This Number.

To win, just send me an email at maggieball@compulsivereader.com with your postal address, and the title you want. You'll have to be fast, as this giveaway ends on Friday, 3rd September.

The debut episode of The Literary Life is now available for listening here and is downloadable from iTunes. In this episode, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, author of the new bestselling memoir Composed, answers questions and performs “The World Unseen.” Maile Meloy, author of the bestselling collection Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, and Doug Dorst, author of The Surf Guru and Alive in Necropolis, discuss the art of the short story. Sloane Crosley, author of the bestselling essay collections I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number, rants about punctuation.

Our first bloggie giveaway

The good folks at Hachette Book Group have offered us a bumper pack of books for those who live in places where July is summer. Winners will receive one set of the following HBG summer 2010 books:

Adam By Ted Dekker
The Island By Elin Hilderbrand
The Recessionistas By Alexandra Lebenthal
Rich Boy By Sharon Pomerantz
Backseat Saints By Joshilyn Jackson

To enter, just leave a comment with your email address, telling me what your favourite summer read has been this year so far.  The contest will be open until the 31st of July, and I will notify the winner on the first of August. I'm afraid that it's only open to those of you with a US or Canada mailing addresses.  I'll post your response next month in our 'best of summer reads' feature.  It's 1 degree where I am (and I live in a relatively warm climate!), but if I close my eyes, I can image a heat haze (from the wood fireplace if nothing else).  Good luck everyone!