And The Winner Is...

...with 152 votes (46.2%)...

SOUL SIFTER 

Sixteen-year-old London Howell doesn't know what to do when a strange girl appears and claims he "created" her.

Congratulations, Lori!

I'd also like to take a moment to honorably mention Soul Stalker (2nd place with 61 votes) and Reaper (3rd place with 50 votes). We had a bunch of amazing books, and I wish everyone the best in their quest for publication.

I'm thrilled with the turn-out--329 voters! Thanks for voting, everyone!

Now that the Great Query Contest is in the books, we can turn to something new. A couple of days ago, Nathan Bransford dropped the shocking news that he is no longer a literary agent. Let's all take a moment to raise our symbolic glasses and wish him well at CNET.

Several weeks ago, Ollin over at Courage to Create asked his readers to come up with their "if someone you knew only had ONE YEAR to live these would be THE 5 books you would tell them to read" list.

I've been mulling that one over in my spare time.*

*3:24-3:27am last Tuesday. 

So, now I throw it to you. What are your top five books of all time?  Post your picks in the comments.

BTW, Legacy goes to the printer in the next two weeks, so please excuse me if my posts become brief, rambling, or non-existent between now and Thanksgiving.

Make My Day

The wonderful crew over at Books Complete Me did a group review of Adversary.  Here's what they had to say: http://www.bookscompleteme.com/2010/09/review-adversary-by-kate-kaynak.html

I'm giddy over this one. I LOVE that other people are hanging out with my imaginary friends!

Now, as we get closer to the HUGE, INCREDIBLE, EXCITING contest that's coming late next week, I have another little piece of advice from the rock star of lit agents here in blogospace: Nathan Bransford.



Happy Weekend!

...But I Wouldn't Want to Live There

Yesterday, Nathan Bransford posted the question:

If You Could Live in the World of One Novel, Which One Would You Choose?

Most of the really amazing stories take place under terrible circumstances, though. It's like the old Chinese curse:

May you live in interesting times.

Yeah, my first choice would be to live in Minder's Ganzfield world. I kinda already do anyway--I look up from writing and THIS world seems strange and unfamiliar.

And very, very interesting.

Speaking of which, please watch the book trailer to support Nothing But Nets.

So, back to Mr. Bransford's question: where would YOU live?

A Novel Approach to Dating

Yesterday, Nathan Bransford blogged about "gap" books, the books that everyone seems to have read but you.

I had two reactions to this topic.

First, I don't have gap books; I have gap movies. I can read on the playground or while the kids give themselves haircuts with nail scissors. But babysitters, tickets, and popcorn cost beaucoup bux. If I intend to read something, I do--except when I'm writing a first draft, when I hold off reading other people's fiction so it won't mess with my voice. That being said, my desktop "intend to read" pile is more than two feet high. But the ones that everyone's talking about I pull out first--I hate being left out of the conversation.

Second, every third comment (and there were over 250 of them) seemed to rag on TWILIGHT. Someone compared to fan fiction. Others made a point of saying that they'd intentionally avoided reading the series--as though, if they hadn't been on their guard, BREAKING DAWN might've flown off the shelf at Borders and latched, parasitically, onto their brains.

What's up with all the hate for popular fiction? Are people trying to prove that they're too "upscale" or "literate" to enjoy these things?

The same thing happened when the movie TITANIC came out.
At first, everyone lost their minds because it was SO GOOD.

Next, we read about ALL THE RECORDS it broke, and we collectively pictured James Cameron (or J.K. Rowling, or Stephenie Meyer) rolling around giggling on a big pile of money, a la Scrooge McDuck.


Then, everyone seemed to mock it and pull it apart. Is it envy? Are people trying to distance themselves from their initial reaction of exuberant emotion? It's almost like people BREAK UP with the story.

"Yeah, TWILIGHT and I went out for a while, but it wasn't right for me. I need to be with a more intellectual story."

But even though we're not dating HARRY POTTER anymore, most of us can still be friends.