Want 950 000... Pounds?

The "National Lottery Committee, P O Box 1010, L70 1NL UNITED KINGDOM" want to give me 950 000.

They don’t say what.

Whatever they are, I don’t want them, but if you do, please contact Zonal Coordinator, Mr.Micheal Adamz, on his e-mail address: (mic_healadamz@yahoo.fr). Or try Mrs.Rose Mosa, the national co-ordinator.

Hitting the Big Time. With Style.

Writing a book, finding an agent, going into negotiations on a deal with a big publisher. What an adventure!

If you want to live it vicariously, to see someone do it with style, with what Hemingway called "grace under pressure", look no further than Patricia J DeLois' blog, Pencils and Whatnot.

The good folk at Litopia should really take note of how this is done.

Harry Kalmer Goes Big

My good friend, author and playwright, Harry Kalmer, has got a new high profile blog, My Liewe Land, on the Rapport site. And I know for a fact that if Harry wrote it, it's going to be a great read.

My Rosebank

I've been thinking for some time that it would be great to have some kind of community blog for the suburb. And it seems some great minds have got there before me.

As they did me the honour of inviting me, I joined the community with alacrity.

Cox Slams AAA

Literary agent, and creator of Litopia, Peter Cox has accused the Association of Authors Agents (AAA), of being 'unprofessional and complacent'.

You can read the full story at The BookShed.

Where else?

Channelling Sophie - Patricia J DeLois.

When it comes to photographs Patricia J DeLois, author of Bufflehead Sisters, is as elusive as a Salinger. When I suggested that an image, even of someone else, might be useful for marketing purposes. DeLois, if only briefly, considered her friend Joan.

"At one time there was talk of Joan posing as me. I first typed Buffleheads on a Mac Classic that I bought from Joan. She pointed out that the software was still licensed to her, so if any issues of authorship arose, she could claim to have written it. Should any appearances on Oprah be called for, I'm sending Joan. I've sent you the book cover."

You can find out how DeLois discovered Sophie, or vice versa, at IdentityTheory.

Renowned Author and Publisher, Lynn Price, responds...

"I find this post neither "friendly" nor amusing because it smacks of a personal vendetta you continue to have with me even though you're no long a member of Litopia. I have no idea why you've chosen to single me out and take personal affront at anything I've ever written on Litopia, but it's rather unprofessional.

As editorial director for our publishing company, I critique writers - it's a fact of life and it most certainly isn't personal on my part. The same goes when I critique on Litopia - it isn't personal - yet you've chosen to interpret it as so. This says far more about you and your inability to accept critique than it does me, as an editor.Would you post untruths about Kirkus or Publisher's Weekly if they gave you or one of your friends a less than stellar review? All this does is reveal how little you understand the industry and about maintaining a professional demeanor.

I'd also be interested to know what makes you believe only my fingerprints were on your friend's initial rejection. Litopia works by getting a quorum of input - not just one opinion. Your belief in my influence and blind rancor is quite misplaced."

Lynn Price - www.behlerpublications.com

Gosh, Lynne. You didn't make the judgement call by yourself? There were others involved?

The author who caused all the trouble: Patrica DeLois. Her book: Bufflehead Sisters.

More on that Word

Andisiwe Makinana also picked up on the Biko extract in an interesting article in the Daily News.

"Like Binhoudt, Khoza was in a position of authority and was not to be questioned. He used the word in the same way Binhoudt used it on Biko. In saying, "Stop thinking like a kaffir", couldn't he be suggesting that there are people who can legitimately be referred to as kaffirs? "

Demythologizing the K-word.

I note that my recreation of the death of Steve Biko, who calls his torturers “kaffirs”, has got some interesting responses here. I continue to believe that we would do better to unpack words than ban them. If a word becomes too powerful, it is a sign that there is trouble in society, not in the word.

And the winner is...

Two BookShed writers are celebrating wins in the prestigious Arts Council England 'Book of the Year' competition.

Patricia J DeLois celebrates a second victory in the adult category for 'Penguins in Amsterdam, and Dave Wardale is one of the winners in the Children's category for 'Get Santa'.

Read the full story here.