May 17, 2013

`POSTED THIS BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT: Article by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware ~ Writer Beware ® Blogs!: Outrageous French Copyright Grab: ReLIRE Goes Live

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware 

Just over a year ago, I wrote about a new French law that, under the guise of dealing with the pressing issue of orphan works, implements a truly massive rights transfer.

The law empowers the Bibliothèque Nationale de France to create an online database of works published in France before 2001 that are currently out of print (this includes not just works by French writers, but foreign works translated into French). Once a work has been listed in the database for more than six months, the right to digitize it transfers to a collective management organization, which thereafter has near-unlimited power to exploit that right--including granting it to publishers without the author's permission. The collective management organization will also be responsible for distributing (an unspecified portion of) the proceeds from such grants to rightsholders.
READ MORE AT:
Writer Beware ® Blogs!: Outrageous French Copyright Grab: ReLIRE Goes Live

May 16, 2013

Its Story Time: GUIDELINES for It's Story Time and Chapter Book Review

Its Story Time: GUIDELINES for It's Story Time and Chapter Book Review

GUIDELINES for It's Story Time and Chapter Book Review

 For It's Story Time:
To read  your children's picture book on, It's Story Time, Saturdays at 10am est, 9AM cst, 8AM mst & 7AM pst, books need to be a storybook/picture book and be at least 8 to 12 minutes long when read aloud or if your book is shorter we will add another author's book of the same duration on one show.   
We need:
to send a physical copy of the book. The book is needed even though you are reading the book yourself on the show to see the length of the book, scan and display 4 to 5 pictures from it, one being the cover, and have it in case we have technical problems to finish the show. (It does happen! :D )

.OR you can send us a PDF file of your book, plus 4 to 5 JPEGS /pictures from the inside of the book, one being the cover.
We Need you to Call in the show at 10 minutes to show time: 10am est, 9AM cst, 8AM mst & 7AM pst. WE will send you an email with the phone number to call and the show's link at 
Blog Talk Radio.

For Chapter Book Previews: 
Authors who come on can read THEIR favorite passage from their chapter books: about a ten minute reading. The show will need a copy of the book in pdf or rtf to view and the exact passage specified as well as a jpeg of the book's cover. 


WE CAN READ YOUR BOOK FOR YOU if you like. If you live outside of the USA or would just like us to read your book for you we can do that. AUTHOR Jan Britland, of the Rodger Dodger Dog series will be reading books for authors in the show. 

It is a FREE show for everyone to listen to, and the shows are archived and can be listened to at another time listeners want to.  Our audience is 20,000 and up!


Books given the us are sent to the Children's Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.

Here's the link, check It's Story Time on The World of Ink Network out: 
It's Story Time,on the WORLD OF INK NETWORK:http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork


Also, if your book is going to be read on the show, PLEASE send me your book trailer or its link on YouTube so it can be added to the YouTube player! THANKS!

To contact, email us at:  itsstorytimeforkids AT gmail  DOT com

April 23, 2013

Sketch for The Boy In The Leaves; a short story

This is a sketch for a short story called, The Boy In The Leaves, which will be in my short story collection: SHORT STORIES AND OTHER IMAGININGS FOR THE READING SPOT.

In the story, two boys stumble on a horrible truth about child abuse.

April 14, 2013

What I'm Working On


Right now I'm working on a book of my adult short stories called, Short Stories and Other Imaginings For The Reading Spot. Some pictures will be sketching and some in shades of gray, (not fifty shades!) This one is for a story called Spiders, a short short, about two paragraphs long. In the story the woman is working an apple press while she thinks about the things that are happening in her life.


sketch for Janoose & The Fall feather Fair





Another project I'm doing sketches for is a sequel for my children's book, Janoose The Goose  called, Janoose & The Fall Feather Fair. The Fox returns to Free Range Farm and he wants something from Janoose!
This book I co-wrote with my grandson. It's in the sketching stage as you can see by the picture. Hope you will come back to see how these two projects progress.
Thanks, JD







March 27, 2013

March 19, 2013

THE BOOK REPORT: Sandra Balzo's Maggy Thorsen Mystery Series


I thought I like to take a moment here and talk about a cozy mystery book series I started reading: Sandra Balzo's Maggy Thorsen Mysteries.
BREWED, CRUDE & TATTOOED
I first must admit I have a reading list: jotted down titles, authors and even one character name on it, which I had crossed out long ago having forgotten what book or author it was linked to. This forgettable list is on three ringed looseleaf notebook paper, folded, smudged, crinkled up and barely any room left other than the margin to add another title to, and is tucked on the end of my favorite mystery bookshelf in my livingroom.
When I started the list, (probably two decades ago now,) I had the books listed in the order they were to be bought and read. Very simple: first come, first read. And over the years it has come to the unfortunate truth that books on my list, no matter who the author might be, stand little chance of being read. You see, I'm more apt to pick up a book and just decide to read it there and then rather than check the old thing on the shelf. Unfortunately, one of the Maggy Thorsen mystery series books was on the list.
From The Grounds Up
I don't usually buy the list's contenders up front. However, it must have been a couple of years ago that I did pick up one of them: Brewed, Crude and Tattooed by Sandra Balzo! And so it was on an early fall day that I looked over my bookshelves and there it was, like new and unread.
I enjoy fall weather and, I actually look forward to snow, as long as I don't have to drive in it. The thoughts of a nice snow storm to keep us home and comfy was all I needed to sit down and join the occupants of the Uncommon Grounds coffeehouse and wait out the storm.
I was not disappointed. All Sandra Balzo's characters are 'real.' I find the author has a unique insight into human nature and relationships which she weaves into fast pace and shrewd plots that kept me racing through the story. And I can imagine knowing the people in Maggie's town of Brookhills as a place I could live. And if a person or two gets bump off in every book, well, it would just help weed out the trouble makers.
Maggy Thorsen is a well form—believable character, and it never fails that Maggy's flippant and saucy thoughts and banter move these stories along making you smile and laugh. Just wait for them! You won't be disappointed.
I love how Maggie see her relationship with Sheriff Jake Pavlik. Though he is a little standoffish for me and I'd like nothing better than to smack the back of his head once in a while to wake him up. And Frank. He's you 'every person's dog.'
I have since read From The Grounds UP: ANOTHER delight!
My apologies to Ms. Balzo for adding her book to my list and my thanks to her. I love her books and have plans to get ALL her others.
NO, I won't be adding Ms. Balzo's other titles to the margin of my reading list! :D

Sandra Balzo's site: http://sandybalzo.com/