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July 22, 2005

This week J.K. Rowling managed to keep millions of children --- and a fair number of adults --- glued to HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Around our house my older son said "I finished it" on Sunday, while my younger son uttered the same words on Monday. I think there should be a special award for an author who can get that many people reading, simultaneously. Also, I thought of all the kids who saw midnight for the first time in their lives last Saturday morning, not on New Year's Eve, but in a bookstore! Nice milestone.

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July 2005

If you are reading this newsletter, we know you are taking a break from reading the new Harry Potter book. From the looks of things readers all over the country will be glued to this book this weekend!

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What do you love most about the Harry Potter Series?

July 15, 2005

July 15, 2005

Wednesday night I made what I call a bookish pilgrimage. While I was in Denver I went to The Tattered Cover, which is revered by booklovers as one of the best independent bookstores in the country. I had a terrific time looking at their featured selections, browsing through new and old favorites, and seeing so many of the books that we had reviewed on their shelves. I have heard that more than 200 book clubs are run out of this store. I hope to do an interview with the woman who coordinates these soon for ReadingGroupGuides.com.

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Interview: Perri O'Shaughnessy, author of Case Of Lies

Jul 8, 2005

July 8, 2005

Bookreporter.com's Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Team (Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek) interviewed sisters Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy, who write under the pen name "Perri O'Shaughnessy." Pamela and Mary talk about some of the themes that appear in their latest Nina Reilly novel CASE OF LIES, including gambling and mathematics. They also explain the challenges of sustaining such a long-running series and share details about their next two projects: a collection of short stories each involving a crime, and a novel based on a real-life mystery surrounding their parents.

July 8, 2005

I am writing this from poolside at my hotel at Beaver Creek, Colorado where I am staring at the mountain that I am going to hike as soon as I am done. Talk about motivation. I have not been here in 11 years. The first time I was at this resort I was riding in a snowcat as the marketing and public relations people from Vail Associates were sharing their vision for the resort. Now, 25 years later I still am amazed at what has sprung up here. I am spending two days seeing old friends and catching up. It's a nice break from New York. Tomorrow I head to Denver for the Christian booksellers conference. One of my favorite authors, Charles Martin, is up for a Christy Award for Christian fiction writing. Looking forward to cheering him on.

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Interview: John Ramsey Miller, author of Upside Down

Jul 1, 2005

July 1, 2005

Carol Fitzgerald, Joe Hartlaub and Wiley Saichek interviewed John Ramsey Miller about his impressive feat of releasing three books --- INSIDE OUT, UPSIDE DOWN and SIDE BY SIDE --- in the span of just four months. Miller also shares tales of his less-than-smooth journey to having his work published, explains the personal attachments he has to his novels' settings, and discusses future possibilities for main protagonist Winter Massey and company.

July 1, 2005

I spent last weekend in Chicago at the American Library Association Convention. I love Chicago even with over 100 degree temperatures, which was what I found there all weekend. This was my first time at this conference and I enjoyed it immensely. The librarians I met were enthusiastic about their readers and I felt I was talking to kindred spirits when we met in the aisles and on the busses. While some were aware of our websites, many were not. May I ask you to print a copy of this newsletter and share it with your local librarians?

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Author Talk: Kate White, author of Over Her Dead Body

Jul 1, 2005

July 2005

Kate White is the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, author of the bestselling Bailey Weggins mystery series, and mother of two teenagers. Throughout the years she has learned various tricks and time-management strategies that have allowed her to write fiction on a consistent basis while holding a full-time job. In this essay White offers some helpful tips to those who would like to write a book but don't think they'd have the time or energy to complete such a massive undertaking.

July 2005

A couple of weeks ago I went to Chicago for the American Library Association Conference. It was a terrific opportunity to meet with librarians and think about ways that we can work better with them with ReadingGroupGuides.com. The librarians I met were enthusiastic about their readers and I felt I was talking to kindred spirits when we met in the aisles and on the convention busses. While some were aware of our websites, many were not. May I ask you to print a copy of this newsletter and share it with your local librarians?

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