Shouting from the Rooftop!

The other day I posted my piece of shameless self-promotion with an IndieBound link and was told today that Run, Turkey, Run! is #10 on the November 12 IndieBound Children's Illustrated Bestsellers! Wow, I should be shameless more often!

Doin' the happy dance!

Haiku Sticky #18

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

Shameless Self-Promotion

In a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving. If you have a little one in your life you might want to consider getting him or her a book for the holiday. How about Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr (ME!) with illustrations by Laura Rader (Walker & Co., 2007). The book came out in paperback just last week (9780802784810).

For the longest time Run, Turkey, Run! was my favorite of everything I had written. I used to say that if it were ever published I could die happy. Let me tell you, the road to publication was not an easy one--it was rejected 25 times before finally being picked up! I believed in it and kept sending it out. My faith was rewarded.

If I go anytime soon, though, I'll only be half-happy. Now, I tell myself, "If you could get Kids of the Homefront Army: Poems of World War II published, you could die happy." Hey, if that's ever going to happen, I'd better get off my butt and send it out again! (I came very close, but I had to place my gut instinct above editorial suggestions.)

Poetry Friday--Haiku, A "New View"

John S. O'Connor's recent post, "A New View on Haiku," on the Poetry Foundation's blog, explains that haiku isn't simply a 5-7-5 form. Yeah! I hope the view is finally ready to be accepted!

I'd like to introduce you to four haiku/senryu sites where you'll be able to expand on the view for yourself:

The Four Seasons of Haiku. Click on "Autumn" for the current season.

Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry.

Prune Juice: Journal of Senryu and Kyoka.

The Haiku Foundation: Montage. A Haiku gallery.

The Round-Up this week is being hosted by Wild Rose Reader.

Poetry Stretch

Check out the Miss Rumphius Effect "Monday poetry stretch" for this week. I had quite a bit of fun with it, but, since it had funky formatting, I had to scan it and post here as an image.



© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

Haiku Sticky #17

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved

Is This the End?

I'm sure you've all heard of the "price war" on books taking place online. If you're a consumer, it's a great opportunity to buy a book cheap. For the price warriors it means publicity, and sales at a loss, but with perhaps future sales to make up for any losses.

What does it mean for a writer? It means a devaluation of the art of literature. The loss of publishing options. And, it may be a death knoll for up and coming writers.

If you haven't seen it, I direct you to a piece by William Petrocelli, in the Huffington Post.

For readers it may be the end of choice. Think about it--do you want Target and Walmart deciding what reading choices you'll have in the future?

So sad...