* Alison Kent has a thought-provoking article over on Genreality about learning to let go of manuscripts that won’t sell, and when she can’t. How *do* you know when it’s time to tell a beloved project goodbye?
* Over at Random Fresh Ink, Shannon wants someone to explain the Twilight phenomena to her. I saw the movie on the flight en route home from the London Book Fair and have still to figure out how to articulate my thoughts on it. Of course, I was also jet-lagged and I’m not sure if that helped or hindered it. Meanwhile, Kameron Hurley reviews Last King of Scotland (which I saw some time back and also recommend). In other movie news, suricattus weighs in on the new Star Trek (and, no, I still haven’t seen it). Me? This weekend I got to see Arsenic and Old Lace again (which reminded me that watching this as a child probably contributed to my interest in crime fiction, serial killers, profiling, etc.)
* Donna Ball reports that it’s strawberry season and she is making strawberry pie. Readers of her Ladybug Farm
* C.E. Murphy has created an Ireland 2010 calendar with photos from her own collection.
Et in arcaedia, ego. 
I enjoyed the Alison Kent piece. Thank you for sharing.
Arsenic and Old Lace was one of my favorites as a child, though I think my fascination had more to do with the idea that being batshit crazy didn’t mean you were unworthy of love.
Oh, thanks for the link!
Thanks for the Allison Kent link. I’m shopping for an agent with my first novel right now. I’m a bit too early in the process to know whether this one will end up in my scrap pile, but I feel better knowing that not everything sells, even for very successful authors. Her candor is the kind of priceless information emerging writers like me need.
Strawberry Champagne Jam? Any chance you might post the recipe? We’re in the midst of an amazing strawberry season, and that sounds fantastic…
You can find it over on my cooking blog at:
http://www.of2minds.org/spice/archives/001219.html
Ooh, I wonder if that could be adapted to blackberries? (My favorite jam fruit, being as they’re feral and plentiful here in Seattle.)
I haven’t been to Seattle since my cousin moved away from there!
The blackberry pie alone is worth a trip back, though. Maybe I’ll come during Seattle’s next rainy season 🙂
Thank you!
I didn’t know there was a second Ladybug Farm book! Off to pre-order, I loved the first SOOOOO much!
arsenic and old lace
just a random fun bit of trivia but one of your LJ stalkers… err uhm, readers once lived in the house where the crazy lady did her crazy stuff. (i’ll give you a hint… its not not me) just thought you might find that tidbit amusing.
and for your own enjoyment (based on my mother’s report, i was only an infant) the basement stairs didn’t have risers so they were open-backed (or monster stairs as she calls them… you know… the kind where monsters can reach out and grab your foot) and the basement, where she buried some of the bodies, was a dirt floor. creepy, no?
Thanks for sharing. Some really good links in this post.
darkened_jade
http://darkenedjade.blogspot.com