The past week or two have been peak foliage colors here in New England. Fall is a magic time of year when tonal greens explode into gold, ruby and pumpkin. It always reminds me of Tolkein and the two trees of Valinor.

Although heavy rains have been washing away the leaves, leaving us to tidy up the faded brown husks that litter the lawn, some color remains.

So all my readers can get a taste of New England fall, I’ve attached a photo.

Frosts Turn New England Foliage to Gold

By now many of you have woken up hearing the cacophony of  Book Wars. Amazon and WalMart battling it out.

Book Wars can help authors by placing their products (books) front and center in the news and in people’s minds. Think of books, see books, buy books. At the price of $10 or $9 (or who knows, maybe the price has dropped further since this morning), readers can afford to buy stacks of books. Think about it- how many Christmas gifts can you buy that will last hours and only cost $10 (or less)?

Of course on the down side, authors may make less money with their books being sold half off (or more). But sales depend on price and volume. So selling more units at a lower price could yield similar revenue.

So, which is Darth Vader and which is Luke Skywalker? I’ll let you decide.

Bookmarked: The Last Oracle by James Rollins and The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Recently, I’ve been reading two fantastic books. I just completed The Last Oracle by James Rollins. This is a great thriller- fast paced with engaging characters. In brief (without ruining the story), the plot involves a search for the Oracle of Delphi that manages to tie in Russia, nuclear accidents, India, gypsies, and children with supernormal abilities. If all that sounds like a tall order, don’t worry, it all ties together and keep you totally entertained, I promise. What I loved about this book (beside the non-stop action) was how Rollins blended science, history and a present crises for a potent, intriguing dilemma. This is just the sort of mix I find fascinating and what I brew up in my novels. What will really get you with this book is that the characters come to life and by the end, you may want your tissue box nearby even if, like me, you don’t cry at the drop of a hat (that’s as much as I’ll say on the ending). I picked up this book after hearing James Rollins speak at Thrillerfest and enjoying his presentation. So, this is my plug for Thrillerfest. Not only will you learn from amazing writers, you’ll find favorite books as well.

The next book I recommend is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I was given this book by a family member who thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I have to give a disclaimer that I have not yet finished the book (although I assure you, I could sit here the rest of the day and finish the last hundred pages or so, but I might then to wander around in dirty clothes the rest of the week). The characters in this book seem so real you are expecting them to tap you on the shoulder and sit down for coffee in your kitchen. The situations they find themselves in and they way they tell their stories keep you on the edge of your seat and reaching for the tissue box (I went through a LOT of tissues this week, let me tell you). Even though the book hits smack on a difficult issue (racial relations in the mid-1900s America, deep in the heart of Mississippi), this book draws you into that world and holds you there. There is no preaching or posturing, just laying open lives.

If you want to fine-tune your writing craft or just want an amazing reading experience, either of these novels will be a great choice.

It’s October and that cool snap to the air means fall is here. Leaf season is just starting. I’m looking forward to some beautiful reds and golds. Hopefully, I can get outside on a clear blue day and shoot some photos.

In my last blog entry on OTHER blogs for writers, I highlighted several great blogs. But, there are two more that I want to add to the blogroll as I believe any writer or publishing industry maven could find some gems in them.

Romance University is a wonderful craft blog aimed mainly toward writers and written by writers. There are also editor and agent guest bloggers, which really enriches the content. Today’s post falls under their series on understanding the male mind. If you haven’t visited, try it and I’m sure you’ll be pleased by the breadth of content. Here is the link: http://romanceuniversity.org/

Another excellent blog is literary agent Nathan Bransford’s  blog. Today’s post is about Banned Book Week. (I must confess, I didn’t realize it was Banned Book Week until I read the post, so it was worth it right there logging on). I have a great fondness for banned books because often books are banned for not fitting into someone’s agenda. This makes me want to read them all the more to find out why someone else doesn’t want me to read them. I’m a firm believer in freedom of speech so long as the content is not inciting racial hatred or violence against others. Here’s Nathan’s link:  http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

Both of these sites will be added to the blogroll.

Enjoy the lovely weather!