Culture Shocker Bookish

2003-08-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

Multi-talented author pens outstanding debut novel

Given all his other glittering accomplishments, it’s no surprise award-winning songwriter and author Rupert Holmes’ first novel Where The Truth Lies (Random House) is both engrossing and hilarious....Full Story

2003-08-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Comicbook Writer, William Woolfolk, Dead at 86

William Woolfolk, a writer who created stories for comic book characters like Batman and Captain Marvel as well as the '60s television show "The Defenders," died last month in Syracuse. He was 86...Full Story

2003-08-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Who's That Girl?

She's basking in the glory of "Sex and the City," her husband is a beautiful dancer who is ten years younger than her, and her new novel is a New York Times best-seller. That's the enviable life of Candace Bushnell, a 44-year-old author who is attracting movie-star attention....Full Story

2003-08-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Unauthorized Bio Has Van Morrison Crying the Blues

The performer best known for singing "Brown Eyed Girl" is seeing red over an unauthorized biography coming out in the U.S. next month.

Can You Feel the Silence , by rock biographer Clinton Heylin, presents Van Morrison as a gifted musician and troubled man. It also, according to Morrison's lawyers, libels him with lies about his sex life and violates the copyright on his songs. Those lawyers are warning the biography's U.S. publisher, Chicago Review Press, that it could be in for legal trouble if it goes ahead with the book...Full Story

2003-08-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

In Shocker Music News

Dave Matthews' Latest Project

Ruben Breaks Idol Rules

Spears and Timberlake: Together Again?

Carly Simon Spills The Beans

The Strokes almost done on next album

Something New For Your Ears: 'I'm In Heaven' by Jason Nevins, featuring Holly James

Read all these stories and more at Shocker Music News.

2003-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Dead Men Tell No Tales

The obituary of comedian Bob Hope, who died Sunday, carried the byline of Vincent Canby - a Times writer who has been dead himself since 2000....Full Story

2003-07-23T23:14:00.000-07:00

Opportunity for writers

(SUBMITTED BY SUBSCRIBER) It's family reunion season. Many families have traced their "Roots" and meet annualy to reminisce and make new memories. It's a time when we often overdo it at the picnic table or at the catered tables laden with edible goodies.

Stay alert to stories and anecdotes about eating to fulfillment and send us your funny stories and cuplrit recipes; that is, the recipes of dishes you just
couldn't stop eating.

The Corlyn family is compiling a book of family reunion stories and recipes. Send us your funny story/culprit recipe about eating a bit too much and if your story is chosen for the book, you'll receive a signed copy FREE.

Come on. See your name in print and share the laughs.

Send your entry to: mcelderri@earthlink.net

Entries accepted through November 2003.

2003-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Communist Vietnam releases first authorized translation of new Harry Potter book

Everybody's favorite wizard not only outwits evil Lord Voldemort and saves the day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry -- he also casts quite a spell in Vietnamese...Full Story

2003-07-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

The End of the Line for Penthouse?

Penthouse Magazine, long a staple of adolescent fantasies and a favorite topic of discussion for Howard Stern, could soon be disappearing from the publishing world. What’s more, by next week Penthouse founder Bob Guccione could lose his fabled Penthouse Mansion, a century-old residence that is one of the largest private homes in Manhattan....Full Story

2003-07-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

New Book Claims KKK has Scottish Roots

A SECRET society of "horse whisperers" formed by ploughmen in the rolling farmlands of Buchan spawned the notorious Ku Klux Klan in the Southern states of the United States.

That is the astonishing claim made by a Scottish veterinary surgeon in a book to be published later this month, detailing the rise and fall of the mysterious societies of horsemen that spread from the farms of the north-east of Scotland throughout Britain and then across the Atlantic....Full Story.

2003-07-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Strictly For Writers: 10 grammar mistakes people often make

You may think, "Grammar, schmammar. Usage, schmusage," but when you use words incorrectly, you sound as funny as someone wearing underwear for a hat looks...Full Story

2003-07-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Pakistan pirates hit Harry Potter

Pirated versions of the latest Harry Potter book have appeared on sale in Pakistan - outselling JK Rowling's official version.

One bookseller, Jameel Hussain, said at least five different versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were on the market.

Priced at between 295-495 rupees (£3-5, $5-8.50), they are proving hugely popular in competition with the $29.99 (£18) official version....Full Story

2003-06-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

2003-06-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

'I Wish I Was Invisible'

The multi-millionaire writer of the Harry Potter series, author JK Rowlinga, dmitted she longed for the power to disappear - just like Harry when he dons his invisible cloak....Full Story.

2003-06-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ten Things Harry Potter Has Over Hillary Rodham-Clinton

Copyright © 2003, Bill Platt

the Phantom Writers

http://thePhantomWriters.com

Fox News asked the more important question of the day. They asked what Harry Potter has over Hillary Rodham-Clinton in the draw at bookstores in America.

My wife and I contemplated this question, and this is what we came up with:

1. The Harry Potter books are fiction and are on the fiction shelf at the bookstore. Hillary's book is fiction but is on the non-fiction shelf at the bookstore.

2. Harry is interesting. Hillary is not.

3. Millions of people love Harry. Millions of people do not love Hillary.

4. Harry is a wizard. Hillary is a witch.

5. Harry is all of that. Hillary just thinks she is.

6. Harry has a wand. Hillary has Bill.

7. England is proud to call Harry their own. Arkansas is glad Hillary is in New York.

8. Everyday Americans want Harry to stay in America. Everyday Americans would be glad if Hillary left America.

9. With Harry's book, you anticipate every word until the end. With Hillary's book, you just pray that it will end.

10. All of the demons in Harry's world are fictitious.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bill Platt owns The Phantom Writers, a company committed to helping people to establish an Internet presence & promote their businesses through the use of Free-Reprint Articles and Press Releases. Articles are distributed to 6,000+ publishers & webmasters as part of the package. http://thePhantomWriters.com

Do you write your own articles? Let us distribute them for you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

2003-06-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

2003-06-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

The piece below is fictional, but funny!

Hillary Shares A Few Details

by Melvin Durai

Hillary Clinton's long-awaited memoir "Living History" has shot to the top of the bestseller list, attracting readers of all stripes -- Democrats who love nonfiction books, as well as Republicans eager for some good fiction.

An astounding 200,000 people bought the book the first day, plunking down $28 to relive the Clinton years (1992-2000), a period known to many Americans as "the last time we had jobs."

To promote the book, the former first lady, who will receive $8 million from the publisher, has already granted a dozen interviews to the media, all of them exclusive. NBC's Katie Couric got the exclusive morning interview, CNN's Larry King got the exclusive live interview, and ABC's Barbara Walters got the exclusive fluff interview. And I'm proud to bring you the exclusive humor-column interview.

MELVIN: "Welcome to my column, Senator Clinton. Without wasting any time, let's get to the juicy stuff. When you heard about your husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky, how badly did you beat him up? And who administered the first aid?"

CLINTON: "Well, I was furious, you know. I wanted to wring his neck. I wanted to kick his butt. I wanted to cut off his you-know-what."

M: "How did you resist?"

C: "Compassion. Kindness. Mercy. And the fact that the Secret Service was nearby."

M: "Soon after that, you and your husband went on vacation to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. Is that where you kissed and made up?"

C: "No, not at all. I was still seething. Buddy, the dog, came along to give Bill company. And to remind him what might happen to him if he couldn't control his urges."

M: "Ouch! Do you think he got the message?"

C: "Well, he didn't have another affair, did he? It helped, of course, that I marked all his underwear with a special message: 'Go ahead, make my day.'"

M: "You've written extensively about the Lewinsky scandal, but you haven't discussed your husband's previous affairs with Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers and other women."

C: "The book is 562 pages. How long did you want it to be? If I had the energy to recount every affair, I'd need to publish a series. It would be like Harry Potter, but with
more tricks."

M: "You haven't written much about your daughter, Chelsea, either. Don't you think the public deserves to know what she did in the White House, whom she dated, and where she got her hair done?"

C: "No, I don't think so. I've always tried to keep Chelsea out of the spotlight. I respect her privacy. Besides, she said to me, 'Mom, please don't write about me in your book.
I deserve my own million-dollar book deal.'"

M: "What about the controversial pardons your husband granted just before leaving office? You didn't even mention them."

C: "Well, I did write about one pardon -- the pardon I gave him. That was the pardon everyone wanted to know about. That was the most controversial pardon."

M: "Final question, Senator Clinton. Political analysts say you are gearing up for a presidential run in 2008. Is America finally ready for a female president?"

C: "Yes, I think America is ready. I'm just not sure if I'm ready. Bill is already lobbying to be Secretary of State. But with his history, I'm not sure if I should put him in
charge of foreign affairs."

----------------------------------------------------------

(c) Copyright 2003 Melvin Durai. All Rights Reserved.

Melvin Durai is an Indiana-based writer and humorist. A native of India, he grew up in Zambia and moved to the U.S. in the early 1980s. To read his previous columns or subscribe to them, go to his website: http://www.MelvinDurai.com

2003-06-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

Issue In The World Of Publishing

"In the past few years, a curious literary genre known as 'fan fiction' has been flourishing. The term refers to all manner of vignettes, short stories and novels based on the universes described in popular books, TV shows and movies. Similarly derived works are appearing in music, where fans are using their computers to mix songs from popular artists into new works that they call 'mashups.' Movie fans are taking digital copies of films such as the 'Star Wars' epics and creating alternate endings or deleting characters such as the much-maligned Jar Jar Binks. The explosion of these part-original, part-borrowed works has set authors of fan fiction against some media companies in a battle to redefine the line between consumers' right to 'fair use' and copyright holders' rights to control their intellectual property."

Full Story

2003-06-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter Hijacked!

Thousands of Harry Potter books worth about $1.68 million were stolen from a warehouse in the north of England over the weekend, police said Tuesday.

It happened on Merseyside, near the northern English city of Liverpool, on Sunday.

2003-06-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

Lapdancing Killed The Striptease

Photographer Juliana Beasley documents the new art of lap-dancing in here new book. And Slate has a slide show to review this scandalous new book. (Warning: The slide show contains explicit images and text.)

To view it click here.

2003-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Here Comes Harry

Bookseller anxiety that everything will go smoothly for what will be the biggest bookselling weekend of the year continues to mount as the on-sale date nears for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Even with the largest first and second printings ever-6.8 million and 1.7 million copies, respectively, for a total of 8.5 million books in print-booksellers worry about running out of stock. One rumor making the rounds is that if Scholastic had not discouraged retailers from placing overly large orders, the initial buys for the fifth volume of the Harry Potter series would actually top 16 million...Full Story

2003-06-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Then Again, Maybe Not

AOL Time Warner Inc. has decided to not sell its book publishing division. The company had been in talks with various buyers, inculding Random House. However, a spokesperson yesterday said they had recieved no intresting offers.

"Frankly, we didn't receive an offer that reflected the true value of the asset," said AOL Time Warner spokeswoman Tricia Primrose.

Selling the book divison was a effort by the company to net it's to $20 Billion debt by the end of 2004. However, things have been looking up for the company, with a $750 million settlement with Microsoft Corp. and the sale of AOL's Comedy Central stake to Viacom Inc., leaving no rush to liquidate the publishing division.

2003-06-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Used Book Market Growing at Rapid Clip

According to PW Daily for Booksellers, "One out of every 10 book buyers bought a used book in the last nine months, according to research presented by Ipsos Book Trends at a BEA panel entitled The Used Book Market: Fact or Fiction? The data was based on a sampling of 16,000 households.

According to Barrie Rappaport of Ipsos, the rise in book sales can be attributed to the changing demographic of the general book buyer, who is less affluent and educated than in previous years and less likely to buy books in large quantities. In addition, the Internet and ease with which customers can track down titles online have contributed to the spike in sales.

Leisure reading, such as mysteries, romance and science fiction, primarily in mass market format, are the bestselling used titles. Used nonfiction tends to sell better online than in retail stores. Rappaport also said the data suggested that stores in areas with affluent empty nesters, retirees and low-income book buyers might benefit the most by adding used books to their retail mix."

2003-06-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Focused Buying By Random House

Random House is looking to expand it’s boundaries by buying the books division of AOL Time Warner "The possible sale has captivated the attention of the book industry because AOL Time Warner's books division, home to Little, Brown and Warner Books, is one of the handful of major houses with the willingness and wherewithal to spend heavily to acquire and market books. It is the fifth-largest publisher, and the possibility of its acquisition by Random House touches perennial fears among authors and agents about industry consolidation. Authors' groups say consolidation threatens to diminish the diversity of new books as well as the advances paid to authors..." Full Story

2003-05-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

American Culture's Debt to Gay Sons of Harvard

In his new book, Douglass Shand-Tucci says that the environment Harvard provided for gays shaped their later contributions to American culture...Full Story.

2003-05-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

If Video Killed The Radio Star, Then Libraries Killed The Author

"In "Library: An Unquiet History," Matthew Battles shows that the history of libraries is the history of the destruction of books. Mr. Battles interviews a colleague about a couple who survived the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s. They ran out of firewood and had to make choices about which books to burn in order to cook and stay warm. Mr. Battles's interlocutor explains how this forced the couple to think critically: "One must prioritize. First, you burn old college textbooks, which you haven't read in thirty years. Then there are the duplicates. But eventually, you're forced to make tougher choices. Who burns today: Dostoevsky or Proust?" "......Full Story.

2003-05-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Cloudstreet tops the lot as authors select their very best 40 Australian books

TIM Winton's novel Cloudstreet is the best Australian book of all time, his fellow authors say. The novel, published in 1991, tops a list of Australia's 40 best books nominated by members of the Australian Society of Authors...Full Story

2003-05-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

A Holocaust Rescuer Remembered

Irene Gut Opdyke, with Jennifer Armstrong the co-author of the 1999 memoir In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, died Saturday, May 17, in Fullerton, Calif., near her home in Yorba Linda. She was in her early 80s.

Even among Holocaust memoirs--a genre studded with extraordinary stories--Opdyke's autobiography looms large, as PW said in its review, one of many to praise the book for its substance as well as its literary merits. A 17-year-old Catholic nursing student when Germany invaded her native Poland, Opdyke suffered personally at the hands of both Russians and Germans but went on to repeatedly risk her life to aid Jews. When she was obliged to become the housekeeper of a German officer, she hid 12 Jews within his villa (all of them survived the war).

Following the war, Opdyke was smuggled out of Poland and came to the U.S. in 1949. She married William Opdyke, a former U.N. officer, raised their daughter and ran an interior-decorating business. But in the 1970s, when Opdyke began to hear people denying the reality of the Holocaust, she made it her mission to speak out. She began addressing audiences in synagogues, churches and schools, and, despite serious liver illness, she continued her public visits until April of this
year.

Urged by her listeners to write a book, Opdyke published her memoir with Armstrong in 1999; it is available in hardcover from Knopf, and as an Anchor paperback (120,000 copies are in print, combined). Armstrong told PW Daily, "I'm very proud to have known her, and very sad to see her go. She was one of the most loving and generous people I have ever met. It is awe-inspiring to me that someone can have so many terrible things happen to her and can come out of it not hating
everyone or being bitter. I think everyone who knew her will miss her."

Interviewed for PW on the publication of In My Hands, Opdyke said she wanted people, especially young people, to learn from history and to summon courage in the presence of hate. "I am the richest person in the world," she said. "I asked God for an opportunity to help, even if my life depended on it. And God put me in the right place at the right time."

--Elizabeth Devereaux and Diane Roback

Expand Your Mind

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer is a Bookish choice pick! Now on sale at Amazon.com.

2003-05-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Bookspan to Launch Conservative Book Club

Responding to the growing interest in books with a right-of-center viewpoint, Bookspan will launch a new monthly conservative book club later this year....Full Story.

2003-05-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Firing now work of fiction

A former magazine writer fired for using fake material has turned his experience into an acknowledged work of fiction.

Simon & Schuster has just published Stephen Glass' "The Fabulist," an autobiographical - but invented - account of his rise and fall at The New Republic. The magazine fired Glass in 1998 after determining there were fabrications in 27 of the 41 articles he had written....more

2003-05-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Bimonthly Book still searching for readers, ads

With its glossy pages featuring the most recognizable authors, a renegotiated partnership with industry giant Barnes & Noble and its first National Magazine Award nomination, you might think these are smooth times for New York-based Book magazine (now officially called Barnes & Noble Presents Book).

You would be wrong. After five years and a number of notable triumphs, Book's editors are still figuring out how a niche magazine...more

2003-05-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Book Groups Rally Around U.S.A. Patriot Act Amendment

Last week, in an unusual display of industry solidarity, 32 groups representing a cross section of publishing-related organizations, regional booksellers associations and chain booksellers issued a statement in support of House Resolution 1157, a bill introduced by Vermont Rep. Bernie Sanders that would amend section 215 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act. Under the current provisions of the Patriot Act, federal investigators may search bookstore or library records without demonstrating probable cause, as long as a subpoena has been issued by a closed court. In addition, a gag order in the act prevents booksellers and librarians from telling anyone about the investigation or seeking legal counsel. Dubbed The Freedom to Read Protection Act, HR 1157 would stipulate that for subpoenas to be issued investigators would be required to demonstrate probable cause, and allow booksellers to be heard in court, albeit in secret.....more

2003-04-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Seeking the secret path to a bestseller

The several hundred people who filled every seat of the auditorium in UCLA's Korn Hall laughed as one when a woman on the stage suggested that it was actually pretty easy to get a literary agent. Of course, she was a literary agent, which means a lot of her friends were literary agents, so presumably for her it would simply be a matter of a few phone calls.

Judging by the bordering-on-bitter timbre of the laugh, this was not the case for the people in the audience.

The lines for "How to Get an Agent," a panel over the weekend at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, had been rock-concert long. And it was pretty clear from the wildly waving hands that marked the beginning of the question-answer period that these folks wanted answers....LA Times

2003-04-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers."

Charles W. Eliot (1834 - 1926), The Happy Life, 1896

2003-04-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

Watch What You Read

A visit to the library hardly seems like an act that would get you in trouble, but some librarians are warning patrons that they could be putting themselves at risk by wha they read....The threat, according to booksellers and librarians, comes from the federal government and a provision of the USA Patriot Act in Section 215 that authorizes the FBI to obtain "certain business records" based on warrants from secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act courts, which under changes instituted by USA Patriot do not require that the government show probable cause....ABC News

2003-04-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Reader's Digest Reports Loss

The net loss of $4.6 million, or 5 cents a share, compared with net income of $16.4 million, or 16 cents, a year earlier, the company said. Sales in the period, which ended March 31, rose 4 percent to $563.5 million, helped by a purchase. Reader's Digest eliminated 200 positions, mostly in Europe, where sales of its magazines, books and videos have fallen...NY TImes

2003-04-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

Making A List, And Checking It Twice

Is it still true that women writers are undervalued? Consider Waterstone's national survey, published in 1997, the second year of the Orange Prize. Of the top 100 books of the twentieth century as voted for by readers, only 13 were by women (and one of them was Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course). In 2002 the Norwegian Book Club's more self-consciously literary All-Time Top 100, chosen by 100 leading international authors including John Irving, Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri and VS Naipaul, provided only nine books by women (and not a mention of Nigella)....The Observer

2003-04-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Reviewed: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich is a must read for any political or high society person.

One of the main reasons I feel our political leaders should read this book, is so that they can get a true account of what goes on in our society, aside from the impersonal "statistics" that make many Americans seem more like a number and less like a human being.

It is easy to keep a distance and not fully understand the pains, turmoils, and conditions of the lower working class when one is sitting in an air conditioned office, driving luxury cars, and spending their days reading documents and implementing laws based on those documents.

Nickel and Dimed is the true account of what many Americans face on a daily basis… hard working, under-educated, under-paid, under-insured, low income families working anywhere from one to three jobs, just to keep a roof over their families' heads and food on the table.

Nickel and Dimed takes a realistic look at what goes on when a person doesn't have the skills to maintain a decent living wage. It showcases the truth behind the reality that while our country is one of the best places to live and raise a family, our minimum wage standard does not meet standard living expenses.

In reading Nickel and Dimed, the reader is transformed from his cushy-lifestyle, and taken into a time and place that just doesn't seem to fit our ideals of "Living the American Dream." The reader will get a first-hand feel of what it means to not have enough money to feed your family, but make too much to get the proper assistance one
needs. The reader will see what it is like to work hard and have enough to pay for a small apartment, but instead have to live in a motel because there isn't enough money to come up with the required deposit and first month's rent. And the reader will get a feel for how low income persons are treated and viewed by the upper (richer) class.

Nickel and Dimed is a book that should be read by every political leader, as well as every political person on the rise to the top. While the Declaration of Independence gives each American the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that road is often paved by many hard-working people who need to be reminded, every once
in a while, that just because one is poor, doesn't mean one is less! And it most definitely doesn't mean that one is seeking the easy way out, or asking for a "hand-out." It is time our political leaders take a stand in this country and offer more in the way of better working conditions, wages, and health benefits for those working their way from the bottom up!

Alyice Edrich resides in Merrill, WI with her two children and husband of 12 years. Edrich is the Editor-in-Chief of The Dabbling Mum.com - - An Online Magazine for BUSY Parents. She is also a web designer and freelance writer. She can be reached http://thedabblingmum.com, where you can enter to win a free monthly contest full of goodies!

====================================================================

BookRun an Ecofabric Company:: Nickel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in Boom-Time America Hard Cover Book (Economics & Finance )

Millions of Americans work full-time, year-round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job--any job--can be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich left her home, took the cheapest lodgings she could find, & accepted whatever jobs she was offered. Moving from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, she worked as a waitress, a hotel maid, a cleaning woman, a nursing home aide, & a Wal-Mart sales clerk. She lived in trailer parks & crumbling residential motels. Very quickly, she discovered that no job is truly "unskilled," that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental & muscular effort. She also learned that one job is not enough;

2003-04-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

2003-04-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Help the editor of Culture Shocker decide what literature genres you want her to giveaway by telling her what's your favorite.

Your comments will help decide who we partner with, and what authors we feature.

It only takes about 1 mintue, and you'll be entered to win one of our many prize packs!

So give us feedback.

2003-04-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Dr. Atkins, dead at 72

Dr. Robert C. Atkins, a cardiologist who devised a hotly debated weight-loss plan favoring steak and eggs over spaghetti and spinach that more than 30 million Americans have tried, died yesterday in Manhattan. He was 72. Dr. Atkins fell and suffered head injuries on April 8 on the sidewalk in front of his Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in Manhattan, where he also lived.... New York Times

2003-04-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

A friendly reminder from Culture Shocker and Deborah Shelton, for the kid in all of us. There is more to life than TV and movies!

20 Fun Ideas for National Turn Off TV Week

By Deborah Shelton

National Turn Off Your TV Week is April 21-27 this year. Why not take the holiday one step further and turn off the computer as well? Here are 20 fun ways your family can make the most of this celebration.

1. Read a book.

2. Write a letter-not an email-to a dear friend.

3. Bathe the dog.

4. Play a game of Candyland or Chutes and Ladders.

5. Paint each other's faces.

6. Do cartwheels in the front yard.

7. Camp out in the back yard with a tent, flashlight and lots of munchies.

8. Host a garage sale.

9. Visit the library for story time.

10. Go on a snail-hunting expedition, then release the snails in a cool, moist, shady spot.

11. Look through and organize family photos.

12. Start a seasonal family photo scrapbook.

13. Read the Sunday comics together.

14. Make a CD wall mirror with free internet CDs that arrive in the mail.

15. Bake cookies.

16. Have a living room picnic.

17. Challenge your brother or sister to a staring contest.

18. Play a game of I-Spy.

19. Go for a walk around the block.

20. Make and fly paper airplanes.

However you decide to entertain yourself and your family, remember the most important thing: No television!

About the Author:Deborah Shelton is a mother, freelance writer, and author of the brand new book, "The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones." Visit Deborah's website for more family-friendly ideas: http://www.fiveminuteparent.com

Additional Culture Shocker Links

Offical Turn Off TV site

ADBuster's says turn off TV!

2003-04-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Editor's Comments

I'm starting to look into ways to break into ebook publishing. Fiddling around with various ideas, doing my homework. I'm going to publish a Internet Site "ebook style."

I'm a firm believer that you can get anything for free or dirt cheap- if you apply yourself. It's taken a while, but I got the java script to disable "right clicks" and scramble my website's source code.

Check out my "protected" website article. If your not using a web browser I like (meaning my funky sripts won't protect me against your hacker tricks, then I simply won't let you in. It's not bulletproof. Actually I hacked it myself. But it's a start. I'll drop off helpful tidbits that I find, for authors to read. Maybe it will help you out.

2003-03-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Indies Roll with the Punches: Stores 'Moving Ahead' in Slumping Economy

Publishers Weekly: "Most independent bookstores are weathering difficult economic times and are in a much better position than in previous downturns, according to anecdotal evidence from the executive directors of many regional booksellers associations."

2003-03-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

Culture Shocker is proud to announce it's partnership with Dragon Moon Press!

Founded in 1992, Dragon Moon Press has established itself as a leading Canadian publishing house whose dedication to first time authors and writers of literary excellence!

We are happy to be working with them to bring you their very best!

2003-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

Harem Fantasies and the New Scheherazades

The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona presents HAREM FANTASIES AND THE NEW SCHEHERAZADES, an exhibition conceived and directed by the Moroccan writer Fatema Mernissi, author, among other books, of Scheherazade Goes West: Different Cultures, Different Harems, in which she reflects on the theme of this exhibition. Mernissi says that what prompted her to write the book was the realisation that Western journalists — men — have an idea about the harem which is very different to the reality.... continue reading

2003-02-19T21:12:00.000-08:00

National Screenwriters Month

The American Screenwriters Association

The American Screenwriters Association has established May as NATIONAL SCREENWRITERS MONTH. The month's activities are designed to recognize the critical role screenwriters play in the entertainment industry. From feature films, television shows and video games, to documentaries and large-screen films (Omnimax, IMAX), screenwriters shape the world we see.

To celebrate National Screenwriters Month, the American Screenwriters Association will host its 16th Annual International Screenwriters Conference in New York City, a four-day writing conference providing educational workshops and marketing opportunities featuring Hollywood and New York's elite faculty pool of producers, agents and industry experts. Highly recognized for its welcoming atmosphere since 1986, the American Screenwriters Association's conference is the longest running and most prestigious screenwriters conference in the world.

May also features the annual Screenwriting Hall of Fame Awards, presented by the American Screenwriters Association, featuring top entertainment industry leaders recognized for the contributions to art of screenwriting. The award is presented to an individual in the entertainment industry who contributes to the community at large through their selfless donation of time, expertise, or other support to improve the human condition. Mary Tyler Moore was the first recipient in
2002 for her work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

For more information on National Screenwriting Month activities or the American Screenwriters Association, call (866) 265-9091 or visit the ASA web site at http://www.goasa.com.

2003-02-19T14:53:00.000-08:00

For Authors

Submitted by tartsg.com

"We are looking for books to feature on the Television And Radio Talk Show Guests (TARTSG) web site. If you are interested in the possibility of receiving free publicity for your book, go to the following web site at: http://www.tartsg.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi

To view the TARTSG.COM main page, go the following web site: http://www.tartsg.com.

Send a copy of your book for review to Jim Agnew at:

Jim Agnew, Literary Consultant

1002 West Montrose

Chicago, IL 60613-1318

If accepted, your book will be featured on the TARTSG.COM web site.

Feel free to make new submissions whenever you come out with a new book.

Check out our weekly "Top Ten" showcase and our large searchable archives and our monthly display ad in Talkers Magazine which is seen by thousands of publicists, hosts, producers and other professionals in the broadcast industry."

2003-02-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

Culture Shocker is proud to announce...

it's partnership with Eggplant Literary Productions, Inc.!

Eggplant Literary Productions publishes speculative fiction novellas and short novels electronically about every two month. Additionally, they publish a children's fantasy
magazine, Spellbound, and have started a new project, the Eggplant Literary Productions' Library.

2003-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday Seconds Ebook Series

Destination Unknown by Lyndon DeRobertis

Acess chapters 1-21 in the Culture Shocker archieves

22. LOVE IS THE CURE FOR A SAD AND WEARY HEART, A LIGHT OF HOPE IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, AND JUST THE TRICK FOR A STORY THAT ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE...

I sat there feeling sorry for myself, when I noticed a snail creeping along a rock in the sun. He turned for a second to face me, and I saw he was wearing a thick-rimmed pair of glasses. His antennae waved at me, and he smiled and turned back to what he was doing.

Which was even more bizarre than the fact that a snail was wearing glasses. He reached back and pulled a page from out of his shell and read it quickly, clicking his tongue.

"Not enough action," he muttered, making red notations with one of his antennae, and he flung the page into the breeze. Reaching back, he pulled another one out.

"Nope, nope. This still isn't going anywhere." A new page. "Much too depressing! You know what you need," the snail exclaimed, suddenly stopping, and he stared straight at me. "You need a love interest to liven this up a bit."

"Liven what up?" I stammered.

"Your life, of course." The snail waved his antennae around as if he were whispering something to himself. "Oh, yeah. Sorry," the snail chuckled, and he took a seat in a crevice in the rock. "I guess I haven't introduced myself. I'm your editor."

"Editor? Of what?"

"Of this story, silly. The story of your life."

I rubbed my eyes. But the snail was still there. Editor of my life. "You mean my life is planned out like a story?"

"It's all in the book," the snail assured me, and pulled out a tattered book, waving it in front of me. "Of course, it still needs a lot of editing."

He quickly stashed the book back in his shell when he saw me instinctively reach for it.

This is my dream, I thought. So, how come everyone seems to be carrying around scripts and books and notes, and I don't have anything?

I hadn't said a word, but the snail smiled. He knew everything I was thinking, of course. It was all in his book.

"You had part of your story, once," he pointed out.

2003-02-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

Free Ebook Series

Dorom by Christian Bertrand

Prologue

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.(Genesis 1:1)... And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.(Genesis 1:31)... And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.(Genesis 2:2)

And on the seventh day, all hell broke loose.(Dorom here:now)

For eons, Lucifer wandered the area outside the borders of heaven. Boredom swept his mind and covered his thoughts. Only now he could realize what a fool he had been. "There I was, the most glorious of His children," Lucifer thought to himself, "instead of enjoying and relaxing in the comforts of heaven, my strides for perfection blinded me of its beauties. Only after my foolishness did I learn that perfection wasn't attainable."

When at last he learned of God's other children, he began to study their ways. He sat and watched, wishing he could regain that will to learn that they possessed. While observing these other children, Lucifer wished that he could play one of their games, the game of chess.

After searching the outer reaches and finding no one, he walked to the 'gates' and eyed Saint Peter. Saint Peter came to usher him away, but he took pity on Lucifer and began to play chess with him. This was how 'The Chess Games' began.

Our story began during such a game. Saint Peter was playing a very offensive game, while Lucifer only wanted news of happenings in heaven.

"Why, Peter, do the angels outnumber your kind in heaven, while there are a multitude of you scattered among the planets?" Slowly, almost annoyed with the interruption of his thoughts, Saint Peter replied, "After Adam and Eve committed the first sin, they and all their descendants were sentenced to earth until they had proven themselves."

"But on earth, your kind is mortal."

Saint Peter looked up from his chess board and studied Lucifer trying to capture his thoughts.

"Ah! So Man shall ever be reborn, until he has cleansed his soul of the 'forbidden fruit'. At which time, he can take his place with God's blessed children."

"There is one exception," Saint Peter revealed, "a human who sacrifices his life for another."

"I would like to meet such an angel," Lucifer said.

With a look of concern on his face, Saint Peter warned, "They are different than any you know. I don't think the council would approve of such a rendez-vous."

"Easy, Peter! I'm not looking for followers. Only looking to fill my curiosity."

They played a few moves on the board. Peter's thoughts were not on the game any more. His mind preoccupied with Lucifer's odd request.

"Perhaps I'll invite one to our next game." "I would enjoy that very much," said Lucifer.

They continued to play ...Peter won the game.

2003-02-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

Book Recommendation

Let's Get Rowdy!

by Michael James Martineau

Do you want to be famous? Applause, autographs, the adoration of fans, and your name in lights. The glitter and glamour of show business, where a god is created in the blink of an eye -- and destroyed just as quickly. Everything around you is larger than life: big money; big parties; big corruption.

Superwealth creates superthieves, conning egomaniacs who prey on those innocent dreams of stardom. They are the star makers themselves, the unholy, corrupting force behind the music business. First they stroke the ego of their young performers, then introduce the temptations of drugs, booze, and easy sex. Finally it's time to move in on the bank accounts for their helplessly addicted clients.

Let's Get Rowdy!, by 70's rock star agent Michael James Martineau, takes you into the fantasy world that is the superstar rock scene, and into the minds of the con men who run the real show.

Links

Read excerpts from Let's Get Rowdy!

Read more about author Michael James Martineau

2003-02-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

About Bookish

The purpose of this website is to direct you to good books, and to help those of you who write expose yourself to the world!

Culture Shocker will be working very closely with a group of small press publishers, and authors, to provide readers with a extraordinary experience that includes chances to win free books, information about new releases, book store gift certificates, and more!

Authors, this will be a hot spot for you too! Get experience, free online workshops, and lots more right here.

Bookish is "The Literary Fedish."

2003-02-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

Culture Shocker's Literary Page Currently Being Built. Please check back soon!

~Editor