How dare they?

So y'all know I am a big fan of Shannon Hale and her Bayern books, right? Well, I think the following is an abomination (or for you politically-minded folks, an obamanation, which is a bit more extreme.).

The Goose Girl old cover



The Goose Girl new cover



Enna Burning old cover



Enna Burning new cover



River Secrets old cover




River Secrets new cover




This is what the Shannon Hale website says:

Bloomsbury is repackaging the Bayern books in the US. That means, the original Alison Jay covers will remain on the hardcovers, but the paperbacks get completely new looks.

Before I reveal, let me answer the probing question:

"WHY? Why, why, WHY?!"

Well, it's a good thing, really. I know we're all very attached to the original covers. Alison Jay's paintings are just beautiful. But repackaging paperbacks gives them new life. They figure everyone who would pick up the book based on its cover already has, so time to reach a new audience. Bookstores might order in the new books if they'd stopped stocking the old ones. It can revitalize a series.

On the other hand, these two posts of hers convinced me to read her blog.

Prizes for NaNoWriMo

(to get people to try it!)

Starting: Choose from the available prizes.
Getting half your goal: A cameo in ... Dies.
Still writing on the 20th: A cameo in ... Dies. (Yes, that means more
than one cameo.)
Getting your goal: Choose from the available prizes..

I could put you in the dedication, or as a character, or in the back under 'TOTALLY AWESOME' or something. The order of the books is Bob, Paul, Ethan, Aaron, Erik, Nick, Nat. (Rachel D, I done told you wrong.) You could get up to four cameos, and exchange them for something specialer.

Available prizes:

• Cameo
  
• Cookies or cake or pie or something.
• I can sew. Ish. And when I say sew, I mean I could sew something and mail it to you. Do you want to find out what I can sew? What I can't?
• I can... tell everybody for a day that you are the number one ruler of everything.
• I can mention you to a Seminarian.
• Some discarded parts of Paul Dies, before I made it a poem? It's in the style of Bob Dies.
• Free copy of a ... Dies book.

CHRIS BATY IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND

I got this e-mail yesterday:


Dear NaNoWriMo 2007 Winner,

Last November, you and those typing fingers of yours did something amazing. And while you were busy bashing out your novel, we were frantically trying to line up a prize worthy of your feat.

Our goal was to find a self publishing company who would give every NaNo winner a free copy of his or her winning manuscript in paperback book form. It's taken us until now, but we've finally found them.

CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Inc. owned company, is generously offering every NaNoWriMo 2007 winner a "free proof copy" of their 2007 manuscript. What this means: A free proof copy of your manuscript in paperback book form–just by following the instructions below. They'll even cover the costs of basic shipping to you.

To redeem the offer, you'll need a special NaNoWriMo winner's promo code.

Yours is: [code here]

It's good for six months from today. Here's how you go about using it:

1) Go to http://www.createspace.com/nanowrimo and create a free member account.
2) Set up your title: you will be asked to fill in information such as title, author name, page count, etc.
3) Submit your title: make sure that your title’s information is accurate and complies with CreateSpace's Submission Requirements. Your Submission will be reviewed to ensure it can be printed.
4) When everything's uploaded and perfect, just request a proof copy and use the above discount code at check out. Presto!

After you receive your proof copy, you can then choose if you want to make it available to the public at large—everything from showing up for sale on Amazon.com to complete invisibility.

We asked CreateSpace to write up an introduction to who they are and what they do, and I'm pasting that below. You can also read a bunch of their helpful FAQs about copyright, ISBNs, and other important matters at http://www.createspace.com/Help/Book/FAQ.jsp

And if you have any further questions, you can contact them directly: http://www.createspace.com/Special/SalesInquiry.jsp

Thanks so much to CreateSpace for making our dream-prize come true! And congrats again on your NaNoWriMo victory. We look forward to another year of literary abandon together this November.

Warm regards,
Chris Baty
Director, NaNoWriMo
www.nanowrimo.org

CreateSpace, an Amazon.com, Inc company, provides one of the easiest and most economical ways to self-publish your work. CreateSpace offers self-service publishing tools that allow you to upload ready-to-print PDF book files and make your trade paperback book(s) available for sale on Amazon.com and your own E-store with no setup fees. Your product is manufactured and shipped only when customers order so there is no need for a large upfront investment in inventory to start selling.

CreateSpace Key Features & Benefits:

· No setup fees for the CreateSpace Standard Program and no print minimums
· CreateSpace Pro Plan enables you to keep more on every sale and pay less when you order copies of your own book
· An inventory-free fulfillment model
· Earn monthly royalties based on the list price you set
· Non-exclusive agreement keeps your publishing options open
· One of the easiest ways to distribute through www.amazon.com
· CreateSpace ISBN provided at no additional charge
· Amazon's Search Inside!™ feature for your book
· Choose from many different trim size options and print in full-color or black & white
· CreateSpace also allows you to self publish video and audio content via DVD, CD, MP3, and video download; and distribute your music or video through Amazon.com as well.

post for the sake of it

Yes, I'm posting on my blog because I feel guilty that I haven't in two and a half weeks.

Susie made a Sita face today. It's only been two years, but it seems like so long ago Sita was that dependent. I mean, really. S1 can walk and talk and feed herself, to an extent. S2 seems to have trouble turning her head.

Oh, but she is such a cutie.

By the way, I enjoyed Inkdeath immensely. But now I think I'm going to rant about the Inkheart movie.

So. Dustfinger's scars? Itty scratches on one cheek. In the preview Meggie is reading before her time comes, if you know what I mean. And Dustfinger's firepowers are a little too strong in the world. Y'know how he needs matches? It doesn't seem that way.

Still. Mo is played by the actor off of whom he is based, so that's going to be accurate. I do like the looks of Meggie. And Capricorn. And Elinor. And maybe Farid. And Gwin. And Dustfinger, mostly. Really, though, Capricorn looks great. Not at all how I'd imagined him, but still. I couldn't find any pictures of Mortola.

Peaches, page 385. (Oh boy, Squishy, I'm just dangling this in front of your face, aren't I?)

Bring in the coffee

I can finally stop growing; I've reached my goal of 5' 10", which is how tall Amanda is. I'm so proud.

On another note, I have mixed feelings about the song Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven sung by Kenny Chesney. It's catchy and whatnot, but I really can't just listen and not hear... stupid things.

There's the chorus:
Everybody wants to go to heaven
Have a mansion high above the clouds
Everybody want to go to heaven
But nobody want to go now

Says who? Godwilling, this should be why we don't fear death. Who wants to put it off for a little more time in sin?

And this sounds like indulgences:
Said preacher maybe you didn’t see me
Throw an extra twenty in the plate
There’s one for everything I did last night
And one to get me through today
Here’s a ten to help you remember
Next time you got the good Lord’s ear
Say I’m comin’ but there ain’t no hurry
I’m havin’ fun down here
Don’t you know that

Fun?

Speak!

I do not support animal rights. God didn't make animals in His image, or die for them. It seems rather obvious to me that they are not sentient. (I think sentient is the word I want?) For instance, animals don't talk.

EXCEPT.

Except in Genesis 3 when the devil takes the form of a serpent to mess with Creation. He causes Adam and Eve to sin, and while he's doing it, he breaks the rules of normal animalness.

And then in Numbers 22 a donkey talks, but it specifically says:
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam…
(Context, there's an angel with a sword in the way, and Balaam is trying to get past because he can't see the angel. The donkey can and keeps refusing to go down the path because Balaam would get killed. Balaam beats his donkey three times [three] and then God makes the think speak.) So that's a God thing, a way to warn Balaam so he doesn't die.

The Uncyclopedia says if your parrot talks, it's possessed and you need to take it to church (or a televangelist?) to get the demon thrown out.