Yeah, But How Many Chapters Is It?

post by Michelle Griep

Here's how the conversation usually goes:

Them: "So, you're an author?"

Me: "Yep."

Them: "Are you writing a book right now?"

Me: "Yep."
(hey, cut me some slack...I'm a writer, not a conversationalist)

Them: "How many chapters is it?"

Me: "Uhh. . ."

And therein lies the problem. Why is that even a question? Do more chapters mean the book is better? Do less mean you're a schmuck of a writer? Do people not realize that there is no magic number of chapters that make a book because chapters are entirely subjective? Shoot, I've read some novels wherein a chapter consists of one word. Just one. Really.

So today I'm doing my duty to educate the readers of the world. Books are not generally gauged by a certain amount of chapters, but rather by word count. Here is a handy-dandy guideline (I got these figures from Wikipedia so you KNOW they're reliable) . . .

Novel               over 40,000 words
Novella            17,500 to 40,000
Novelette         7,500 to 17,500
Short Story      under 7,500 words

Now granted, these numbers are a bit fluid. You can find novels that error on the side of being shorter or longer. Most novels run in the 70,000-100,00 range. These numbers are simply the average counts.

Pen Names of the Famous

post by Michelle Griep

Lots of authors use pen names, usually because they want to write in a genre different from what their adoring fans are used to. But the key word here is adoring. These fans are rabid enough to want to know exactly what that pen name is so they can try out reading some of that other writing. Curious?

Cue evil laughter. I'm here to break the code. Here are some famous authors, the pen names that they used, and the reason why they used a pen name instead of their real name.

Steven King = Richard Bachman
So he could write 2 books a year and not send up red flags to readers that his writing might not be up to par because of so much production.

J.K. Rowling = Robert Galbraith
She wanted to work without the pressure of having to live up to the "Harry Potter" name.

Michael Crichton = John Lange
He was a student at a university and he didn't want his instructors discovering he had such a time consuming "hobby" that might take away from his studying.

The Bronte Sisters = Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell
They wanted to avoid any judgment on their writing based on their gender.

Isaac Asimov = Paul French
His books were being made into a TV series and he didn't want the producer to find out and ruin them.

Nora Roberts = J.D. Robb
The standard "wanted to write in a different genre than her usual."

Dr. Seuss = Theo Lesieg
Had a bit of a bad-boy reputation from a night of drinking so he was relieved of his university columnist stint.

The 6 Stages of Buying a Book

post by Michelle Griep

Shopping doesn't seem all that complicated, does it? I mean, you walk into a bookstore, load up your arms full of books, then whip out your credit card. Bam. Done.

But actually, it's more complicated than that. Subconsciously there's a lot going on before you pick up a book to buy it . . .


The 6 Stages of Buying a Book

#1. Discovery
The reader is introduced to books and authors long before he steps foot into a bookstore (or opens up a tab for Amazon). Via social media, advertisements, word of mouth, a review, or any other means of exposure, this is when a reader first meets a potential book love, whether that registers on the gotta-buy-that-book radar or not.

#2. Awareness
After the initial discovery, a reader continues to hear snippets about a particular book through those same channels. The Rule of Seven says that a prospective buyer will hear or see a marketing message at least 7 times before they buy.

#3. Research
The reader's interest is finally piqued and he begins to check out this potential new author or book. Most likely the reader will pop onto the internet and scope out author sites or reviews to firm up in his mind whether the pursuit ends here or he should continue toward purchasing.

#4. Word of Mouth
Peer pressure works. It just does. At this stage if the reader hears one word about the book or author from someone else, it's like an electrical zap because he'll feel trendy and in-the-know. This associates a good emotional feeling to the book or author.

#5. Purchase
This is it. The reader has decided he simply must buy that book.

#6. Conversion
The reader not only reads that book but develops a relationship with it and the author. Now any sequels or new stories put out will be on this reader's "Must Buy" list. The reader will go so far as to like an author's Facebook page, sign up for a newsletter, or post a review of their own . . . which starts the process all over again for another reader.

That's the flow, folks, whether you realize it or not. Of course it doesn't always work this way. There are exceptions and nothing is for certain . . . except for taxes and death.

How Writers Spend Their Time

Yes indeedy, you have my permission to steal this infographic and slap it up wherever you like . . . except for your mother-in-law's back. It's never a good idea to slap anything there.

Most Literate Country in the World

So many books, so little time. So personally, I try to cram in as many novels in a year as I can. But apparently not too many other Americans think so because in the latest literacy ranking, the U.S comes in at #7.

Can you guess what the #1 literate country in the world is? Drum roll, please. . . it's Finland. No surprise, really, since that's the country that celebrates Jólabókaflóð.

Want to know the other top reading countries? Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. Hmm. And who said Vikings are barbarians?

Celebrating the Books of Oscar Fame

post by Michelle Griep

It's nearly that Oscar time of year. Not that I'll be hunkered in front of a screen on the 28th salivating to find out who won, mind you. But I did come across some interesting info. There are nine Oscar nominated movies that were based on books. Yes! Books rule! Curious as to what they are?

The Revenant
based on the novel by Michael Punke
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
The Martian
based on the novel by Andy Weir
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew.
Carol
based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith
An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman.
The Big Short
based on the novel by Michael Lewis
Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.
The Danish Girl
based on the novel by David Ebershoff
A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener.

Room
based on the novel by Emma Donoghue
After five-year-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery.
Brooklyn
based on the novel by Colm Toibin
An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local.

Steve Jobs
based on the novel by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter.
45 Years
based on a short story by David Constantine
A married couple preparing to celebrate their wedding anniversary receive shattering news that promises to forever change the course of their lives.
Of the nine, I've only seen The Revenant (which was awesome) but dare I admit I haven't actually read any?

Timeline of a Traditionally Published Novel

post by Michelle Griep

Preorder at Amazon

Curious about how long it takes for an average novel to hit the shelves from idea to finished product? I'm a pretty average author, so here's a timeline of one of my new releases . . .

July 2014     Came up with the idea for a new story
                    and wrote a synopsis.
Sept. 2014   Pitched the idea to a publisher at the
                     ACFW Conference.
June 2015    Heard from the publisher -- who's
                    offering a contract. Woohoo!
July 2015     Receive contract and start writing the
                     book.
Sept. 2015   Fill out paperwork for cover art direction.
Dec. 2015    Receive first peek at cover and give
                     feedback.
Jan. 2016    Receive final of cover art but am not free to reveal it until February.
Feb. 2016    Full manuscript is due.
Mar. 2016    First round of edits.
May 2016    Second round of edits.
Sept. 2016  Receive a box of author copies.
Oct. 2016    Release.

So from idea to shelf it took 2 years and 3 months. Think about that next time you whip through reading a book in a marathon overnight binge.

9 Writers ~ 1 Story

post by Michelle Griep

Let's face it. Peer pressure works. Recently one of my BFF's (yes, I have more than one) stayed over and got me hooked on the TV show Parenthood. I'm a little behind the times since this one ended last year, but hey . . . better late than never, eh?

The show's premise is simply an account of the Braverman family, their ups and downs dealing with the struggles of life. You get attached to the different characters and wonder how they'll cope with all the curveballs.

But what really intrigues me about Parenthood is that the story is written by 9 different authors. Nine. Can you imagine 9 chefs in a kitchen all working on one pot of soup? Nine carpenters all nailing and hammering the same cabinet? Nine any kind of humans all creating one piece of art? That's pretty amazing. And here's how they did it . . .

The writers met every day to come up with a story structure for the next episode. In professional jargon, that's called a "story break." Basically they take the story and break it down into minute details. Think of it as kind of an epic brainstorming session.

Once that's finished -- once the episode is "broken" -- only one writer takes the generated information and outlines it, then goes on to write a script. So really, it's a combo of teamwork and individual writing.

Of course, working together has it's ups and downs, just like the Braverman family. Hmm. Wonder how much of that story was real life?

Hooray For Book Clubs

post by Michelle Griep

Pull out your whang-tootler. Pound on your bing-bongity drums. And slap your palms together in a huge round of clap-clappiness for book clubs. Huzzah!

Way deep down in my heart I've always known that book clubs were awesome with a side of awesome sauce, but now there's scientific proof to back up that feeling. According to a recent article in The Guardian, book clubs can actually help you live longer. Not even kidding.

In a nutshell, it's been shown that if you maintain social bonds after retirement -- such as in a book club -- then you can reduce your risk of death in the first 6 years post-retirement. So yeah, technically it's the social interaction that keeps you alive, not necessarily the fact that it's a book club, but I like to think it's the vitality of the words that infuses life into an aging body.

But don't wait for retirement to join a book club. Go for it now. The sooner, the better.

Do You Live in a Romantic City?

post by Michelle Griep

I live in Minneapolis. It's cold. Driving is pretty much bumper cars on steroids. And except for the lakes -- when they finally thaw -- there's nothing super romantic about the place.

Amazon agrees. Minneapolis did not make their list for most romantic cities in the U.S. In honor of Valentine's Day, the company printed their annual list based on the sales data of romance novels, movies, music and relationship books from cities with more than 100,000 residents. Did your city make the list?

Top 10 Most Romantic Cities in the U.S. 
According to Book Buying Habits

1. Alexandria, Virginia
2. Miami Florida
3. Knoxville, Tennessee
4. Orlando, Florida
5. Vancouver, Washington
6. Cincinnati, Ohio
7. Columbia, South Carolina
8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
9. Round Rock, Texas
10. Ann Arbor, Michigan

Happy Meals and the BBC

post by Michelle Griep

Ever since I watched Supersize Me, I haven't been a huge fan of McDonald's. Which brings us to a crossroads for today's post. There are two things to delve into: supersizing and McDonalds.

First off, while researching the Victorian era (yeah, guess what I'm working on next) I discovered a sweet little BBC show called The Supersizers. It's about a British couple who do a spin-off of supersizing through the eras. I watched The Supersizers Go Victorian wherein this husband and wife team eat and live nothing but Victorian for an entire week. The show documents their experiences. Pretty dang interesting, so give it a whirl.

Secondly, McDonald's. As I said, not my go-to for a meal out but it might be through February 15th. The toy in the Happy Meal will be a children's book. Yes! A real deal book. Customers receive either Paddington by Michael Bond, Clark the Shark Takes Heart by Bruce Hale, Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond, and Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day is Cool by Kimberly and James Dean.

Books are worth celebrating so grab your kid, a grandchild, or even some random rugrat off the street . . . wait a minute . . . bad idea. Always get the parents' permission first before you go yanking a young un' off to Mickey D's for a Happy Meal. Sheesh. What were you thinking?

But hurry. This dealio ends February 15.

And You Think You Have a Book Problem?

post by Michelle Griep

So I was toodling around the internet today because, hey, what else is there to do? Don't judge me.

Anyway, I came across some information that made me feel really good about my charred credit card that's still smoking from the last time I went to the bookstore. Apparently what I spend is chump change compared to what others dole out. Here are the top 5 most expensive sellers from AbeBooks in 2015 . . .

Storia Naturale Degli Uccelli by Manetti

What would you pay for a book about birds that contains 600 hand-colored engraved plates of our feathered friends? Well, too bad you didn't scoop this one up for $191,000 like someone esle did because now the price has skyrocketed to $450,000. Bird lovers. Sheesh. Go figure.

Pangeometria by Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevskii

Too late all you math lovers out there. You missed out on this sweet deal. This book sold for $34,245 and there aren't any more left.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Now this one, a first edition signed by the author, I might've been tempted to buy. But my checkbook wasn't, not for $25,000.

Sertum Orchidaceum: A Wreath of the Most Beautiful Orchidaceous Flowers by John Lindley

My first question is this: is orchidaceous a real word or is that totally made up?

Second question: what's the attraction over hand-colored plates?

This puppy sold for $24,643 and it's all about orchids.

Plantes de la France by Jaume Saint-Hilaire

Nature books seem to be the trendiest of the trendy. This first edition has 1,000 illustrations but they're not hand-colored. They were engraved on copper and then printed in color. And all that work would cost you $22,549.

Suddenly I'm not feeling so bad about that $25 hardcover I picked up over at Amazon.

Quirky Book Facts

post by Michelle Griep

I'm all about quirk and I'm all about books . . . so what happens when you marry the two? A Google search, of course. And you get to reap the benefits.

8 Quirky Book Facts 

The first book bought on Amazon was Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought.

There's a book in the Welsh National Library that measures 1 mm x 1 mm. The title, Old King Cole, is so small that the pages can only be turned with a needle.

Author James Frazer had to move out of his Great Court, London, home because the floor was about to give way under the weight of his books.

One of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury, asked out a bookstore clerk for his first date ever. They married in 1947 and stayed married until her death in 2003.

Tsundoku is a Japanese word that means buying a load of books and then not getting around to reading them.

Bibliosmia is a word that means the enjoyment of the smell of books.

China used to ban Alice in Wonderland because, "Bears, lions and other beasts cannot use a human language," said General Ho Chien in 1931. "To attribute to them such a power is an insult to the human race."

Dr. Seuss said he expected to spend "a week or so" writing The Cat in the Hat. It took him a year and a half.

The Author Behind 'Silent Night'

Like Jesus, the author of Silent Night had a very humble beginning. The author of this carol, Josef Mohr, was the illegitimate son of an Austrian embroideress and a mercenary soldier who deserted her before the birth. Josef even lucked out in the Godparent department because his godfather was the local executioner.

But he grew up to be a pretty good egg.

After special papal permission, he was allowed to train for the Catholic priesthood. He was sent to Oberndorf, a remote Alpine parish. Because it was way out in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't the richest of churches. Even the stupid organ didn't work. And Christmas was coming. Plus the zombie apocalypse.

Okay, so I made up that last part, but the point is that the dude had serious problems with Christmas coming and no organ to sing along with. He had plenty of experience, though, with problems. So, he penned the words to Silent Night with a tune that could be sung without accompaniment. December 25th was not silent in Oberndorf that year . . . or any others.

The tune we sing today, however, was composed by Franz Gruber.

The Author Behind 'Good King Wenceslas'

In honor of Christmas, this week at Writer Off the Leash we'll be learning about the authors who wrote some of the carols we still sing today. Kicking off the week, meet James Mason Neale. His most famous carol is Good King Wenceslas, but my favorite of his is O Come, O Come Emmanuel. I've always been a sucker for anything written in a minor key.

James was an English vicar and kind of a rabblerouser. He led the Oxford Movement, which basically tried to incorporate Catholic practices into Anglicanism during the early nineteenth century. Yeah. That didn't go over so well. He ticked off his congregation, so much that they accused him of being a secret agent for the Vatican . . . ticked off as in when he was attending a nun's funeral, those people beat the bejeebers out of him. Another time he was stoned, and many times he was threatened to be burned out of of his house.

Let's just say the fella wasn't too popular.

Even so, he was a dang good hymn writer. Grab a mug of tea and ponder of these lyrics from the second stanza of O Come, O Come Emmanual.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

History Lesson: Ballpoint Pens

post by Michelle Griep

Book Available at Amazon

Everyone's got their favorite writing utensil, and I'm not talking MacBook Air. I mean pens. My fave is a big bad boy Pilot G2 Pen. Writes like a dream. But I got to thinking . . . where the heck did this little gem come from? What's the history? When did we set down our quills and ink and pick up a ballpoint?

Pay attention, class, because today you're going to be educated.

John Loud, an American leather tanner, patented the original ballpoint in 1888. But he never did get around to developing it after he received his patent. And most of those who came after him failed at it too because they used ink that was too thin, which made for splotchy writing and stained shirt cuffs.

But then along came László Bíró, who worked with his brother György. They gave thicker ink a whirl, like the kind used in newspaper presses. Bingo! They had a winner. Yeah, it still left some blobby's but nothing as drastic as the previous disasters.

This all took awhile to get to market, though, because of one teensy-weensy problem . . . Nazis. The Bíró's had to run off to Argentina in 1943 to really kick production into gear. Later that year, the British Air Force needed a pen that could work at high altitudes and they ordered 30,000. After that, voila. Ballpoint pen fame.

In 1946, a ballpoint pen sold for about $10 (which is about $100 in today's market). Good old-fashioned competition drove down that price so that by 1959 you could buy one for 19 cents. 

And that's your history lesson in a nutshell. Interested in more detail? Snatch up the book over at Amazon.

How a Cover is Born

post by Michelle Griep

Cover for my next book due out
July 2016

Book covers are magical things. I have no idea how a book cover travels from concept to finished product. I'm certainly no artist, but I do have a big mouth. So I asked my editor over at Barbour exactly what the process is and she gave me permission to share the info with you . . .

1. One of the first things after starting the contracting process is that the publisher gets in touch with the author to ask for cover direction. This is important for a few reasons:

• understanding the vision the author has for the cover
• understanding the visual points that have potential to be compelling

At this point in the process, it’s very likely the editor has not read the full manuscript, so it's up to the author to get the ball rolling and set the tone.

2. Ten to twelve months prior to the release of the book, the creative director sends the author cover direction to a design house. Publishers usually work with several scattered across the country. That design house typically creates 3 or 4 comps that get reviewed by the creative director and editor and they choose their favorites. Usually that first round is shared with the author. Oftentimes these comps have placeholder models if a photo shoot is necessary. 

Side Note: In the case of my last release, Brentwood’s Ward, the cover was an interesting mix of stock photography and model shoot. The heroine and setting was a stock photo, and the hero was a model shoot for the head and the body was a stock photo.

3. After a concept is nailed down, the designers start showing the publisher options for models if a photo shoot is necessary. Sometimes the author is asked to weigh in on these options. This is always a little bit of a harried time because of scheduling models, securing wardrobe pieces, and making sure all the details are in place. Sometimes models become unavailable (for whatever reason) and a new option needs to be chosen. Same thing with wardrobe and/or specific props. Sometimes certain items or settings have to be avoided because it’s impossible to be historically accurate.

4. The designers take the shoot photos and execute the design and then send it to the creative director. There are usually a few tweaks and then it's used in sales training meetings, so that sales, marketing, and editorial are all seeing the same cover image. That’s about nine months out from release date. If the team has some huge objection to the cover, the creative director addresses that with the designers, and then that’s when the author would see it as a “final” cover. At that point, potential tweaks can still be made, but nothing major.

And that's a wrap, folks. As you can see by the art I've included in this post, the cover for my next book is already finished and my manuscript isn't even due in until December 1st. I know. Crazy, right?

Passwords: The Bane of Humanity

post by Michelle Griep

Usually I love to write. It's my happy place. All unicorns and rainbows and flying puppies and such. Until someone asks me to write a password. Then the unicorn is beheaded. The rainbows drain into raw sewage. And all the puppies are tossed into a sack and drowned.

Yep. That drastic. Want to know how I really feel about stupid passwords?

I thought I'd solved my dilemma by just using the same dang word for everything. Uhh, don't try that at home, kids. Bad idea. All it took was one little hacker sitting in a shack in Siberia to bust that code. So now I've got a bazillion different passwords, but how do I know if they're any good? How do you know if yours are any good? Never fear . . . of course I've researched out a handy dandy list for you and for me.

How To Concoct An Awesome Password

Believe it or not, long or complex passwords don't offer better protection. Why? Because passwords are usually captured through phishing or malware, and with those attacks it doesn't matter how long or complex your password is. The best piece of advice I saw was stick to 12-14 characters.

Use a mix of upper and lower letters, and numbers and symbols. But don't be obvious, like substituting a zero for the letter O. Yeah. I found that out the hard way.

Real words, or dictionary words, are frowned upon. Instead, go random. Here's how . . .
Come up with a sentence that you can remember, like My first house was at 4233 Ottawa and I paid $72,000. That would translate into:

Mfhwa4233OaIp$72k.

But if that still seems like too much work for you, then hop on over to Diceware Passphrase and just "roll the dice" to figure out some newbies.

Once you've devised your fantastic plethora of passwords, you can store them at sites like Last Pass, or just go old school like me. I've got them written down on a piece of paper. Yeah. Take that, Russian hackers. 

Dang. They just might.

What's the Last Book You Checked Out of the Library?

posted by Michelle Griep

I came across an interesting infographic over at Quartz.com. It lists the current most popular books checked out of libraries from around the country. I couldn't steal the graphic because, well, that's like a crime and I've got better things to do than commit a felony. So I did the next best thing.

I stole the information.

Here's the list if you're curious as to what others are reading. And even if you don't care, you might find a book that piques your interest.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
This is by far the most popular, topping the check-outs in: New York, DC, Jacksonville, Dallas, San Diego, and San Jose. Here's a blurb . . .
The “girl on the train” is Rachel, who commutes into London and back each day, rolling past the backyard of a happy-looking couple she names Jess and Jason. Then one day Rachel sees “Jess” kissing another man. The day after that, Jess goes missing. The story is told from three character’s not-to-be-trusted perspectives: Rachel, who mourns the loss of her former life with the help of canned gin and tonics; Megan (aka Jess); and Anna, Rachel’s ex-husband’s wife, who happens to be Jess/Megan’s neighbor. Rachel’s voyeuristic yearning for the seemingly idyllic life of Jess and Jason lures her closer and closer to the investigation into Jess/Megan’s disappearance, and closer to a deeper understanding of who she really is. And who she isn’t.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

This is what people are reading in: Seattle, Baltimore, Phoenix. Here's a blurb . . .

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch—"Scout"—returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past—a journey that can only be guided by one's own conscience.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is the most frequently checked out book in Memphis.

Blurb:

Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.

Truth or Die by James Patterson

Houston is loving this one.

Blurb:

After a serious professional stumble, attorney Trevor Mann may have finally hit his stride. He's found happiness with his girlfriend Claire Parker, a beautiful, ambitious journalist always on the hunt for a scoop. But when Claire's newest story leads to a violent confrontation, Trevor's newly peaceful life is shattered as he tries to find out why.
Chasing Claire's leads, Trevor unearths evidence of a shocking secret that—if it actually exists—every government and terrorist organization around the world would do anything to possess. Suddenly it's up to Trevor, along with a teenage genius who gives new meaning to the phrase "too smart for his own good," to make sure that secret doesn't fall into the wrong hands. But Trevor is about to discover that good and evil can look a lot alike, and nothing is ever black and white: not even the truth.

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

If you live in Denver, this will probably be a tough book for you to check out -- because everyone else is.

Blurb:

Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters. Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades; in fact, Addie was quite fond of Louis’s wife. His daughter lives hours away in Colorado Springs, her son even farther away in Grand Junction, and Addie and Louis have long been living alone in houses now empty of family, the nights so terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk with.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Los Angeles, this is the book you're reading like crazy.

Blurb:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich

The favorite at the Indianapolis public library.

Blurb:

Murdered and mummified nearly a century ago, notorious bootlegger Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle discovered and re-hid a famous pirate’s treasure somewhere along the coast of New England. A vast collection of gold and silver coins and precious gems, the bounty also contains the Stone of Avarice—the very item reluctant treasure seeker Lizzy Tucker and her partner, Diesel, have been enlisted to find. While Lizzy would just like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt. And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas . . . or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.
Greed is eternal and insatiable, and Lizzy and Diesel aren’t the only ones searching for the lost pirate’s chest. People who have dedicated their entire lives to finding it are willing to commit murder or make a deal with the devil just to hold the fortune in their hands. One of those people may even be Wulf, Diesel’s deceptively charming and enigmatic cousin. Wulf desires the Stone of Avarice. He also desires Lizzy. It’s hard to say how far he’s willing to go to gain either one.

There you have it. Which one sounds the most interesting? Honestly, I've only read one in the bunch (To Kill a Mockingbird).

New Words

Hold on to your spellcheck, kids, because Oxford Dictionary is adding 1,000 new words to their English dictionary. Curious about what they're adding? That's what I'm here for. Here's a sampling . . .

CAKEAGE
A charge made by a restaurant for serving a cake that they have not supplied themselves.

CARNAP
To steal a car.

CHEFFY
Relating to, or characteristic of, a chef.

CIDERY
A place where cider is made.

CROWDFUND
To fund (a project or venture) by raising money from a large number of people, each of whom contributes a relatively small amount, typically via the Internet.

CUPCAKERY
A bakery that specializes in cupcakes.

JEGGINGS
A proprietary name for tight-fitting stretch leggings for women, styled to resemble a pair of denim jeans.

MELTY
Melting or partially melted.

TOTES
Extremely, definitely, absolutely.

TWERK
A type of dancing which emphasizes the performer's posterior.

New words are tracked as they come into usage. When there is evidence that a new term is being used in a variety of different sources, then it becomes a candidate for inclusion in the dictionary. Recent terms are assessed and then judged as to which are the most significant or important and those that are thought to stand the test of time. In other words, no flash-in-the-pans. Hmm. I wonder it that's in there?