So you want to write a book

There are so many aspects of copyright to think about when you are writing a book. Look at this:

"The case of writer Barbara Chase-Riboud, for example, shows that if a story is completely made up, it's easier to protect than if it's based on fact. She successfully sued a playwright for copying her treatment of the story of Sally Hemings, the mistress of Thomas Jefferson, as a play because at the time of the lawsuit it wasn't accepted historical fact that Jefferson had in fact slept with Sally Hemings." READ MORE by San Francisco Chronicle writer, Adair Lara.

DaVinci Code: Copyright Infringement Case

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of a 1982 book called The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, are suing Dan Brown and Random House publishers. The writers,Baigent and Leigh, allege that Dan Brown used their ideas and themes to write The DaVinci Code. This case is being pursued in Britain's high court.READ MORE.

Last year, Dan Brown was also sued for copyright infringement of Daughter of God by Lewis Perdue. Brown won that case in a US court.

Did you know this

Did you know that the movie showing at the Mall Cinemas right now, Freedomland starring Samuel Jackson and Julianne Moore, was based on a novel by the same name? Freedomland was written by Richard Price and published in 1998. READ EXCERPT

The movie isn't getting a very high rating from some critics.

Did you know that ...

Did you know that Steve Berry will be back in Waycross at the public library on April 4 to discuss his latest novel, The Templar Legacy? I will keep you informed as soon as I know the details. READ AN EXCERPT

Did you know that one of the books we selected, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, just may get an award for best inspirational memoir? Other books in the inspirational category competing with The Glass Castle are:

A Random Act by Cindi Broaddus & Kimberly Lohman

Down Came The Rain by Brooke Shields

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

"Lost" Fans and The Third Policeman

Fans of the television drama Lost have been purchasing Flann O'Brien's book, The Third Policeman, to find clues to the show. The book is a surreal comic novel and it appeared in one of the episodes. One of the scriptwriters for the show, Craig Wright said the book was chosen "very specifically for a reason."

From USA TODAY, posted last October: "In The Third Policeman, the narrator is a man who assists in a money-motivated killing. While trying to retrieve the stashed bounty, he passes into a strange world, meeting bicycles, policemen and a band of one-legged men." READ MORE

Meet Marshall Frank in Nahunta, Georgia

Meet Marshall Frank, retired captain from the Metro-Dade Police Department and mystery writer, at the Brantley County Library at 7:00PM on February 28. His first novel was Beyond the Call, published in 1999. His fifth murder mystery is Call me Mommy which involves a dysfunctional family. READ EXCERPT Be warned, colorful language used here.

After Nahunta, he will be at a library in Hinesville on March 1.

Zorro

We will meet again on March 17. Our book for the month of March is Zorro by Isabel Allende. READ EXCERPT

Most Borrowed Books

According to the Library Journal, the top five most borrowed fiction books in US libraries now are:


1 Predator. Cornwell, Patricia
Putnam, $26.95. ISBN 0399152830.

2 Mary, Mary. James Patterson
Little, Brown, $27.95. ISBN 031615976X.

3 The Camel Club. David Baldacci
Warner, $26.95. ISBN 0446577383.

4 At First Sight. Nicholas SparksWarner, $24.95. ISBN 0446532428.

5 S Is for Silence. Sue Grafton
Putnam, $26.95. ISBN 0399152970. READ EXCERPT

Coming Soon

Coming soon to a bookstore near you is a non-fiction book by John Grisham. The book is about Ronald Keith Williamson. He was convicted of murder in his hometown of Oklahoma, spent 12 years in prison and was about to be executed when DNA evidence exonerated him. READ MORE

You have a long wait for the next fiction book by Grisham .... February 2008.

Lost: Award winning TV show and literary references

Some of us, including me, are fans of Lost. However, I had to tape last night's episode; it was too gruesome. When I have it on tape I can fast forward some of the scenes, specifically Sayid's torture scenes. Anyway this morning I remembered I had seen some reference to Lost and literary references some time ago. Are the references some kind of clue to some of the mysteries in Lost?

Here is what I found out from Wikipedia. Wikis may not be a reliable source of info but this is not for a research paper.

Sawyer is shown early in the show reading books that survived the crash. This habit eventually leads to his farsightedness. In one episode he reads Watership Down, an account of a group of unhappy rabbits trying to find a new warren because they expect some impending doom. Could that be a clue for viewers? In that book humans are the villains.

In a later episode, Sawyer reads A Wrinkle in Time, a 1962 Newberry Medal Award winning children's fantasy novel. It involves children and their mother going through space to locate a missing father and husband. It is said to have Christian undertones with the universal battle between darkness and light. Another clue?

Jack refers to the novella Heart of Darkness by Joeph Conrad multiple times. READ MORE

Reminder

We meet this Friday at 6:00PM.

FEBRUARY 17: All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
MARCH 17: Zorro: A Novel by Isabel Allende
APRIL 21: Blind Obedience by Bill Boyd. You have got to see this link!

The book this month discusses the writer's experiences in Haiti. See previous posts with links to what is happening politically with Haiti these days.

New Book and Free Book

New Book
"Having experienced three marriages and two divorces, Jill Conner Browne, 53, has tasted the sweet and sour of matrimony. In her fifth book, The Sweet Potato Queens' Wedding Planner/The Sweet Potato Queens' Divorce Guide (Crown, $22.95)" READ MORE

Free Book
The Author's Guild and the Association of American Publishers have filed lawsuits against Google. They allege that "Google Print Library Project" is illegally scanning and indexing copyrighted works and making them available to internet users. In the midst of the legal wranglings, Harper Collins is offering free book content online.READ MORE

One big hoax

I never heard about the writer, JT LeRoy, until I started reading about literary hoaxes during the whole James Frey discussion. JT was supposed to be a shy reclusive former male teen prostitute and drug addict who wrote semi-autobiographical accounts of life on the streets. He was supposed to have been rescued by Laura Albert and Geoffrey Knoop. Some readers/book reviewers had been speculating that JT was not who he said he was. Well now it is alleged that JT is really a 40 year old woman. Check out these headlines:

JT Leroy Unmasked: He's a She

Male Author Is Actually A Middle Aged Woman How dare they refer to forty as middle aged?

Cult author's 'identity revealed'

Interesting People

I have met some really interesting persons since I have moved here.
Does anyone remember Dianne? She visited with us at our book club meeting once. She introduced herself as a housewife. Who would have guessed that she was a fantastic actress as well.

On Saturday I went to see Sordid Lives, written by Del Shores and presented by our local Trembling Earth Production. It was held at the "theater" upstairs KD's Restaurant. Dianne had a key role in this very risque and funny play.

Another interesting person I have met is Linda. This morning Linda gave her twentieth speech for the Okefenokee Toastmasters Club. She has now completed a basic manual plus two advanced manuals; one on humorous speeches and one on special occasion speeches. She is now in the category of Advanced Toastmaster(ATM)Bronze. The Okefenokee Toastmasters is a part of Toastmasters International, a nonprofit organization that focuses on building leadership and oral communication skills. They meet every Wednesday at 7:00AM at the Holiday Inn.

Hopefully you will all get to meet Linda next week. She is busily reading All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg.

Writing Gene

Is writing talent inherited?

Christopher Rice, son of "Vampire" writer Anne Rice and poet Stan Rice, has a book out called Light Before Day.

Well known writer Carol Higgins, is the daughter of best selling author Mary Higgins Clarke.

Jesse Kellerman writer of Sunstroke is the son of crime writers Jonathan Kellerman and Faye Kellerman. Faye's JUPITER'S BONES is her 11th book in the Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series. Read More

Author Owen King is the son of writers Stephen and Tabitha King.

Background reading for our Book of the Month

When you have finished reading the Book of the Month, All over but the shoutin', you may want to read more about Haiti. Try these links:

National Coalition for Haitian Rights
Haiti Support Group
Haiti Action

For links to coverage of the Susan Smith trial mentioned in the book try the Herald Journal.

Top 150 Best Sellers This Week

According to USA Today, the number one best seller this week is Stephen King's Cell, followed by Oprah's Book Club selection, Night by Elie Wiesel. That Book Club has chosen another memoir. This time it is about Wiesel's experience at Nazi concentration camps. Will there be more controversy over this book? Read More.

Book of the Month

I just finished reading our book for this month, All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. The book in my opinion is primarily a tribute to the writer's momma. It is all about growing up poor in small town Alabama with an alcoholic father, alcoholic grandfathers and a poor, long-suffering mother. The memoir covers a range of issues: race, religion, social class, self esteem, and family.

The family dynamics will remind you of other memoirs we have discussed in this book club. Sam, the writer's oldest sibling, was the solid one; more like their mother. Rick was the middle child like Nicolas Sparks, writer of Three Weeks with My Brother, and like Tamim Ansary, writer of West of Kabul, East of New York. Mark, the baby, turned out to be the alcoholic, full of rage like the father he barely knew. Remember Tamim Ansary's younger brother? He also grew up to be just like the father he hardly knew.