photo credit: Randall
Slavin
Tom
Dolby, author of
The
Trouble Boy |
NEW! from one of our regular
reviewers...
Stepping
Out by L. Lake
Lavender
Magazine—
Lori
L. Lake is "Considered one of the best authors of modern lesbian
fiction, her
work—part action, drama, and romance—gleefully
defies categorization."
James Cox, Midwest Book
Review—
"Lori
Lake is one of the best novelists working in the field of lesbian
fiction today." |
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<<<<
| Featured
Author —
Featured Book
Review
by Ken
Newman
| >>>>
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From the
Editor
What's in this Issue and What the Issues Are
I
don't know about you but this election year has already been so
issue-intense
it's difficult to stay focused—in this case on the
newsletter. I'm
talking about the gay marriage issue that's been
holding me enthralled, from Massachusetts to California and all states
in between, from those passing some sort of quick-fix law to say "we're
not gonna recognize any damned gay marriage in this state," to those
wanting to codify discrimination into the United States Constitution,
to those
actual weddings in...where else...San Francisco! It's just not an
ordinary election year. Oh sure there are the caucuses and primaries,
the usual blame and finger-pointing between parties about the usual
issues; but I'm waiting for the primary season to be
over, for Kerry to assume his place as the nominee of the donkey party
and for the elephants on the other side to place the tiara on Bush's
Supreme-Court appointed little head. I'm waiting for this election
year's
games to begin. And then for them to be over!
But let's not talk about that right now.
I had this little newsletter to get out. We have fewer reviewers
this month, but more books were reviewed. We didn't hear from our young
man with the second part of "From Kenya with Love," but he assures me
he's working on it. However, we did hear from William Maltese with
another provocative interview and Tony Heyes with his inimitable review
panache. We have another Long Islander, Cheri Rosenberg, as a first
time book reviewer, but she begins in a big way with three books. Look
for her bio, as well. The featured reviewer this issue is Ken Newman.
We'll be hearing from him on a regular basis as he has kindly offered
to receive books for review from me. If you are an independent,
self-published writer or a small press, you can contact me and I
will
pass the books on to him. He got our featured title this
month,
Tom Dolby's The Trouble
Boy,
Kensington Press. Lori Lake has taken the prize for most books reviewed
in a single issue, but that's because she is much in demand as a
reviewer these days, as well as a writer. Her newest book, Stepping Out, is a
departure for
her. It's a collection of short stories. And Jak Klinikowski gives us a
review of Keegan's Folly,
what he calls "A Literary Satire of Literature." Reminds me of my
graduate school days where in a study of literature the professors
revealed very unknown, but highly literary
works. Did you think Herman Melville only wrote Moby Dick? Oh,
no...there was Mardi
and a Voyage
Thither, just as long as Moby
Dick, but not as well known. And finally, we get Gary
Phillips'
"Second Coming" installment.
The books reviewed this issue are wide-ranging and the leeway I've
allowed on packaging the favorable with the unfavorable reviews is also
a
little more lenient. While I still won't allow mean spirited reviews,
it's probably a good idea to have reviewers point out
less-than-laudible facets of an overall well-written work.
|
For
All Writers
|
Literary
Law Guide for Authors: Copyrights, Trademarks & Contracts in
Plain
Language
By
Tonya Marie Evans & Susan Borden Evans;
Foreword by Dan Poynter
2003,
208 pgs, $19.95,
ISBN: 0967457963
FYOS Ent., LLC, P.O. Box 2021,
Philadelphia, PA. 19103,
http://www.fyos.com
Finally,
here’s an all-inclusive, easy-to-understand book about issues
of
intellectual property, copyright, trademarks, online works, the Fair
Use doctrine, contracts, agreements, and more. By using helpful symbols
and clearly written descriptions, these legal experts provide, in one
volume, a wealth of information critical for authors to know. With a
little patience, anyone can understand the information the Evans
attorneys provide.
They also
cover issues such as privacy, domain names, a brief history of
intellectual property law, and information about pending legislation. I
found the section on agreements for Publishing, Collaboration, and
Licensing especially helpful. I did not realize that each book also
comes with a CD-ROM containing sample forms and contracts—an
extra
added bonus that makes this book an invaluable resource all writers,
new and experienced, should invest in. Highly recommended.
~Lori L.
Lake, author of Different
Dress, Gun
Shy, Under
The Gun, Ricochet
In Time, and Stepping
Out;
she is a reviewer for Midwest
Book Review, The Independent Gay
Writer, The Gay Read,
and Just About
Write.
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New!
If
you're going to attend the
| 
A great way to catch up
on all
those book reviews you've missed. And it will always make a nice
coaster.
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