Shampa Sinha Writing on on Rumania

Wednesdays is the day for the guest-blog post here on Madam Mayo, but this week, something a little different: a link to "Bucharest and Beyond," Shampa Sinha's article for The Australian. It's an intriguing peek into place undergoing almost unthinkable change, and I'm especially delighted to share this link, for Shampa Sinha was, oh so long ago at the Writer's Center, one of my travel writing workshop participants.

LIKE a giant exotic insect, a large glass clings to the side of an apartment building in the Piata Romana, multicoloured straws emerging from it like tentacles.

From above, an oversized Coke bottle, lying along the building's roof, pours a murky stream of fake beverage.

This, we take it, is the face of the new Bucharest...READ MORE

P.S. The most recent guest-blog posts:
-Richard Jeffrey Newman: 5 Sites to Learn More About the Shahnameh
-Daniel Olivas: 5 Books of for Writing The Book of Want
-Diane Saarinen: 5 Brassy and Well-Branded Book Blogs
>>To view the complete archive, click here.

More anon.

Guest-blogger Diane Saarinen on 5 Sassy and Well-Branded Blogs

Brooklyn-based writer and blog tour specialist Diane Saarinen is someone whose praises I often sing, for she did a superb job helping coordinate the fall 2010 blog tour for the paperback edition of my novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire. I've been blogging here at Madam Mayo for four years now, and though I've often blogged about other blogs and blogging as a literary genre, the blogoverse is so expandingly ginormous, there were still-- as Diane showed me-- many outstanding book blogs I'd never heard of, though they've already achieved stratospheric numbers of readers. (And no doubt this is still true, and will always be true. Read more about blog tours and some of the guest-blog posts I wrote for mine here.) Diane Saarinen can be found at the Saima Agency which offers support for the harried writer with author services such as blog tours, virtual assistance, copywriting, and book trailers. The agency recently surveyed book bloggers and has an e-report available on the findings, Best Practices: Pitching Book Bloggers. Over to you, Diane!

5 SASSY AND WELL-BRANDED BLOGS

By Diane Saarinen

As a blog tour coordinator, I’ve worked closely with my blogging colleagues for a few years now and can tell you that every blogger – and their blog – is unique in the way he or she expresses the passion for reading and sharing opinions. I would imagine, however, that as a new blog publisher, it might be a challenge to stand out from the crowd. Here’s my list of five sassy and well-branded blogs that do just that:

1. Booking Mama Julie Peterson, a.k.a. Booking Mama, has carved a niche out for herself by recommending book club reads. Even her guest posts by authors often relate to book club-related experiences such as memorable readings or unusual insights offered by readers. A nice place for readers who want to connect to find community.

2. Her Circle Ezine Is it a website or a blog? I have a soft spot in my heart for Her Circle Ezine ever since I volunteered there as Blog Producer several years ago. The guest blog posts there are carefully planned and thought out with often unconventional writers offering their viewpoints. Plus it’s an online women’s literary magazine – what’s not to like?

3. The Book Lady’s Blog At first I didn’t understand why Rebecca Joines Schinsky, a.k.a. the Book Lady, was throwing her underwear at authors. However, being a huge Tom Jones fan, it didn’t raise any eyebrows either. Take a look at Rebecca’s site for an example of a blogger having a heckuva good time reviewing books with well-written reviews to support all the fun.

4. Wonders & Marvels The quirkier history is, the more interesting it gets. Wonders & Marvels has the wise, the weird and the wonderful – all in one place. Generous book giveaways as well with multiple copies offered. Truth is stranger than fiction.

5. Speaking of history, how can I forget The Historical Boys ? I’m anticipating historical fiction author C. W. Gortner will get a kick out of being on such a sassy list! Christopher works hard at interviewing other hist-fic authors as well as writing about the latest on research. With his busy writing schedule, he earns even more respect for keeping this blog well updated.

--- Diane Saarinen

>>For the complete archive of Madam Mayo guest-blog posts, click here.
Guest-blogs appear on Wednesdays (usually).
Last up: Teresa Nichols: 5 Links About Buryin' Daddy
Next up: Daniel Olivas, author of the novel, The Book of Want.

Links Noted: Art & Word Editions, Redacción sin Dolor, Francis Ford Coppola on Art + Money, Christine Boyka Kluge, Real Delia, Rose Rosetree, and more

Art & Words Editions
Founded by Kris Waldherr in New York. This is the future of publishing, people. Wow. Sign up for the mailing list and get your goddess PDF. (Thanks, Diane Saarinen, for the tip.)

Washington Independent Review of Books
Amidst the general catastrophe that has befallen newspaper book reviewing, I am delighted to see this. Founded by historian David O. Stewart in Washington DC.

Redacción sin Dolor
El blog de Sandro Cohen, Mexican writer and esteemed writing teacher.

The Bleat
Dancing Chiva Literary Arts, S.C.: Limited editions, e-books, writing workshops, and more. P.S. Sign up for my Techniques of Fiction workshop May 28 with Dancing Chiva in Mexico City.

Francis Ford Coppola on Art & Money

Christine Boyka Kluge
Poet with a camera and eyes beyond Rimbaud.

Real Delia
The "Finding Yourself in Adulthood" blog of the Politics Daily columnist has a bright new look.

Better Book Titles
(Thanks, Mary Kay Zuravleff, for the tip.)

Rose Rosetree
Aura Reading of Lady Gaga, face reading of Hosni Mubarak, Q & A with Mr Enlightenment, and why smoking mota opens your aura to nasty whozits (really). Fiction writers: can you read your character's auras and faces?

More anon.

Blog Tour (What's a Blog Tour?) for The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

El último príncipe del Imperio Mexicano is out in Mexico, and so I'm south of the border for the time being (and happy to say, it's already gone into a second printing!). Meanwhile, the bookstore tour behind me (from DC to CA in 2009), I'm doing a fall U.S. "blog tour" for the English original, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, which is now out in paperback.

What's a "blog tour"? Just a series of "visits"-- it might be a Q & A or a guest-blog post, on blogs that cover subjects related to the book. In some cases my publisher, Unbridled Books, provided books for a giveaway to readers. It's a delightful kind of tour because I get to find out about other bloggers, reach out to new readers-- and not have to pack a suitcase!

So far:

Mary J. LohnesInterview with C.M. Mayo "The Politics of Love"

Latina Book ClubQ & A with blogger Maria Ferrer

HistoricalNovels.info
A review and an interview by blogger Margaret Donsbach

Hist-Fic-Chick: Celebrating History Through Literature
"Haunted Historicals: The Curious Coincidences Involving Senator Claiborne Pell's Mansion"
--> Now a podcast (and check out more podcasts on my page at iTunes).

Girls Just Reading "The Story of the Story of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire"
Also: a review by Julie

Jenn's Bookshelves
An interview; also a review by Jenn.



Some previous stops on the "blog tour" (some from 2009) include:

Beatrice.com
"What Connects You to the 1860s?"

Work-in-Progress
"12 Tips to Help You Hang in There and Finish Your Novel"

Largehearted Boy
Playlist for The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

Red Room
C.M. Mayo Celebrates a Batch of Bookstores

Potomac Review Blog
"Who Knew That Mexico Had a Half-American Prince? (And How Did His Mother, a Washington Belle, End Up in Mexico?)"

Reading Group Guides
"A Book Group Meeting Menu"

Savvy Verse & Wit
Interview by Serena M. Agusto-Cox

Coffee with a Canine
C.M. Mayo & Picadou

Write On! On-line
Interview by Deborah Eckerling

Christina Baker Kline: Writing/Life"Break the Block in Five Minutes"

Critical Mass: The Blog of the National Book Critics Circle
Interview by Rigoberto Gonzalez



---> Coming up this week: She Read a Book blog


More anon.


P.S. Read more about blog tours at Diane Saarinen's Book Blog Tour Guide Blog; also historical novelist Sandra Gulland has an informative post at Red Room about her amazing 2009 blog tour for Mistress of the Sun.