Czech beauty: midcentury modern desk

September 12, 2011
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Czech beauty: midcentury modern desk

If I could justify spending $5,200 on a desk, I would spend it on this gorgeous Czech midcentury desk from Prague Kolektive, a Brooklyn design shop that describes itself as “the only enterprise in North America specializing in original Czech furniture, lighting, and decorative objects. Our pieces represent the designs of the pre-war Czech avant-garde and mid-century social realism.” About the desk: trapezoid-shaped top in robin’s-egg blue laminate; cherry, beech, and mahogany construction, recessed black plastic drawer-pulls; black-enameled metal body, key-hole on side of pedestal; manufactured circa 1958; one scratch on desk-top otherwise in excellent condition (item ID# T83)...

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I wrote a novel…now what?

September 11, 2011
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What if the only thing standing between you and publication is a great revision? Get your novel or memoir ready to send out to agents and publishers with the help of a New York Times bestselling author and veteran writing teacher. What the book doctor can do for you: Tighten structure Improve dialogue Hone point of view Strengthen characterization Streamline descriptions Identify the heart of the story Find weak points in the plot Crystallize the book’s theme Create a plan for revision Visit The Book Doctor now!

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Remembering the morning of September 11

September 11, 2011
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Remembering the morning of September 11

Please scroll down for memorial funds and scholarships honoring Bay Area victims of Sept. 11. At 6:21 a.m., the telephone rings. My mother, two time zones away in Mobile, Alabama, says, “Do you know?” “Know what?” “You better turn on the TV.” The pictures do not register. Something is burning, something familiar. But it isn’t possible; surely the burning building isn’t what I think it is. Then the voice-over confirms, “The World Trade Center has been hit by a commercial aircraft.” Moments after the picture comes into focus, there is an explosion, a ball of fire, a gaping hole....

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Bookstore ninja: Jane Lynch makes her own Happy Accidents

September 1, 2011
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We’ve all been there. After our book comes out, we do reconnaissance missions to bookstores all over town to find out where the book is placed, and how many copies the store has in stock. Upon finding a single, sad copy of our book hidden somewhere near the bathrooms, we stealthily move it to the front of the store, where we place it prominently in front of the books that people are actually buying in huge quantities. But Jane Lynch does Bookstore Ninja better than the rest of us. She is just so darn awesome. See for yourself! You...

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The Art of Rejection: Kathryn Stockett’s tale of never giving up

August 16, 2011
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The Art of Rejection: Kathryn Stockett’s tale of never giving up

More Magazine features an essay by Kathryn Stockett, author of the wildly successful novel The Help, now a wildly successful film. It’s an old story, but worth repeating: novelist gets a zillion rejections, or 60, to be more precise, before finally landing an agent, a publisher, and a long-running spot at the top of just about every bestseller list you can imagine. Stockett’s advice for writers and anyone else who keeps hitting a brick wall? “Give in to your obsession.” Click here to get free downloads from the Guided Workbooks for Writers series. In the end, I received 60...

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What writers can learn from late, great music man John Carter

August 12, 2011
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What writers can learn from late, great music man John Carter

In July’s obit section, WORD magazine remembers John Carter, songwriter, producer, and A&R man extraordinaire, who “was instrumental in the careers of and a passionate supporter of Bob Seger, The Motels, Sammy Hagar, Melissa Etheridge, Tori Amos, David and David, and … Tina Turner.” WORD quotes an interview for industry website Taxi, in which Carter said that “the one thing he had learned was that over 70 percent of hit records have titles containing nouns.” All kinds of songs become successful, and therefore can be held up as examples to encourage someone that what they’re doing is right, but...

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Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

August 10, 2011
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Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

My husband’s preference would be to live in a house without mirrors. He hates them, always has, despite his natural good looks. In fact, if I looked like my husband (okay, that would be weird, but let’s just say, hypothetically), I’d be one of those guys who can’t pass a storefront without looking at my reflection in the glass. My husband has such a virulent distaste for mirrors, we once passed up an amazing deal on a great TIC in NYC in the late nineties ($82,000 for a 1-bedroom on the Upper West Side!) because he couldn’t get past...

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