Caroline Leavitt, author and books reviewer, will visit the Backspace discussion forum to answer members’ questions December 10 - 12. Caroline is the author of eight novels: Girls In Trouble, Coming Back To Me, Living Other Lives, Into Thin Air, Family, Jealousies, Lifelines and Meeting Rozzy Halfway. Various titles were optioned for film, translated into different languages, and condensed in magazines. Her essays and articles have appeared in Salon, Psychology Today, Cookie, New York Magazine, Parenting, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, Parents, Redbook, The Boston Globe and New Woman, as well in numerous anthologies.

She won First Prize in Redbook Magazine's Young Writers Contest for her short story, "Meeting Rozzy Halfway," which grew into the novel. The recipient of a 1990 New York Foundation of the Arts Award for Fiction for Into Thin Air, and a 2003 Nickelodeon Screenwriting Fellow Finalist, she was also a National Magazine Award nominee for personal essay, and a judge for the 1990 Fiction Competition for the Writers' Voice Awards in New York City. She is an award-winning senior instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches "Writing The Novel" online.

A former book columnist for The Boston Globe Sunday book section and for Imagine Magazine, she reviews for The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and People. She recently won a 2005 honorable mention, Goldenberg Prize for Fiction by the prestigious Bellevue Literary Review, for "Breathe," a portion of Traveling Angels, her new novel in progress.

Caroline has appeared on The Today Show, Diane Rehm, and more, and has been featured on The View From The Bay. She lives in Hoboken, New Jersey with her husband, the writer Jeff Tamarkin, and their ten-year-old son Max.

Internationally published thriller writers Robert Gregory Browne and Brett Battles have a series of podcasts on writing at their BATTLES AND BROWNE TALK WRITING website.  Now they're bringing a more interactive version to Backspace members in the form of an ongoing guest speaker question and answer session.

The forum, BATTLES AND BROWN TALK WRITING, is designed particularly for our not-yet-agented members who are keen on honing their craft. However, like our regular guest speaker visits, all members are welcome to ask questions and participate.

This craft-specific ongoing question and answer forum has already proven to be tremendously helpful. Thanks to Brett and Rob for suggesting it!

Mark your calendars! The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference will be held August 7 & 8, 2008, at the Radisson Martinique on Broadway, New York City. Cost for the two-day, two-track event is $355 for early registration (through March 31) and Backspace members; $395 thereafter. The conference program is a work in progress.  Check the website frequently for updates.

Published Backspace member authors who are planning to attend the conference and who would like a part on the program should email Karen ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Parts will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

The mission of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) movement is to ensure that all school-aged children in the developing world are able to engage effectively with their own personal laptop, networked to the world, so that they, their families and their communities can openly learn and learn about learning.

The OLPC Association focuses on designing, manufacturing, and distributing laptops to children in lesser developed countries, initially concentrating on those governments that have made commitments for the funding and program support required to ensure that all of their children own and can effectively use a laptop.

In the spirt of our own "writers helping writers" mission statement, Backspace supports OLPC's efforts. Contributions may be sent to: OLPC Foundation, P.O. Box 425087, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142. You can also make a donation by credit card using the secure links on OLPC's website.

If newsletter subscribers would like to contribute collectively toward the purchase of one or more laptops in Backspace’s name, you can send a check made out to Backspace with "laptops" in the memo line to P.O. Box 454, Washington, MI 48094. This is an ongoing project. We'll keep folks apprised of how many laptops Backspace has purchased.

Members who maintain a Backspace Bookshelf can add the following new releases this month to their collection:

Clea Simon - CRIES AND WHISKERS (Poisoned Pen, December, 2007)

When an animal rights activist is killed by a hit-and-run driver on an icy Cambridge street, music critic Theda Krakow can’t get too upset. The victim cared more for wild animals than for people, and had no use at all for domesticated pets, such as the black-and-white cat Musetta that Theda adores. Besides, Theda is caught up in investigating the rise of a dangerous new designer drug that threatens the musicians and fans who make up the club scene she considers her second home. But when the feline-friendly writer learns that the accident victim was defying her own radical group to rescue feral cats on the eve of a ferocious winter storm, she puts her own prejudices aside to help out. As Theda and her buddy, the punk-rock shelter owner Violet, race to save these half-wild felines from the freezing New England winter, they uncover simmering tensions that make the activist’s death seem more than an accident. Could a friend have been the fatal driver? Is Violet more involved with the extremist group than she’s let on? Even while kittens are at risk and the new drug hits close to home, Theda tries to hang onto her journalistic objectivity. But when the threats become more personal and Musetta goes missing, Theda risks her reputation, her career, and possibly her life as the word "deadline" takes on a whole new meaning.

"A fast-paced look at the Boston music scene and a delight for cat fanciers." — Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will thrill to Theda's engaging adventures in amateur sleuthing." — Publishers Weekly

"Simon has written a fast-moving story full of lively characters, both two- and four-legged. This series is highly recommended for mystery fans who love cats but who prefer to leave the crime-solving to humans." — Booklist

Carolyn Hughey - CUPID'S WEB (Avalon Books)

Cassie Pirelli has big problems—like a Mama who suffers from Cupidity and who wants her daughter married with lots of bambinos running around. And isn’t just like a Mama to know just the guy who can help her achieve those goals.

Cassie has different ideas, and being barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen isn't part of the master plan. She’s climbing that corporate ladder, and no one is going to stop her—especially not a man.

Cassie makes her escape by accepting a job in New York. Just when her life’s on track, she starts having dreamy thoughts about Mr. Foxy Guy, her hot-looking boss.

Then comes Mr. Cute Guy, who suddenly decides he wants more than a platonic relationship. Couple that with a strong dose of Sammy Scarliotti, who refuses to take "no" for an answer, and you pretty much have too many irresistible forces, and one immovable object—much to Mama’s glee!

"Hughey has penned a brisk and entertaining romantic comedy, complete with a wise-cracking and endearing heroine." – Shelley Mosley of Booklist

"Cupid's Web is light and frothy. Readers will laugh, they'll cry, and they'll fall in love with Cassie Pirelli and her misadventures in the big city." – Alesia Holliday, 2006 RITA winner

 

Chris Grabenstein - HELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Carol and Graf)

What if America's most lethal terrorist threat came from a jihad of American extremists? In the explosive sequel to Slay Ride, FBI legend Christopher Miller returns for a page-turning countdown to a Thanksgiving Day attack in New York City.

Anthony Award-winning author Chris Grabenstein has created a new high-velocity thrill ride of a read. Christopher Miller is up against a group of domestic terrorists who are copying Al Qaeda's tactics: operating in cells, following a twisted fundamentalist doctrine, targeting "public amusements." A White Supremacist hate group has smuggled in a stinger missile and recruited an army marksman—a nightmare vision of a new and more talented Timothy McVeigh.

When Miller starts sounding alarm bells about this group and its plans, no one listens because the FBI's focus has shifted to foreign terrorists. "Saint Chris" comes up against the same sort of bureaucratic resistance encountered by the real-life FBI agents who, pre-9/11, wrote memos about Arab Terrorists Flying Airplanes Into Buildings that no one paid attention to.

Meanwhile, on the home front, Miller has to cope with his daughter's post traumatic stress as the anniversary of her Christmas nightmare draws near, and he will be torn between taking care of her and saving thousands of innocent lives!

"Entertaining as hell. This book will take your mind off the leftovers and erase any thoughts of napping." -- Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

"Grabenstein's gripping second holiday thriller [has] a spectacular finish. This rapid-fire entertainment is sure to please Grabenstein's fans." -- Publisher's Weekly

 

If you've been stocking a Backspace bookshelf all year, these 71 titles by Backspace members released during 2007 might explain why you're broke . . .

Karen Abbott - SIN IN THE SECOND CITY (Random House)

Tasha Alexander - ELIZABETH, THE GOLDEN AGE (Harper Collins)

Tasha Alexander – A POISONED SEASON (William Morrow)

Lauren Baratz-Logsted - ANGEL'S CHOICE (Simon&Schuster for Young Adults)

Brett Battles - THE CLEANER (Delacorte Press)

Allison Brennan SPEAK NO EVIL (Ballantine Books)

Allison Brennan - FEAR NO EVIL (Ballantine Books)

Allison Brennan - SEE NO EVIL (Ballantine Books)

Heather Brewer - EIGHTH GRADE BITES (Dutton/Penguin)

Robert Gregory Browne - KISS HER GOODBYE (St. Martin's Press)

Ally Carter - CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY (Hyperion)

Jane K. Cleland – CONSIGNED TO DEATH (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

Jon Clinch - FINN (Random House)

Tish Cohen - TOWN HOUSE (HarperCollins)

Tish Cohen - THE INVISIBLE RULES OF THE ZOE LAMA (Dutton Childrens’ Books)

Cat Conner - KILLERBYTE (Triskelon Publishing)

J.T. Ellison - ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS (Mira)

Barb Ferrer (writing as Caridad Ferrer) - IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT (MTV Books)

Loraine Fowlow, with Sean Stanwick - WINE BY DESIGN (hardcover, John Wiley & Sons)

Patry Francis - THE LIAR'S DIARY (Dutton)

Helen Gallagher - RELEASE YOUR WRITING: BOOK PUBLISHING YOUR WAY (Virtual Bookworm, Inc.)

Theo Gangi – BANG BANG (Kensington)

Linda C. Gerber - THE FINNISH LINE (Puffin/Speak)

John Getze - BIG NUMBERS (Hilliard & Harris)

Chris Grabenstein - WHACK A MOLE (Carol and Graf)

Chris Grabenstein - HELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Carol and Graf)

Elizabeth Graham - PLAYING WITH THE MOON (Macmillan New Writing)

Lynne Griffin - NEGOTIATION GENERATION: TAKE BACK YOUR PARENTAL AUTHORITY WITHOUT PUNISHMENT (Penguin)

Sara Gruen - WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (Algonquin Books - paperback)

Sara Gruen - RIDING LESSONS (Harper Paperbacks)

Sara Gruen - FLYING CHANGES (Harper Paperbacks)

Albyn Leah Hall - THE RHYTHM OF THE ROAD (Thomas Dunne Books)

Sara Hantz - THE SECOND VIRGINITY OF SUZY GREEN (Flux)

Melanie Lynn Hauser - SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD ( NAL)

Alesia Holliday (writing as Alyssa Day) - ATLANTIS RISING (Berkley Sensations)

Kay Hooper - BLOOD DREAMS (Bantam)

Kay Hooper - SLEEPING WITH FEAR (Bantam, paperback,)

Carolyn Hughey - CUPID'S WEB (Avalon Books)

Harry Hunsicker- CROSSHAIRS (St. Martin's Minotaur)

Pam Jenoff - THE KOMMANDANT'S GIRL (Mira)

Lesley Kagen - WHISTLING IN THE DARK (NAL/Penguin)

Jackie Kessler - THE ROAD TO HELL (Zebra Books/Kensington)

Jackie Kessler - HELL'S BELLES (Kensington)

Kristy Kiernan - CATCHING GENIUS (Berkley)

Gary C. King – STOLEN IN THE NIGHT: The True Story of a Family's Murder, a Kidnapping, and the Child Who Survived (St. Martin's Paperbacks )

Joe Konrath – DIRTY MARTINI (Hyperion)

Adrienne Kress - ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN (Scholastic UK; Weinstein Books US/Canada)

Gretchen Moran Laskas - THE MINER'S DAUGHTER (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Adults)

Richard Lewis - THE KILLING SEA (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)

Jonathan Maberry - DEAD MAN'S SONG (Kensington)

Jonathan Mayberry - THE CRYPTOPEDIA: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange, and Downright Bizarre (Kensington)

Toni McGee Causey - BOBBIE FAY’S VERY (very very very) BAD DAY (St. Martin's Press)

Joe Moore & Lynn Sholes – THE HADES PROJECT: A Cotten Stone Mystery (Midnight Ink)

C.J. Parker FUGUE MACABRE: GHOST DANCE (Light Sword Publishing LLC.)

Steven Paul - THE LAST GUNFIGHTER (mobipocket.com)

Kate Perry - PROJECT DATE (Kensington Zebra)

Cornelia Read - FIELD OF DARKNESS (Grand Central Publishing - paperback)

Kim Reid - NO PLACE SAFE: A Memoir (Dafina/Kensington Books)

John Elder Robison - LOOK ME IN THE EYE (Random, U.S. and Canada)

Renee Rosen - EVERY CROOKED POT (St. Martin's Press)

Jordan Rosenfeld - MAKE A SCENE (Writer's Digest Books)

Michelle Rowan - FANGED AND FABULOUS (Grand Central Publishing)

Renee Russell - KATE’S PRIDE (wings ePress)

Marcus Sakey - THE BLADE ITSELF (St. Martin's)

Marcus Sakey – THE BLADE ITSELF (Mass Market Paperback)

Shari Sanford (editor) , Mark Macdonald – LOACHES: NATURAL HISTORY AND AQUARIUM CARE (TFH Publications)

Clea Simon - CRIES AND WHISKERS (Poisoned Pen, December)

Alexandra Sokofoff – THE HARROWING (paperback – St. Martin’s Press)

Wendy Nelson Tokunaga - MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT (St. Martin’s)

Rachel Weingarten - CAREER AND CORPORATE COOL (Wiley)

Allison Winn Scotch - DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND (William Morrow)

Patricia Wood - LOTTERY (Putnam)

Sandra Kring recently signed a film option for her novel THE BOOK OF BRIGHT IDEAS with Paramount Pictures.

Bram Stoker and Anthony nominee for best first novel Alex Sokoloff's next two supernatural thrillers sold to Marc Resnick at St. Martin's Press, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group (NA).

A.S. King’s THE DUST OF 100 DOGS, about a notorious 17th century pirate reincarnated as a girl genius determined to reclaim her buried treasure, having lived three hundred years as an assortment of dogs, sold to Flux for publication in Spring/Summer 2009.

Joanne Levy's entry "What Happens in Vegas..." took first place in the Classic Chicklit Category of the RWA Chicklit Chapter's Get Your Stiletto in the Door Contest. Shana Silver’s entry got a request for a full by the agent judging her category.

After serving as the fiction editorial assistant for several years, Kristina Riggle was named fiction co-editor at Literary Mama. Literary Mama is one of Forbes' Best of the Web and has featured many Backspacers as contributors and columnists.

Two Backspace members’ books are listed among Amazon's 100 Best Books of 2007 - Editor's Picks: Jon Clinch's FINN is #66, and John Robison's LOOK ME IN THE EYE is #67.

Heather Brewer’s EIGHTH GRADE BITES has been nominated for the 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adults Readers List.

Eliza Graham’s PLAYING WITH THE MOON and Sara Gruen’s WATER FOR ELEPHANTS are both on the list for reading club Hidden Gems’s competition held on or around World Book Day.

Jon Clinch’s FINN is shortlisted for the National Book Critic’s Circle's Best Recommended List.

Jackie Kessler’s ROAD TO HELL was favorably reviewed on Publishers’ Weekly’s blog.

Wendy Nelson Tokunga’s MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT was reviewed recently in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Keri Mikulski, writing for South Jersey Mom Magazine says Jenny Gardiner’s debut novel SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER "is a sensational sitcom-inspired feisty feast. . . . Gardiner’s fun, witty, romp keeps readers giggling from cover to cover. For a playful novel, that will inspire the reader to find ways to bring their own sexy back, read Sleeping with Ward Cleaver."

Several Backspace members contributed to the anthology KILLER YEAR: Stories to Die For – Edited by Lee Child. Of them, Kirkus Reviews says: "Sixteen shades of noir, all interesting, some compelling. Three of Child's contributors—Ken Bruen, Allison Brennan and Duane Swierczynski—are seasoned pros, but the collection's gems come from the 13 members of the younger set.  Toni McGee Causey's artfully composed "A Failure to Communicate" introduces the indomitable and irresistible Bobbie Faye Sumrall, a steel magnolia whose steel will cause three lowlifes to rue the day they took her hostage.  "Perfect Gentleman" by Brett Battles and "Bottom Deal" by Robert Gregory Browne are both lean and taut, expertly crafted in the good old hard-boiled tradition.  An anthology so worthwhile that it comes within an eyelash of deserving the hyperbole Child (Bad Luck and Trouble, 2007, etc.) heaps on it in his introduction."

Renee Russell's FATED LOVE received a four ribbon review from Romance Junkies.

Devon Ellington has a new article in Femmefan, with three more under her Cerridwen Iris Shea pseudonym on Blessed Gardens: The 2007 Breeders’ Cup Wrap-Up, Lullabye for the Land, November Tasks for the Garden, and November’s Flower: Chrysanthemum.

Kim Stagliano has an opinion piece on Huffington Post about the media’s claims that there is no autism epidemic.

Karen Dionne has an article on the International Thriller Writers website "I Am Not a Scientist" about what it’s like to write science thrillers without a scientific background.

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