October 2004 Issue
The Internet Writing JournalISSN No. 1095-3973
Volume 8, Issue 5.
In This Issue:
A Conversation With D.J. MacHaleBeing a New York Times bestselling author is actually D.J. MacHale's second career. He is also a prolific and successful writer, director, and executive producer of a number of popular television series, specials and movies. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, one of the longest running live-action family programs on television. His entertaining young adult fantasy series, The Pendragon Adventure, has sold over one million copies worldwide. The series follows the exploits of Bobby Pendragon, a normal teen who finds out that he is a Traveler: a guardian of a number of other worlds, of which Earth is only one. The fifth book in the series, Black Water (Simon and Schuster) was just released; five more books are planned in the series. In this exclusive interview, DJ spoke with us about his move from the collaborative world of television to the solitary world of a novelist and how he created the world of Halla and Bobby Pendragon. He also shares his thoughts about working with child actors such as Kirsten Dunst, and gives some great advice for aspiring writers.
How It Is
Georges Simenon said, "Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness." Is writing serious fiction only about angst? Are we merely self-treating our mental aches? If we were happy, would that stop us writing deep stuff? In his latest article, "How It Is," British novelist Alex Keegan examines the driving force behind the writer's desire to create something new.
Animation Options for Authors: From an Australian Point of View
Animation and merchandising can increase revenue streams for authors, but legal representation is definitely a must as there are many potential problems. Bestselling Australian children's author Hazel Edwards explains the benefits and complexities of author branding in her new article "Animation Options for Authors: From an Australian Point of View."
Perseverance: The Key to the Doors of Success, Part II
Talent is simply a pre-disposition -- a potential that you have. But it takes more than talent to make it in the music business. Nationally syndicated radio talk show host, songwriter and CEO of CQK Music & Records Mary Dawson explains how building your credibility can help you become successful in this second article in her two part series, "Perseverance: The Key to the Doors of Success, Part II."
Book Reviews
Children's/Young Adult
Basilisk by N.M. Browne (Bloomsbury)
Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan (Bloomsbury)
Fish by L. S. Matthews (Delacorte Press)
It's Hard to be Five: Learning How to Work With My Control Panel by Jamie Lee Curtis, Illustrated by Laura Cornell (Joanna Cotler Books)
The Monster Trap by Dean Morrissey (HarperCollins)
The Secret of Castle Cant by K.P. Bath, Illustrations by David Christiana (Little, Brown)
Snow-Walker by Catherine Fisher (Eos)
Tending to Grace by Kimberly Newton Fusco (Knopf)
The Train of States by Peter Sis (Greenwillow Books)
Fantasy/SF
Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
Wormwood by G.P. Taylor (Putnam)
Mystery/Thriller
California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow)
Ice Run by Steve Hamilton (Thomas Dunne Books)
The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey (HarperCollins)
Nonfiction
The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby's-Christie's Auction House Scandal by Christopher Mason (Putnam)
Cover Up: What the Government is Still Hiding About the War on Terror by Peter Lance (ReganBooks)
Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed is Shipping American Jobs Overseas by Lou Dobbs (Warner Business)
Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine: The Inn at Little Washington by Patrick O'Connell (Bulfinch)
The Rosedale Diet by Ron Rosedale, MD and Carol Colman (HarperResource)
Romance and Women's Fiction
The Beauty and the Spy by Gayle Callen (Avon)
Dream of Me by Lisa Cach (LoveSpell)
The Barbarian by Judith E. French (Dorchester)
Still Life by Melanie Jackson (LoveSpell)
Writing
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting, 2nd Edition by Skip Press (Alpha Books)
The Writer's Handbook 2005 edited by Elfrieda Abbe (The Writer Books)
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