Kathryn Yelinek
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New Story Out
December 13th, 2011 23:48 by Kathryn Yelinek
I have a short story scheduled to go out to subscribers of Daily Science Fiction on Thursday, December 15. It will be available for free on their website the following week. I'll post a link to it once that happens.
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Registration Open
July 21st, 2011 22:45 by Kathryn Yelinek
Registration for the workshop on September 10, 2011 with Timons Esaias is now open. Remember that registration is limited to 20. Just click on the tab above that says "Writers Workshop."
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Back from Odyssey
July 18th, 2011 15:00 by Kathryn Yelinek
I just got back from the Odyssey Writing Workshop. This is a six-week workshop for writers of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and horror) in New Hampshire. It was one of the best, most exhilarating, and most exhausting six weeks of my life. I'll be blogging more about the workshop over at the Susquehanna Writers blog.
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Congratulations, Beautiful Girl!
June 2nd, 2011 20:54 by Kathryn Yelinek
Longtime visitors to my site might remember an earlier post (February 2010) about friend and former writing instructor Rachel Simon, who had just sold a new book to Grand Central Press. Rachel's new book is now out. The Story of Beautiful Girl has reached the New York Times Bestseller list and earned recommendations from Oprah Magazine, USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, and many more. Way to go!
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Pennwriters conference wrap-up
May 19th, 2011 15:57 by Kathryn Yelinek
The Pennwriters conference was last weekend, May 13-15 in Pittsburgh. It was one of the best conferences that I've attended. I came back with a stack of business cards, a slew of story and article ideas, and a keen desire for more hours in the day.
Here are some of my personal highlights:
- A workshop on goal setting for writers, given by Elizabeth Kelley
- A workshop on overcoming procrastination, writer's block, and other impediments to the writing life, given by Dennis Palumbo
- A very inspiring Saturday keynote address by fellow Pennwriters Jonathan Maberry
- Tips on marketing from Bill Peschel
As a colleague once said, if a conference is really good, you'll come home with more work to do. This conference was fabulous, and now I'm off to write those articles and follow up on those contacts...
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Blogging isn't for me
April 10th, 2011 14:43 by Kathryn Yelinek
Well, I tried the blog thing for several weeks, and, frankly, it isn't for me. I guess I just don't live that interesting of a life.
So, I've renamed this section of my site "News." Expect to find updates about writing workshops, Pennwriters, and anything else newsworthy. This revised name gives me more leeway on how often I should post.
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The joy of the small town bookstore
April 3rd, 2011 14:41 by Kathryn Yelinek
I live in a town without any of the major chain bookstores. What we have is even better--a small, locally owned, independent bookstore. Sure, the selection is smaller, but the owner can order anything that she doesn't have in stock, and I can get it about as soon as I would if I used Super Saver Shipping from Amazon (works great if I'm only ordering one book, which costs less than $25).
Here are the top three reasons why I like my local bookstore:
1) The owner recognizes my voice on the phone (okay, that might be more of an indication of me than the store, but still...) 2) I know that as soon as my favorite [local author] (http://www.martaperry.com/) has a new book out, there will be a book signing 3) Browsing new and used books in one-stop shopping
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Update on writers workshop
March 27th, 2011 14:55 by Kathryn Yelinek
I've posted an update to the information for this year's writers workshop. I'm so pleased to have Timons (Tim) Esaias speaking about revision. In a break from past practice, he will be giving the entire day-long workshop, rather than having separate sessions in the morning and afternoon. Still, I think we're in for a treat! I'll post additional information in the coming months, and I expect to open registration in the summer.
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Recommending Books
March 20th, 2011 15:10 by Kathryn Yelinek
My to-be-read pile is usually alarming tall, but that never stops me from being on the prowl for the next thing to add to the pile. So, of course, I'm always interested when someone recommends that I read such-and-such a book. Now, that doesn't always mean that I'll like a book that someone else recommends. It's disappointing when that happens, but reading by nature is a personal thing, and that means someone else's Best Book Ever may not resonate for me.
Still, I was lucky to have a recent string of recommended books that I loved, too. I got to read them while I was sick on the couch during Spring Break. Not the Spring Break I had anticipated, but no time spent reading on the couch is ever wasted.
"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. Two different people had recently told me that I absolutely had to read this book, so when I saw a paperback in the grocery store of all places, I added it to my cart. I was a bit daunted by the 900+ page count, because I often run out of patience with epic-length stories. Still, the pace moved quickly, and I identified with the characters from the beginning. For me, this book was all about the characters. Follett had an amazing ability to describe the characters from the first moment they appeared on the page. I'm not usually a fan of multiple points of view in a novel, but this book used them to great effect. I loved getting into a character's head and then getting to see what all of the other characters thought about each other.
"Fire" by Kristin Cashore. This might be cheating, because I'd read this book before. A colleague at work recommended that I read it when it came into our library. So I read the library copy, loved it, and vowed to buy my own copy when it came out in paperback. So this time I got to read my very own copy. I discovered Cashore through her first book, "Changeling," which sucked me in from the first page. I loved her dialogue and the quirky way that her heroine looked at the world. I loved the way the romance progressed. The ending was a little bit of a disappointment, though (I won't say more, because I don't want to give it away). With "Fire," I felt the opposite: it took me a little bit to get into the book, but then I loved the ending. Again, the dialogue sparkled, and I believed completely in the love story. I'm eagerly waiting for her next book.
"The Lost" by Daniel Mendelsohn. Yes, my list of recommended books is all over the map. I've gone from historical fiction to YA to nonfiction. This one was recommended by my sister. She's the family genealogist, so this book caught her eye. It recounts the true story of how the author discovered the fate of his uncle, aunt, and cousins, who were killed during the Holocaust. The story is riveting. At one point, Mendelsohn notes that if he'd been writing fiction, no one would believe the story. He's right. Many of the twists are hard to believe. But they kept me reading. Occasionally, I found the writing itself distracting. He writes in long, sweeping sentences with many asides. My preference is usually for more concise, straightforward prose. Still, the writing style fits the story , and he even discusses this fact towards the beginning of the book. I'll recommend that you do as I did, which is read this book with another family member so you can discuss it once you're finished.
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Found a new writer
February 26th, 2011 20:47 by Kathryn Yelinek
I love it when I discover a new writer to enjoy. This time, it's Kali Wallace. Her short story "Botanical Exercises for Curious Girls" appeared in the March/April issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. I loved the simple, elegant prose and the quickly unfolding mystery of the story. I don't know Ms. Wallace, and all I could discover about her through a quick Google search is that she's seems to be a Clarion graduate. Still, I hope to see many more of her stories in the future.
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