Mink or Manure in the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

When I wake up early and can't sleep, I catch up on NPR programs. Streaming audio is a wondrous thing. This morning I heard Diane Rehm remind Rita Mae Brown that the first time she saw the author, Rita Mae Brown wore a full-length mink coat, and now she's dressed, well, differently. Rita Mae Brown said, "Well, it's mink or manure around here," and she laughed that throaty laugh--such a delight to hear.

It's been great to listen to her talk about writing and about living in the country where she makes her living from timber, hay, and horses. She's written such a diversity of books--so far, no one has mentioned the groundbreaking Rubyfruit Jungle. And she's been very quiet about politics--these days that's a relief to me. I'm far more interested in the creative process than politics or sexuality. I must be really old now.

If you want to hear the interview, go here and scroll down.

I've found wonderful reading around the web this week. On Leslie's blog, guest blogger Carollyne Hutter writes about a conference she attended: Pushing the Electronic Envelope Even Farther! Using Cyberspace to Advance Your Career. There are such marvelous writers' resources in the D.C. area. I'm jealous that I can't be there to partake, but we're all lucky to have people reporting. Hutter gives great advice for promoting ourselves online. Go here to read the post.

But maybe you're feeling fretful because you worry that you'll never get a book together or you have a book, but you can't seem to find a publisher home for it. Kelli has a great blog post here about submitting a book manuscript. She's just won a prize, which will result in publication of her manuscript, so she knows whereof she speaks. I was heartened to read that she had submitted a lot ("way into double digits" she says) before the manuscript was accepted.

If you're looking for a different way to organize your books, go here to Sandra Beasley's blog. She organizes her books by color, and she's got some great thoughts on which books sit side by side. She's also got pictures!