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"Have you been published?"
Because let’s face it, the moment you say "no" you get that look that says "Oh, you’re not a REAL writer then, you just do it for fun."
Unfortunately, getting published is at once extremely easy and incredibly difficult. It all depends on what you want out of the experience.
The publishing industry as the general public knows it is incredibly small. It’s run by a handful of people and operates under very arcane practices. These factors combine to make it difficult to get your foot in the door. It’s like Hollywood; you have to know someone or get really lucky.
The first way you can get published is the one most people seem the desire. That is, getting a major New York publishing house to buy your book.
There are several ways to go about this.
The first is by sending a unsolicited manuscript. This means that you print a copy of your novel, put it in an envelope and send it to the publisher yourself. Very few publishers still accept this sort of submission.
The second is to sell them a solicited manuscripts. This generally means you need an agent. Agents are the middlemen in the equation. They make publisher care about your work. They make money by selling your rights on the book to various people.
For example, you might sign with a New York publishing house, but the agent only sold your North American rights. You still have control of your rights in the rest of the world, as well as the optioning rights should anyone want to convert your book into a movie, video game, etc. The agent makes money by selling these rights off bit by bit to the interested parties.
And of course, you get a royalty on everything sold, so it behooves you to have someone do this for you unless you know the business in and out. I’ll discuss agents in a bit more detail in a later post.

examiner.com

In the world of well-worn kids’ songs, there’s the good, the bad, and the annoying. Those melodies and lyrics are so hardwired into our psyche, we don’t even know the meaning of what we’re singing.
We say — stop the madness! Here are five songs that should be stricken from the most popular kids’ song lists:
1) Ring Around The Rosy
The meaning of this song is anything but rosy. Sure it has that fun finale “we all fall down,” but unfortunately — since the lyrics are in reference to the Black Plague of 1665 — everyone’s falling because they’re dropping dead. Here’s a breakdown of a few lyrics:
Ring around the rosy
First symptom of the plague was red, rosy cheeks– think about that the next time you brush on your L’Oreal mauve blush.
Pocket full of Posies
In a futile attempt to ward off the “black death,” people would carry posie petals in their pockets–about the equivalent of a glass of Airborne — totally useless.
Ashes, ashes we all fall down
A children’s song that references a standard burial sermon? Hey kids, let’s go to a funeral!
Why this song is considered a lullaby is anyone’s guess. What it is, is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Who was the manufacturer of that cradle? It obviously should be recalled before more unsuspecting babies plummet to the ground. Lulling your child to sleep with a tale of a shoddily constructed bed is like telling them the Big Bad Wolf will be waiting for them in their dreams. Not advised.
3) There’s a Hole in the Bucket
First major problem of this traditional folk song is, it has no end — kind of like housework. It incorporates something known as an infinite-loop motif — which in layman’s terms means singing it will make you go loopy. What’s more, it’s sung in an irritating, monotonous rhythm by two country bumpkins named Henry and Liza. The pair — perhaps a dysfunctional married couple — are trapped in a living hell over a broken bucket. After 17-plus refrains of this never-ending tune you’ll feel like kicking the bucket yourself.

momlogic.com

Over the years America’s Superchick have reinvented their sound. Initially being perceived as purveyors of teen pop, their new album ‘Rock What You Got’ sees the sister-fronted band honing a “rock-o-tronic” sound - an electro-punk mash-up of slashing guitars, pulsing keyboards and grit-pop vocals. Here the band’s founder and producer Max Hsu gives his thoughts about each song on Superchick’s newie.
“Rock What You Got”
Once upon a time, there was a duckling that looked a little different than everyone else. The other ducklings made fun of it a lot. At puberty, that duckling got teased about its high forehead. When that duckling grew up, it turned out it wasn’t a duck at all. It was Tyra Banks. We’ve all heard that story. It’s easier to believe we’re ugly than to believe that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have to fight the lie; no one hands it to you. You have to shake off the insecurities and the beliefs that hold you down. When I see people being who they were created to be, they light up the world around them. You can be that person. I can be that person. If there was hope for this ugly duckling, there’s hope for everyone. Be who you were meant to be.
I studied computer science in high school. I had an uncle at IBM who helped to develop the microdrive. I spent four years studying computer science and when I graduated I got recruited at a big network solutions company. I was there for five years until the tech collapse left us all without jobs. Now I’m doing IT maintenance at a big box chain. Every day I get to work, fix the same problems and play solitaire until 5.30 when my boss isn’t looking. Superchick never existed. We didn’t sell 700,000 records. I never met all the amazing people that are my friends today. I didn’t see 30,000 of them jumping up and down at our show in New Zealand. I never wrote and produced records. I never photographed covers for magazines and albums. I never shot music videos. I never tried surfing, bought my motorcycle or jumped out of a plane. I never met my wife. Well, that’s what would have happened if I’d done the “sensible” thing. But everyone is born with a destiny. God gives us talents that he means us to use. We are meant to live, while we’re still alive.

crossrhythms.co.uk

(Poblano Slices in Creamy Sauce)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, finely sliced
1 cup Crema Mexicana or Crème fraiche (heavy cream may be substituted)
1/2 cup Queso Fresco cubed (mild feta cheese may be substituted)
Make a 1-inch slit on each chili. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Fry the chilies in the oil, turning them until completely blistered. Set aside to cool.
Peel the cooled chilies. Discard the seeds and stems. Slice the chilies.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chilies and sauté for another 3-5 min, until cooked. Add the cream, salt to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Just before serving, add the cheese. As soon as the cheese is warm, serve immediately.
Variation: You can add cooked corn kernels.
Chef’s notes: Serve with hot tortillas, over white rice, or with grilled meat, chicken or fish.
Nutrition information, per 9-ounce serving: 220 calories, 5 grams protein, 16 grams fat, 14 grams carbohydrates, 45 milligrams sodium, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.
Caldo de Hongos
(Mushroom Soup Broth)
2 pounds mushrooms, white cap or a mixture of white cap and crimini, cleaned and brushed free of dirt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 jalapeños chilies, or to taste, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh epazote leaves or cilantro, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
Cut and discard the foot end of each mushroom. Slice each in half lengthwise, and finely slice the halves.
In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Add the chilies to taste, and add the sliced mushrooms. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow the vegetables to cook and gently sweat for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

poughkeepsiejournal.com

“Anne Rice made us want to be vampires. I wanted to make them scary again. It really was just that simple”
With 30 Days Of Night riding high in the DVD charts, and talk of a follow-up gathering pace, Den Of Geek squeezed in some time with Steve Niles to find out what’s what…
How did you initially come up with the concept for 30 Days of Night?
I read an article in the paper about Barrow Alaska and I was immediately taken by the idea of vampires using Barrow as a feeding ground. Eben and Stella and the concept of the feral or unromantic vampires came a bit later.
30 Days of Night has been credited with reinventing the vampire as an actually scary monster, rather than the Anne Rice style hedonists they seemed to have turned into. Why did you decide to make them so vicious and animalistic?
Simply because vampires weren’t scary anymore. Dracula has become a joke, on TV vampires date teenage girls and we have breakfast cereals named after vampires. When Anne Rice "humanised" vampires she was pulling vampires from B-movies and making them sophisticated creatures with feelings and emotions. That was new then. It revolutionized vampires.
Unfortunately it also tamed them. Rice made us want to be vampires. I wanted to make them scary again. It really was just that simple. The vampires in 30 Days of Night could care less about seducing you. They want your blood and all the begging and praying in the world won’t stop them.
Why did you choose to set it in Barrow, instead of in a fictional location, given some of the liberties taken with reality - the size of the town’s population; the fact that Alaska doesn’t have sheriffs; the proximity of the pipeline, and such like?

denofgeek.com

Funny you should ask, Late Night audience member. That guest, seated alongside Will Ferrell and Rashida Jones, was officially billed as “Fred Simmons, the King of the Demo,” a martial arts instructor from Concord, NC. He was, in fact, comic actor Danny R. McBride, who you might recognize from Hot Rod, and who you can catch in upcoming releases Drillbit Taylor and Pineapple Express. (Not to be confused with the stuntman/Underworld screenwriter Danny McBride.) McBride created the role of the bumbling Simmons for The Foot Fist Way, a movie from 2006 that will finally hit theaters on April 11.This Conan appearance was an Andy Kaufmanesque attempt at viral marketing for the upcoming release. So feel free to laugh away, feeling little to no agitation or discomfort!
If you were unable to decipher, after more than 50 seconds, that the character was a piss-take, then I fear you and wish you nothing but the best in your future. But seriously, just stay away from me.
I knew it was fake but it still made me horribly uncomfortable. I wanted to crawl inside Will Farrell’s basketball “shorts” and hide.
@SteamyMcFirecrotch: It is King of the Demo. I guess ya have to see the movie.
I’m becoming a fan of this Danny McBride guy. Just saw some of his stuff from the upcoming “Drillbit Taylor” on You Tube a couple of days ago. Very funny. The awkward energy in this bit reminds me a little of Chris Elliot, when he used to appear on Letterman back in the 80’s.
And that’s high praise indeed!
@mtnmacgrl: Same here - it was obviously not real, but also nowhere near as funny as satire bits on Conan usually are (not really funny at all, actually). It was very confusing.
But I’m glad to at least know why he looked vaguely familiar - he was also in All the Real Girls, with the best character name ever - Bust-Ass.
I’d never heard of this guy. During the segment I kept wondering “Is this for real? This can’t be real.” By the end, I had good feeling that it was fake. Still a shadow of a doubt, though. It wasn’t until I started googling that I found out the truth. I’ll admit, they had me for a bit.

defamer.com