Film Adaptation on Deck for Laini Taylor

While the "Snow White & the Huntsman" director, Rupert Sanders, has been shrouded in bad press the past several months after his affair with actress Kristin Stewart, the producer of the fairy-tale flick, Joe Roth, has been busy prepping some news of his own.

Roth--who also produced "Alice in Wonderland," "While You Were Sleeping," and "Mona Lisa Smile"--just announced that he's optioned the film rights to The Daughter and Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

GalleyCat tells us a little more:

Universal Pictures has acquired the film rights to Laini Taylor‘s young adult novel and National Book Award finalist, Daughter of Smoke & Bone.

Oz: The Great and Powerful executive producer Palak Patel will serve as an executive producer. Snow White & the Huntsman producer Joe Roth has signed on as a producer.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers released this book in 2011. Days of Blood & Starlight, the sequel, came out in November 2012. Taylor plans to conclude her series with a not-yet-titled third book.

See the original post HERE

I read Daughter not too long ago and thought it was entertaining. I had a few issues with it that made me not "love" it,  but I certainly enjoyed it. I do think this one is going to translate very well to the big screen though!

Very excited to see  how they cast this one too...

Monday Morning Pet Preview

So, it's Monday again. And while the office is filled with holiday cheer--gift-giving, cookies, and the like--I needed a little something extra to start off a week that promises to be a long one.

Lucky for me, Flavorwire recently posted  some awesome photos of famous authors with their pet--just the thing I needed:

A dog may be man’s best friend, but some men make better friends than others. To us, it’s always seemed as though pets attach themselves to artists (and vice versa, of course) in greater numbers than to regular folks — or at least that almost every artist we know needs a furry friend to talk to. Maybe it’s the pull of a constant, silent listener to bounce ideas against, maybe it’s because of the boundless soul of the writer, maybe it’s a coincidence. Either way, we think pictures of famous authors and their pets are pretty adorable, so we’ve collected a few of them here. See some of our favorite writers with their dogs and cats (and peacocks, guess who) after the jump, and if we missed your favorite literary pair of man and beast, add them in the comments.

Virginia Woolf and her dog Pinka.

“This you’ll call sentimental — perhaps — but then a dog somehow represents — no I can’t think of the word — the private side of life — the play side.”

 Photo by Gisele Freund, via.

John Steinbeck and Charley.

“I’ve seen a look in dogs’ eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.”

Image via.

Ernest Hemingway with one of his many cats.

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.”

Edith Wharton with double pups.

“My little dog — a heartbeat at my feet.”

Image via.

Mark Twain and shoulder kitty.

“Some people scorn a cat and think it not an essential; but the Clemens tribe are not of these.”

Image via.

See the original and complete post HERE

Meet the Morgan Library: Don't Mind if I Do!

I've lived in New York City for about seven years now, and for all seven of them I have been saying, "Man, I really want to visit the Morgan Library."

This weekend, though, I finally went. (Why it took me so long to actually put that want into action, I will never know.) Armed with three of my fellow booklovers, we powered through every public exhibit in about two hours.

The main attractions: the Beatrix Potter special exhibit, "The Picture Letters," and the standard Pierpont Morgan's 1906 Library.

My reaction to said main attractions: *jaw dropping*

The Beatrix Potter exhibit was incredible--with letters, sketches, photographs, original merchandise, and more, the famed Peter Rabbit author's career comes to life before your very eyes. The delicacy of her lines, the graceful loops of her script--it was all just beautiful. I would have loved to get some pictures of some of my favorite pieces to share with you all but photography wasn't allowed.

Not only were the pieces themselves stunning, but it was a very educational trip, as well. My knowledge of Beatrix Potter herself, I'll admit, had previously been limited to what I "learned" in the 2006 Renee Zellweger film Miss Potter, so the exhibit was enlightening. Potter's personality shines through every piece on display--her solitary nature, her love of children, her subtle sense of humor, her passion for her work and perfectionism (she was one of the first "self-pubbed" authors, in fact).

And then...and then there was Morgan's actual Library and his little "reading room." The Library is filled with floors and floors of deliciously old-smelling, leather-bound books, rare manuscripts, ceiling murals, sculpture, and more.

Charles Dickens's original MS for A Christmas Carol, for example, was even on display just as we entered the room (with a placard noting that he delivered the MS to his publisher in early December and it was published by Christmas...I got a good chuckle at that one!).
I don't quite know what to say about it all as I was dazed as I walked around in awe.

The reading room was a different story. Dimly lit, tall-ceilinged, and covered in crimson and velvet, the lush room was gorgeous. I wouldn't want to read there myself--I need more comfort and less pomp and circumstance--but it was stunning in its decor. I was particularly impressed with the fireplace--so large I could step in it and throw some dust, shouting "Diagon Alley!" just for fun--and the two-floor book safe (yes, a BOOK SAFE).

*sigh*

Remind me to go back to the Morgan for more book love sooner rather than later, okay, friends?

Gone Google Gave a Giggle

It's Tuesday, and it feels like it should be Friday. Anyone with me?

Personally, I spent the morning running around my apartment in my bathrobe, knee-high boots on for protection and a broom in hand, while Cupcake played "catch and release" with an icky mouse. We spent an hour trying to get it to a point where I could dispose of the little sucker but by the time all the furniture was moved away from the walls of my bedroom, my "cat" had let him get away. I am a little afraid of what I'm going to come home to later.

Now, finally in the office with coffee in my belly, I can breathe. Or I could until my friend sent along this link: http://www.google.com/campaigns/gonegoogle/demos.html

And I cannot stop laughing.

It's probably a little extra funny since my day has been off to such a rough start, but it is pretty darn awesome.

What is it you ask?

Well, Google has created a place where companies can get a sense of all the great Apps Google has to offer once a company has "gone Google." The demo at the link above provides an example of how the collaboration process works in Google Docs in particular. Google has built the demo so that the user can write and collaborate with six famous dead authors--Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, Fredrich Nietzsche, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

While there is a bit of repetitiveness that can occur as you use it, some of the changes these authors make to your document are quite hilarious.

My personal favorite: When Edgar Allen Poe popped in and wrote "I wish I could write as mysteriously as a cat."

'Nuff said.

Spreading the Love

This week, the Big 6 have sure been busy. While Random House employees cheered as they received UNHEARD OF year-end bonuses for our industry, some folks over at Hachette Book Group made this moving video to honor the It Gets Better LGBT campaign.

This made me smile at the end of a long work week:

The 'It Gets Better' Project was founded in September 2010 by columnist and author Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller, "to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach." Since then, more than 50,000 user-submitted videos have been made by individuals and companies, to share their heartfelt messages of experience, hope and tolerance.

Among the latest of these is the Hachette Book Group, one of the biggest publishing companies in the world.
Their video is posted above.

Excuse me, I think there's some dust in my eyes. *sniff*

See the original post HERE

The Cat is Out of the Bag

So, since it's now public knowledge via press release, I thought I'd share some news with you, dear reader.

My life has turned a teensy bit upside-down this week...to say the least.

I've made the official decision to leave my current day job at Penguin to go out on my own full-time. I'll be launching a new company in the new year for my own editorial services (though continuing to freelance until then, of course--just not under an incorporated business yet!). When I'm ready to announce the actual company specifically, you'll be the first to know! ;)

I've also accepted a consulting gig as a senior editor and editorial director of two adult single-title romance imprints at Entangled Publishing:

Entangled Publishing continues to attract top-tier publishing veterans to its highly qualified editorial team.  The newest addition, Danielle Poiesz, comes to Entangled after a storied career with Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin.

Danielle Poiesz comes on board as the editorial director of the new digital-first romance imprint, Entangled Edge, as well as taking over the helm of the successful print romance imprint, Entangled Select, unifying Entangled’s single-title adult romance division. “I’ve always believed that the romance genre reaches out to all kinds of hearts,” says Danielle. “I’m thrilled to be joining Entangled at a time where the adult market is so open and enthusiastic about romance—in any format. There are so many stories out there to be told and no better time to tell them.”

Danielle’s publishing experience runs the gamut: sales and editorial, to business development, digital/online, and self-publishing, to strategic innovations and tech. Now, as an Entangled editorial director and senior editor—and a continued freelance editorial specialist and blogger—Danielle brings a wealth of expertise to her new position with Entangled and is even more poised to help fill the world with eye-opening, meaningful, and, of course, entertaining literature.

“I know Danielle Poiesz is the perfect fit to grow and mold our adult imprints,” says Executive Editorial Director Stacy Cantor Abrams, echoing the entire team’s sentiments. “We all heartily welcome her to the Entangled family!”

Stacy Cantor Abrams, former Editorial Director of Entangled Select, has followed her passion for the young adult genre from Walker/Bloomsbury to her new position at Entangled as Executive Editorial Director over the company’s acclaimed Entangled TEEN print imprint as well as the newly announced digital-first young adult imprint, Entangled digiTEEN.

Entangled Publishing’s incredible growth and success stems from its utilization of a bold new business model to bridge the gap between traditional and indie publishing. Giving their authors the best of both worlds, Entangled offers quality editing, commercially appealing cover art, and an unequalled marketing department coupled with some of the highest author royalties in the industry. Entangled Edge and Entangled digiTEEN are positioned to capitalize on the fast-paced and growing success of e-books as well as round out Entangled’s complement of imprints for every romance reader.

See the original press release HERE

For the next month, I will be juggling all three roles--keep those balls in the air, Danielle!--and then in early January will be entirely self-employed, freelancing for individual clients and publishers, as well as Entangled.

As you can see, it's a very big, crazy day!

Whee!

I went in a bit of a circle, but I've found my way back to my true love: editorial. Very excited!

It's all about the books, after all.

And the love. Don't forget the love.