The Year of Prime ... The Lamentable Act of Banning ... or worse NOT READING!

I miss banning. I miss people getting offended about a book and making a stink. I miss the debate about whether or not a book is appropriate and should be removed from the shelves.

This is a weird lament considering I'm an author and find any kind of censorship appalling. But when I hear about a censored, banned, or challenged book in the States, part of me feels a sense of longing because that can ONLY happen when there are readers. (Certainly misguided, ignorant readers, but readers nonetheless. And, yes, I'm aware most banning happens when a parent, administrator, blockhead, whoever hasn't actually READ the book but HEARD about the book.) Here, though, when I mention book banning, I sometimes, very rarely, get a response akin to: Oh yeah. That happened to me in the 1970s when there was this popular erotic poet. My parents FREAKED out when I was reading his work.

And then the topic changes from books to something very not book related. This is because, quite simply, people don't read in Colombia. I'm not saying they CAN'T read, but the habit of reading, joy of reading is virtually non-existent. In Pereira, the average book read PER YEAR is fewer than one. (This counts ALL SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO ARE "FORCED" TO READ BOOKS).

People FIGHT to read in some places. People DIE to read in some places. I live in a place where this freedom is there ... at all times ... but it's not cherished.

Excuses abound:
Time. "I don't have time." (This makes NO sense to me since I always have time to read ... ALWAYS. It's just part of my daily habit. It's like eating. Sleeping. Reading. Essential daily activities.)
Expense. "Books are expensive." (Welcome to the world of the library!)
Interest. "There's nothing to read." (*faint*)

See what I'm getting at here?

So book banning is a conversation we can't have until we have book reading.  So maybe I don't miss banners after all.

I miss readers.

The Year of Prime ... Random Acts of Publicity!

Random Acts of Publicity was started by the amazing Darcy Pattison, a tireless blogger, author, and promoter of great children's literature ... great literature, in fact.

So to begin celebrating my Random Acts of Publicity Week, I'm going to howl out to three amazing, talented authors whose work blows me away. (Not to mention the fact they're pretty amazing people!) The first HOWL, literally, goes out to:

CHRISTINE JOHNSON'S sequel to Claire de Lune, Nocturne, was released a couple of weeks ago to a hoard of happy fans waiting to find out what will happen with our, ahem, hairy heroine, Claire. :-)
Adventure, a little bit of blood (they're werewolves, remember?), romance, tension, and surprising twists make this a great read.

Fans of SCONES will be thrilled to hear LINDSAY ELAND has another book in the works. This light-hearted read about Polly, a misguided matchmaker, is quirky, funny, and a great break from the insanity of real life. It's the perfect choice for hopeless romantics and Jane Austin fans ... cynics and more!

Welcome to the world of steampunk, anamatrons, and pretty much the creepiest Harlequin on the planet. KATE MILFORD's take on making deals with the devil throws us into a dusty, summertime world of a small town in his clutches. Natalie Minks, our heroine, takes us on the ride of our lives.












A favorite element that all these novels has is a strong heroine -- flawed, unique, and really insanely determined. It's wonderful to see lit applaud the strength of female characters, turn cliches upside down and shake them up a bit.

Happy reading! And please spread the word about YOUR favorite novels. All week, I'll be howling out novels that I love and just happen to know the authors. (How cool is that?)