SUMMER READING

I just returned from nine days in Northern Ontario, and I'm still recovering from my withdrawal symptoms. Nine days without a computer, a newspaper, or even a radio is not something I'd recommend for information junkies like myself. After two days, I began to miss my daily infusion of online news, messages from other writers, and my online writing class.

Although I spent about eight hours a day out on a boat fishing in Lake Nipissing, I still had plenty of time at the end of the day - when the mosquitoes filled every inch of airspace - to absorb information. Alas, I had nothing to absorb. The television offered three channels (with satellite), and U.S. news was almost nonexistent. Needless to say, the only news coming from Pittsburgh, PA was the baseball scores.

I knew I was in trouble when I went into the rec room at the fishing camp and picked up a copy of Cosmopolitan to read. Never mind that it was three years old, or that all of the articles pertained to young singles, not old married women like myself. It was reading material, INFORMATION. That's all that mattered.

Now, I had brought a bunch of books, a wide variety that should have kept me going. But novels aren't the same as news. Besides, I had to fight with my sister over who read what first. Next year, I'll be better prepared. Of course, I said that last year, and I thought I was better prepared.

As I sat there in the quiet cabin, desperate for reading material, I thought of all the info sources I'd left behind. If only I had a laptop computer (okay, and a telephone line), I could have accessed news and lists and tidbits. Some of the sources I've come to love (and check regularly) for book and writing news: ClueLass HomePage features The Bloodstained Bookshelf, a great list of upcoming mystery novels.

Misc.Writing also maintains a reading list specifically for writers, including books on writing and the industry.

Pure Fiction has a new look, and I'm not sure I like it. The links are all crowded around the top, and you have to click several times to get to the site you want. Nonetheless, if you're looking for information on the industry, this is a good place to start. You'll find a reading menu, with previews and first chapters; a writing menu; and a variety of resources. If you're more interested in selling your work, but having no luck, try the Electronic Slush Pile. You can submit your work, according to their guidelines, and if they like it, they'll post it. If Simon & Schuster likes it, you might even get a contract, or at least a nibble.

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