Melanie Benjamin's Blog
November 6, 2013
Goodreads Choice Awards
I'm thrilled and honored that THE AVIATOR'S WIFE is nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award - and in such good company! What I love about these awards is that they're all about you, the reader; your input is used in the nomination process, and then your votes are the only ones that count. So please, if you haven't already, vote for your favorite books in all categories, and be thankful that we have a place like Goodreads in this world!
January 12, 2013
Launch party for THE AVIATOR'S WIFE
Lots of events coming up for THE AVIATOR'S WIFE; visit my website at www.melaniebenjamin.com to see if I'll be at a city near you. But first, I'll be at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL on January 15th, 7:00 PM for the official launch! RSVP if you'd like to come to the after party (that sounds SO much more cool than saying, "Join me for a beer") - here's the link
And it's always smart to call the bookstore ahead of time to reserve a copy!
And it's always smart to call the bookstore ahead of time to reserve a copy!
March 21, 2012
Online Presentation for THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB
I'm thrilled to announce I'm doing an online presentation for THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB on April 5th! This is my presentation I do for bookstores & libraries, sharing photographs & anecdotes. Anyone with a computer can join; info is on my website. I'll also be answering questions & giving away books! Attendance is limited to the 1st 100 to sign up. For more information & to register, just hop on over to my website - http://www.melaniebenjamin.com/news.php
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb
October 20, 2009
Talk about Alice!
My wonderful publisher just unveiled a discussion forum for Alice I Have Been. So if you've read it, have any thoughts or questions, pop on over and discuss! I'll be dropping in now and then to answer any questions and of course, to say "Hi, and thank you, always, for reading."
September 3, 2009
Writing in the 21st Century
Hello! Welcome to my first blog post! I can't shake the feeling that I'm up on stage talking to an empty auditorium, but hopefully, eventually, the seats will fill up.
First things first: I'm an author of an upcoming novel, ALICE I HAVE BEEN, which will be published by Delacorte Press in January, 2010. This is the story, in her own words, of Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's timeless classic, and her lifelong struggle to escape, yet ultimately embrace, Wonderland.
Because I'm an author in the 21st century, there are some things that are required of me - and one of these things is writing a blog. I don't say this as a way to complain, mind you; I love to write, and blogging is, of course, writing, so it's all good.
But I do find it interesting to compare writers today with writers of Lewis Carroll's time.
Lewis Carroll was, of course, the pseudonym of an Oxford mathematics professor, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. In 1862, Dodgson rowed three little girls - Ina, Alice and Edith Liddell - down the river Isis just outside of Oxford, England, and told them a story of a little girl who followed a rabbit down a hole. Alice Liddell begged him to write it down; he did, eventually, and after he presented her with a hand-written, bound version, he then expanded it and published it as ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. The book was an immediate sensation, and it's never been out of print.
Here's where it gets interesting, for today's readers and authors: Charles Dodgson, instead of going out and giving interviews as Lewis Carroll, touring, promoting himself and his book, simply continued to teach and lead a very quiet life at Oxford, even going so far as refusing to answer letters addressed to him as "Lewis Carroll." He made money off the book - and its sequel, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS - but he never really traded on it. And most significantly - he never promoted it or himself, either.
It's inconceivable for today's authors, really. We need to be "out" there, talking to readers, answering questions, making ourselves available and, hopefully, accessible. This can be a lot of fun and very rewarding, of course! But there's no denying that it's part of the job description of the 21st century author.
Now, of course, the 18th century was a different time; no Internet, television, radio, etc. Yet Charles Dickens, obviously a contemporary of Carroll's, knew the value of self-promotion; he practically invented the book tour, traveling all across Europe, to America twice, giving lectures and reading from his books. He also ran his own newspaper, and published articles and essays in addition to his fiction - all with the idea of "getting his name out there," just as authors today do.
Yet Charles Dodgson chose not to do this, and despite his reclusiveness, his writing lives on today. Which, of course, leads to the question all authors ask themselves:
What should I be spending my time doing? Writing, or Tweeting, Facebooking, blogging, etc?
My answer is the writing should be what we spend most of our time doing, always. If you write a book that somehow, magically, strikes a chord with readers of all ages - like ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND - then it will be read, and read by many people.
Yet the truth is, there are more books published today than there were in Dodgson's time, necessitating more promotion from individual authors; we're a more curious society, and it would be very difficult, today, for an author simply to decide not to participate in a public life. (Although it is done; see Pynchon, Thomas.)
So more is expected of authors in the 21st century, and I'm not sure that's a bad thing. It's a different thing, of course, and anyone desiring to be published today has to be aware of it. But getting to know your readers - and letting them get to know you - is rewarding. It's a good thing to be reminded, when we draw the curtain across the window and retreat back to our writing desks, that there are wonderful people out there hungry for more stories. Our stories.
So as a 21st century writer, I commence this blog. And I'm very much looking forward to getting to know you -
As I hope you're looking forward to getting to know me.
First things first: I'm an author of an upcoming novel, ALICE I HAVE BEEN, which will be published by Delacorte Press in January, 2010. This is the story, in her own words, of Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's timeless classic, and her lifelong struggle to escape, yet ultimately embrace, Wonderland.
Because I'm an author in the 21st century, there are some things that are required of me - and one of these things is writing a blog. I don't say this as a way to complain, mind you; I love to write, and blogging is, of course, writing, so it's all good.
But I do find it interesting to compare writers today with writers of Lewis Carroll's time.
Lewis Carroll was, of course, the pseudonym of an Oxford mathematics professor, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. In 1862, Dodgson rowed three little girls - Ina, Alice and Edith Liddell - down the river Isis just outside of Oxford, England, and told them a story of a little girl who followed a rabbit down a hole. Alice Liddell begged him to write it down; he did, eventually, and after he presented her with a hand-written, bound version, he then expanded it and published it as ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. The book was an immediate sensation, and it's never been out of print.
Here's where it gets interesting, for today's readers and authors: Charles Dodgson, instead of going out and giving interviews as Lewis Carroll, touring, promoting himself and his book, simply continued to teach and lead a very quiet life at Oxford, even going so far as refusing to answer letters addressed to him as "Lewis Carroll." He made money off the book - and its sequel, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS - but he never really traded on it. And most significantly - he never promoted it or himself, either.
It's inconceivable for today's authors, really. We need to be "out" there, talking to readers, answering questions, making ourselves available and, hopefully, accessible. This can be a lot of fun and very rewarding, of course! But there's no denying that it's part of the job description of the 21st century author.
Now, of course, the 18th century was a different time; no Internet, television, radio, etc. Yet Charles Dickens, obviously a contemporary of Carroll's, knew the value of self-promotion; he practically invented the book tour, traveling all across Europe, to America twice, giving lectures and reading from his books. He also ran his own newspaper, and published articles and essays in addition to his fiction - all with the idea of "getting his name out there," just as authors today do.
Yet Charles Dodgson chose not to do this, and despite his reclusiveness, his writing lives on today. Which, of course, leads to the question all authors ask themselves:
What should I be spending my time doing? Writing, or Tweeting, Facebooking, blogging, etc?
My answer is the writing should be what we spend most of our time doing, always. If you write a book that somehow, magically, strikes a chord with readers of all ages - like ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND - then it will be read, and read by many people.
Yet the truth is, there are more books published today than there were in Dodgson's time, necessitating more promotion from individual authors; we're a more curious society, and it would be very difficult, today, for an author simply to decide not to participate in a public life. (Although it is done; see Pynchon, Thomas.)
So more is expected of authors in the 21st century, and I'm not sure that's a bad thing. It's a different thing, of course, and anyone desiring to be published today has to be aware of it. But getting to know your readers - and letting them get to know you - is rewarding. It's a good thing to be reminded, when we draw the curtain across the window and retreat back to our writing desks, that there are wonderful people out there hungry for more stories. Our stories.
So as a 21st century writer, I commence this blog. And I'm very much looking forward to getting to know you -
As I hope you're looking forward to getting to know me.
