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DailyLit Readers Had a Literary Halloween

MaggieH — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:27:57 +0000

In our Question of the Week before Halloween we asked if you’ve ever dressed as a literary character for Halloween (or would like to) and encouraged you to send us pictures if you had. Here are two of our readers who took the plunge:

Here’s Asparagusqueen as a very dapper Edgar Allan Poe (check out the Raven in her arms):

and emilyyoung–complete with fake nose-ring–as the edgy Lisbeth Salander from Steig Larsson’s The Girl Who Played with Fire:

Thanks for sending in the photos! Hope you–and all our readers–had a happy Halloween.

DailyLit News: November 2009

susan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:38:28 +0000

Note from the CEO
It’s facetime here at DailyLit! Upload a picture on your profile page and be eligible to win a free John Grisham book. It’s also time to thank Diane Von Furstenberg for sponsoring one of her favorite books of the year, Madame de Staël, now available for free on DailyLit. And it’s time to launch our “Big Ideas” channel with inspiration from Gary Vaynerchuck, named one of this year’s most influential men. We’ve also got free daily tips from Grammar Girl (secrets out — I love grammar!) and a new feature that allows you to automatically resume your books when you want to take a break for the holidays — just in time!

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
susan [at] dailylit [dot] com

Diane von Furstenberg Brings Favorite Book to DailyLit for Free
Iconic designer Diane von Furstenberg has a holiday gift for you: one of her favorite reads this year is now available on DailyLit for free. Madame de Stael: The First Modern Woman is a fast-paced biography that tells the glamorous, dramatic story of a woman who was a true force to be reckoned with. Vogue Magazine called it “a timely mediation on female power and an inspiring profile of one woman’s courage.” Thanks to Diane and the publisher, it’s free through the end of January. Read it.

New! DailyLit Kicks off “Big Ideas”
“Big Ideas” is designed to inspire you with new ideas for both work and play. Kicking off this new channel is inspiration from Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book Crush It! Cash In on your Passion. He grew his family’s wine business and became a national industry leader, landing him at #18 on AskMen.com’s list of 50 most influential Men of 2009. Read it–FREE.

DailyLit’s Big Read: Short Story by John Grisham
Bestselling author John Grisham just released his first ever collection of short stories, Ford County–and we’ve selected one as this month’s Big Read. “Fetching Raymond” is a simple, powerful story about a day one family knew was coming but still can’t face. Read it–FREE.

Reader Challenge
As bestselling author Daniel Pink wrote, exercising your creativity leads to personal and professional success. With that in mind, and holiday dinners fast approaching, this month’s reader challenge asks you to imagine a fictional holiday gathering and describe–in no more than 50 words–a character, conversation or event at your holiday meal. Share your mini-stories in our Reader Challenge forum. And to sweeten the pot, we’ll select three winners, each of whom will receive a copy of Mollie Katzen’s new book, Get Cooking.

New reads
–Grammar Girl: She’s on the scene to make grammar easy and fun with her “quick and dirty” tips. We’ve got a selection from her new book that will make you a better writer. Read it–FREE.
–Jane Perry Returns: In a second piece of original writing, Laurel Dewey’s inimitible heroine Detective Jane Perry returns to DailyLit. Get into her head with “You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover,” a blog entry by the detective. Read it–FREE. (And if you missed the first installment, “An Unfinished Death,” read it here–FREE.)

Pause Your Books for the Holidays
You’ve always been able to suspend and resume delivery of your books using the links at the end of any installment. Now, with the holidays coming up, when you want to suspend your book, you can set a date for it to automatically resume. Just click on the “suspend” link at the bottom of any installment to set it up.

Upload Your Picture Now–You May Win a Grisham Book
To make our community a little friendlier, join us for some facetime here at DailyLit. Help us out by uploading a personalized profile picture. Your face, your cat, your favorite painting–doesn’t matter what you choose. And everyone with a personalized picture uploaded by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, November 22nd will be automatically entered to win one of five copies of John Grisham’s new book Ford County.

Diane von Furstenberg brings Madame de Staël to DailyLit for Free

MaggieH — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:29:06 +0000

Iconic American designer Diane von Furstenberg read Madame de Staël this summer and enjoyed it so much that she wanted to share it with readers everywhere. Just in time for the holidays she’s worked with us and the book’s publisher, Atlas & Co., made it available for free on DailyLit–her gift to you. The book tells the true story of Germaine de Staël, an 18th century aristocrat who, besides begin a prolific writer and ardent supporter constitutional rule, was a notorious séductrice who enjoyed affairs with many of the most powerful men of her time. Although she was exiled during the last two decades of her life, to the end she remained a force to be reckoned with–a rare feat for woman of the age. Her story is glamorous, exciting, and inspiring–Vogue calls it “a timely mediation on female power, and an inspiring profile of one woman’s courage.” And you get it for free. The paperback makes a great gift, too, and is available on Amazon. Our thanks to Diane von Furstenberg and Atlas & Co. for giving the book to DailyLit readers.

DailyLit Launches 2nd Piece of Original Fiction from Laurel Dewey

MaggieH — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:10:28 +0000

Laurel Dewey’s inimitable heroine Detective Jane Perry returns in You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover, her first “blog entry” and the second work of original fiction created for DailyLit. Jane, whom Dewey introduced to DailyLit readers in Unfinished Death, is a tough detective with a disarmingly honest voice: “Being a cop is all I know how to do and I’m good at it. That’s not arrogance, that’s confidence…I can walk into a hot crime scene while the blood is still wet and death still hangs heavy in the air and I can hear the walls whisper their secrets. Sometimes I can hear the screams and pleas from the victims before they took their last breath.” Enjoy!

Political Lit

MaggieH — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:31:41 +0000

It’s Election Day here in the United States, and although we’re not electing a new president this year, it’s still a big day for Americans. After all, one of the sparks that started the Revolutionary War was the colonists’ demand that there be “no taxation without representation.” And our representatives, of course, represent our votes.

So it’s a perfect day to revisit those Founding Fathers–and others–with our free Wikipedia Tour of the Presidents of the United States. From Washington to Obama these are the men who’ve made America what it is today. Go beyond the names you memorized in school and learn about the people who have been president.

Winners of the 50 Word Crime Noir Challenge

MaggieH — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:11:02 +0000

In September our Reader Challenge asked you to write a crime noir in 50 Words. Thanks to all who participated–so many of you submitted great mini-crime stories, making for a great challenge. Our guest judge James Ellroy just picked his three winners.

Without further ado, here, in no particular order, are the winning crime noirs. Congratulations! Each winner will receive a free signed copy of Blood’s a Rover, Ellroy’s new novel.

“Not What It Seemed” by seagoat
I almost fell for the dame. She murdered Case and now she was going down. She yanked her little gun from her purse and fired. She was a lousy shot. I slugged her beautiful face. The wig flew off. I gaped. Then I kicked him in the crotch.

Untitled, by mstrust
“It’s done?” she asked.
He had a photo as proof. She looked closely. Held out a bag.
“Killing his girlfriend was cheaper.”
“You hired someone else?” He sounded hurt.
“Simple job,” she smiled.
He shook his head.
“Scorned women keep me in business.”
“Hits?”
“Arrests,” he said, pulling his badge.

“A Friend in Need” by snailgenie
In trouble again.
She wiped the rain out of her eyes, or was it tears?
He hesisted…
She wasn’t the brightest bulb, but then again, he often had a hangover.
He sighed and offered her his coat.
Later, he’d regret leaving his handcuffs in the pocket.

Read all the entries in our Reader Challenge forum.

Halloween Reads

MaggieH — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:03:25 +0000

The origins of All Hallow’s Eve go back to the Celts, whose autumn festival Samhain celebrates the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half.”

Come to the dark side with one of our spooky books. And have a very happy Halloween.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe
The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (this month’s Big Read)
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Famous Modern Ghost Stories

New Short Fiction by Laurel Dewey — Free on DailyLit

MaggieH — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:28:23 +0000

As we first mentioned in our newsletter, we’re excited to launch the first of five new novellas from Laurel Dewey, a fresh voice in crime writing. Unfinished Death, a novella written for DailyLit readers, features Dewey’s signature–and incredibly well-loved–heroine Denver Police Detective Jane Perry, a character who has had a striking impact on readers.

We’ve seen some comments from our own readers that show how well-loved Jane Perry is. Recently in our forums Lad525 said “I love the realness and straight talking attitude of her main character, Detective Jane Perry.” And Wildcat1733 was excited too:

“I just signed up with Daily Lit when I found out about them serializing original short stories by Laurel Dewey. Thank you! Thank you! I’ve read both Jane Perry novels (PROTECTOR and REDEMPTION) and devoured them. She has quickly become one of my top ten favorite writers. If you like your fiction gritty, creative, character-driven and thought-provoking, you too will LOVE Laurel Dewey’s stories.”

For her part, Dewey, who has said that Jane came to her, fully formed and “demanded that [Dewey] learn about her,” was surprised by how much her readers responded to Jane:

“I wasn’t prepared for was the massive connection Jane Perry would have with readers who ranged in age from fourteen to ninety. While her impatient, gritty, and often foul-mouthed behavior irritated some people, they also admitted that they couldn’t stop reading. The majority were drawn to Jane’s intelligence, compassion, intuition and brutal honesty, as well as the indelible impression she makes as a survivor….What was intriguing was that readers didn’t so much want to be like Jane; rather, they wanted to hang out with her.”

Unfinished Death–published for the first time on DailyLit–drops us into Jane’s world in the dark days before her first novel, Protector. We’ve been able to make this story–and the four novellas that will come out over the next four months–absolutely free thanks to the publisher, Storyplant, who’s counting down to the launch of Dewey’s book Redemption in February 2010. Enjoy!

If you’d like to read more about readers’ reactions to Jane Perry, visit Laurel Dewey’s site.

DailyLit News: October 2009

susan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:45:31 +0000

Note from the CEO
It’s a month of style, soup, and spooks. Check out our new DailyLit Style line launching with Shoes, Bags and Tiaras featuring stunning objects from the Victoria & Albert museum collection. We’ve also got recipes from Molly Katzen (known for her bestselling Moosewood Cookbook); the spooky Legend of Sleepy Hollow as our new Big Read; oh, and for the beat of a different drummer, we’ve got a new memoir from Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police.

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
susan [at] dailylit [dot] com

New! DailyLit Style Kicks off with Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras
We’ve created DailyLit Style to bring you fashion, art and style of all kinds. Kicking off this line is Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras featuring objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London sent directly to your inbox one gorgeous object at a time. Read it—FREE.

New Reads: Recipes, A Rocker, and More
—Get Cooking by Mollie Katzen: The author of the best-selling “Moosewood Cookbook” has just released a brand new collection of recipes, from Genuine Mac & Cheese to Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crunchy Things; we’ve got a taste for you. Read it—FREE.
—Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland: He’s the drummer for The Police, one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Find out what happened backstage, pictures and all. Read it—FREE.
—Unfinished Death by Laurel Dewey: In anticipation of the paperback release of Dewey’s detective novel, “Redemption,” each month we’re releasing one original, never before published story featuring her inimitable character, Jane Perry. Read this month’s story—FREE.

DailyLit’s Big Read: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
With Halloween approaching, we’ve made the classic short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow our next Big Read. Join us in following our hero Ichabod Crane into the dark, misty woods. Read it—FREE:

Reader Challenge: Tea with the Queen
As a tribute to the launch of “Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras” from the Victoria & Albert Museum collection, this month’s Reader Challenge will challenge you to invite an unlikely character for tea with the queen. Describe this encounter in one sentence and post your royal responses in our Reader Challenge Forum. (For those of you who took part in last month’s challenge, winners will be announced shortly.)

Fresh Voices, Fresh Tastes
We’re proud to announce the launch of two series from our very own DailyLit Externs: Authors in the Kitchen by Megan Halpern features bestselling authors, including Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler’s Wife), talking about cooking and the stories that spice it up. The Ghost in the Pantry by Erin Ferretti-Slattery features recipes and stories that highlight’s her own family’s rich history. Read Authors in the Kitchen or The Ghost in the Pantry—FREE.

DailyLit Selects (This Week: Malcolm Gladwell)
DailyLit Selects is our on-going series of excerpts from new and noteworthy authors. This week we’re featuring an excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s new book What the Dog Saw. You can also check out excerpts from Dan Brown’s new book and Oprah’s latest book club pick. Read DailyLit Selects—FREE.

DailyLit Launches DailyLit Style with V&A’s “Shoes, Bags and Tiaras”

susan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:59:58 +0000

I’m excited to announce two DailyLit firsts. DailyLit has partnered with its first museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, to launch a series entitled Shoes, Bags and Tiaras. This series features (no surprise) a particular pair of shoes, bag, or tiara selected from V&A Publishing’s collection sent periodically to your inbox.

This series also launches DailyLit Style, a series dedicated to the engaging world of style in all its senses. It’ll be a fun and quirky series meant to surprise and enlighten. We’ll also look to our readers to suggest additions to DailyLit Style so if you have any ideas, please let us know here.