Peekers

Well, Publisher’s Lunch had a bit in it today about the leak of the newest installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. According to this article, there have been numerous leaks reported, but all them have turned out to be fakes, or Fan Fiction. It seems that this time, some spoiled sport has really done it, and posted a full copy of J.K. Rowling’s conclusion to Harry’s story on the Internet. A hard to read copy, featuring photographs of the books pages, but enough to provide massive spoilers. There are various theories on how this could have happened, and whether this is a legitimate copy of the book or not.

Scholastic released this (Thanks to MuggleNet.com):

PRESS RELEASE:
Scholastic has recently learned that some individuals have received copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows through the mail , beginning on Tuesday, July 17th, as a result of a breach of the on-sale agreement by the distributor, Levy Home Entertainment, and shipments made by DeepDiscount.com, a customer of that distributor. We are taking immediate legal action against DeepDiscount.com and Levy Home Entertainment. The number of copies shipped is around one one-hundredth of one percent of the total U.S. copies to go on sale at 12:01 am on July 21st.

We are also making a direct appeal to the Harry Potter fans who bought their books from DeepDiscount.com and may receive copies early requesting that they keep the packages hidden until midnight on July 21st.

Scholastic is especially grateful to the other retailers and distributors for their careful attention to keeping the books secure until the release time and for planning thousands of spectacular midnight parties where fans will celebrate together. And we ask everyone, especially the media, to preserve the fun and excitement for fans everywhere.

The fans themselves have made it abundantly clear that they are looking forward to going to the midnight parties, receiving their very own copy of the book and finally getting to read the book they have so anxiously awaited.

The TorrentFreak blogger makes this remark:

Die-hard fans of the series will undoubtedly rush to grab a copy of the torrent for themselves.

Maybe some will. But not this fan.

When I first discovered the Harry Potter magic, I did so as a skeptic. And, I admit, as a jealous unpublished writer who thought, “Yeah, yeah. Another down on their luck writer ‘all of a sudden’ makes it big. Whoo hoo. Hype-hype-hype.” Bad form, I readily admit. (Maybe I shouldn’t be so forthcoming, it isn’t attractive! )

So one day, I settled myself into a cushy Barnes and Noble chair and opened Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. BAM! Page one got me, and by the time it was time for me to rouse myself and go back to work, I had to buy the book so I could take it with me and finish it! J.K. Rowling had cast a spell over me with Harry Potter and his adventures. As far as I’m concerned, she’s earned every bit off acclaim she’s received.

Fan that I am, I WILL NOT be rushing to the websites that have the leaked pages. First of all, I respect the author and her wishes. She’s released this statement:

We are almost there! As launch night looms, let’s all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press on the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’d like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day. In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING!

Another reason– I don’t WANT the surprise ruined. I’ve never understood why some people take so much pleasure in spoiling surprises. At Christmas, I do everything I can not to find out what gifts may be coming my way. (I’ve always suspected Brother was a peeker. Don’t tell him I said so. But I think he was.) I don’t want the ending to movies sprung on me before I see the show. I don’t want to have a ‘fortune teller’ lay the rest of my life out before me.

The suspense, the anticipation, all those excited feelings are all part of it for me. I want to open up Deathly Hallows and read for myself how the journey turns out. I don’t want it spoiled for me.

What do the people who post these Harry Potter spoilers want to get out of this? What’s in it for them? Yay, you’re first, you know the ending before anyone else, and get to spoil it for millions of others. And this makes you. . . what? Popular? Big Man on the Internet? What?

No one can force people to read the spoilers. But what’s to stop other mean-spirited spoilers from blabbing it out before someone can cover their ears?

All I can do is my part, I guess. I’m waiting eagerly until the 21st, so we can read it for ourselves.

Farewell

Today, Ronda Thompson’s family and friends gathered at her church and said good-bye.

The tribute was a beautiful one, with gorgeous sprays of flowers and other sentiments sent from people across the nation. A tenor soloist sang I Can Only Imagine and To Where You Are, two songs that never fail to move people on a normal day, much less a sad day like today. The minister delivered a moving eulogy that not only caused us to tear up, but to laugh, too. And Ronda would have loved that, she had a wonderful sense of humor.

My favorite story told about Ronda was when the pastor recalled one of Ronda’s grade school teachers asking her if she thought she could earn a living daydreaming all day instead of doing her work. Then he said, “I guess Ronda got the last laugh on that one.”

Because Ronda DID follow her daydreams, and in doing so, fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer. And aren’t all of her readers and fellow writers glad she did?

One of her friends put together a tribute to her in a booklet form, full of quotes from fellow writers. It was a very thoughtful and great thing to do in her memory.

Ronda’s last book will come out in October. I’ll remind everyone of it when the time comes.

The minister reminded us that this is not the end of Ronda’s story, only the end of this chapter on Earth. I find it interesting that Ronda passed the same week as First Lady of the Romance Genre, Kathleen Woodiwiss and Former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.

Imagine Ronda at the Pearly Gates with those two, huh? What a way to start the rest of her story in eternity!

Writing World Suffers Loss

Indeed, the entire world has suffered. New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Ronda Thompson passed away this morning.

Her Wild Wulfs Of London series has been wildly popular, as have her many other intriguing and entertaining novels and short stories. She lived in Texas with her husband of twenty some odd years, her daughter and son-in-law and her teenage son. Not to mention her four dogs. Her family was her world.

Ronda was a friend of mine, always kind and always smiling when we visited. Her wit and humor, that we’ve all always enjoyed, has shown through in her work, adding a special polish to her already outstanding writing talent. Ronda was a dedicated writer with a work ethic other authors would do well to emulate. Positive and encouraging, she always took the time to lift her friends and fellow authors up.

God speed, Ronda. You will missed.

I’m IT?

I’ve been tagged by Keely, of Keely’s Faery Good Advice!  I’ve never been tagged, that I remember! But I guess this is how it goes….

Directions – POST RULES…

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight Random Things About Me 

1. Sometimes people think I’m mean or surly, until they get to know me.
2. I’m a soap opera fan.  I have watched all of the CBS soaps as long as I’ve been watching TV.

Domingo Delicioso

Well, folks, I am NO Bonnie Wren. We all miss her wit and grace, and yearn for her return. But her sabbatical has left a rent in the universe that threatens to become a black hole. So in the meantime, I offer my clumsy attempt to round up a few delicious tidbits for your Sunday reading amusement….

Google launches Authors@Google site

“Just this year, we’ve hosted a great variety of authors, including Martin Amis, Strobe Talbott, Bob & Lee Woodruff, Jonathan Lethem, Don Tapscott, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Carly Fiorina. The subjects of their talks range from literary fiction to science fiction, sociology to technology, politics to business.” Goto: google.com/talks/authors

read more | digg story

Can’t Blog Now

I’m reading Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower Series, specifically, The Devil in Winter.

Not that anyone even reads my blog.  So I won’t be missed.

The Cover Conundrum

In the April 6th issue of Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King featured Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski in his regular column, The Pop of King. This column was titled “How to Bury A Book.”

It wasn’t your regular book review. . .