Interview with Writer and Instructor, Brian Yansky

In anticipation of our workshop, Building Character and Building Plot Through Character, we’ve managed to snag our wonderful instructor Brian Yansky for a quick Q&A about himself. Brian’s class is on March 9th from 9 am to 12 pm on the St. Edward’s campus. You can register for this fun and informative class here.

What is it about fiction that interests you? And how did you get interested in writing specifically for young adults?
Brian Yansky: I’ve always been interested in good stories whether they’re in books, in movies, on TV or told by someone good at telling stories. I started to love fiction in high school. I love language and characters and how a good story can seem as intense and powerful as a life event. I stumbled on YA novels after some friends and my wife said they thought my work could be YA. There is a tremendous number of great YA novels.

What makes a fictional character interesting in a story?
BY: People read fiction for many reasons, but they must respond to the characters or they won’t be involved in the story. What would Harry Potter be without, say, Harry Potter? Interesting characters like interesting people in real life have depth. In a story they will be involved in something crucial to their life. The stakes need to be high, emotionally and/or physically, in order for the reader to be transported to the character’s world.

What are some of your favorite books?
BY: I don’t have three or four favorite books. Any list would change with time. I have authors who mean a lot to me: I love Kurt Vonnegut’s books, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s books, Michael Chabon’s books. I love Francisco Stork’s MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD, Marcus Zusak’s books, Ann Tyler’s, Gabrielle Zevin’s ELSEWHERE. But these are just the tip of the iceberg of books. There are so many great ones out there.

You said you hitch-hiked when you were younger. What was your most interesting encounter?
BY: I don’t have one most interesting encounter (there were many), but I did learn something that changed my life when I was hitch hiking. Most people are kind. There are a lot of bad people in the world and you meet them on the road. But there are more people who will go out of their way, even put themselves in harm’s way, to help someone in need of help. That was enlightening, meeting those people.

What do you love about being a writer? Do you have a second career?
BY: Getting to work in my pajamas. Yes. And I love making worlds and the difficult and profound challenges of creating story and characters with depth and all that goes into writing. I love what I do and that is an amazing thing.
I do have a second career as a teacher of, not surprisingly, writing. I ‘m lucky that I love doing this, too. Writing is my first love but teaching is something that I feel very strongly about. I like getting to know the students ,and I like how engaging the challenge of teaching them the basics of something as complex as writing. Sometimes we go beyond the basics—that is I have talented students—and that is also fun.

Brian Yansky writes both Young Adult and adult fiction. He is the author of three YA novels: My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World, winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Best YA Novel, 2003, Wonders of the World, and Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences. Candlewick Press will publish a sequel to that novel, Homicidal Aliens & Other Disappointments, in fall, 2013. Another YA novel, Utopia, Iowa, will be published in fall, 2014, also by Candlewick. His stories have appeared in Literal Latte, The Crescent Review and other magazines. He has and MFA in Writing from Vermont College and is an associate professor at Austin Community College where he teaches writing. Learn more Brian at BrianYansky.com.

February’s Third Thursday Wrap-Up

Willa Blair, Shauna Perigo, Tracy Wolff, and Mari Mancusi

Tales of the Heart: Writing Effective Love Scenes and Love Stories

Love was in the air at February’s Third Thursday as authors Willa Blair, Shauna Perigo, Tracy Wolff, and Mari Mancusi  took us behind the scenes of love scenes.

How do you write a love scene?  In some ways it’s like writing any other scene; key elements must be done well. Our panelists specifically mentioned character and tension. General considerations, such as the genre and the reader, must also be taken into account. On the other hand, the intimate nature of a love scene requires careful handling. Creating emotional connections, emotional payouts and sensory images are a few keys to writing quality love scenes.  You also have to consider what you’re comfortable writing.

Characters

Memorable characters, whether we like them or hate them, stay with us because the characterization is done well. Before worrying about how your characters will consummate their relationship, work on making each person interesting on his or her own. (Need help? There’s a WLT workshop for that.  On March 9^th Brian Yansky is teaching  “Building Character and Building Plot Through Character.” )

Tension

Tension is in every novel. By definition tension is “a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc.” It’s part of the larger conflict within the story.  Romance writing also includes sexual tension between characters. They get together, then are torn apart. They want to be together, then they don’t want to be together. Maintaining this tension is essential to your story.

Genre

What kind of romance you’re writing affects how you handle a love scene. Contemporary, historical, paranormal, sci-fi, inspirational, fantasy, and erotic are just a few of the different types of romance novel.  There are many subsets of the romance genre with over fifty shades of sensuality, including hot, sweet, sexy, nasty and dirty. Which shade you choose depends on the genre.

Reader

Who will read your book? This is closely related to the genre. If your reader is expecting a sweet love story, they may not appreciate a raunchy romp in the book.

Emotional Connections

This relates back to creating characters. Your well-crafted characters must have an emotional connection with each other before they connect sexually. Sex for the sake of sex is more like pornography.

Emotional Payouts

Romance readers expect an emotional payout, a guarantee that no matter what happens these characters will eventually end up together. The characters can experience tension and satisfaction repeatedly through the story.

Sensory Images

When writing a love scene, focus on sensory images, things that evoke an emotional response from the reader, more than just describing actions. It’s not about saying, “Put A into B.” It’s about maintaining the tension and the connection.  The Romance Writer’s Phrase Book may give you some ideas. However, avoid the trap of purples prose.

Your Comfort

Finally, what are you comfortable writing? What are you comfortable reading? These factors can help you figure out how to handle your characters intimate moments.

Thanks to our panel of romance authors who bravely demystified the mystery of love scenes. Please chime in with your take away from the evening in the comments near the bottom of the page.

Lexie Smith is a WLT member who enjoys connecting people with information through her blogs BloggingForWriters.com, LexicalLight.com, and 64mascots.com. A University of Texas graduate, she taught middle school English and, until a few years ago,  homeschooled her children. She lives in Round Rock with her husband, five kids and two rescued Boxers.

Interview with Miles Arceneaux

Miles Arceneaux is the creative collaboration between Texas writers Brent Douglass, John T. Davis, James R. Dennis. Miles was born out of a group of old friends vacationing on the Texas Gulf Coast with diverse backgrounds. Brent is the principal owner of KBC Networks, John has years of experience writing about the Southwest and its different facets, and James practices law in San Antonio and across Texas. Visit Miles at http://www.milesarceneaux.com/. 

How did the authors decide how the book was going to be written?

John T. Davis: We took turns drafting chapters, then editing one another’s work, and finally passing around the finished draft among the three of us. It was a process of churning the manuscript until the plot points were coherent and one consistent voice emerged.
James R. Dennis: As with most everything we do, the process was evolutionary, by which I mean bordering on random. We began trading chapters initially, and only years later did someone (I’m ashamed to say it was probably Brent) come up with the startling and innovative idea that we actually create an outline. Obviously, we began writing Thin Slice of Life without any idea that it would be published, mostly as an amusement for ourselves. As time went on, it was clear that we each had particular affinities for certain story lines or characters, and that worked itself out over time.
Brent Douglass: What they said. By the time the novel was finished, it was hard to find a paragraph that didn’t somehow include a contribution from all three of us.

What role did each author play in creating Miles Arceneaux as a whole?

JTD: When we began creating Miles, the Earth was without form, and void, and darkness was on the face of the Earth…No, seriously, we wanted to imagine a guy a little smarter, funnier and cooler than any of the three of us. Since you (Miles, that is) have to write what you know, we imagined Miles lived by the water and has a colorful, if largely unspoken, past. He’s a little like that Dos Equis guy in that way.
JD: We each brought certain things to the table: Brent, a knowledge of the coast and coastal culture, John T., lots of experience in the music business and years working as a professional writer. I brought a pronounced inclination toward sloth, an understanding of legal affairs, and some experience with Texas lawmen. Miles had all of those skills, and a devil-may-care charm that each of us only finds in our dreams or in James Bond movies.
BD: Collaboration is a tricky thing, especially on something as fundamentally creative as a novel. But I’ve found that to be the case in any start-up venture (in my case a couple of start-up technology companies) where creative, even audacious partners are essential to success. At Miles Arceneaux Inc., we fell into our roles pretty naturally and developed a rhythm that worked well for all of us. It helped that we’ve known each other for longer than I care to divulge.

What is some advice you’d give writers who want to write in a partnership?

JTD: Flee. Seriously, this is no way to commit literature. That being said, if you must, everyone has to check their ego at Page One. If you’re going to serve the reader and the story, you and your co-author(s) have to be fair but unsparing with one another. Even ruthless. It can sting sometimes, but it’s the only way to collaborate effectively. We came out of the process still friends (more or less); It helped that we wrote in large part to entertain one another. Now we’re all famous authors.
JD: If one is, for whatever reason (paying off a gambling debt or doing penance for past sins, for example), really going to write in partnership, I’d echo John T’s advice about setting aside one’s ego. I also think a clear understanding of the flow of the story and where it is going will ease a lot of heartache later on. Finally, in such a work, the real trick lies more in the editing than in the writing. Presenting the reader with a consistent narrative voice has to be a paramount objective.
BD: Do it for fun. If you start the venture with grand expectations, you’re just putting pressure on yourselves. If the project starts to produce something really worthwhile as it progresses, everybody involved will recognize that and it will feed the process.

What are your goals for the future with Miles Arceneaux? Do you plan on writing more novels together?

BD: Look for the next Miles Arceneaux book this fall. We’ll continue to write them until it’s not fun anymore.
JTD: The second novel by Miles, a sequel of sorts, is being edited as we speak for publication in 2013. A third novel, a prequel, is in draft stage. As long as Miles keeps buying rounds, we’ll keep chronicling his tales.
JD: It’s an interesting question, one which requires a level of planning that I’m not sure we’re familiar with or really even capable of. But where ever there’s a truth that needs a good stretch, or a Cuba Libre that needs guzzling, or a pretty woman who needs to be dazzled (okay, mildly amused), Miles will be there.

Thin Slice of Life is available for purchase online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can also purchase Thin Slice of Life at your local bookstore. For more information about Thin Slice of Life, visit http://www.thinsliceoflifebook.com/. 

Agents Conference Guest Blog Series

An Interview with Literary Agent Emmanuelle Morgen 

Emmanuelle Morgen is one of the many talented literary agents featured at the Writers’ League of Texas’ 2013 Agents and Editors Conference.  Emmanuelle has been an agent at Stonesong since January 2012, and represents adult and children’s fiction, as well as memoir and select narrative nonfiction projects. I had the pleasure of asking her a few questions about her work, literary interests, and a little bit about the conference. For more information on Emmanuelle and other agents, visit our Featured Agents page.

Why did you become a literary agent?

Emmanuelle Morgen: I love to read and can’t think of a better job than one that involves discovering and reading new manuscripts. My family moved several times when I was little, and books became my constant companions. I wanted to give back to the community that’s given me so much, so it’s a privilege to support authors in my work. I also grew up in a family that debated around the dinner table so I enjoy the negotiation aspect too.

What is the first thing you look for in a piece of fiction? How do you know if it has the “it” factor?

EM: Voice. It’s that thing that draws you in and makes you forget that you’re reading, even where you are and who you are. I look for a manuscript that takes hold and doesn’t let go. And after the last page is turned, the scenes and themes stay with you for weeks. Or forever!

What in particular draws you toward YA fiction?

EM: The teen years are full of turning-point moments, life-changing moments, and as adults when we look back we remember those times with a particular clarity. There are so many “firsts”, and it’s fascinating to explore these in fiction. The themes are perennial but each situation, real or imagined, is different so we can continue to examine issues of identity, self-esteem, integrity, learning to tell the difference between right and wrong, etc., by reading stories. Each story looks at a familiar theme or issue from a new angle. I think it’s important for teens to have access to good fiction, and I’ve always loved coming-of-age stories, whether shelved in the children’s section or the adult section.

What goes through your mind when you read a great manuscript?

EM: Ideally, nothing. Ideally, I’m lost in the story and only stop to make notes when I hit “bumps” in the road. These are moments when I’m taken out of the narrative by an inconsistency in character, plot, etc. Or perhaps the author was afraid to let the character grow. In a great manuscript these issues can be cleared up in the revision process.

What is your favorite book and what effect did it have on you?

EM: I can’t pick just one, but I can talk about a few childhood favorites that I read more than, say, four times. I think A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is partly responsible for my choosing a lot of books with strong female protagonists. And I consider Watership Down to be one of the ultimate journey stories, a genre I adore. (Someday I’d like to represent a manuscript with an animal protagonist, too, though it may take me my entire career to find the right one.) A Little Princess made me love orphan stories. In high school I read all of Stephen King’s early works and after I retire I plan to reread them all. And finally in adulthood I discovered romance, more historical novels, and memoirs. I think historical romance makes a feminist out of anyone who reads it. And among memoirs, The Glass Castle and Infidel each made a strong impact. In the latter, the author talks about how popular fiction from the West inspired her to escape her circumstances in Somalia. She wrote that “books, even the trashy ones, carried with them ideas—races were equal, women were equal to men.” See, books really do change lives.

What was the strangest pitch you’ve ever experienced?

EM: Ahaha, I only remember the good ones. For example, once at a conference a writer approached me at a cocktail mixer where I really was not at my best. It was after a long day of pitches, I was pretty exhausted, and all I could think of was a glass of wine and going to bed. Well, it only took one line for me to go from hazy to alert instantly. She said her novel was about “a woman in Regency England whose husband dies leaving her disinherited unless she’s borne him a son or was pregnant at the time of his death…so she resolves to get pregnant really quickly.” My jaw dropped; the moral and social implications were astounding. That was Cecilia Grant and the book is A Lady Awakened.

If you could have any other career, literary or not, what would it be?

EM: I wouldn’t choose any other job, but if I had double the days in the year I would open a small antique and vintage furniture shop.

What do you like about the Agents Conference and the Austin/Texas writing community? 

EM: This will be my third visit to the conference, and I think it’s an excellent one for writers. Also, I just love Austin: the architecture, the river, the music, and, of course, the bats! One of my clients, Amy Tintera, author of Reboot, grew up in Austin, and I’m looking forward to visiting a couple of spots she recommended, as well as meeting other creative writers from the area.

What do you do in your free time?

EM: I read published books. And my family is far flung so I travel to see them as often as I can.

What are the benefits of having long-term relationships with your clients?

EM: Knowing my client’s history and how they’ve has grown helps me strategically plan for their future. It helps me shape their career in such a way that they can feel free to live and write in exactly the way that they want. Over time we can fine-tune or overhaul their publishing experience according to their goals and circumstances.

_______________________________

Tonight’s Third Thursday: Love Scenes and Love Stories at Book People

No matter what your genre or market, there’s a good chance that your work-in-progress has a romantic plot, subplot, or at least a sizzling or suggestive scene.  But how do you put romantic dialogue or action on the page without being cheesy or turning off your readers?

Tonight’s panel promises to be especially lively as Willa Blair, Mari Mancusi, Shawnna Perigo, and Tracy Wolff discuss how they create love scenes that are tactful and/or titillating.

We’ll meet at 7pm at Book People on the third floor. Hope to see you there.

Instructor Guest Blog Series

An Interview with Writer and Instructor, Patrice Sarath

 

Patrice’s three-hour workshop, I Want to Go There: Creating Believable Worlds, is February 23, from 9AM to 12PM, and she was so kind in opening up about her favorite literary worlds, her writing and research processes, and a little bit about the class. Registration for Creating Believable Worlds ends February 19. Get your tickets before the class is full! For more information about Patrice Sarath, visit her website.

_______________________________________________

What are your top three fictional worlds in literature?

Patrice Sarath: Middle Earth.  Tolkien’s opus was a tour de force of world building and cultural creation.

The Three Worlds in Martha Wells’ Books of the Raksura series. Wells created a secondary world of fantastic species, several of which are sentient, and sets everything in motion. Her book passes the Tolkien test, which is that the world and the people live even after the book is closed.

Red Mars of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars series. Yes, we know a lot more about Mars now, but his use of technology and scientific understanding, and interplanetary politics, is as epic as Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

I couldn’t help but think of fan fiction when I read the synopsis for The Unexpected Miss Bennet. Why do you think writers and readers immerse themselves in worlds previously created?

PS: I think the best books live on even after we finish reading them. These are the stories that capture our imagination and make us want to keep the story going. In my case, I always wondered why Mary Bennet never married Mr. Collins, and why he never even considered her as a potential bride. The Unexpected Miss Bennet was my answer. Writers often start out writing fanfic. It’s a great training ground, albeit controversial. I think it’s a great shame that some writers never move on to writing their own original work.

Did you feel like there was much expectation when recreating Jane Austen’s sphere? How much research was involved in bringing Mary Bennet back to life?

PS: Janeites are very protective of Austen, and they are not shy about letting you know when you get it wrong. While I had no interest in creating an authenticated history of a Jane Austen character, I wanted to do justice to Austen and her work by getting it right. But I also didn’t want to get bogged down. So I turned to Austen’s work itself as my source material.

I read and reread all of the six Austen novels, and then did additional research on particular settings and dress, furniture, and style. What I was looking for were the clues to Austen’s world. What did they wear, how did they address one another, how were children included in the world, where did they shop and what did they buy, etc. Emma is great for that, by the way. Emma and Persuasion are both these incredibly rich depictions of early 18th century British middle class life. And so is Mansfield Park. The other three are more traditional romances, and there’s less of the setting about them.

Where do you begin when writing setting? Do you think of a character first, then plop them into the atmosphere? Is it a slow building process? How was your experience in creating the world for The Crow God’s Girl?

PS: It changes for every book — sometimes it’s a setting, sometimes a character. Even if I start a book at the beginning with Chapter 1, I rarely continue on that way. I will leap ahead and write a pivotal scene, then go back and write toward that scene, and I usually know my ending and have it written down before I finish the book. I don’t know the ending at the beginning, but by about 75 percent of the way, I usually know the end game. In my current work in progress, I know the end scene and I am roughly two-thirds in.

The Crow God’s Girl is the third book in my Gordath Wood series, so the characters and setting were already created. However, I still did research! In this case, I was writing about the early life of someone who is extremely ambitious, and so I read biographies and the memoirs of Catherine the Great. The research shows up mostly obliquely in The Crow God’s Girl (and we will discuss how research informs but does not dominate a work in progress), but I shamelessly lifted a real character wholesale from Catherine’s life and plunked him down, name and all, into the book.

What is your favorite thing about the Austin writing community?

PS: In this town, there are so many writers that it’s like a great big boiling pot of creativity. In Austin, the speculative fiction community gets together each year for ArmadilloCon for panels, workshops, gaming, and fun. There are so many resources for writers; obviously, the Texas Writers League, but also the Slug Tribe for Austin science fiction writers, RWA, Sisters in Crime, and everyone tries to help each other. I know there are writers groups everywhere, including write ins, and you can’t help but feel supported. I’m not a huge NaNoWriMo fan — in fact, I think it can be detrimental — but I do think that getting together to write with others can be a lot of fun, and help fuel creativity.

What would you like writers to take away from your class?

PS: The point of research for writers is to give their readers the experience of deep diving into a well-created world. It’s not to scare authors away from setting down words for fear of “getting it wrong.” Research is like a treasure hunt, and you get to decide when X marks the spot.

_______________________________________________

Patrice Sarath is a writer and editor based in Austin, Texas. Her novel The Unexpected Miss Bennet came out in 2011 from Robert Hale in the UK and from Penguin Berkley in the US. The book takes up where Pride & Prejudice leaves off, specifically regarding Mary Bennet, the most misunderstood of the Bennet sisters. Patrice also writes fantasy and science fiction. Her Books of the Gordath series includes Gordath Wood, Red Gold Bridge, and The Crow God’s Girl, and her short stories have appeared in magazines including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Weird Tales, Realms of Fantasy, and Black Gate.

Thursday Thinking – Love Writing

Thursday Thinking posts focus on previewing, reviewing, and discussing the topics from our Third Thursday programs.  

Did you complete yesterday’s writing prompt to write a 1500 word love scene or a two page narrative poem about a love scene? (If you did and posted it online, link to it in the comments below.)

If you wanted to write a love scene but couldn’t, make plans now to attend next week’s Third Thursday panel “Tales of the Heart: Writing Effective Love Scenes and Love Stories.”

Maybe you’re a non-fiction author with a peripheral interest in love stories, come down to Book People next Thursday with an open mind toward learning how you might integrate some love lines into your writing.

Finally, even if you have no intentions of ever writing anything about love, Third Thursdays are always a good time to rub elbows with other writers.

Our guests will be authors Willa Blair, Mari Mancusi, Shawnna Perigo, and Tracy Wolff, who have all written about love in one way or another.

See you next Thursday at 7 pm at Book People.

Writing Prompt

Writer as Lover 

 

Some hate it, some like it but regardless your opinion Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.  The prompt is easy, and I am sure many will greatly resist it or end up quickly trashing it before anyone can see it, write a love scene.  Love and sex are everywhere you look, but writers tend to struggle with writing an honest account of either.  If you write fiction write a 1500 word love scene,  if you write poetry write a two page narrative poem about a love scene.  Use honest language, push away from the Valentine language.  Sometimes less is more, sometimes you have to just go there.  Fresh imagery and honest language may create something you would have resisted ever writing.  

Don’t miss WLT’s next Third Thursday panel, February 21 7pm, “Tales of the Heart: Writing effective love scenes and love stories.” 

Interview with Stephanie Barko

Stephanie Barko, is a Literary Publicist based in Austin. Upon completing her degree in Sociology and Business, Ms. Barko was invited into the publishing industry after many years in high tech marketing. She was voted Preditors & Editors Best Book Promotion Service in 2011. Her award-winning clients include traditional publishers and their authors, small presses, and independently published authors. Visit with Stephanie at www.stephaniebarko.com.

Stephanie Barko (left) and a fan

After visiting your website, I learned about your success with both historical fiction and nonfiction publicity. Tell us more about a specific genre that you enjoy most working with.

Well, fiction sells better and is easier to place but I read nonfiction, so I feel closer to it.  Historical fiction tells a story but in a factually correct way.  I like that because you can learn from the novel, like you can nonfiction. I, personally, read almost exclusively nonfiction.  Fiction feels like candy to me, but historical novels have the weight of reality in them like nonfiction does.

Do you think that our internet age has made the job of a literary publicist a little difficult?

The internet has made my job easier, not harder.  I can reach more people quicker and more efficiently.  One could even argue that it’s cheaper to market online.

What got you interested in working with the spiritual subject matter?

The end of the Mayan calendar and the pivotal changes all the way through 2012 led me to declare a special subject focus last year.

On Feb 16th, you will be teaching a course titled, Trendspotting Toward a Faithful Following.  What are some things that you would expect the participants to take away from your course?

It’s a class that gets authors thinking about what they already have, not in terms of talent but in terms of marketing power.  Each participant will find unique answers to questions they have in common. I would like the participants to, most importantly, have a better sense of who their following is.

What are some things that make you love being a literary publicist?

The thing I like most about what I do is that I get to write and work with words all day. The write to evoke a particular response.  My job is asking people to do what I want them to do because they want to do it.

What is your core business philosophy?

Work smarter.  If you’re working harder, you’re probably not working smart enough.

What are some examples of books that you think have exhibited intelligent marketing techniques?

The Harry Potter rollouts always fascinated me.  A historical novelist I marketed hired actors to play the English royals in her novels at her launches.  That was exciting and sold books.  People came for the performance.

Ms. Barko has presented on book marketing & publicity at Oklahoma Writers Federation Conference, DFW Writers Conference, Writers’ League of Texas Conference and Women Writing the West Conference. Her articles and book reviews have been published in Western American Literature, Roundup Magazine, Book Marketing Matters, San Francisco Book Review, and the Texas Book Marketing Directory. She will be teaching a course, which is titled, Trendspotting Toward a Faithful Following. The course will be taught on Feb 16, at St. Edwards College.

Thursday Thinking – Did you write this week?

You’ve had some time to digest the writers’ nourishment from January’s Third Thursday program about helping yourself to write, no matter what. Now we’d like to hear from you about your writing this week. You can share your comments at the bottom of this post, way down at the bottom of the page. You can also leave your response on the WLT Facebook Page.

Here are some questions to prime your pump.

• Did you notice a routine you used to get your ready to write?
• Did you notice a diversion that took you away from writing?
• What was your writing goal this week? Did you meet it?
• Did your inner-editor show up? How did you handle that?
• What helped you write this week?
• What deterred, or almost deterred you from writing? How did you overcome it?

Thanks for sharing.

(If you couldn’t make it to Book People for the panel, maybe you read about it here on Scribe. If you did neither, take a minute to read the Third Thursday Wrap-Up.)