Lois Leveen

Blog

November 13, 2012

The Love Letter Every Author Ought to Write

My fifth-grade teacher Ms. Ziegler taught our class how to use a thesaurus. It's one of the few things I can remember learning that I still benefit from every day.

How important is my thesaurus to me? I once wrote a love letter to it, entitled "Living in Synonyms."

Apparently, I'm not the only one who adores her/his thesaurus. Don't believe me? Check out the responses to "An Ode to the King of Writerly Tools," a piece I just published in The New York Times.

How do you feel about your thesaurus? Or, for that matter, your fifth-grade teacher?
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October 17, 2012

Writing in Library Books

It's wrong to write in library books.

But what if you WROTE the library book?

Last June, when I spoke at the American Library Association annual conference, I autographed a lot of books. Some librarians asked me to write something special for their library patrons. So I thought, why don't I autograph the copies of my book in my local library?

Library Book

As you know if you read the acknowledgments in the novel, I love the Multnomah County Library--it's actual considered the best pubic library system in the country. So I decided to do a secret project (though I discussed it with some librarian friends first). I'm going to try to track down EVERY copy of the book in the library system, and sign them all. The trick is, there are lots of people reading the library copies.

So I put a hold on the book. Months ago. And just got a copy today. I'll sign it, and bring it right back to the library. And the I'll put another hold, and hope I get a different copy. I'll keep doing it, until I sign 'em all. Which is a bit tricky, because the library "retires" copies as they circulate. So who knows how long it will take. I'll keep you (blog) posted.
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October 16, 2012

AM Northwest

Here's a lovely way to start the day . . . being interviewed by Helen Raptis for KATU-TV's AM Northwest morning show.


And so nice to know the book club loved reading The Secrets of Mary Bowser.

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October 10, 2012

Putting the History into Historical Fiction

Sorry to be so quiet for so long. I was off in England for the Historical Novel Society conference, where I enjoyed many smart conversations about how history is evolving as a field and how historical fiction fits in. I'll be sharing thoughts from the conference over the next few weeks, but meanwhile, check out "The Paradox of Pluck: How Did Historical Fiction Become the New Feminist History?" in The Los Angeles Review of Books.
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September 16, 2012

October (On-Air) Surprise

Good morning, America.

Or at least a regional slice thereof.

Look what AM Northwest viewers will be talking about on-air on October 9.



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