Delicious Suspicious
Thanks so much to Teresa for inviting me to guest post today! I’m delighted to be here at Journaling Woman today. My cozy mystery release, Delicious and Suspicious, released yesterday and I’m enjoying visiting my writing friends’ blogs to promote it.
Modern day writers have a lot to do when a book comes out. There is blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, and other promo to be done.
Sometimes I think my favorite authors from the past had it pretty easy. Oh, they worked hard on their manuscripts, without a doubt. But they didn’t have social media as the distraction that we do. They either wrote longhand or on a typewriter—and didn’t have that urge to check their email inbox or their @ replies on Twitter.
But sometimes I wonder how they’d have fared with social media promoting. And which author would have chosen what medium as their favorite?
Here’s my unscientific analysis:
Shakespeare—He’d have been a Twitter superstar. After all, he’s master of the short, witty quote.
Jane Austen—Hmm. I’m going to say she’d have embraced Facebook. I think she’d have loved the interaction—from a safe, online distance.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—The creator of Sherlock Holmes? I’m thinking he’d have been a blogger. He had too many stories…I think he’d have blogged his fiction. Or maybe sold lots of short stories for Kindle.
Mark Twain—He’d have given Shakespeare a run for his money on Twitter. But I think he’d also have been interested in Facebook and blogging, too. He’d have put on an amazing blog tour.
Dr. Seuss—Can you imagine the amazing blog he’d have?
Now it’s your turn. How do you think your favorite authors from the past would have communicated with their readers?
Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin as Riley Adams, the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink (under her own name). Delicious and Suspicious released July 6, 2010: When a food scout from a cable cooking channel is murdered, it's only natural for restaurant owner Lulu Taylor to take it personally. After all, her barbeque restaurant served the scout's last meal. But danger lurks as Lulu investigates the crime. Will she clear the restaurant's name, or is she next to be skewered?
http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/
http://mysteryloverskitchen.com/
Twitter: @elizabethscraig
Comments
I think Ernest Hemingway would have embraced blogging. (with the comments turned off) LOL
Jan, you are *cracking* me up! I can't stop laughing here. Esp the knitting blog...snort!
Teresa, thanks so much for letting me hang out here today! I appreciate it.
Steinbeck would have blogged with long posts, I think. And Facebook might have interested him too so he could see what others were up to.
Laura Ingalls Wilder would have blogged as well writing about her experience on the farm first (to help others)and then promoting her books, but only when Rose (her daughter) had tried it first and encouraged her to do so.
This IS fun.
Dame Christie would have blogged. One of those long rambling blogs about people watching.
Congratulations, Elizabeth on the release of D&S.
And JW, I am following you!
Elizabeth, congratulations on your latest release, wishing you much success. I think Margaret Mitchell would have been good on Facebook, but would have been a better blogger with beautiful, detailed descriptions included in each of her post.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Congrats on your book release, Elizabeth! And JW thanks for hosting Elizabeth today! I've been meaning to check out your blog, and now I'm a follower too!
Have a fabulous day ladies!
Teresa--I think I'd have to have bookmarked Steinbeck's blog posts for days when I had more time!
Yes! I can see Rose telling her mom that she needed to get online and start a blog. That's probably exactly how it'd have panned out.
Rayna--Good point about Miss Jane...I think multiple personas would have meant she could observe lots of people in different groups. She was the ultimate observer!
Margot--I think you're right--in fact, I can see her spending TOO much time on other people's blogs and needing to rein herself in!
Helen--I can see him doing it, too!
Mason--Margaret Mitchell *totally* would have been online. But I wonder how she'd have faced questions about when her next book would come out? Ack. I'm guessing that's a reason why Harper Lee avoids the internet. :)
Crystal Clear Proofing--They'd have been the cool kids on Facebook for sure!
Mary--Ha! You're so right--DEFINITELY a tree for Miss Dickenson. Or..maybe she wouldn't even have owned a computer? (The thought of going computer-free scares me!)
Well done on your newest release and getting it up and published .. nice title too ..
Good luck with it and I'm glad Teresa asked you over .. thanks Teresa .. all the best to you both .. Hilary
Thanks for hosting Elizabeth today, Teresa! This was fun to think about.
J.R.R.Tolkien would've been a blogger for sure. They'd be pages for the languages and maps of Middle Earth. That'd be a super cool blog!
Kat--Ha! Yes, he'd have been disgusted with it all in no time.
Hilary--Ah, Dickens! I think he would have had a really cool blog. He had a great mind for the market, I think (remembering the serials he wrote.) Maybe he'd have had a serial on his blog? Or on Kindle, even?
Elspeth--He could write both ways, couldn't he? I think he might have had these esoteric arguments with his commenters, too!
Laura--I can totally see Tolkien with tons of extras on his blog! That would be cool. Wish Rowling would do something similar. And she's still around!
I am going to choose MY favorite old author... Tolstoy would have blogged with his social commentary... explaining why people DO the strange things they do.
I'm pretty sure DICKENS, DID blog. They just called it serials back then *snort* (Dumas, too)
I can totally envision that Tolkein website--I think it would have been a little like Rowling's with a lot of little hidden prizes for the persistent!
Elizabeth--have you been to her site? There is a ton more at the Lexicon, but her site is actually quite dynamic--but NOT the blog content... that's missing.
Thanks for hosting JW!
I'm going to have to check back with Rowling's site--it's been a couple of years (probably almost *exactly* a couple of years because it was right before her last HP release). I thought it was a cool site then--the things you could move around on the desk, etc. If she could blog with us, though! Although, I have a feeling she's still trying to take a vacation from all that work she did with HP! Who can blame her?
Stephen Tremp
Judy--The commenters made the post, for sure! :)
I think Heinlein would have blogged with with comments turned off, while Marion Zimmer Bradley would have liked Facebook and blogged.
I'll do Margaret Mitchell, who would have been too private for Facebook or Twitter, but would have joined both anyhow and accepted all friend requests because it'd be impolite to say 'no,' then avoided writing a second book because she had to keep up with all her online pals.
She'd have loved to run a blog site, posting articles about Atlanta and history. I'm thinking, with some confidence, she'd have thrown in a few stories.
- Corra :-)
The Victorian Heroine
Hope you're having a great Tuesday, Teresa!
B xx
Ya'll have a delightfully blessed weekend.