SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion

Use this thread to post questions and suggestions for the 2013/14 challenges.

Has anyone found a good source for the "author who died the year you were born"?
I can only find 3 authors and none are even remotely appealing.
Please help otherwise I will have to read Ayn Rand!

Found this sight that tells you what authors were born and died in a specific year...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/yea...

For the Discover your bookshelf challenge:

Would pre-orders count?
e.g I've already ordered Daylighers by Rachel Caine - but it's only due for release 05 Nov.

I have another question for the Discover your bookshelf challenge.

I have some ARC ebook gallies already for books that will only be released after 31 Oct. - they are on my TBR shelf. Can this be part of the challenge?

Chrizette wrote: "I have another question for the Discover your bookshelf challenge.

I have some ARC ebook gallies already for books that will only be released after 31 Oct. - they are on my TBR shelf. Can this be..."

I don't see why not - you already have the books and that's all that's required.

Pre orders are fine. Just stick them on your list. Also allowed are books borrowed from other people, in your bookshelf and yet to be returned....

*happy dance*

Yay :)

Thank You :)

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Found this sight that tells you what authors were born and died in a specific year...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/yea..."

I have to admit, the ones who were born in the same year is an eye opener. I haven't heard of most of mine...

Know your author

1 Read a book by an author who has published both realist/contemporary fiction and non-realist/speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, etc.)

Does ghost stories count for the speculative fiction part?

Carolien wrote: "Know your author

1 Read a book by an author who has published both realist/contemporary fiction and non-realist/speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, etc.)

Does ghost stories count for the speculative fiction part? "

Yes, if there is an actual ghost or some kind of paranormal activity.

Carolien wrote: "Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Found this sight that tells you what authors were born and died in a specific year...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/yea..."

I have to admit, the ones who..."

Yeah the best I could come up with for mine is an author that ghost wrote some of the earlier Nancy Drew books. Not exactly exciting stuff! I'm silently cursing you for this nomination! :)

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Carolien wrote: "Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Found this sight that tells you what authors were born and died in a specific year...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/yea..."

I have to ad..."

The dead ones I can cope with, it's the alive ones that are a problem to me...

However, your Nancy Drew comment has just reminded me of an interesting author task. I'll have to wait for next week.

Yeah my alive ones are not that great either. I managed to find a book that sounds quite interesting but it has had so bad review so we will have to see...

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Found this sight that tells you what authors were born and died in a specific year...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/yea..."

Thanks. Found the book that was a major inspiration behind Stardust

Here is a list of government building in case parliament doesn't float your bloat. The only other one I could think of was The post office and I don't think there are many great books about mail!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Here is a list of government building in case parliament doesn't float your bloat. The only other one I could think of was The post office and I don't think there are many great books about mail!
h..."

Thanks! I hadn't thought of a palace. Even the post office might work - a Terry Pratchett novel about the postal service comes to mind.

See what happens when you start loop-holing! ;)

Murder on the Orient Express

For the train one?

Lu (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Murder on the Orient Express

For the train one?"

I know how that ends just because it's so famous.

Yeah me too, seen the old movie.

I don't, so don't spoil it please!

Found a Nancy Drew book on a train if anyone wants to cop-out with me :DStrangers on a Train

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Found a Nancy Drew book on a train if anyone wants to cop-out with me :D"

I actually used to like Nancy Drew, but I don't know if I'm willing to read one now! But it'll be short at least, so I might join you :) It only completes one of those tough tasks though.

No Two. Trains and more then one author that wrote under the same pseudonym :)
Nancy Drew has been written by multiple people under the name Carolyn Keene for over 80 years.

Oh, sorry, I forgot it was for two different challenges. Hmm, seriously considering it now...

Yeah that is the only reason why I'm going to do it. Also it is only 180 pages and a little nostalgia never hurt anyone.

Oh, but how could I forget Railsea by China Mieville! It's a wonderful book and it's based on railways and train journeys. Might re-read that.

Here are lists with more train options: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...

@Lu -Does it specifically have to be the ocean or will any water do?

Nope ocean, sorry :(

For younger than you authors (there are A LOT trust me, I think I am the youngest and I have tons of options):



Also check this blog post series about authors under 25 (just check cause it is when they wrote their first book, but most are current):

http://www.booksandsensibility.com/20...
http://www.booksandsensibility.com/20...
http://www.booksandsensibility.com/20...
http://www.booksandsensibility.com/20...
and so on.

I found the term for task 18: HOUSE PSEUDONYM:
A House Pseudonym is a pen name that can be used by any writer at a given publisher.
House Pseudonyms have been used to disguise that a long series has become a Franchise Zombie by allowing other authors to use the creator's name. They have been used to make a collaborative work look like it came from a single author, using a name that belongs to neither of the actual writers.

That should make searching a bit easier. There are a few examples here though: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php...

Lauren wrote: "I found the term for task 18: HOUSE PSEUDONYM:
A House Pseudonym is a pen name that can be used by any writer at a given publisher.
House Pseudonyms have been used to disguise that a long series ha..."

Good work, I put quite a bit of research into finding "the right term to google" last night and I didn't come close :)

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I found the term for task 18: HOUSE PSEUDONYM:
A House Pseudonym is a pen name that can be used by any writer at a given publisher.
House Pseudonyms have been used to disguise that a..."

Same here, I've been trying to find the term, but can only describe it.

Post apocalyptic books. Which if these can I use please:
The Children of Men
Fahrenheit 451
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Only Children of Men, I think. Fahrenheit is dystopian, not apocalyptic - society is deeply oppressive, but the world hasn't suffered a disaster (I don't think; it's been a LONG time since I read that).

Hitchhiker's does include an apocalypse, but the whole world is completely destroyed so no one has to deal with the aftermath. Post-apocalyptic novels aren't about the world being destroyed completely, but rather about the world undergoing such a catastrophic disaster that our way of life as we know it is destroyed and the characters have to survive in a damaged world.

Children of Men occurs twenty odd years after such a catastrophe (humans stop reproducing) and the world it depicts is severely damaged as a result.

You might also enjoy this:


It's set during the apocalypse and a bit after (Lauren F said this is fine), but mostly it's a very interesting character-based story about a man with Asperger's. I recommend it.

Thanks, that looks interesting. The advantage of Children of Men is that it is standing in my bookshelf, so can be used for Know Your Bookshelf!

This one is definitely not for a task, since it is the only example that I have, but take a look at this description Luther Blissett.

Can we use the Luther Blisset pseudonym, Wu Ming and similar examples for task 18? That kind of use of a pseudonym is more varied and perhaps more interesting that the franchise pseudonyms.

You could as long as it has been used more than once.

Hi is anyone else finding it hard to to find fiction writers with "second jobs"? That they will admit to...

I already have one autobiography on my list so I would prefer not to go that route. Any suggestions?

I thought it would be easy. Surely many new authors have other forms of income, or Indie authors. I guess I didn't think about how tricky it might be for proof. I'm reading Lewis Pugh's latest for that and he is an advocate for environment, extreme swimmer and maritime lawyer as well as author.

I have probably checked about 40 different authors, concentrating mainly on new authors and indie authors and while quite a few say what they did before they became authors none say that they still have a "day job." Maybe there is a stigma attached?

Do you have any other suggestions besides Lewis Pugh?

I agree with Varla; that should be easy as few authors can afford to write full time. It might be that they don't generally state what their jobs are, especially if it's something fairly mundane like copywriting.

Many well-known authors mention more prestigious careers as professors or scientists (I'd recommend you look at sci fi authors if you were into the genre :).

And do you check their websites? They're more likely to mention their jobs there.

Journalists are common as are entertainment industry types - Stephen Fry comes to mind.

The Financial Times did an article recently on financiers who write, but I cannot find the article at the moment.

Charles Stross is a political analyst in his other time.

I will probably go the non-fiction route here. I have a choice between political analysts/statisticians/cricket annual editors/children's tv actor and a bunch of journalists and/or cricket players and a baseball manager to put in the pot if anybody is interested.

Carolien wrote: "Journalists are common as are entertainment industry types - Stephen Fry comes to mind."

Does print journalism count though? Because that's also a career in writing.