Oh yay! I remember reading The Match Stick Girl over and over and over (sob). Also there was a story about a fisherman who caught a fish that granted him a wish. He made a modest wish but his wife was greedy and unsatisfied so she made him go back and ask the fish for another wish (grander). This happened a few times until the fish finally took it all away. Remember that one? Remember the name by chance? Was it The Fisherman and His Wife?

I still have a copy of it.

I wonder if my parents still have mine. I'd love to have it.

Dude! I was right: [link]

Kathy, I've read both the Cast and the Mead YA vampire novels and I prefer the Mead. The Cast heroine is a little too Mary-Sue + TSTL at times. They're not awful, but they're not great.

I quite like the Vampire Academy books...but, as people have pointed out, check out how much the cover of the 2nd in that series looks like Buffy and Angel, Season 2

I think the concept of the Cast novels is interesting, but I haven't read them because P.C. was incredibly rude to me when we were both on a panel at a conference back when the first book had only just been published. It was a panel on writing YA and by luck or design, I was the only one who wasn't writing paranormal YA and she treated me like I was such a major second class citizen.

Turned me right off of any of her books, adult or YA. Which is perhaps petty, but it was really off-putting how rude she was to me in a public forum.

Hmm. Really?

(God, I am such a whore for gossip.) That's interesting because everything I hear is all "LALALALA she's awesome-cakes!"

Although I admit I do have a severe prejudice against relatives of successful authors (Anne Rice, I'm looking at your fam) who would otherwise probably not get published.

Yeah, that was not a good panel, overall for a conference I'm not likely to participate in again, pretty much, ever, if I can help it.

It was during that same panel we were talking about the revisions process (it was supposed to be aimed at beginning writers) and I described how it had been for me with Adiós and Accent. (One major revision for each, just for the record.) Afterwards, this woman comes up to me and with a straight face says, "Wow, your work must have been in rough shape to require so much work. My editor only ever has me correct typos."

I looked at her name badge-- saw that she was published by one of these tiny, tiny e-pubs that does primarily erotic romance and said the first thing that popped into my mind.

"Well I guess my editor doesn't expect my readers to be distracted by their vibrators."

Which was a hugely bitchy thing to say but I was already in a foul mood.

Hee. Oh, dear, dear. Now, I'm not saying you can't find some decent writing in a e-pub...for most the most part, it's...um. Not impressive.

And it was hugely bitchy, but she deserved it. SHE was hugely bitchy.

Every time I hear a writer brag about how they don't pay attention or don't need editors, I just think "Anne Rice! Laurell K. Hamilton! YES YOU DO, BITCHES! Writing is supposed to evolve! You do not crap out perfection, dumbass."

Now, I'm not saying you can't find some decent writing in a e-pub...for most the most part, it's...um. Not impressive.

My critique partner is exclusively e-pubbed and she writes amazing erotic romance like damn and whoa.

But for the most part? No... not impressive.

And a good editor is worth their freakin' weight in gold.