World traveler and amicable companion, T.S. Turtle, Esq. will soon be joined by this little fellow. . .

I knitted him from a pattern in the (sadly) long out-of-print Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy by Jess Hutchison. He is such a friendly thing. I think he’ll do well for himself.

–S.

Lots of people have asked me how they should go about finding a publisher for their own projects, and this is what I usually say. . . (Well, first I should note that I mentioned the self-publishing route a little while back. I meant to go into more detail, but didn’t.) Anyway, if you think you have a good book or two in you and you’d like to be published by a traditional house, here are my two cents.

First, you aren’t really looking for a publisher. What you actually need is an agent who will present your proposal to his or her stable of editors. The best way to find an agent who would fit well with your voice and content is to study books already on the market that are similar to your project in subject, tone, and presentation. Check out the authors’ acknowledgements sections for the names of their respective agents. Then find those agents and contact them directly with your credentials and book proposal.

Writing a good book proposal is its own animal altogether. 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published & 14 Reasons Why It Just Might and Think Like Your Editor are said to be good titles worth looking into, for what it’s worth.

 –S.

I’ve come to admire mixed martial arts cage fighting in general and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners like Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez in particular. So I jumped at the chance to catch some live MMA action at my area AMVETS hall. I expected to see local fighters in peak condition accurately executing devastating strikes, takedowns, and the occasional rear naked choke, but, save a couple of bouts, most of the fighters looked like this guy. . .

He weighed in at 316 pounds and pretty much laid on his opponent the whole time. Complete with sloppy, looping blows and easily-winded combatants, many of the other fights could’ve just as easily taken place at TondaBeth’s Hideaway Lounge. A spectacle for all the wrong reasons.

–S.