Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Singing in the Closet

This morning I'm doing my housework and preparing an audition for BYU-Hawaii's production of "The Sound of Music." It would be a lot easier if I didn't live in the faculty townhouses next door to the theater professor and across the way from the orchestra director and various other music faculty. I've closed all the windows and pulled all the curtains, but I still think they can hear me.

Maybe I'll go sing in the closet.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Waiting and Dreaming

I love all stages of the writing process--the mad dash of drafting, the intricate puzzle-work of revision, the patient polishing of line-editing. I like the in-between times too, like right now. This week I'm waiting for test-readers to get back to me with comments on my latest draft, and in the meantime I'm happily dreaming up my next book.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful for the Internet

I love the internet! I use it to connect with friends and family, to find recipes, to do research for my books, to swap critiques with all my writing buddies, and to hunt for a literary agent. Without it, I'd be totally isolated on this little rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

But now, my dear friends, the internet is in trouble.

Congress is right now considering the PIPA bill, which will give the GOVERNMENT the power to SHUT DOWN YOUR ENTIRE SITE if they think you OR ANYONE YOU LINK TO infringes on someone's copyright. This will not stop piracy as the bill's advocates claim. Pirates are smart. They will find a way. The people in trouble are people like us, who value the free exchange of ideas. People who enjoy youtube and facebook. People who don't want internet censorship like they have in China and Iran.

Here are some of the people against the bill: the Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch, and Public Knowledge.

Who is for it? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Microsoft, the Copyright Alliance, and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

Who's side are you on?

Click here to join the fight! Let congress know you're thankful for the internet.

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.