Back to the Monday morning link grind

It’s been a fairly productive weekend at Weinman HQ–one interview transcribed (look for it here later this week), one column turned in, two articles started, and the rough draft of a new short story finished in my now-patented all-in-a-mad-rush style. (No, it’s not healthy, but I’ve started to accept that this seems to be the way my muse likes to work–dormant on the fiction side for months, and then back in a flash.) My god, the way I’m acting, you think I ended up with this person’s brain. Or at least borrowed it for a few days. Anyway, enough on me, let’s turn to the rest of the world:

And it’s always good to start with two TV shows engaging in a nasty fight, which seems to be the case with Paul O’Grady vs. Richard and Judy. OTOH, “dirty tricks” involving threats is nothing new in the US morning show world, but then again…Joan Collins? They are fighting over Joan?? Yeesh.

The Booker Prize winner will be announced tomorrow, and the Independent on Sunday believes “some unknown writer” by the name of David Mitchell is the favorite. Unknown? Hah? Ever heard of something called the blogosphere where we’ve been talking this guy up for almost a year? Where one such blogger actually tracked Mr Mitchell down for a lengthy audio interview? Ah, newspapers….so much to learn.

Should sex books be sold out in the open? How has society changed to be so permissive about selling books like Jenna Jameson’s memoir? The Baltimore Sun takes an in-depth look at this booming subgenre.

Edward P. Jones, one of the McArthur Grant awardees for being incredibly smart, is interviewed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on how he’s handling his newfound success.

Patrick Anderson enjoys Anne Perry’s latest novel as popular entertainment but wonders why she’d choose a topic so well-mined by the likes of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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Dick Adler’s mystery roundup for the Chicago Tribune]9 looks at the latest by T. Jefferson Parker, Joan Druett, Benjamin Schutz, Carol O’Connell and Martin Edwards.

Mystery Readers Journal has revived the long-dormant At Home Online Series with a new interview of Anne Perry by Carole Nelson Douglas. The latter writer will be the series’ next interview subject.

Another day, another pan of the Kellermans’ DOUBLE HOMICIDE. Oh, and here’s another one. I know, I know, I should probably stop linking to them, but I can’t help myself. And I’m still wondering how on earth they managed to convince both of their publishers to work together on this series of novellas. Anyone want to explain the contracts to me, because it seems like it’d be awfully messy….

John Marshall of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer finds Ann Rule’s eagerly awaited tome on the Green River killer to be most disappointing. But the thing is, it’s been 2 decades in the making, so would people really be satisfied with the end result? Hard to know…

Looks like things are in a bit of a mess over at HarperCollins UK, according to the Observer. Based on what I’ve heard from some writers who used to be published, the sentiment seems to be valid….

And finally, the picture of the week, as supplied by the owner. Yowza.