Lynn Jordan at Authors Tools Blog has a must-read post on improving your blog. You’ll notice I’ve changed my blog’s tagline.

Two posts on world building this week. First Kylie Griffin over at Dark Side DownUnder offers a definition and, while there’s no magic formula, promises ideas and discussion over the next couple of weeks. Second, Ilona Andrews ties world building strongly to characterisation. She makes the good point that the world should shape/affect the characters.

Over at ShallowReaders there’s a great post on the Ick Factor. At what point, if any, do you admit a book is dead, disgustingly dead, and bin it? Is it the smell, the feel, the water damage? For me, the huge factor is smell. I cannot believe people who store their books in mothballs. How can you possibly read it when it stinks of camphor?

And thanks to @BookThingo on Twitter, I’ve also stumbled across a new historical romance blog, Bosoms & Beaux and it’s excellent.

You can’t bid yet, but I’m so excited at what Julie Rowe’s organised. We Carina Press authors have ereaders, critique services and other fun/useful lots in the Brenda Novak auction to support research into diabetes. I think most of us have someone in our lives with diabetes. It’s a cause to support, and a reminder to watch our own lifestyles. I lost my nana to diabetes.

Cobblestone Press is now accepting non-erotic as well as erotic romance novel submissions.

This is how I once imagined an author’s life to be — Jessica Hart’s day in London.