Links

Just something to peruse if you're bored. :)
Links are listed in alphabetical order (author list by last name).

GoodReads.com - Visit me on Good Reads


On Writing and Publishing
(These are some sites I've found useful)

Agent Query - Need help finding an agent? Try this site.
A Newbie's Guide to Publishing - This blog, written by JA Konrath, offers tips, tricks, and advice to both beginning and experienced writers.
Baby Name Wizard - An incredible site that will show you a name's popularity each decade from the 1880s to today. Very useful for period pieces.
Baby Name World - Over 24,000 names to help you find one that fits your character... or your child.
Carolyn's Writing Workshop - A website geared for romance writers, but it has a ton of useful information for all genres of authors.
The Chronicles of Emily Cross - A new writer weaves her way through the writing, editing, and publication process.
Complete Nobody's Guide to Query Letters - Unpublished does not mean unpublishable. Ask Lynn.
Critique Circle - An online critique group that is amazingly helpful. And also free to join!
Free Translation.com - A great tool for figuring out simple phrases in the most popular foreign languages.
Holly Lisle - A compendium of useful articles on writing and getting published from someone who has been there and done that.
How to Critique Fiction - An insightful lesson on giving a good critique.
Hunting for a Literary Agent - A great how and why guide to agents.
Interview with an Agent - What does an agent expect or want from a writer? This is one take.
Interview with Laurell K. Hamilton - Fantasy/mystery/horror author with an amazing collection already published. Read this to find out how she does it.
Interview with Maya Rock - Maya Rock is a junior agent with Writer's House, one of the biggest and best literary agencies in the country. Hear what she has to say about agents and getting one!
Jenny Bent - Jenny is a literary agent with some incredibly useful tips for finding an agent.
Last Names - Having trouble thinking up a last name for a character? Search this site.
Live Interactive Global Map - A great way to figure out how long it would take your characters to get from one side of their city to another.
Men's Hairstyles - A site I've used numerous times to decide what a character's hair looks like.
NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month is an organization that just may give you the boost you need to get that novel down on paper. Check it out! November is the month!
Overcoming Too Many Idea Syndrome - Don't laugh. People suffer from this! You might be one of them! ;)
Publishers Weekly - Another wonderfully useful site.
Scrivener - For those of you using Mac computers, look into this program. It's a replacement for Word developed by a writer for writers. It has some amazing options and uses that make me wish I had a Mac!
Sling Your Web - An article published by Writer's Digest devoted to establishing an online presence.
The Quick Pitch - While this may not be of use to a lot of you (I know it wasn't for me), if there is even one person who stumbles across this and finds it useful, it was worth putting up.
The Snowflake Method - While this isn't a method I personally use, some people find it incredibly helpful. This website gives you a step by step guide to help you through the writing process.
The World Clock - Need to figure out what time it is in Istanbul? Check this site.
Writer's Market - Every serious writer needs a copy of this book or a subscription to their site.


On Books and Authors
(This is by no means a comprehensive list, more like a suggestions for others to check out)

Chinua Achebe - Author of Things Fall Apart, a novel of Africa during British colonization.
Lloyd Alexander - The author of The Chronicals of Prydain among other wonderful books.
Margaret Atwood - Author of The Handmaid's Tale, a fascinatingly twisted tale of theocratic control.
Jane Austen - The author of Pride and Prejudice. If you haven't yet, read her work!
Ray Bradbury - Author of Fahrenheit 451. Read it.
Charlotte Bronte - It actually surprised me how much I enjoyed reading Jane Eyre.
Frances Hodgson Burnett - If I ever have children, The Secret Garden is one of the first books I'm going to read to them.
Jacqueline Carey - Fantasy author who wrote the Kushiel's Legacy series. WARNING: Books might not be suitable for readers under thirteen years old. Parental discretion advised.
Marianne Curley - So far, I've loved every book by her I read. Check out her website and track down her books.
Roald Dahl - Author of James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda.
Sara Douglass - Author of The Wayfarer Redemption, a six book fantasy series.
Alexandre Dumas - The author of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
Jasper Fforde - Hilarious, satiric, ingenious. Read everything he has ever written.
Pat Frank - Author of Alas, Babylon, a story of what might have happened if the Cold War had gone nuclear.
Good Reads.com - This site is great for keeping track of books you've read and finding new ones to read. You can visit the main page by clicking the link in the title, or you can visit my profile here.
William Goldman - Author of The Princess Bride, an incredible adventure from a brilliant mind.
Ernest Hemmingway - His short story Hills Like White Elephants is one of my favorites. Click on his name to read it for yourself.
Ken Kesey - The strange wonderfulness that is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest can only be explained by reading it yourself.
JA Konrath - Author of the Jack Daniels mystery series.
Mercedes Lackey - Astoundingly prolific (over 70 novels published already) and a great read.
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird is classic in so many ways.
Madeleine L'Engle - The author of A Wrinkle in Time and the series that followed. Incomparable brilliance, honestly.
Gaston Leroux - Author of The Phantom of the Opera. The book is far creepier than the musical.
C.S. Lewis - I adore The Chronicals of Narnia. I've lost count of how many times I've reread that series.
Melika Dannese Lux - Author of City of Lights: The Trials and Triumphs of Ilyse Charpentier. She's up and coming, so definitely keep an eye out for her books in the future.
James McBride - The Color of Water is an incredible true story about McBride's childhood as a mixed race child in the 1950s. Powerful, emotional, and entirely memorable.
Gregory McGuire - The genius behind books like Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
Robin McKinley - A versatile and wonderful writer of fantasy.
Stephenie Meyer - An incredible author whose books cross genres and readerships. Check her out.
-- Twilight Saga - Little Brown's official website for Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
-- Twilight Lexicon - The official fansite and forum for Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
Garth Nix - He mixes necromancy and fantasy to make a wonderful series. Start at Sabriel.
Tamora Pierce - A prolific young-adult fantasy author whose work kept me company growing up.
Philip Pullman - Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is a must read.
Edmund Rostand - Author of Cyrano de Bergerac, a play based on the love and life of a real French soldier.
J.D. Salinger - Author of The Catcher in the Rye. Classic and timeless until humanity evolves more.
William Shakespeare - Poet, playwrite, actor. Awesome.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - The woman who dreamed up Frankenstein.
Shel Silverstein - Children's author and poet whom I grew up reading. Fantastic work.
Sheri S. Tepper - Author of A Plague of Angels.
Elie Wiesel - Author of Night, a true account of his time spent in a concentration camp during WWII.
Tobias Woolf - Author of the short story Bullet in the Brain. This link will take you to a PDF of the story.


On Music
(Think of this as a representive sample of my playlist)

10 Years - I would say that more bands should be like them, but then they wouldn't be as amazing.
30 Seconds to Mars - Capricorn is an awesome song and the band as a whole is pretty cool.
Amanda Marshall - A husky, but lyrical voice and a great sense of humor!
Ani DiFranco - A poet and a songstress whose music is both political and emotional.
Blue Man Group - If you ever get the chance to see them live, TAKE IT.
Breaking Benjamin - New love of mine. Phobia is an amazing album.
Cardigans - If you don't know who they are, it's time you learned. ;)
Chevelle - They have a great sound. See Seeing Red for an example.
Don Henley - Lead singer of The Eagles who released some great solo work!
Drain STH - This band doesn't exist anymore but try to track down these songs: Simon Says, Enter My Mind, and Crack the Liar's Smile.
The Eagles - Hotel California. Need I say more?
Etta James - She has an incredible voice and At Last is such a romantic song!
Filter - This band has a power behind it that is just incredible.
Flyleaf - This group is an interesting combination of melody and hard rock/metal. So far, I like them.
Foo Fighters - Another amazingly powerful group. They've yet to produce a bad song.
Fort Minor - Mike Shinoda (rapper from Linkin Park) formed a hip-hop group. This is it.
Frou Frou - An alter ego of Imogene Heap and so much fun! I love her!
Fuel - Last Time, Innocence, and Bad Day are awesome songs, but not their only good ones.
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris is one of my favorite songs of all time. And Sympathy is pretty high on the list too.
Hoobastank - Their name makes me smile and their music makes me dance. I love them!
Imogen Heap - An alter ego of Frou Frou and so much fun! I love her!
Jimmy Eat World - I've liked their music since high school. My junior year, I think. These guys are cool.
Journey - Another classic. You rarely go wrong with something that has lasted so long.
Kenna - I'm not really sure how to classify him. You'll just have to check it out for yourself!
KT Tunstall - U.K. singer who is responsible for the strange Black Horse & the Cherry Tree.
Led Zeppelin - One of the best rock bands of all time. End of story.
Linkin Park - One of my favorite rock bands. They haven't let me down yet.
Live - This band is incredibly poetic and melodic. I love them when I'm feeling mellow.
Maroon 5 - Fun and upbeat songs with lyrics that actually mean something (even if they're not as upbeat as the music behind them sound).
Matchbook Romance - Another band that no longer exists, but they were quite amazing.
Matchbox Twenty - Led by Rob Thomas and absolutely astounding! :D
Metallica - I grew up in the age of Metallica. They still rock your socks off.
Mindless Self Indulgence - I think the name of their band says it all.
Nine Inch Nails - Twisted music from a twisted mind, but beautiful in it's own right.
Pandora.com - Internet radio at it's best!
Paramore - A band in the vein of Evanescence and Flyleaf.
A Perfect Circle - Led by the lead singer of Tool, this band is far more complex than a lot of other groups.
Phil Collins - What can I say? He writes great songs. See Another Day in Paradise for proof.
Philip Glass - Composer of The Hours soundtrack which is hauntingly beautiful.
Pink Floyd - Classically twisted and fantastic.
The Postal Service - Another group I'm not sure how to explain. Just listen and decide for yourself.
The Prodigy - Techno-ish awesomeness that may just melt your eardrums if listened to loud enough.
RA - A band that has received far too little attention. Support them!!
Bonnie Raitt - I was raised on her music, so it holds a very special place in my heart.
Rasputina - Who would have thought that two cellists and a drummer could create such music?
Sarah McLachlan - Her voice and her lyrics are incredible and I have always loved listening to her music.
Switchfoot - I haven't listened to their newest CD yet, but I really like Beautiful Let Down.
Third Eye Blind - Fantasticness to the extreme. :)
Three Days Grace - I really can't explain why I like them as much as I do. But they rock!
TLC - I can still remember pretending I knew the words to the rap in Waterfalls when I was younger. ;)
Tori Amos - Beautiful and hanuting, emotional and perfect.
Trapt - A great band to sing with in my car. :D
VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theater is a unique and fantastic group.
Zoe Keating - A former member of Rasputina who has struck out on her own.


Miscellaneous
(Good sites to waste time. Everyone needs a distraction!)

Antagonyms - For you word geeks out there (like me) who just love the innate intricacies of our language. This new idea about how a word is defined may make you think a lot harder before speaking.
Cute With Chris - This guy is weird. And incredibly funny. Check out his youtube page, his website, and definitely watch him recite T-PAIN, Fergie, Maroon 5, Britany Spears, and Beyonce.
The End of the World - So, ruling out the ice caps melting, meteors becoming crashed into us, the ozone layer leaving, and the sun exploding, we're definitely going to blow ourselves up. Watch this to see how it happens! PG-13
Homestar Runner - Quirky cartoons and amusing anecdotes. Look around the site and check out Strong Bad's e-mail!
Johari Window - Ever wonder if what you think of yourself is how other people see you? Use this tool to find out.
Pachelbel's Rant - This clip from comedian Rob Paravonian's show at Penn State is hilarious! I never knew how annoying Pachelbel's Cannon in D Minor could be until I watched this! ;)