{"id":819,"date":"2018-12-31T14:09:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T14:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=819"},"modified":"2018-12-31T14:09:58","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T14:09:58","slug":"lone-star-listensauthor-interviews-by-kay-ellington-lsll-publisher-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=819","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star ListensAuthor interviews by Kay Ellington, LSLL Publisher"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"articleHeader\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"u211829-11\">Each week Lone Star Literary profiles a newsmaker in Texas books and letters, including authors, booksellers, publishers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211829-17\"><span id=\"u211830\"><span id=\"u211831\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"76\" src=\"https:\/\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/sites\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/files\/description\/ellington%2c%20kay%20aug2014_headshot_sq_sm.jpg\"  id=\"u211831_img\" \/><\/span><\/span>Kay Ellington has worked in management for a variety of media companies, including Gannett, Cox Communications, Knight-Ridder, and the New York Times Regional Group, from Texas to New York to California to the Southeast and back again to Texas. She is the coauthor, with Barbara Brannon, of the Texas novels <span>The Paragraph Ranch<\/span><span>A Wedding at the Paragraph Ranch.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"u212863\">       <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"152\" height=\"142\" src=\"https:\/\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/sites\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/files\/description\/lonestarbookblogtxbooksuitcaseflat.png\"  id=\"u212863_img\" \/>      <\/div>\n<div id=\"u211840-93\">\n<h1 id=\"u211840-2\">2.5.2017\u00a0 Lone Star Literary Life kicks off our third year of book news, reviews, interviews, and more<\/h1>\n<p id=\"u211840-8\"><span>Two years ago this week a band of Texans<\/span> <span id=\"u211840-6\">launched Lone Star Literary Life with one key goal: <\/span><span id=\"u211840-7\">to help Texas readers (and the world beyond) discover Texas authors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"u211840-11\">The world of books had changed so much in recent years that it was growing more difficult for readers to discover authors\u2014especially Texas authors.<\/p>\n<ul id=\"u211840-20\">\n<li id=\"u211840-13\">Only six metro newspapers (and a handful of alternative papers) in Texas published a weekly books section, whose content was generally available only to paid subscribers.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-15\">Even those book features were as likely to cover non-Texas books and authors as in-state ones. In short, 93% of Texas daily newspapers carried no regular books coverage.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-17\">The number of bookstores, despite occasional additions, was declining. The closing of 126 Hastings stores in 2016 left many sizable Texas markets without a trade bookstore.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-19\">Texas book festivals showcased a shrinking number of Texas authors in proportion to the whole. As the third largest book market in the country, Texas could attract authors of national and international stature, but on the flip side fewer opportunities remained for in-state authors to connect with readers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"u211840-23\"><span id=\"u212900\"><span id=\"u212895\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"216\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/sites\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/files\/description\/bookishbob2017.jpg\"  id=\"u212895_img\" \/><\/span><\/span>Here\u2019s how Lone Star Literary has worked, since Ground Hog Day 2015, to enhance the world of Texas letters:<\/p>\n<ul id=\"u211840-84\">\n<li id=\"u211840-27\"><span>Weekly reviews of Texas books.<\/span> Every week we publish at least one review of Texas-related title. We also offer publishers and authors to opportunity to sponsor reviews of books not slated for our editorial calendar. We\u2019ve shone a spotlight on more than 125 books since 2015.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-30\"><span>Lone Star Listens interviews with authors<\/span> provide insights into the daily challenges and victories of Texas lives in letters\u2014more than 100 of them to date.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-45\"><span>Top Ten Bookish Destinations.<\/span> On March 6 you\u2019ll hear <span>Michelle Newby, <\/span>National Book Critics Circle reviewer and contributing editor of LSLL, on the <span id=\"u211840-35\">Texas Standard<\/span> statewide radio broadcast talking about the Third Annual Top Ten Bookish Destinations. Every year our editors analyze destinations across the state and rank them for their interest and attractions for traveling book lovers. (You may have seen a story about this in the <span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.texashighways.com\/travel\/item\/8316-texas-bookish-destinations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span id=\"u211840-37\">November 2016 edition of Texas Highways<\/span><\/a><\/span>.) Or you may have the seen the print-edition <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Literary-Texas-States-Bookish-Destinations\/dp\/1935619071\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1486331227&#038;sr=1-1&#038;keywords=Literary+Texas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span id=\"u211840-41\">Literary Texas<\/span><\/a><\/span> guidebook, available at fine Texas bookstores and online retailers.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-48\"><span>Texas\u2019s Favorite Bookstores.<\/span> Last summer our readers voted on their Top Ten Favorite Bookstores, and there were quite a few surprises in the results. The second annual vote is scheduled for this June. This statewide readers\u2019 choice vote gives booksellers\u2014wherever they\u2019re located\u2014introduction to a statewide market.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-55\"><span>Texas\u2019s only statewide weekly calendar of book events.<\/span> The weekly <span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lonestarliterary.com\/go.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span id=\"u211840-51\">GO Calendar<\/span><\/a><\/span> is LSLL\u2019s most popular feature. Week in and week out, we provide listings for every book-and-author event in the state, in most weeks than 100 events from Beaumont to Borger, Texarkana to Terlingua. Many of our readers tell us it\u2019s the first item they read every week. They want to know what kinds of book events on going on near them\u2014and they know we have the scoop.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-58\"><span>Lone Star Book Blog Tours.<\/span> Our cohort of Texas book bloggers\u2014more than twenty-five readers, fans, librarians, and reviewers\u2014participate in paid social-media tours focusing exclusively on Texas-related authors. (LSBBT logo)<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-73\"><span>Lone Star Literary Life online directory.<\/span> Our  and <span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lonestarliterary.com\/write.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span id=\"u211840-65\">Write<\/span><\/a><\/span> reference pages provide current, hotlinked directories to indie and chain bookselling outlets; book clubs and writing groups; Texas-based publishers; and more. If you don\u2019t see your group or organization listed, <span><a href=\"mailto:\/\/info@lonestarliterary.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span id=\"u211840-69\">email us and let us know<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-76\"><span>Email newsletter updates.<\/span> Librarians and booksellers, and other industry professionals are a major part of the LSLL audience, and we provide a Sunday\/Wednesday opt-in email newsletter that reaches every Texas library, bookstore, publisher, as well as thousands of general interest readers. We also showcase library events.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211840-83\"><span>COMING EARLY FALL 2017: <\/span>An ambitious collection of words of wisdom from Texas authors, excerpted and arranged from two years\u2019 worth of weekly interviews. See details above\u2014and <span><a href=\"mailto:\/\/info@lonestarliterary.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span id=\"u211840-79\">email us if you\u2019d like to be on the mailing list for ordering<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"u211840-87\">We appreciate your two years of support, and we ask you to help spread the word to your fellow Texas readers. We want to continue to grow and to serve the Texas reading community for a long, long time. Happy reading, happy writing.<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211840-90\">* * * * *<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"u211837-50\">\n<p id=\"u211837-3\"><span id=\"u212858\"><span id=\"u212850\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"readableLargeImageContainer float\"><img decoding=\"async\"   src=\"https:\/\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/sites\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/files\/description\/lone%20star%20listens%20interviews_cover%20front2sm.jpg\"  id=\"u212850_img\" \/><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"u211837-6\">Lone Star Listens compilation available Aug. 1, for readers, fans, and writers everywhere<\/h1>\n<p id=\"u211837-10\"><span>The present generation of Texas authors<\/span> is the most diverse ever in gender, age, and ethnicity, and in subject matter as well.<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-13\">Week in, week out, Lone Star Literary has interviewed a range of Texas-related authors with a cross-section of genre and geography. To capture this era in Texas letters, we&#8217;re pleased to bring you<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-16\">Lone Star Listens:<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-18\">Texas Authors on Writing and Publishing<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-20\">edited by Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-22\">Introduction by<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-24\">Clay Reynolds<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-26\">Available in trade paper, library hardcover, and ebook Fall 2017<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-28\">360 pages, with b\/w illustrations and index<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-31\">Featuring novelists, poets, memoirists, editors, and publishers, including:<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-33\">Rachel\u00a0 Caine \u2022 Chris\u00a0 Cander \u2022 Katherine\u00a0 Center \u2022 Sarah\u00a0 Cortez \u2022 Elizabeth\u00a0 Crook \u2022 Nan\u00a0 Cuba \u2022 Carol\u00a0 Dawson \u2022 Patrick\u00a0 Dearen \u2022 Mac Engel \u2022 Sanderia\u00a0 Faye \u2022 Carlos Nicol\u00e1s Flores \u2022 Ben Fountain \u2022 Jeff\u00a0 Guinn \u2022 Stephen\u00a0 Harrigan \u2022 Cliff\u00a0 Hudder \u2022 Stephen Graham Jones \u2022 Kathleen Kent \u2022 Joe R. Lansdale \u2022 Attica Locke \u2022 Nikki\u00a0 Loftin \u2022 Thomas\u00a0 McNeely \u2022 Leila\u00a0 Meacham \u2022 John\u00a0 Pipkin \u2022 Joyce Gibson Roach \u2022 Antonio\u00a0 Ruiz-Camacho \u2022 Lisa\u00a0 Sandlin \u2022 Donna\u00a0 Snyder \u2022 Mary Helen Specht \u2022 Jodi\u00a0 Thomas \u2022 Amanda Eyre Ward \u2022 Anne\u00a0 Weisgarber \u2022 Donald Mace Williams<\/p>\n<p id=\"u211837-36\">As a collection of insights into the writing and publishing life, the book will be useful in creative writing classes (not just in Texas alone) and other teaching settings, as well as for solo reading and study\u2014and a great Texas reference volume.<\/p>\n<ul id=\"u211837-43\">\n<li id=\"u211837-40\"><span id=\"u211837-38\">Lone Star Listens<\/span> will be available for preorder May 1 and will ship around Aug. 1.<\/li>\n<li id=\"u211837-42\">Examination and review copies will be available May 1 in watermarked pdf format.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"u211837-46\">* * * * *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each week Lone Star Literary profiles a newsmaker in Texas books and letters, including authors, booksellers, publishers. Kay Ellington has worked in management for a variety of media companies, including Gannett, Cox Communications, Knight-Ridder, and the New York Times Regional Group, from Texas to New York to California to the Southeast and back again to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}