Misc ramblings

A few things of note:
a. Went to see James Bond on Friday evening. I loved it. DH, not so much. Go figure. What was interesting to me was the evolution of Bond -- the backstory that created the man. The writers created an almost perfect character arc from beginning to end, and by the last frame of the movie, the audience was presented with the character that is Bond as we know him today. And for romance readers everywhere, the romance is forefront in the creation of the man and the myth. Just shows you that very few things mold a person more deeply than love. We'll be getting the DVD.

b. If I Were Going to Cancel It, Here's How I'd Do It, by Rupert Murdoch. Yes, the OJ book and TV special are dead. Now I can watch 24 and American Idol in good conscience. :)

c. Currently reading Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Very good; I think King's an excellent writer, and for some reason, he reminds me of Mark Twain. I think it's the turn of the phrase, the way they use words so effortlessly. Anway, there's a snippet from the author's note in the end of the book that I feel the urge to share:

Nan Graham edited this book. Quite often reviewers of novels -- especially novels by people who sell great numbers of books -- will say 'so-and-so would have benefited from actual editing.' To those tempted to say that about Lisey's Story, I would be happy to submit sample pages from my first-draft manuscript, complete with Nan's notes. I had first-year French essays that came back cleaner. Nan did a wonderful job, and I thank her for sending me out in public with my shirt tucked in and my hair combed.

Note that the misspelling of 'benefited' is King's, not mine. I think he's trying to say something there...

I thought it was a very classy thing to say and it's so nice to hear authors acknowledge that, yes, their prose might benefit from a second pair of eyes. Some authors do not acknowledge this truth, nor practice it, and well, yes, readers notice.