“She shot herself with a gnu.”

So here’s what caught my attention this week in cyberspace –

Gnus don't kill people. People kill people.

“Their proof-reader tried to kill herself. She shot herself with a gnu.”  Author of the bestselling Alex Rider series, Anthony Horowitz, addresses the question “Do we still need publishers?”
http://tinyurl.com/7vr5mjj

Michael Pryor talks about Traitor Words.  I’d like to add to his list “really”, “quite” and “actually”.
http://www.michaelpryor.com.au/articles/the-somehow-problem/

“i really believe that what is truly worth doing must at first glance appear impossible.”
With thanks to WordPress.com, this is the extraordinary story of a 50 year old romance writer who suffers from agoraphobia who made the New Year’s resolution to visit each of her Facebook friends.  All 325 of them.  Not only is her own story extraordinary, but so are those of her friends. (A note to the English pedants, and I include myself among them: don’t be put off by the lack of capital letters.)
http://arlynnpresser.wordpress.com/

G.R. Yeates continues his series of interviews with fellow Phobophobia contributors with his interview of editor and contributor Dean M. Drinkel.
http://www.gryeates.co.uk/?p=613

With thanks to Facebook friend Nicky Calvalchini Strickland, here are two beautiful and timely posts on knowing when to let go, and what to do when you’re forced to let go.   http://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2012/02/28/knowing-when-to-let-go/
http://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2012/02/29/what-to-do-when-youre-forced-to-let-go/

We don’t hear from the cover artists nearly often enough.  G.R. Yeates interviews James Powell, the so-talented-it’s-ridiculous cover artist for Phobophobia.
http://www.gryeates.co.uk/?p=622

And here I was thinking I was some kind of bad person because I couldn’t bring myself to get worked up about  “This Crisis or That Horrible Thing” going on in Authorland.  Turns out I was just being sensible.  I know, ‘cos Kristine Kathryn Rusch tells me so. (With thanks to Chicki Brown for sharing the post).
http://kriswrites.com/2012/02/29/the-business-rusch-you-asked-for-my-opinion/

I feel your pain, M. Edward McNally.  I hate having to do all that “buy my book” stuff, too (although some might argue that this entire blog is one big, oblique appeal to Buy My Book).
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2012/03/02/eds-casual-friday-so-that-is-why-they-advertise/