Blog
Legacy publishing and the stamp of merit
A few days ago, my book The Little Book of the Icelanders was published by a legacy publisher (Forlagið). I had originally released it as an eBook through my website, and it had done quite well (which I'm sure scored it some merit points in the legacy department, once...
And this is why you should buy from an independent artist
This really resonated with me: Yeah. I don't think I have anything to add to that.
Legacy publishing vs. the speed of light
Almost a year ago to this day, I sat in a publisher's office and signed my first publishing deal. It was for a little book that I had penned and originally released as an eBook. The publication date was slated for 1 May 2012. The rather lengthy wait was intentional -...
The changing face of publishing, or why I love the Internet, part I
Once upon a time, it was virtually impossible to get a publishing deal without an agent (in English speaking markets, at least). And getting an agent was just as hard as getting a publisher. There were all these rules: First, you had to write a query letter, in which...
The evolution of blogs
OK, we may as well start out with a wee confession: I'm a little bit intimidated by this new blog. Despite having written over 1,000 blog posts on my previous blog, to the point where I could write posts in my sleep, this slope here feels just a tad slippery. Maybe...
Well, hello!
.. And welcome to the first post of this new blog! Some of you may remember my previous blog, which I wrote dutifully for six years. When I quit that, about a year and a half ago, I did not want to look at another WordPress dashboard ever again. (For those of you who...
Lucky me
So having had my gripe in the last blog session, I’m delighted to announce that I’m back to being exceedingly grateful for what a great kid AAH is. Truly. Consider: here in Iceland we have community recreation centres, run by the city in conjunction with education...
De-crowned
You know what drives me bananas? The extreme self-centeredness of adolescents. I heard someone say the other day that living with a teenager was like living with an alcoholic – the same degree of self-absorption. Do adolescents eventually grasp the idea that ‘parent’...
Of pools and outlaws
Was a bit knotted in the shoulders today, and as my next massage appointment is more than two weeks away I decided on the next best thing: a trip to the pool for a water massage. On entering the showers before going into the pool, it occurred to me that while the...
Popular bollocks
Apparently, the most popular type of food consumed during the month of Þorri here in Iceland are the soured ram's testicles. Who knew? Certainly not YT, who balks at the idea of eating them, and this despite the fact that she does not call everything her grandmother*...
We now interrupt our regular programming to bring you a hissy fit
There are not many things I miss about living in North America, but one of the things I miss a lot is the high standard of service in shops and restaurants. That service-oriented mentality just does not exist in the same way in Europe, particularly not in restaurants...
The history of rotten food
Lest you think that feeding your man putrid shark on Bóndadagur is just another capricious whim dreamed up by weird Icelanders, think again! In fact, there is a perfectly logical reason: that day marks the start of the traditional midwinter festival known as...