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Novelist Wendy Wax will publish what appears to be the first novel featuring fans of the hit British television show, Downton Abbey.

As the show winds down its third season, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey follows the lives of a few friends in Atlanta who are devoted to the show. You can read a free excerpt of the novel online. Berkley Books will publish the book as a $15 trade paperback original on April 2nd. Here’s more about the book:

In her novel, Wax introduces three women who live in a historic Atlanta apartment building and the residence’s concierge who decides to build camaraderie by hosting weekly screenings of Downton Abbey leading up to the start of the third season.  Each of the four is at a crossroads, and what happens to them is familiar to many Downton fans.  They find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and-even more unexpectedly, with each other.  For them, it is a season of surprises as they forge bonds that will sustain them through life’s hardest moments–all reflected in the unfolding plot, humor and convergent lives of Downton Abbey.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Starting in 2014, novelist Mark Z. Danielewski will serialize a 27-volume novel project. Once the experiment begins, installments of The Familiar will come out every three months.

According to the New York Times, Danielewski (pictured, via) signed a $1 million book deal with Knopf Doubleday’s Pantheon Books for the first ten parts of his serialized novel. His editor Edward Kastenmeier told the newspaper: “You await the next one; you want to talk about it … Everybody will be engaging in the book in roughly the same cycle.”

Last night, Publishers Marketplace news editor Sarah Weinman reminded us that Danielewski serialized his debut novel (House of Leaves) on iUniverse back in 1999. Follow this link to see the vintage web page for the serialization. At the time, Pantheon called it “the first complete on-line serialization of a literary work of such magnitude by a major trade publisher prior to publication.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Children’s book character Madeline stars in this year’s L.A. Times’ Festival of Books artwork. The illustration celebrates the new book, Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano.

Marciano is the grandson of original Madeline author/illustrator, Ludwig Bemelmans. Jacket Copy reports: “He never met his grandfather, but he uses the same materials Bemelmans did, including gouache and ‘pens that you have to dip in ink.’ Ludwig Bemelmans started with a pencil sketch and then did an ink drawing over that — as does Marciano.”

In this video, the author explains that the new book was inspired by his grandfather’s friendship with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. In total, Marciano has published five Madeline titles, continuing the six-book series created by his grandfather. Marciano has also written Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator and stand-alone titles like Harold’s Tail and There’s a Dolphin in the Grand Canal.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The independent crime imprints Tyrus Books and Busted Flush Press said they would merge back in August. Busted Flush Press publisher David Thompson passed away in September, and the merger has now been terminated.

Tyrus Books posted this statement: “The continued process of settling Mr. Thompson’s estate necessitated substantial reconsideration and subsequent termination of the proposed deal. McKenna Jordan, Mr. Thompson’s widow, will assume full legal and financial control of Busted Flush Press. Tyrus Books will no longer be involved with the operation of Busted Flush Press.”

When Thompson died last year, Sarah Weinman collected numerous tributes to Thompson from around the Internet. Novelist Jason Pinter called Thompson “one of the nicest, most supportive booksellers and people I’ve ever met.” Central Crime Zone called him “a champion of the genre of mystery.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Novelist and TV news producer Ben Sherwood (pictured, via) has been tapped by Disney/ABC Television to serve as president of ABC News.

Here’s more from TVNewser: “Sherwood left ABC and ‘Good Morning America’ in June 2006. He made the move to the West Coast and continued to write books, one of which Charlie St. Cloud was made into a major motion picture last summer. Before ABC, Sherwood was with NBC News as a senior producer on the ‘NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.’”

You can visit Sherwood’s author page here. Our sibling blog TVNewser has the memo from Disney/ABC Television president Anne Sweeney. Publishing reporter Sarah Weinman tweeted the news: “Six degrees of something: new ABC News president wrote book that became basis of Zac Efron movie.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Sima's Undergarments for Women, by Ilana Stanger-Ross, is reviewed by Sarah Weinman in The New York Post: "Hidden beneath the red and orange brick two−story homes of Boro Park, Brooklyn, is Sima Goldner's basement lingerie shop, where for 35 years she has practiced the mystic art of finding and fitting just the right brassiere for all types of women. In a glance she could see their size, the back and the cup combined. 36−D, she'd say. In vain the women protested, 'but I'm a 34. I've always been.' (But) when on her advice they slipped back on their shirts to evaluate the shape a new bra gave, they inevitably agreed." So, too, will readers slip into Brooklyn native Ilana Stanger−Ross's debut novel, finding something both comforting and uplifting. Sima's life looks enviably stable, with her successful business, her tight−knit Orthodox community and her decades−long marriage to Lev. But Sima herself is very much an outsider: "no one gathered at her table for Shabbat dinner, no one caught her up on the gossip outside synagogue on Saturday." And her marriage haslasted years, but it comes with a sense of emptiness and crippling distance as Lev repeatedly chimes, "I didn't notice you were gone."Then a young, vivacious Israeli named Timna blows into her shop, sticks around as a salesgirl and proves to be the catalyst that will reveal the gaping wounds bubbling underneath Sima's placid exterior."

We love Sarah Weinman's Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind blog on crime fiction and mysteries, and we are thrilled that one of her picks of the week is P.F. Kluge's legendary Eddie and the Cruisers. Now available in a new paperback edition from Overlook, with an amazing introduction by Sherman Alexie, this is essential reading for the rock and roll generation. Here's Sarah's thoughts: "How many ways can I recommend what ought to be a permanent resident of the modern canon? I'll stick to one: I was browsing in an independent bookstore and thought I'd read the first chapter. I ended up storming through the first 2/3rds before I had to leave, buying in haste and in a cranky and foul state because I couldn't finish it up until later that night. The writing is pitched perfectly and the pacing is sublime, but most of all, it puts in your head the kind of music that makes you want to rise up and do something amazing with your life."

What kind of prose do you prefer in crime novels?

Over at Sarah Weinman's excellent blog, mystery readers are debating crime writer George Pelecanos' style--he's the author of 12 novels and and a producer on my favorite retired television show, The Wire.

Sarah points us towards a Washington City Paper article that charts the crime writer's style--Pelecanos moved from a more effusive style (in A Firing Offense towards hardboiled haiku (in The Turnaround). 

Opinions of this style shift are mixed in the comments section. Check them out, and meet a new writer in the process. Barbara (who shares my obsession with Batman's political metaphors) writes that she was disappointed with later Pelecanos: "I liked Hard Revolution much better, and some of his earlier ones; the Big Blowdown might give you a sense of what all the fuss is about. He's good at nailing eras as well as place," she writes.

John weighs in with a more measured review. "There's no accounting for taste, is there. A book that one loves another loathes. And so it goes."

Over here at The Publishing Spot, we understand that you are way, way behind on your bloggy reading list and that you have no time to surf through all the "Welcome to 2008" lists.

I'm reading the 2008 Round Ups so you don't have to. Use the time to reflect on your New Year's resolutions. Myself, I'm vowing to bring you more web video storytelling content this year.

In our first round-up of the year, Sarah Weinman ticks off the most exciting crime writing news, and ends with this evocative link that should make most of our readers happy: "Will video games develop their own version of film noir? I sure as hell hope so." 

Pinky's Paperhaus looks at the New Year in litblogs, listing some great podcasting action to get your writing resolutions jump-started.

Finally, Practicing Writing spots a big anniversary for one of the world's best literary journals. Following these three simple links could generate you a whole year's worth of brilliant writing. Dig it:

"Granta magazine is celebrating its 100th issue; in this article the Guardian revisits its history. (via The Literary Saloon)"

This might sound silly, but maybe not all Brooklynites live in Brooklyn. I know Sarah Weinman, subject of today's interview, from the blogging world -- she's a member emeritus of the Litblog Co-Op -- but over the past year we've had coffee at Gorilla and run into each other at various Brooklyn and Manhattan events, and had great discussions about the possibilities for literature (and bookstores) in the borough. As a crime fiction critic, I feel she's got a great sense of place and atmosphere, and I'm proud to include her in the Brooklyn Lit Life project under her moniker of choice: "Sarah Weinman, faux-Brooklynite."

Brooklyn Lit Life Interview
Sarah Weinman

Describe your particular literary project, and your role in it.

I'm a freelance writer and wear a number of hats. I co-edit GalleyCat, mediabistro.com's publishing industry news blog; I write monthly crime fiction columns for the LA Times Book Review and the Baltimore Sun; I contribute to a number of other publications including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Poets & Writers and Time Out New York; and I blog about crime and mystery fiction at my own site, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.

Why Brooklyn? What made you decide to live/work here, in both practical and emotional terms?

Here I must confess I am a Manhattanite, living in close proximity to Columbia, but I'm a frequent visitor to Brooklyn and wish I spent more time hanging out in Prospect Park on an almost daily basis.

Is there a Brooklyn sensibility or character? How would you describe it? How does it differ from the character of New York City as a whole?

Like most of New York, Brooklyn seems to be composed of a number of disparate neighborhoods. Park Slope is totally different from Boerum Hill which is totally different from Canarsie which is totally different from Williamsburg. It's easier to raise a family and live - at least by NY standards - relatively modestly. Generally Brooklyn is more bullshit-free than Manhattan, but when there's bullshit, it's at epic proportions.

What about your particular neighborhood? Does it have its own unique character? This can include the kinds of people you tend to find there, particular characters or places that epitomize the neighborhood, etc.

I spend most of my time in Prospect Lefferts Gardens if I'm out in Brooklyn and the more time I spend there the more I love it. Reminds me of my own neighborhood, Manhattan Valley, for its ethnic diversity, neighborhood vibe and complete lack of Starbucks, Bank of America or Duane Reade.

What do you think of the direction Brooklyn, or at least your neighborhood, is going? What does the future look like in terms of economics, demographics, culture, and other changes?

From what I can see of PLG, it's gentrifying but at a slower pace than the rest of the borough. That's because of housing constraints, and there are things I wish were present - okay, a sushi restaurant, sue me - but once the Big Three step in, we're in trouble.

Is there a Brooklyn literary sensibility? Which writers or works most emblematize Brooklyn for you? Which older writers set the tone? Which contemporary writers are you reading with interest?

The funny thing is, even though there are so many Brooklyn-based writers, I'm not sure what the sensibility is. More family oriented, not necessarily. More urban? Maybe. I guess Paula Fox and Jonathan Lethem best encapsulate Brooklyn, with lots in between.

Why do you think Brooklyn has such a dense population of writers? Is there something particularly literary about Brooklyn? Where and how do people read here?

I would guess it's because a) it's cheaper than Manhattan, though who knows for how long b) it feels more like a neighborhood c) where several writers are, more will follow.

What events, series, readings, happenings, places, stores, publications, movements, etc. seem to you currently interesting or important in the Brooklyn literary world? What do you think would make Brooklyn better as a literary place? What does the borough still need? What are the opportunities and challenges it faces?

Well the Book Festival is a good start. A bookstore like what you imagine would be fantastic. Maybe just an increased sense of community and goodwill.

Imagine the ideal Brooklyn bookstore or literary venue, a place you'd like to read on your own or participate in literary community. What would it be like? What would it avoid?

Flippant answer: no hipsters, just genuine love of books. Real answer: Well, a sense of the genuine is important, because what should be primary in everything is the love of books. I like the idea of an airy space, where people can meet and have book clubs and discussions and there's a sense of comfort and easygoing nature. Grassroots, built from the ground up, that sort of thing.

The Old Hag website is serializing an A.M. Homes essay. Ever since the Barbie Doll started talking in The Safety of Objects, I've always dug her casual, hallucinogenic style. Ed Champion just finished a 40-minute interview podcast with Homes herself.

Book Expo America just landed in Manhattan, overwhelming readers, reviewers and publishers with the most amazing collection of writers. Sarah Weinman provides some tips for New Yorkers and visitors headed out to the festivities.

John Coyne and creative writing professor are hashing out "The Rules for Writing a Peace Corps Book." Drop the Peace Corps part and you have some good advice for all fledgling writers, the easiest step in the process to skip. Take a writing class! "[Aspiring writers] should take writing courses from reputable instructors to learn the basics and to have the opportunity to workshop their writing among peers." 

Publishing Spotted collects the best of what's around on writing blogs on any given day. Feel free to send tips and suggestions to your fearless editor: jason [at] thepublishingspot.com.

Where did the pulp fiction writers find the narrative engines that propelled their books? In the case of David Goodis--one of my favorite hardboiled writers-- he was inspired by the personal urge to escape! Sarah Weinman explains in her new LA Times column...

You think you have a hard time balancing your job and writing career? Nick Antosca, author of Fires, works at a hedge fund by day and writes novels by nights. Check out his insightful interview over at New York Brain Terrain and figure out how to balance your own life too.

Plenty of people are arguing about the state of book reviews and literary criticism in the digital age. Bill Marx is actually doing something about it by teaching a new course at Boston University about the evolution of 21st Century criticism: Arts Criticism: From the Old Media to the New. Go visit Chekhov's Mistress for more details.

Publishing Spotted collects the best of what's around on writing blogs on any given day. Feel free to send tips and suggestions to your fearless editor: jason [at] thepublishingspot.com.

The whole book blogging community is buzzing about the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's decision to downsize their book review staff in an effort to cut costs at the newspaper.

Some bloggers cheer that this event marks the death of the paper-review and the rise of the lit-blog army. Others, like mystery novelist (one of my favorite contemporary pulp fiction writers, incidentally) Michael Connelly, feel that we will cripple the book writing business by removing newspaper reviews.

Better minds than me can debate what this means for the industry. I don't think anybody knows, truthfully. I think it's a rocky, thrilling time to be a novelist, and more than ever, you need to connect with your reading community on the web. No matter what happens to the book-reviewing business, these dedicated readers can sustain you.

But don't take my word for it, Sarah Weinman has a much better essay about the whole mess over at her blog. Check it out:

"I elaborate a fair bit in the comments section at Critical Mass, bringing up Connelly's support by independent mystery booksellers and how word of mouth led to increased readership ... in some ways genre fiction, especially crime fiction, gets off fairly easy in the critical coverage game. There are dedicated reviewers (and from the sounds of it, one extra fresh face, which is welcome news.) There is a strong, active community of fans, booksellers and knowledgeable people who want nothing more than to spread the love about books at signings, conventions and other events and get-togethers."

Be sure to read all her readers' comments below the fold. There are some passionate, insightful thoughts floating around...

Are you sick of snobby critics making fun of your favorite science fiction or pulp fiction novelists? Don't despair! The genre book-reviewing world just got a whole lot better.

The Los Angeles Times Books section just contracted two of my favorite literary book reviewers to write about mystery and science fiction. Ed Park, the Believer editor and Philip K. Dick fan, will be writing a science fiction column. 

Then, Sarah Weinman, our buddy from Galleycat and Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, will be writing the paper's crime fiction column.

These writers should be injecting some enthusiasm and deep thoughts to a breed of literary criticism that usually skims the the surface of these wonderful genres. Weinman already opened the whole show over the weekend, these are solid, well-crafted essays. Look for Park next week. 

Check it out...

"I will be penning a monthly column on crime fiction, "Dark Passages," for the Los Angeles Times Book Review. It's part of a rotating cycle of web-only columns that include Ed Park on science fiction, Richard Rayner on paperbacks and Sonja Bolle on children's lit. Column number one debuts this weekend along with the revamped book section, and in it I muse on what happens when ghostwriters go solo - and when the reverse takes place."

Lit Blog wars are good for you. 

The literary journal n + 1 just stirred up a whole new round of lit blog wars in a recent essay called "The Blog Reflex." I still haven't picked up the issue at the bookstore, but it's already--as intended--stirring up plenty of blogged attention.

I love these sprawling Controversies over the future of literary journalism. When lit bloggers rally, they publish all sorts of wonderful links to Great Moments in Lit Blogging. Which means more quality reading for us. 

Let's not fight. Let's read. Start with this fabulous, link-full post from The Millions about lit blog milestones:  

"For example, Scott Esposito's Quarterly Conversation, an extension of his excellent blog, recently ran the most considered critique I've yet read of William H. Gass' The Tunnel... and I've read many of them. The Lit-Blog Co-op, mixing old-fashioned boosterism with serious discussion, helps to bring overlooked novels, many of them progressive and anti-capitalist, to the public's attention... Ed Champion's recent round-table on Against the Day, meanwhile, offered readers much-needed context for that profoundly leftist novel."

Thanks to Sarah Weinman for the link... 

Sarah Weinman, one of our favorite book reviewers, just wrapped up a roundtable discussion about the thriller, sort of like Oprah's book club for the hardboiled set.

The talk revolved around The Triumph of the Thriller, a new scholarly book by Patrick Anderson.

I especially appreciated some comments from Jerome Weeks, a book critic who already reviewed Anderson's book: "But for anyone looking to understand how hard-boiled detective stories or spy novels really work, what they reveal about our culture, I'd direct them to John G. Cawelti's three genre studies: Adventure, Mystery and Romance, The Spy Story and Mystery, Violence and Popular Culture."

These scholarly books are amazing resources for fledgling writers: outlining the history of an art form, expanding your sense of plot development, and exposing you to new writers. Check out the roundtable, and then start reading.

Also, Sarah is recovering from a household accident and can't blog for a few days. Notice how her loving fans all jump in to support their favorite book reviewer in these heartwarming comments...