Cynthia W. Gentry

I’m a Garamond gal.

I saw this on and thought it was hilarious. These days between Christmas and New Year’s Day are for resting and getting ready for the new year. If no one else has, please allow me to give you the permission you need to rest up this weekend!

Doesn’t this sound like an amazing day?

Why is Goodreads such a dumpster fire? https://www.today.com/popculture/books/cait-corrain-goodreads-review-bombing-controversy-rcna129964?fbclid=IwAR1WlJZIv_wmUPJkfEoLsZjVDm78AM5hRpoUjzpc5ehvTenpK1XHEkjqnV0_aem_Af5SxiqgrCIMr-fASbUcYJ0FKnLYdfaCToMNSg--NoyzGV # #

How a Goodreads scandal led to this first time author's book being pulled Cait Corrain was accused of creating fake Goodreads profiles to post bad reviews and to boost her own fantasy book.

Squirrel attack, revisited. In which I reminisce about my son's first week at college.

Perfection Is a Dream. Real Beauty Has Flaws. (Gift Article) Digital magic can readily erase any blemish, any wrinkle, any evidence of authenticity and vulnerability. But where’s the beauty in that?

Literary agent Lynn Johnston has some great advice for writers who may be getting discouraged by all the good news they see on social media:

“My advice for writers is to lean into their craft, motivations, joy and impact, instead of looking to other authors to define success. You will never find satisfaction if you’re wondering why you're not getting the same level of advance, translation sales, tv/film options, starred reviews and myriad other "success" indicators. The list is endless--and never enough. A dear client of mine once said a friend told him that a publisher really values your book if they ask you to takeover their social media on pub day. Mind you this client is barely on social media! My point is you have to stop comparing yourself to other authors and take advantage of your own assets and opportunities. By the way this advice also applies to others in the industry. I admire so many other agents and no person's list is like another. You can only be the best version of yourself.”

Don’t say I never posted anything useful.

There's still time to subscribe to my November newsletter (it goes out tomorrow) and get some recommendations on books to read, and shows to watch, over the holiday weekend. ☺️

Cynthia W. Gentry Newsletter Sign-Up Sign up for Cynthia W. Gentry's monthly author newsletter.

I highly recommend "Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art." Fascinating.

Watch Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art | Netflix A woman walks into a New York gallery with a cache of unknown masterworks. Thus begins a story of art world greed, willfulness and a high-stakes con.

"And yet for some reason not only do others seem to dismiss the validity of pursuing this particular passion or interest if it hasn’t crossed whatever Rubicon of professionalism they deem legitimizes it, but if we hear it often enough, I think we start to regard our own creative efforts that same way too."
Thank you, Tiffany Yates Martin-FoxPrint Editorial

When Will You Be a "Real Writer"? Authors often don’t believe they are “real writers” until they grab whatever external brass ring they or someone else has decided means that they are: publishing, a paycheck, hitting some bestseller list.

Yesss! Or when I'm asked to write something clever when I sign a book. I've already used all my words making the book. Lol.

Last night I finally got to Season 2 of Fleabag and it's ruined me for anything else. 🦊

Look what brought me from The French Spot for a day of writing with Elizabeth Stark Lisa Meltzer Penn, Author Rhodi Hawk Kimberly Boehm Pat Kustenaar Ann Manheimer Lisa Taggart Vivian Clausing and the rest of the gang from Book Writing World! I crushed my word goal.

I'd love to hear what shows you DNF. And ones you recommend (which will be my next post).

5 Streaming Series I Never Finished Because life's too short.

Ha. Ha. Pretty much.

My NaNoWriMo Plan November 1 Write the first chapter of your novel. November 2 Watch an interview with Joseph Campbell. Outline the rest of your novel based on the h...

I'm obsessed with everything books and writing and archaeology, but I was today years old when I learned about the Vesuvius Challenge!

Researchers Decipher the First Word Written Inside in an Ancient Scroll Charred by Mt. Vesuvius — Colossal Luke Farritor "became the first person in two millennia to see an entire word from within an unopened scroll this August."

The mistakes I made as a new empty-nester. Also, squirrels.

Families Weekend, Part 2: Great expectations. In which a reunion doesn't quite go as planned.

Great seeing and tonight at . Party for Devi’s beautiful novel Circa!

I've taken the leap into Substack! I hope you'll join me. I'll still be sending out my monthly author newsletter, which I use to share notes about what I'm reading, watching, and listening to (plus link-o-rama). My Substack will let me go a little deeper into topics, like my recent experience during my first Families Weekend at my son's college.

Families Weekend, Part 1: Separation Anxiety In which an empty nester sets off to reunite with her no-longer-small human.

I'd be curious to hear what shows others never finished.
(Also, I started a Substack.)

5 Streaming Series I Never Finished Because life's too short.

Sending out my October author newsletter tomorrow! Mini-reviews of Lessons in Chemistry (the series), Flora and Son, the Strike Force Five podcast, books, and more. Also: news about a new writing project. Sign up here:
https://bit.ly/cwgentry

I call this one “Cat with Notebook, or Why I Can’t Write While Recovering from Foot Surgery.”

This article contains a link to the dataset, and lists actions you can take.

You Just Found Out Your Book Was Used to Train AI. Now What? - The Authors Guild If you’re an author, you may have recently discovered that your published book was included in a dataset of books used to train artificial intelligence systems without your permission. (Search the dataset here.) This can be an unsettling revelation, raising concerns about […]