Well we've got something in common then, Terry.

And I've just read you like Aaron Sorkin who is a god to me, so you can't be all bad. *JOKE*

Did you know he wrote the first series - at least - of the West Wing on crack? Now there's a suggestion ...

And do you know his new series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip starts on More4 soon?

There. Share the love, that's my motto!

K x

I'll gloss over your anti-You've Got Mail comment

Oopsy. To clarify, it was that one particular flick that makes me shudder, not the entire genre.

Haha. Myrtle, you're allowed to dislike films. Hey, even books! (I'm feeling generous now!)

With all due respect to the site experts... Keris, I think you're a bit of an expert yourself. And Myrtle, you're most definitely an expert in children's fiction.

Oi, Terry! Well, I shall stand corrected then, but in the many months I was in that group I didn't see you/another Site Expert there. And I was pretty active. However, I may be very wrong, that was just my impression and indeed we have spoken about it in the group before. But then I wouldn't expect someone who has never specialised in picture books, for example, to do that, Site Expert or not. I wasn't criticising but saying it would be nice to attract some experts who do specialise in that age range.

Keris,

I didn't know about the new Aaron Sorkin series so thanks for the tip.

Much as I think he's great, I have to admit I really enoyed West Wing under John Wells – mainly because I could understand what was going on for a change!

Terry

No you're an expert. NO YOU'RE AN EXPERT. No you're an expert....

We're ALL experts! Ah, feel the expertise!

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OK, I'll stop now. Sorry.

Myrtle,

I have worked on people's picture books (and even had one published myself back in 1990) but don't feel too comfortable commenting on them. It's a specialised form of writing, and I have great respect for those who can do it. But I'm not sure I can add too much.

As for site experts generally, I think we have to accept it's always going to be a slightly random affair on WriteWords. As far as I can tell, most of the site experts just stumbled into the job. For example, I joined the site originally as a writer. I was working for a manuscript agency at the time, but saw that as a separate area. Then people on WW started asking me to do reports for them (on the strength of my critiques) about the same time I opened my big mouth about starting a Young Adult group. But I suspect any other site expert has a completely different story to tell.

Terry

Terry,

I have to admit I really enoyed West Wing under John Wells

Oh dear, now we'll have to fall out again. Should've known it couldn't last.

Myrtle,
Funny, I didn't like You've Got Mail at all the first time I saw it, but then for some reason I watched it again and liked it. It's no When Harry Met Sally (genius), but it's no Sleepless in Seattle (leaves me cold) either!

Luisa,

Keris, I think you're a bit of an expert yourself

Thank you, you mad thing, you!

Keris x

I didn't know you'd had a pb published as well, Terry. Is it in print now? (Not being rude, just very mindful of the market at the moment). I have been banging my head against the pb wall for months and had some very near misses but still no banana. As I said, I don't think you should feel under pressure to comment where you don't feel comfortable. On the other hand, if in the future you happen to wander by the Young Children's group there's a bunch of us in there trying to break into that market and we wouldn't say no to a bit of expertise.

I feel compelled to bring us back to the original point...what was it??

Yes, this is usually where Alexandra bursts in and says, "So CAN we have some new groups, then?!"

And we all rub our eyes and say, "Whaaa?"

No, it's not in print anymore. It was called 'The Fluppets Storybook'. At the time, I was working for the company that made Fluppets--hand glove puppets of hedgehogs, foxes, etc. They did very well for a while, and one of the things the company did was run a monthly magazine. It was my job to edit it, and we used to include competitions, kids' drawings, etc. At the time, my YA books were being published by Andre Deutsch, and they were interested in doing a Fluppets picture book. I wrote the stories but we had trouble finding an artist. At the same time, we ran a compeition in the Fluppets club for people to send in pictures. There was only one entrant in the 15-103 years bracket, but his painting was so good, we got him to illustrate the book. For reasons which are too involved to go into, Hutchinson ended up doing the book instead of Deutsch (Red Fox did the paperback). Fluppets, sadly, are no more.

Yes, Fluppets were great. They were invented by a husband and wife team, friends of mine at the time. She used to make them all herself during the week and he sold them in Convent Garden on the weekend. They made a pretty good living that way--the puppets were well made and absolutely entrancing to kids. But then they decided to turn it into a business. It went well at first--I did some selling, which is really not in my nature at all. But all I did was walk into a shop/store manager's office with a hedgehog running about my arms, and normally she'd take some there and then. The key to them was that they were made with high quality material and hand-stitched. Hamley's and Selfridges took them, and they did really well in the middle-class arts/toys market. But then the owners decided to try for Tesco, etc. They sacked their British machine makers and found a factory overseas (I'd left before this) and, well, you can probably guess the rest.

Do you think Chicklit is an age thing? I'm just too old to bother about boy meets girl stuff any more. Too old and too cynical.

"So CAN we have some new groups, then?!"

wink wink.

So can we? can we?

Sorry, someone has to steer it back on track right?

hee hee

I've kind of skim read the three pages of stuff that happened in the time I went to work and back:

Optimist - maybe we should swap crits as I'm doing a dodgy sci fi chick lit thing so I'm a fish out of genre myself.

Terry - I've got to say that I respect that you've come in here and said your bit and been honest as we are all entitled to our say and you're the only site expert who has dared to on this thread. So good for you.

Two groups - linked or not, I think it's cool. On the pressure to do more crits, there are already people in chick lit not really doing a lot of crits, - due to time and I strongly believe preference, so it would just continue along that line right, - people do when they have time or want to.


So getting back to it,

"So CAN we have some new groups, then?!"

OR, can we have a REBEL group where all us rebels can go and feel like we belong with our weird mixed up / crossover stuff.

Alexandra

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this is where we need Davy to come in with his feather boa and he-man sword and put it all to rights.... :-)