Our Blog

The bad news is that it’s Monday again. The good news is that we’ve rounded up some of the best bookish, geeky, and crafty links of the last week to help get you through your day. Whether you are looking for a new short story to read, or dreaming of a bookish vacation, there’s sure to be something here to make your Monday a little brighter.

For some authors, it's not enough to create a great character. They have to take it to the next level allow their creations to hop the border from book to book. These easter eggs fill us with uncontainable excitement. There’s nothing like discovering a beloved character in a totally unrelated novel. The result is an intricate web we are more-than-thrilled to dissect.

We’ve rounded up a handful of author magicians who love to revive their characters in totally new books. We can’t blame them for not wanting to let them go.

Writing is hard. If you don’t think so, you’re not doing it right. You can love it, enjoy it, and have a great time writing but it’s still hard work. It’s easy to get discouraged, to have no idea where to start, to think you can’t do it, and to want to quit before you even sit down. That’s why I like to follow authors: they motivate me, inspire me, remind me everyone struggles, no one is a success over night. While no one can actually make you sit down and do the work, here’s a little help in the inspiration, motivation, and learning department.

If you're an active bookternet-keteer, it has probably not escaped your notice that Book Expo America is this week. But what is this mysterious gathering of the publishers that everyone's been talking, tweeting, and tumbling about? Never fear! With this little beginner's guide, I will be the Virgil to your Dante and lower you into the seven circles of the book biz.

(Note: accuracy not guarnateed; I was writing most of this from memory). ONWARD!

The month of May is National Short Story Month! To celebrate this form of fiction we here at Quirk Books present to you seven movies you might not know were adapted from short stories—perfect for short and sweet additions to your TBR!

Ahh, chick lit. For some, it’s a dirty word, for others, a guilty pleasure. I most definitely fall into that latter category, and I’m betting that most do (at least in the privacy of their own homes), if only judging by the sheer numbers turned into chick flicks.

However, chick lit isn't easy to translate from page to the screen. In the right hands, books get amazing adaptations to make even the pickiest reader smile, and in the wrong ones… well, quirky girls become caricatures, with none of the self-discovery and soul that made for perfect bubble bath reading. Never fear: if you're in the mood for a little light watching, here are the best, brightest, and sassiest film adaptations, as well as one or two better left to the bargain bin!