Birthdays: Rebecca Harding Davis (1831), Ambrose Bierce (1842), Mary Wesley (1912), Fred Hoyle (1915), Norman Cousins (1915), Anita Desai (1937), Lawrence Block (1938), Kathryn Lasky (1944), Jean Marzollo(1942), Mark Helprin (1947), Clarissa Dickson Wright (1947), Mercedes Lackey (1950), Rebecca Solnit (1961)

Fred Hoyle is credited for coining the term “Big Bang”.

Quote: “If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” ― Mercedes Lackey

“Usually a feeling of disappointment follows the book, because what I hoped to write is not what I actually accomplished. However, it becomes a motivation to write the next book.” – Anita Desai

Tip: Author intrusion – if it’s something *you* would say and not your characters, then don’t use it. Some authors call this foreshadowing, but it’s really not. It often shows up as “she didn’t know that the next day, it would happen” type of writing.

Jumpstart: You have won a five-minute shopping spree in a bookstore. What section do you go to first? Why?