Here are a few ideas: The Best American Short Stories - Elizabeth Strout The Best American Essays - Zadie Smith The Best American Comics - Young Kim The Best American Nonrequired Reading - Amy Sedaris The Best American Science and Nature Writing -...

Coincidentally, check out the DGLM blog for a very similar story, where part two ends happily! http://dglm.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-i-signed-up.html

Hang in there! She wouldn't have asked to see more if there wasn't something there that she found intriguing, and that's more than can be said for thousands of other writers. Learn what you can and keep working. You've chosen a very personal genre,...

I took a weeklong workshop with Elizabeth Strout at the 009 Taos Summer Writers conference and found her to be just as you described ... generous, interesting, interested in each member of our group, and fun! Learned a lot and enjoyed the workshop....

Well you're right, I did not drink any Bud Lite during the Superbowl. But I did drink Magic Hat, so ... not sure I was spared!

I'm a devoted football fan and am continuously subjected to commercials that mercilessly mock and belittle my gender. The pathetic "woman as shrill, nagging, spoiler-of-all-good-times" motif is showing no signs of waning. The up side? It gives me...

Great piece! As I followed the story over the weekend I was wondering what it was like for authors trying to wait it out. All I can say is - hang in there and keep writing.

Not only that, but Seth Grahame-Smith landed an incredibly lucrative book deal after P&P&Z. Perhaps it will turn out that he's a great new talent, but for now it does feel like he got a bit of a break at the expense of poor Jane.