SOPA and PIPA Protests: The Government Pokes the Sleeping Lion

Wired online protests

The government is dealing with a whole new breed of opposition this month as it attempts to pass the house bills called SOPA(Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA(Protect IP Act). The Internet community has been known to be a group largely apathetic towards activism, but as major Internet hubs like Imgur, Wikipedia, and reddit go down , Internet junkies everywhere are realizing how these bills are greatly affecting their everyday lives.

Tags: Benjamin Bohr, Internet Blackout, IPPA, piracy, Protect IP Act, Protest, SOPA, SOPA/IPPA, Stop Online Piracy Act, Stop the Wall, Wikipedia, Wordpress

TSTC Publishing Welcomes Marketing Intern

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”

— C.S. Lewis

Reading always has been one of my greatest pleasures. More often than not, I find myself in a crowded room of chatting people, completely lost in a book and ignorant to almost all ongoing conversation. It is always in these moments I can expect to be asked what I am reading and for my cheeks to redden, as my response lets everyone know I am obsessed with children’s literature.

Tags: Baylor University, children's literature, Scholastic Book Fair

Introducing Our New Intern: Brian Tucker

I’ve never had any questions about my life. It was always a straight path, guided by my parents that never deviated. I knew from a young age I would be attending Baylor University, just as my sister had. I also knew I was in love with stories.

Tags: Baylor University, Boy Scouts, professional writing, Stephen King, The Tommyknockers

New Year’s Resolutions

At the beginning of each new year, we sit down and make a list of all the things we hope to accomplish. Some of us focus on becoming healthier, others spending more time with the family, and others on straightening out their finances.

Tags: Classics, Dickens, Goodreads, New Years Resolutions, Nonfiction, reading

E-reader gifts a joy?

Did you get an e-reader as a holiday gift? I know I was excited as I opened a Kindle Fire Christmas morning. I reluctantly set it aside, though, to prepare dinner for guests. It wasn’t until the following evening that I escaped, my new e-reader tucked under my arm. For the next several hours, I downloaded my favorite apps.

Tags: Amazon, Bill of Rights, Great Expectations, iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, The Velveteen Rabbit, U.S. Constitution

A Story From the Best-Selling Book Ever

This seems like a good time to pull a story out of the best-selling book ever, The Bible. Here it is, from the book of Matthew, New International Version.

Tags: best-selling book, Bible, birth of Jesus

Getting Published: How many pages does it take?

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know.

How many pages does it take to get into a book? A handful of websites have a few theories. Some of these sites even use these theories to help new writers become published!

Tags: books, page99test, pages, published, publishing, pubslush, readers and authors, reading, Webooks

Busy, busy, busy but fun, fun, fun

As the busy holiday season descends upon us, I breathe deeply and sigh, “If only we had a week that all we did was catch up!”

Oops! I just remembered one more thing I should have done three days ago. That was Tuesday, though, and Editor Ana Wraight and I were busy critiquing portfolios of advanced public relations students at Baylor University. This was Ana’s first time and my fourth or fifth time to accept Dr. Cassy Burleson’s invitation to critique professional portfolios.

Tags: Ana Wraight, Audrey Barron, Baylor University, Cassy Burleson, University of Missouri School of Journalism

Small Demons: The Devil’s in the Details

Part of any story’s power lies in how we relate with the who, the what, and the where. Characters come to life through their oddities: the whiskey they drink, the way they hold a certain brand of cigarette as they smoke, the places where they eat dinner, the people they interact with, and the brand of boots they wear as they trudge down the street. We, as readers, connect with that as we read, establishing bonds with characters and agreeing to follow them through page after page, book after book.

Tags: details, small demons, The Help