News related to The Diamond Lane

by Karen Karbo

5-Under-The-Radar Reads From Librarian Nancy Pearl

19 Dec 2014|

Dec, 19 2014 — (Morning Edition) —
Librarian Nancy Pearl occasionally joins Morning Edition to talk about books she loves that you might not have heard of. As she tells NPR’s Steve Inskeep, her latest batch of under-the-radar reads includes some older books as well some new ones.

The Diamond Lane

Karen Karbo

The Diamond Lane was originally published in 1990s and has just been republished by a small [Portland, Ore.,] publisher, Hawthorne Books. And what a treat for readers this is. It’s...Forward

Nancy Pearl on NPR to discuss Karen Karbo’s novel, The Diamond Lane.

18 Dec 2014|

Please tune in tomorrow for Nancy Pearl on Morning Edition (6:51AM and 8:51AM) discussing Karen Karbo’s novel, The Diamond Lane.

“The World of Publishing: 1991 vs. 2014,” by Karen Karbo

03 Nov 2014|

Karen Karbo, whose 1991 novel The Diamond Lane has been reissued by Hawthorne Books, considered the myriad changes in publishing over that time in a post on the blog at Powell’s Books, Portland, Ore. Her observations include this succinct analysis of changing expectations over 23 years:


In 1991, this is what could prevent you from having a successful writing career:
You fail to finish your novel.
Your novels don’t sell.


In 2014, this is what could prevent you from having a successful...Forward

“The best advice I can give is to write your heart and guts out.” In conversation with Karen Karbo, by Anne Rasmussen

03 Nov 2014|

ANNE RASMUSSENYour portrait of Los Angeles is so unsparingly, hilariously unforgiving that I found myself laughing out loud every time I came to a new scenic description. You show great compassion and fondness for your characters but not so their city and environs. Even the seasons in this place seem calibrated to mirror the mental state of its citizens. Autumn leaves drop “miserably” from trees “like scabs,” smog “sealed sweat into people’s pores, then laid on a coat of grit for...Forward

Nancy Pearl Fights Rainy Day Blues With A Satire, by Marcie Sillman

29 Oct 2014|

Marcie Sillman talks with revered librarian Nancy Pearl who recommends The Diamond Lane, by Karen Karbo. It is a Hollywood satire that should cheer up the gray, rainy weather.

To listen go to KUOW.

Mittens inspired by Karen Karbo’s novel,  The Diamond Lane.

22 Oct 2014|

From Karen Karbo: “Deep thanks and props to my girl Deb Stone for the coolest present ever—The Diamond Lane MITTENS, made by a friend of hers who repurposes Good Will sweaters into one-of-a-kind fleece-lined mittens. Art on hand, literally. Check out Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Thumb.”

The Gilmore Guide to Books: Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time on Karen Karbo’s novel The Diamond Lane

06 Oct 2014|

The Diamond Lane overflows with sly and vicious observations about all that is superficial in the world of two over-the-top, narcissistic industries but in the midst of all the scathing satire and the withering prose, Karbo still manages luscious bits of insight into real human emotion.

“The only problem with The Diamond Lane? The ride ends and I wanted to keep reading.”—Catherine Gilmore

To read the entire review, go to The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Largehearted Boy has the playlist for Karen Karbo’s novel The Diamond Lane in Book Notes

06 Oct 2014|

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.


Previous contributors include Bret Easton Ellis, Kate Christensen, Kevin Brockmeier, George Pelecanos, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Myla Goldberg, Heidi Julavits, Hari Kunzru, and many others.


Karen Karbo’s The Diamond Lane: is a masterfully told satirical comic novel.


Library Journal wrote of the book:

“A deft, tragicomic social satire—of Los Angeles...Forward

“The World of Publishing: 1991 vs. 2014,” by Karen Karbo for Powell’s Books

02 Oct 2014|

In 1991, this is what could prevent you from having a successful writing career:


You fail to finish your novel.
Your novels don’t sell.


In 2014, this is what could prevent you from having a successful writing career:


You think platforms are shoes.
You think branding is best left to cattle.
You look like a basset hound on Skype and thus shun the all-important Skype book club appearances.
You have less than 3,000 Twitter followers.
Your Facebook author page has less than 1,000 followers....Forward

Karen Karbo: The TNB Self-Interview

02 Oct 2014|

The Diamond Lane was first published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 1991, Overlook Press published a trade paperback in 1993. What’s it like to have a book go out of print, then be reissued in a gorgeous new edition with sexy French flaps, and an introduction by Jane Smiley?

Long before The Diamond Lane was published the first time, Dr. Egon Spengler prophesied that print was dead. And yet, it lives on. The only way print can continue to survive can is in beautifully designed editions like this...Forward

Happy Book Launch Day, Karen Karbo! To commemorate this momentous occasion, The Nervous Breakdown runs an excerpt of The Diamond Lane for your reading pleasure.

01 Oct 2014|

Excerpt of The Diamond Lane, by
Karen Karbo
By TNB Fiction

October 01, 2014

Novel

Please go to The Nervous Breakdown to read this excerpt.

Congratulations to Karen Karbo who is one of 24 writers selected to be part of the Amtrak Residency Program

24 Sep 2014|

Meet the 24 Writers Selected for the Amtrak Residency Program

Amtrak is excited to announce the selection of 24 members of the literary community as the first group of writers to participate in the #AmtrakResidency program. Over the next year, they will work on writing projects of their choice in the unique workspace of a long-distance train. The 24 residents offer a diverse representation of the writing community and hail from across the country.

Karen Karbo is the author of fourteen...Forward

Karen Karbo’s The Diamond Lane reviewed by ShelfAwareness

23 Sep 2014|

Karbo’s story is timeless, and her writing is seamless. She is a keen, wry observer of the hazards of Hollywood and marriage and the fraught relationships between lovers, mothers and daughters and sisters. Filled with sharp characterizations and laugh-out-loud scenes, Karbo’s early ‘90s-era novel proves that, in the right literary hands, the comedic absurdities of life never go out of style.—Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

Shelf Talker: This smart early ‘90s-era comedy of...Forward

The next title in Hawthorne Books’ Rediscovery Series is Karen Karbo’s The Diamond Lane with an introduction by Jane Smiley. This is a comic novel about two sisters, their boyfriends, engagements, and trying to break into Hollywood as filmmakers. The New York Times Book Review said, “This kind of novel is a devil to pull off… and Ms. Karbo has done her job brilliantly.” The New York Times wrote, “A wonderfully comic novel about savvy Hollywood outsiders trying to get in… not only is the...Forward

Jeff Baker teaches at the Attic Institute and hosts Karen Karbo and Brian Lindstrom

10 Jun 2013|

Portland writer Karen Karbo and filmmaker Brian Lindstrom (“Alien Boy”) will be guest speakers in a Writing for Publication class that Jeff Baker is teaching at the Attic Institute June 17-July 22. One of the themes is what it’s like to be a writer and to report on what happening in Portland right now; Karbo and Lindstrom are experienced, engaging teachers with lots to share.

See Jeff Baker’s post at The Oregonian.