The Novel: Live!

Have you heard about this? It's been buzzing around the bookish interwebs for a few days now, but for some reason I just had the time to actually read through an entire article on it (in today's Shelf Awareness). The project includes 36 authors, one Nancy Pearl, six days and a to-be-written novel. And the best part? The public is invited to watch this amazing feat, either live, at the Hugo House in Seattle (complete with happy hour drink specials!), or online at www.thenovellive.org.

While this is certainly not the first collaborative book-writing effort we've seen of late (remember the 24-hour Book from last year, and the Twitter book with Neil Gaiman?), it certainly stands out among the crowd. Here's a little preview:

According to Shelf Awareness, "the book is not a weather report, and the heroine, Alexis Austin, is a brave 14-year-old coping with death and a few other things that a young girl shouldn't have to deal with."

Intrigued? Read the first half of the novel online, and tune in from 10am-10pm (Pacific time) to watch the progress. Join the live chat each evening to bid on fun merchandise (such as signed books and homemade pickles) - proceeds go to Seattle Arts & Lectures' Writers in the School Program and 826 Seattle, a non-profit writing and tutoring center for students in Seattle.

And need I remind you to stay tuned for the final product, due 10/16?