Curious about how former LitPark guests are doing? I have a few updates. And let’s hear from you, too! Any new projects or publications? Joys or struggles? At the very least, post your website so folks can visit you.

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Remember Pierre Berg?

Last September, at age 83, Pierre granted LitPark his very first interview, and we talked about his experience as a prisoner at Auschwitz, as well as his unsold manuscript. And guess what?

Pierre Berg’s Holocaust memoir, SCHEISSHAUS LUCK (co-authored by Brian Brock, published by Amacom Books) will be available in bookstores September 4th (that’s tomorrow!).

Originally penned shortly after the war when memories were still fresh, this autobiographical account of a gentile French teenager’s odyssey of horror and survival recounts Berg’s day-to-day struggle for survival in the camps, escaping death countless times while enduring inhumane conditions, exhaustive labor, and near starvation. Relentlessly unsentimental, yet tinged with a sense of brutal irony, SCHEISSHAUS LUCK provides a new perspective on some of the Nazi’s most notorious concentration camps and is a searing reminder of man’s inhumanity to man. The Kirkus Review said SCHEISSHAUS LUCK is “a worthy supplement to the reports of Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel.”

I’m so so happy about this news! And if you’re on MySpace, you can “friend” both Pierre and Brian.

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Wondering what Neil Gaiman’s up to?

On September 30th, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK goes on sale. I’m very excited about this one because it’s written for my kids’ age group. It takes its concept from The Jungle Book, but instead of a young boy being raised by wolves, this young boy is raised by ghosts and other inhabitants of the graveyard.

I’ll have to preview it, of course, because if it’s as freaky as Coraline, it will go on the high shelf, along with The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and other good books they’re not allowed to read just yet.

By the way, the movie, CORALINE, is scheduled for release in February 2009.

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Was that Brad Listi, author of the bestselling novel ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER., blogging at the DNC?

Yep. If you’re a political junkie like I am, you can’t stand the slow pace of newspapers and go straight to the political bloggers. Brad blogged for Huffington Post at the Democratic National Convention, and most of you know he does his regular blogging over at TheNervousBreakdown.com.

TheNervousBreakdown, founded by Brad and featuring a brand new design this season, is an online publication and literary community that features the work of more than 100 distinguished writers from around the world. Contributors include Jonathan Evison (All About Lulu), Pia Z. Ehrhardt (Famous Father & Other Stories), Tao Lin (Bed), Ron Currie, Jr. (God is Dead), Kiara Brinkman (Up High in the Trees), Noria Jablonski (Human Oddities)… and, of course, the one and only Brad Listi! Content is updated daily, and the new site includes all sorts of bells & whistles, including the highly enjoyable and always unpredictable TNB TV. Please be sure to bookmark the site, visit often, leave comments, and spread the good word to friends!

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Remember when Ellen Meister was interviewed by her eight-year-old daughter?

Since then, her daughter turned double-digits and Ellen turned out another book, THE SMART ONE.

She describes it as “a sister story with a bright voice, a dark crime and more humor than I expected (sometimes my characters surprise me).” And if you’d like to follow along, she’s blogged about her book tour here.

Ellen’s done a number of appearances over the past two years, including this one with her literary hero, Alice Hoffman.

You can visit Ellen at ellenmeister.com. Enjoy!

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And what about the prolific Lauren Baratz-Logsted?

She has just written a children’s series with her eight-year-old daughter and her husband. It’s called THE SISTERS 8, and it features octuplets whose parents disappear one night. And the reason I won’t say more is because I want you to get details over at this cool new website, which features animated pictures, photos, book excerpts, and a podcast!
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Now it’s your turn! Where are you now?