Monday, August 18, 2008

Another Review

Google Alerts aren't perfect. They miss things all the time.

So when I vanity search, I use a different search engine. One that turns up things like your last six addresses, any Facebook accounts, that MySpace account you opened and abandoned and didn't use your last name on, and even your amazon wishlist. Eww, creepy.

I don't do this very often. Not because I'm going to pretend to be too good for vanity searching, but because it's a pain. I've worked on thousands of comic books over the years, and they've all been reviewed a dozen times each, complete with credits.

But when I am procrastinating take the time to look, sometimes it turns up something good.

Like this: A review of Stalking the Wild Dik-Dik, posted in June on a Washington state journalism site.

Kate Skinner, the reviewer, kindly lumped my book in with some real heavy hitters. And it's a sign of the times that I was a "graphic novel colorist" rather than a "comic book colorist." Graphic novels have been talked about a lot in book circles for a few years. I'm not as sure as she was that I was anticipating the blog culture, but I'll take what I can get.

    The 2001 journey is thoroughly contemporary, anticipating the blog culture driven as it was by sponsorship and a website. This book is about the African leg of that journey. While there is a fair representation of the everyday lot of local people — dust, waiting, delays, more waiting, climbing into and out of local transport, and more waiting — Javins also writes with candor about relationships on the road and the personal tension between relationships and solitude which drives her wandering and explorations.

7 comments:

Dick -Photographer said...

Marie,

First time poster, but long time reader. Been a fan ever since reading "Stalking the Wild Dik-Dik" which I found doing an Amazon search on Africa. Been there 3 times once for 7 weeks, not as long as your time though. Long comment for asking what search engines do you use if not Google?

Thanks
Dick

Marie Javins said...

Thanks for reading, Dick. And posting, too!

pipl.com is the people search engine that is stalker-creepy. Sometimes, I mean. I guess it depends on how active a person is online. I was kind of freaked out by what it knew about me, but then it also missed a lot, and didn't put up utility records or birth registry for me. I guess it depends on the public records of the state you're in, and what is online and accessible.

Linda said...

Pipl looks interesting ... I just checked it and it has my Amazon profile and two websites that you have to pay to see plus one that lists me at my other daughter's address. The summaries for the pay sites show me with four different addresses so someone looking for me would get pretty confused.

Nothing interesting like your review though.

Marie Javins said...

Four addresses and none of them current, I'd guess...

Susan D-L said...

Hi Marie. Your comment about the thousands of comic books (graphic novels) you've worked gave me a good laugh. That's what happens to me on Google; four or five bio type hits and 2000 pages of production credits. I am Ms. Excitement, baby!

I enjoy your writings. Good stuff.

Marie Javins said...

My eyes glaze over before I get to the interesting stuff!

Sara Kocher said...

My maiden-name vanity search comes up with this on the first page: "Sara Tuchinsky was a Starfleet transporter operator assigned to the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) in the late 2280s and early 2290s..."

Still, despite the funny things, it's scary how much real info there is out there to find.