Kickstarter

I discovered Kickstarter a while back and liked the idea. There are many weird and wonderful project that people are striving to do. These are the three that I chose to support in efforts to explore this medium. I am interested in what it might mean for publishing. In an age where all the mainstream news seems to be have moved from Print-on-Demand (POD) to E-Books. Here are people looking to craft small personal editions of their work. For me POD books lack some of the sensual pleasures that I get from selecting and reading a physical book due to their often bland and clumsy assemblage and E-books lack all of them. I’m intrigued by these Kickstarter projects and for how ever much I choose to pledge, I can watch someones work unfold. I hope you check them out and I wish them good luck.

Halloween

Halloween day I went to see Phantoms of the Orchestra in Raleigh, NC. It was designed for kids, but we (my brother, his girlfriend, and I) had a blast. The whole Orchestra was deck out like Zombies and other undead, and they walked or were drug (literally)  stiff legged onto the stage with instruments in had. While they played such wonderful and well known pieces as Night at Bald Mountain and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, two Mimes chased each other around stage. These are not the kind of mimes you want to murder, but wonderfully talented silent actors playing the parts of the haunter — a mischievous phantom and the haunted — a noodle headed band leader. We laughed our heads off. It was a great time. I spent

 

Halloween night playing board games with relative strangers, all my brother’s friends. It was a fun and odd. Cranium was over far too quickly, they decided Trivial Pursuit was too hard (I suspect that was the booze), so Apples to Apples was the game of the night. A little hard to play with strangers who are prone to give personal references preference over any manner of logic, but easily employed one’s self once its understood to be excepted — though it really isn’t as funny if no one is in on the joke with you. Didn’t matter though, no one was  really playing to win, and everyone was jovial. In fact instead of starting at any given number, we just played till we ran out of cards. It was a LONG game. But, a very good Halloween.

 

P.S. I hope the person who visited this place ( one of my many cyber homes) looking for Boondock Saints II in Columbus found and read something about Waiting For Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk and then of course I hope you found and enjoyed your movie. I want to see that film as well, but despite members of my tribe voting for it on the internet, I’m sure it will be a while.

Fugue Macabre: Bone Dance

 

My friend and Louisiana author C.J. Parker’s new book Fugue Macabre: Bone Dance is available to purchase here. I really enjoyed her first novel Fugue Macabre: Ghost Dance (links to a review by ecataromance site) and am looking forward to reading this one. I downloaded it in HTML format to put on my iPhone. It is also available in PDF and MobiPocket formats.

 

Poisoned Pen Web Con 2009

The Poisoned Pen Webcon was the first virtual book convention I’ve ever attended. It is the first web based convention I’ve ever attended actually, and I want to stout from the roof about what a good time I had so they’ll do it again next year. It was only $25 dollars to register. All you needed to attend was a reliable internet connection and a computer with speakers. You got a PDF goody bag, 9 HOURS of live author conversation which you could participate in via chat or phone, I’m not even sure how many hours of pre-recorded programs and a $20 coupon to Poisoned Pen Bookstore.

I enjoyed may talks and now want to read Peter May’s China Thrillers (order on with my coupon), Dana Stabenow’s Kate series set in Alaska, and Kelli Stanley’s City of Dragons. As if my TBR list wasn’t long enough. I missed hearing the Nevada Barr session, but I hope that I will find it in the archives. My ears are a little tired, so I haven’t even started on the pre-recorded material.

There was only one session that had a techy glitch and that was solved in a matter of minutes. Considering is is the 1st ever Poisoned Pen Web Con, I thought that was outstanding. My head is a buzz with all the ideas I’ve heard. I love the idea of a period phone book as research material and souvenirs . I’ve heard of people using old Sears catalogs and such, but never the phone book.

There was a lot of talk about publishing in general and authors having to do publicity for their own books. The one thing that I consistently find annoying is the way that people assume that booksellers who work at chain bookstore can’t hand sell and/or recommend a book. I would like to tell everyone that I work with a very well read group of people at a chain bookstore and that we can all talk about books, hand sell, and even pull the occasional title out of random keywords supplied by people who appear to have never shopped for books before. Enough ranting.

Some of the segments were video and you could actually see who was talking. This was neat because at least two author spoke from home/office and you could peer at their walls and bookcases. One segment was from inside the Poisoned Pen bookstore itself. Others were done via BlogTalkRadio, once you registered with them free of charge you could use the chat features that accompanied each season. If I could offer a suggestion to next year it would be to have a couple minutes rest between segments as it takes time to transfer over to other sessions and make sure you are still logged in properly.

I wouldn’t mind attending another convention of this type and to see how this format is refined in the future (without getting more high-tech then the average home computer, that is).

Boondock Saints 2

Waiting for Columbus

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk

I don’t think I’d have ever picked this book up except for the intriguing review that Books on the Nightstand gave it. They made it sound a bit like that movie Don Juan DeMarco with Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando. I decided I’d give it a try and I’m very glad that I did. This is a wonderful story, part adventure, part romance, part tragedy. I didn’t quite know what was going on at first, but I didn’t mind being lead down the path the author had sketched out. This is a story that you have to watch unfold and despite the fact that it is about a delusional man, you have to trust that the author will get to the end. This is a book about stories and telling stories to live. Columbus is delusional. He is a liar. He is a storyteller. He is lost. This was a good book and beautifully written. I highly recommend it. For me in was new and different flavor, a fresh and beautifully story to clear the mind after too many mediocre books of late. I was swept away by the tide of this story. Find it! Read it!

This may only work if you know me, but

Christopher Columbus!

Afternoon at La Provence

The Northshore Literary Society met tonight at La Provence and it was the biggest event yet. Pamela Ewen and Deb Burst, the founders of the NLS,  planned an exquisite afternoon. There where so many new faces that I believe that people got use to introducing themselves and continued to do so even to people they knew. The wine flowed until it ran out and the waiters circulate with hors d’oeuvres they couldn’t quite name.

The guest speakers Elizabeth Moore and Alice Couvillon we’re delightful. They were funny and entertaining as they explained how they began writing together.  I love the part where they revealed how they found their publisher by working their way through the phone book.  Moore and Couvillon also told us about upcoming projects, one about the largest Indian mounds in the Western Hemisphere and one about Spanish fairy tales.

Also in attendance was Lynda Deniger who’s children’s book Salty Seas & His Heroic Friends has just been publish. I have been watching this book since its manuscript stage and it is simply beautiful in its finished form.

Ewen and Burst are moving the Society towards having paid memberships. The membership cost for the year is $25.oo and the money will go toward the cost of putting on the Sunday Events. Please check out the website http://www.northshoreliterarysociety.com for more information or ways to contact the founders. The Northshore Literary Society is the area foremost literary organization working to bring readers and writers together.

Louisiana Children’s Authors

Educator Event @ Barnes & Noble in Mandeville, LA — Children’s author and musician Johnette Downing will be talking to teachers and signing her books, Wed. October  14th at  7:00pm.  It is part of their Educator Appreciation Week, so tell your teacher friends!

Johnette Downing has so many great books. Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud, Chef Creole, My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane, Down in Louisiana, and Today is Monday in Louisiana.

Also, Northshore Literary Society members, don’t forget that Alice Couvillon and Elizabeth Moore will be speaking at La Provence Restaurant in Lacombe, La on October 11.

The Lone Sentinel (aka in progress II)

It is done! This mask which is made from cardboard, glue, spray paint, knockdown spray texture, cotter pins, and ribbon is finally done. It is fantastic and what’s more it is for sale. This mask is designed for light / decorative use.  You wouldn’t want to get it wet or excessively sweaty.

The whole time I was making this one, I kept thinking solider, armor, forgotten, and broken. It got to the point that every time some mention The Phantom to me, clearly meaning the Opera as I’m not sure they know about the comic book character, I kind of got angry. Couldn’t they see the difference? Sometimes the faces that peek out of the art supplies only look at me and that’s a little scary.

So here is hoping that I’ve done my job and created a “Lone Sentinel,” some forgotten warrior that will stare out forever at the world that partially left it behind.

I am asking $25 dollars for this one plus shipping. Domestic Priority Mail USPS is about $7.50, actual shipping based on destination. Please contact me at SanguinePiskie @ gmail . com.