Bookmarks: Ludlum I'm Not

I approach the drop.

I steal a glimpse over my shoulder to make sure I'm not being followed by anyone except my camera crew.

"Little...free...liberry...dot..............org! This is the place."

I write an encoded note so my contact will know this is the right book. Or maybe I sign it.

You know, this Little Free Library's got a pretty good collection.

(all photos by John Sandel)

No need to be sneaky. Leave a book, take a book. It's free. This LFL is at 1614 Las Lunas Street, Pasadena.

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As the end of my daily posting looms I'm excited to have free time, but I don't want too much. I'd love to visit your book club and talk about Camelot & Vine, for example. Or if you're involved with anime cons, invite me! I'd love to come.

I keep a calendar on the main page of my website, so if I'm not here you can always check there.
Next up: tomorrow, Sunday April 28th, 2pm at Barnes and Noble in Old Town Pasadena, a group signing of Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition.
The following Sunday, May 5th, I'll be signing and selling books to benefit the Bloom Again Foundation at Lunafest, at Descanso Gardens. It starts at 12:30pm. Click the link to buy your tickets in advance.
Then Litfest! May 11, all day, at Central Park in Pasadena. Look for the Boz Books booth.

More on my website. I hope to see you at one or all of these events.

Bookmarks: Literaries Who Launch

photo by John Sandel

I went to a book launch party Thursday night and didn't think to take pictures because I was excited to be one of the book's authors. Thanks to John, we have this panorama of everyone's backs.

The book we celebrated is Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition, published by Prospect Park Books. It's a collection of short stories and excerpts, produced as a companion to LitFest Pasadena, coming to Central Park May 11th.

I hope you'll read it. Everyone in this picture has a piece in it. I don't know who took this photo, but here are everyone's fronts. The shot was sent to us all by the book's editor, Patricia O'Sullivan, who looks happy. She's just in front of me and to my right. (I'm the only one wearing a yellow top. It's spring, right? I can wear yellow.)

I knew some of these people already, met more last night, and hope to meet still more at upcoming events for the book.*

Publisher Colleen Dunn Bates of Prospect Park Books wrote a post about the party here, and there are more pictures. I also wrote a post, comparing taking photos in and about Pasadena to writing stories here.

For me, this party was a milestone of sorts. I've had my works published before, and I've been paid to write before. But I've never had a book launch party where I was involved as a writer. Still hoping to have a launch party for Camelot & Vine. Not sure how I'm going to do it.

* This coming Thursday, 4/18, at 7pm will be the Vroman's launch. This will be a panel, not a group signing.
* There will be signings of Literary Pasadena at noon both Saturday 4/20 and Sunday 4/21 at the Prospect Park Books booth at the LA Times Festival of Books. I'm in the Saturday signing.
* Sunday, 4/28 at 2pm, there will be a group signing at Barnes & Noble in Old Town.
* Then of course there's Litfest May 11th in Central Park, where Prospect Park will of course have a booth, and so will Boz Books!
* On Thursday, June 13th at 7pm, I'll be participating in a panel about "writing Pasadena," at the Pasadena Museum of History.

Bookmarks: Clout

First first first!
Remember Kim Fay, and The Map of Lost Memories? I reviewed Kim's book for Hometown Pasadena. Now, The Map of Lost Memories is a 2013 Edgar Award finalist for best first novel by an American Author. Congratulations, Kim!

Kim has got herself some clout. I'm going to have clout, too. In the five days since I've released Camelot & Vine on Kindle I've been busy, you know, marketing my book. I want to find the right audience for my literary work, and I believe I've got it.

It's the broccoli lobby. These people are my fans.

You go to the grocery store. You shake hands, chat people up. It's touch and go. Today I'll try the farmers' market. They can't exactly kick you out of an outdoor market.

I've also been uploading C&V to Barnes & Noble, which is also Pubit, which is also Nook. Do the multiple monikers make life easier for someone, I wonder? A friend who does this all the time can't figure out why it takes me so long. It takes her about fifteen minutes to upload a book. It takes me days. I have to format, upload, format again, try to figure out why it looks weird, upload again, count the pages...

And what do I call the file? Barnes & Noble? BN? Pubit? Nook? I decided to name the file BN/Pubit/Nukeit/Fercrissakes. That'll work as long as I remember to look for it under B (listed near Broccoli).

Print: gotta make a phone call. I think one of my emails got lost.

Diesel, Sony, Kobo, Blio: all finished, not showing up yet.

iBookstore: also finished, but apparently this one takes even longer. Very mysterious.

Smashwords: "Pending review." This is why all the others don't show up. I think. Like I said, I have the clout of broccoli behind me.

Oh hey! I applied for a Goodreads author page. Someone there named Molly has already reviewed Belinda's Birthday. She gave it one star. This is great! Reviews are very important.

I am a novelist, baby! Pass the broccoli!