Story Kitchen Cooks Again in March

Bob Tanabe, Gloria Lee, Petrea Burchard, Catherine Yesayan, and Elaine La Marr at the Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeeshop.

The Story Kitchen's January/February class was an absolute hoot. We had two memoirs (one travel, one life/historical), one novel and one novella. Now each of the authors has the tools to make their stories into whatever they want them to be.

We focus on story structure: how to organize your ideas onto the page. The next workshop begins in March: 4 weeks, 4 students, $199. The flyer below gives you the details, but of course you can email me with any questions. I've got a special email address for the Story Kitchen. Save your spot in the workshop by stopping at the store, 1010 Foothill Blvd. in La Canada Flintridge, or by calling (818) 790-0717.

A couple of testimonials for you:

I’ve been running story lines in my head but never could put those thoughts into words. That is, until I signed up for the Story Kitchen writing class. Petrea takes a personal interest in each of her students. Her teaching style keeps me focused and inspires me to keep on writing.—Bob Tanabe

Petrea's workshop has motivated me and made me want to kick my procrastinating self back into creative mode. She inspires us to be ourselves when writing. So grateful I attended this session.—Elaine La Marr

It has been a most enjoyable workshop, and has expanded my understanding and appreciation of the writing process.—Gloria Lee

Act As If Big Launch!

Stats: have I posted this before?

Update, 2/11/15: I have a venue for the launch! More info soon.

*********************

Act As If: Stumbling Through Hollywood with Headshot in Hand is available on Amazon, and will soon be available on Smashwords, Kobo, iBooks, etc.

But I haven't actually launched it yet.

What would be a fun way to launch? Did you like the Camelot Where You Are contest? Should we do something like that this time, or should we try something else? A party? A read-a-thon? All three?

I did a lot of pre-publicity for Camelot & Vine and it was fun. I guess you'd call this launch "post-publicity," but they say there's no such thing as bad publicity, so I'm good with all of it—pre, post and bad.

If you've read either book, please review! Any number of stars is welcome.

By the way (which is what BTW used to mean), this round of the Story Kitchen workshop still has openings. Call the Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse to sign up. (818) 790-0717. Methinks my friend the Oscar-nominated screenwriter will stop in one evening.

A Good Turnout

The Story Kitchen seminar had a good turn-out last night at the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse. It was an excellent group—interesting people with fascinating stories.

We had some sign-ups for the six week writing class and there's room for just a few more, so call the store at 818-790-0717 and tell them you want in!

Story Kitchen Free Seminar at Flintridge Bookstore!

Come and get a free pen. And a matching paperclip. We aim to please.

Small Business Saturday

 

 photo by John Sandel  

Small Business Saturday, held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is sponsored by American Express. But you don't have to use a credit card to take part. You can shop at your favorite local independent businesses all year 'round and make a difference in your community with every dollar you spend.

Do I have to tell you this? I don't have to tell you this. You know this.

I'll be participating in this year's Small Biz Sat. at the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse. Mostly I'll be in the Bookstore part unless I need a snack.

Come by 1010 Foothill Blvd. in La Canada from 2-4 pm and say hi. I'll sign your copy of Act As If. If 2-4 pm isn't convenient don't worry, the books, gifts, decorations and treats will be there all day.

Print copies of Act As If are currently not available anywhere else! This is an exclusive Flintridge event, so come on down.

I probably shouldn't mention that Wilma is a small business expert.

Act As If

Act As If: Stumbling Through Hollywood with Headshot in Hand is now a book! Based on my long-running column for NowCasting.com, which is itself based on my 30-year acting career, this is the book for the actor in your life, aspiring or pro. Some blurbs: 

"…all graduating MFA students who want to make a living in 'The Biz' should be handed this book with their diploma, to give them a realistic view of the business they want to pursue. It's an honest, practical and remarkably uncynical look at the job of being an actor."

            Rick Hall, actor—Good Luck Charlie, 24, Curb Your Enthusiasm

"This book is a must for anyone thinking of taking Hollywood by storm. Petrea can point out common pitfalls while throwing in a dash of empowerment. It's your life, your career. Keep your eyes open and be sure to have this book on your nightstand."

            Liz Hanley (aka “Blanche”), Theatrical Agent, Bicoastal Talent

"I felt like I had a friend after reading this, someone who knows and expresses so eloquently the ups and downs and striving that an actor goes through on their artistic and career journey. It’s a delight, it’s fun, it’s comforting, and it’s real. Give it as a gift to yourself, or a fellow actor."

            Fran Montano, Artistic Director, The Actors Workout Studio

Act As If is officially in "soft launch." Everyone's already busy with the holidays, so I'll do an official launch (hard launch?) in the new year, with a contest and everything.

However! There will be a pre-launch on November 29th at Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse, from 2-4 PM.

(This leaves room for a post-launch, a launch-launch, and a lunch-launch. Watch this space.)

Flintridge Bookstore is celebrating Small Business Saturday all day on the 29th, and you should come! It's a wonderful store with all the books you want, plus gorgeous gifts, AND coffee with treats. Easy to get to, at 1010 Foothill, and there's plenty of parking behind/under the store. Here's a chance to expand your literary horizons and check out Flintridge.

My Thanksgiving weekend is planned thusly:
Thanksgiving, which I will enjoy so quietly I'll be able to hear myself chew.
Black Friday, which I celebrate annually by hunkering down in the house with the curtains drawn.
Small Business Saturday, please see above.
(Apparently the western world still keeps Sundays open for church.)
Cyber Monday, when we're encouraged to shop online exactly like we do every other day, and when I will likely stay offline and write.
And Giving Tuesday—because after having spent the weekend acquiring, it's time to share what you have left, if anything, with the needy. I'll probably do that online.

Remember, books make great gifts!

The Pledge of Independents

photo by John Sandel

Lately there's been a good deal of backlash against Amazon.com. The company's been called a "bully" for holding a hard line against giant publishing companies to keep ebook prices low. Probably for other things, too, I don't know. Let's face it. Amazon is BIG.

But this is a Goliath vs. Goliath fight. New York publishing companies are monumental and impenetrable, unless you're Janet Evanovich or Stephen King or another household name.

The publishing industry is pretty scared of Amazon, and you hear a lot of "if we let 'em get away with it, they'll own the industry" kind of stuff. I don't know if that's true, but so far Amazon hasn't "gotten away with" anything illegal. In fact, it was the publishing companies who got their hands slapped by a judge for price fixing and collusion.

Now, thanks to the Abbey Bookshop in Paris, there's a Pledge of Independents, to "recruit readers, writers and bookshops worldwide in the defense of diversity and fair practices in the book trade." 

"As a bookseller wanting to take the Pledge, you promise to not buy or sell any books through Amazon or its affiliates. Moreover, you are expected to give costumers (sic) that have taken the Pledge a 5 % discount..."

As a customer, "You can take the pledge if you believe in supporting independent bookshops and if you agree that most of your books should come from independent bookshops - and that no business that is dominating the market should get your support." 

This disturbs me.

I don't defend Amazon, they can take care of themselves. I defend the independent author/publisher like myself, and small publishers who publish only a few titles per year. Local independent bookstores don't always carry our books. My locals have been supportive, and I appreciate it. But most readers are not aware that it costs me actual money to shelve my book in many stores, and more actual money to get a reading/signing.

There's good reason for this. Everybody and his brother can publish a book right now. This, by the way, is thanks to Amazon's CreateSpace and other reputable self-publishing sites like Lulu and Blurb, as well as hybrid publishers like SheWrites Press and Lucky Bat Books.

But small publishers are not on the same playing field as the big New York guys.

In the old days (like, 5 years ago), if you didn't have famous parents or if some junior gatekeeper in publishing didn't think your book would sell, you didn't have a chance of getting published. (This explains conventionally published, grammar-free semi-porn, as well as the "literary fiction" that's really just tales told in a dull voice and a bad mood.)

Today, if you're willing to work hard to write, publish and sell your book, you can. If you're online. If you're on Amazon.

But you can't get your book into most stores, independent or not. It doesn't matter how well-reviewed your book is. I can't walk into stores around the world and pay them to stock my titles. I can't afford the travel and stocking fees. Even if I could, most stores would refuse because they don't have the space to stock everything.

If I can't sell my book online, I can't sell it.

I suggest you support your local store when you can. If you are in the Pasadena area, you can buy Camelot & Vine at Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse, Hoopla! in Altadena, and the Pasadena Museum of History gift shop (it'll be back at Vroman's soon).

If you don't live in Pasadena, please buy my book from the bully.

Guest Author: Bonnie Schroeder

Bonnie Schroeder and I became friends when we were in the same writers group. This wasn't the kind of group that read and critiqued each others' work. We met to share our progress and our process. Here's Bonnie, to share what happens next:

SPEAKING OUT...IN PUBLIC

When my novel, Mending Dreams, was published, I realized I would be expected to go out into the world and talk about the book.

Oh, the horror!

I once read that people fear public speaking more than death. We'd rather die than give a speech in public.

One of the first things I did, and the smartest, was to join a Toastmasters club that focuses on writers. What a find! These people can make public speaking fun. Seriously.

My first chance to put those new skills to work came when Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse offered to host my book launch. I joined their Brown Bag Book Club years ago, but I never anticipated that my book would be on their radar!

So, how do you do a book launch, especially when you don't have the resources of a big publishing house? You do it with a lot of help, a lot of luck, and a visit to Costco.

My cousin Marilyn is a former event planner, and she jumped into this project and recruited her daughter-in-law Morgan to help. They advised me on the refreshment menu (simple things that guests could easily manage: cheese, crackers, white wine—so spills don't show up on the carpet—and of course plenty of water). The night of the launch, they set up the refreshment table and served up the food so I could be free to mingle and enjoy.

My pal Jayne is an accomplished photographer, and she signed on to photo-document the launch. The end result: a treasure trove of photos to savor—and to post on social media.

I promoted the launch shamelessly, handing out flyers everywhere. I posted it on my website, Facebook and Goodreads. I invited everyone I know: friends and family, members of my Tai Chi class and my dog club, my neighbors. I sent press releases to local newspapers, emphasizing the "local author" angle.

Then I drove myself nuts practicing my "speech," and finding just the right piece of the novel to read, then timing it all. I started to stress out, until this thought occurred: the people coming would be friends, even if I didn't know them. They'd be folks who like to read and would know or want to know about me and my book.

The launch itself was a crazy collision of all my different worlds, and I had the best time ever! I put my inner control freak on hold and looked out at all my friends in the audience. Then I took a deep breath and started talking about why I wrote the book, the challenges I overcame, my writing process.

I heard laughter and applause at the right places, and you know what? It was so much fun that I'm working like crazy to get another book published so I can do it all over again.

Bonnie signs my copy of Mending Dreams.

Brown Bags & Books

Bonnie Schroeder and I posed yesterday in the local authors section of the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse, holding copies of our books. Bonnie's book, Mending Dreams, just came out; it's available in print and ebook form. You can read the first chapter at BonnieSchroederBooks.com. I haven't read it yet but I now have a signed copy!

The photo was taken by author and journalist Susan James Carr. Bonnie and Susan were both instrumental in getting me invited to the Flintridge Bookstore's Brown Bags & Books club, which meets once a month. Yesterday they discussed Camelot & Vine over delicious scones (homemade by head of Marketing, Advertising and Authors, Sandy Willardson) plus cookies, smoothies and gourmet coffee. There's always food and drink at a book club because sharing food is as convivial as talking about books. (In my experience there's usually some gossip and chat to start things up, too.)

It helps if people like my book, which they did, but it almost doesn't matter. So many other things made it memorable: the simple fact that they invited me to talk about it for one, and that they all read it and asked interesting questions and wanted to know more, and meeting the individual readers--all these things are valuable to an author. I had an absolute blast, which as you know is a very authorly thing to say. "Authorly" not being a word, and all.

I'll be visiting another book club on Friday via Skype. I'd love to fly to Chicago to meet with them, but Skype will have to do! I'm told there will be wine and food at their meeting so I'll have something at my desk to ingest and imbibe while we chat. Just to be in the swing of things.

I've read recently about authors charging fees for book club visits, but I'd be delighted to visit your club for the price of a few convivial comestibles.

Art

Last weekend the Lower Arroyo hosted an art installation from Newtown called "Re-Imagining the Arroyo." 

No description in the program matches our bird friend. I don't know who made it or what it's called. Please let me know if you have information. It's a wonderful piece. (see the comments)

Elizabeth Garrison deconstructs the California state flag. The bear is fuzzy. You can pet him. Did you know that California is the only state in the union that has an extinct animal on its flag? Notice the gun.

 

Poet Linda Dove shared this part of the exhibit with Elizabeth. I love how the sunlight shines through the plaque and projects the poem onto the ground. To partially quote Linda's poem, A Love Letter to California, "In the nation of red, a single star glows against sky. It says, the light must fall through traps and mix again with earth." 

We enjoyed the large pods (four of them) by Leonard Rusch. This installation was called "Acoustic Artifacts." Rusch's sound system wasn't working when we were there, but it didn't matter. Tucked beneath the trees as though they had always been there, the pods were cool and they had their own sounds.

Dangling from trees throughout the Lower Arroyo were several "Yo-Yo Men," by Cindy Jackson. John emulates this one for you.

We liked much of it, didn't like all of it. You would like different stuff than I liked. Such is art.

We talked about whether or not art is necessary. I think it is, but your necessary art is not the same as my necessary art. Does the world need Camelot & Vine? No, but I needed to write it.

So here's my segue: please come to the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse this Thursday night, November 7, 7-9pm, for their Welcome the Holidays party. I'll be there along with authors Dianne Dixon, Michael Mullin and Allen Griffiths. It's a family party with stories, games, free wrapping, personal shoppers, a raffle and refreshments. Get your book signed! Have some punch! Win something!

The store is full of art, some necessary, some un. You decide.