Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Events: Bird & Becket Books, Sunday, April 19

Journeying in Time and Place

Take a journey with two writers through time and place from your seat at Bird & Becket Books, a vintage San Francisco bookstore.

I will be reading from Sundagger.net, a magical novel of the ancient Anasazi and post-9/11 Silicon Valley. Susan Alcorn will be reading from Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago, a travel essay of adventure in Spain.

Sunday, April 19th
2:30-4:00
followed by reggae music by Heartical Roots.

Bird & Beckett Books & Records
653 Chenery Street, in Glen Park
San Francisco
(415) 586-3733
www.birdbeckett.com

Sunday, February 22, 2009

One book at a time

"How is your book doing?" is the first question people ask me when my book comes up. I take that to mean, "How well is it selling?"

"One book at a time," is what I answer. Usually the conversation stops at this point. (We all know something about the track record for self-published books by unknown authors.)

For the record, I want to make myself clear. One book at a time is an inspiring thing, like the rose blooming in the snow that Bette Midler sings about.

Here's an example. Last week I went back to my yoga class at the Pinole Senior Center after a long absence and two of the women I sold books to at Christmas came up to me. They were happy to see me, smiling, their eyes lit up, telling me they'd finished reading Sundagger.net and had a lot of questions to ask. There was some discussion about me coming to a book group;maybe it was their book group. Someone mentioned having everyone in the yoga class read the book. I'm not sure what all was said because I was putting out my yoga mat and also, I was so surprised, flustered really. Not by their talk, but by how I felt--full of pure inspiration, flying with it, amazed, and grateful.

This is what "one book at a time" means to me.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Word of Mouth vs Elaborate Websites

Today's Sunday New York Times Book Review has an interesting essay on the power of book websites, Essay: See the Web Site, Buy the Book that poses the question: Do elaborate Web sites and videos really sell books? As in so much of publishing, no one really knows. But, no, there's no verdict in on how they translate to book sales.

I sold 3 copies of my book yesterday to the owner of a tiny bookstore in San Francisco that has been around for quite awhile; the owner told me he would return the books to me in one year if they don't sell. What else could I say but, "Sure." He also said you can never tell what book someone will take off the shelf and buy, unless he individually promotes the book to each person coming into the store.

In my 2 month experience as a promoter of Sundagger.net, I would say I've learned that, while no one really knows why some books sell and some don't, word of mouth from readers makes all the difference. Oh, elaborate websites are cool, but that's all.



Saturday, December 20, 2008

Events--National Writers Union, December, 2008

Let's celebrate ourselves. Come refresh yourself with the sound of the surf, the taste of fine wine, and the best of the spoken word from NWU and lapsed NWU writers. I'm reading from my novel, Sundagger.net, at the National Writers Union Annual Holiday Party, December 7, 2008, 4-7 p.m.

@Cava Wine Bar in Capitola
115 San Jose Ave
476-2282
www.cavacapitola.com

Complimentary Drinks & Hors d'oeuvres
Non-Alcoholic Drinks Available

Live Jazz With
T. Mike Walker, Bill Minor, & Heath Proskin

Hosted by NWU 7
The Santa Cruz/Monterey Chapter of the National Writers Union

Events--Alexander Book Company, Nov, 2008

Aho Silicon Valley Writers,

As a respite from our catapulting economic freefall, take a Caltrain to SF and hear me read from Sundagger.net this coming Thursday at:

Alexander Book Co.
50 Second Street --near Bart and Muni Metro (Montgomery Street Station)
San Francisco, CA 94105
Thursday, November 20th
12:30-1:30
PM

Native drumming and songs as well as Q&A are included for the price of the reading (FREE!).

Sundagger.net is a first novel of magical realism set in Silicon Valley and the Southwest of the Anasazi Indians. One family, two worlds, many lifetimes.

Alexander Book Co. is a great independent bookstore with three floors of books to browse and shop in, featuring extensive African-American, Children's and Graphic Design Departments.

Hope to see you!

Events--LitQuake, October 2008

A ho! friends and book lovers,

Join me on the last night of LitQuake, San Francisco's literary festival, the book lover's version of the traditional pub crawl through the heart of the Mission District. Native drumming will be included in my reading.

Sundagger.net is a novel of magical realism casting a wide net from the ancient Anasazi of the Southwest to the techno-frenzy of Silicon Valley. Go to http://sundagger.net for more.

I will be reading along with other powerful writers on the theme of Finding Spirit in Everyday Life: Sera Beak, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Joan Gelfand, Marc Lesser, Naomi Rose

Here's what they're saying about us at LitQuake: "Inspired, Enraged, and Even Funny, These Voices Invoke Third Millennium Spirituality." (http://www.litquake.org/the-festival/lit-crawl-2008/).

You can imagine how excited I am. Sundagger.net, is being printed as I write this.

October 11, 2008
Saturday, at 6PM-7PM
Forest Books, 3080 16th Street at Valencia
San Francisco, CA.