A little update...
I've completed the bookstore signings mentioned below and am gearing up for my final event before Christmas. I'll be doing a reading, followed by a Q and A session at the Coquitlam Public Library, 575 Poirier Street, on December 3 at 7 pm with colleagues Cathy Ace and Don Hauka. It's a free event, so the library suggests pre-registering by calling (604) 937-4155. There'll be books available for cash sales.
I've only done one other reading before, and that was for our local community TV station. This one will be in front of a live audience...gulp... You'd think reading your own words would be pretty easy, but like many things, there's more to it than is apparent at first glance.
You have to remember to breathe in the right places, or risk sounding like you're being strangled when you get to the end of a longer sentence. And realize that a bit of performance is required while still seeming relaxed and natural. And to project your voice so people at the back of the room can hear you.
Since there'll be three of us reading, there won't be time to read a whole chapter, so I've had to try to find a scene that will make sense when pulled from its framework, and make the audience want to learn more about the characters. Fortunately, the book has some humorous scenes and I think I've found a section from chapter one that will amuse and--I hope--entice listeners to find out what happens next.
If you get time, drop in and say hello, and watch me try to sound like I know what I'm doing.
I'm doing signings at bookstores...Yep, it's true...I'm going to be signing copies of Death of a Bride and Groom at bookstores. Now there's a sentence I've never said until now.
This Saturday, October 24, I kick off what I'm calling my "Tour de Chapters." (Chapters, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, is a large, Canadian bookstore chain, sometimes referred to as Chapters/Indigo.)
I've inveigled a few other writers to join me, so at least I'll have someone to chat with if no one shows up. (I'm told that happens sometimes.) Have a look at the posters on the left--they'll tell you who'll be keeping me company and when and where we'll show up. The other writers--Cathy Ace, Debra Purdy Kong, and Don Hauka--are all wonderful writers with entertaining mysteries to their name, and well worth checking out if you aren't familiar with their work.
After we finish the last of the Chapters appearances, Cathy Ace, Don Hauka and I are booked to do readings, followed by discussion, at the Coquitlam Public Library on December 3 from 7-8:30 pm.
In the book, the murder victims are propped atop a giant, wedding cake parade float. I decided a bit of a display would be helpful in getting people in the bookstore to come over and chat, so I did an interpretation of the book cover theme. It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but the cake with its bride and groom echoes the book's cover shot (have a look at the book cover on the top left of this page), only on my cake, the bride and groom are still atop the cake.
Here's a closer look at the couple atop the cake. I might have overdone the bloodstains on the groom--looks like he's been the victim of an axe attack, rather than a gun shot. I bought the bride and groom figures on eBay and realized to my surprise that they are identical to the figures on the book cover. I'm guessing whoever did the cover got the figures from the same place I did. What are the odds this would happen?
If you're in the Greater Vancouver area I'd love to meet you at one of these events. Drop in and say hello, and let's talk about mysteries!
I've completed the bookstore signings mentioned below and am gearing up for my final event before Christmas. I'll be doing a reading, followed by a Q and A session at the Coquitlam Public Library, 575 Poirier Street, on December 3 at 7 pm with colleagues Cathy Ace and Don Hauka. It's a free event, so the library suggests pre-registering by calling (604) 937-4155. There'll be books available for cash sales.
I've only done one other reading before, and that was for our local community TV station. This one will be in front of a live audience...gulp... You'd think reading your own words would be pretty easy, but like many things, there's more to it than is apparent at first glance.
You have to remember to breathe in the right places, or risk sounding like you're being strangled when you get to the end of a longer sentence. And realize that a bit of performance is required while still seeming relaxed and natural. And to project your voice so people at the back of the room can hear you.
Since there'll be three of us reading, there won't be time to read a whole chapter, so I've had to try to find a scene that will make sense when pulled from its framework, and make the audience want to learn more about the characters. Fortunately, the book has some humorous scenes and I think I've found a section from chapter one that will amuse and--I hope--entice listeners to find out what happens next.
If you get time, drop in and say hello, and watch me try to sound like I know what I'm doing.
**********
I'm doing signings at bookstores...Yep, it's true...I'm going to be signing copies of Death of a Bride and Groom at bookstores. Now there's a sentence I've never said until now.
This Saturday, October 24, I kick off what I'm calling my "Tour de Chapters." (Chapters, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, is a large, Canadian bookstore chain, sometimes referred to as Chapters/Indigo.)
I've inveigled a few other writers to join me, so at least I'll have someone to chat with if no one shows up. (I'm told that happens sometimes.) Have a look at the posters on the left--they'll tell you who'll be keeping me company and when and where we'll show up. The other writers--Cathy Ace, Debra Purdy Kong, and Don Hauka--are all wonderful writers with entertaining mysteries to their name, and well worth checking out if you aren't familiar with their work.
After we finish the last of the Chapters appearances, Cathy Ace, Don Hauka and I are booked to do readings, followed by discussion, at the Coquitlam Public Library on December 3 from 7-8:30 pm.
In the book, the murder victims are propped atop a giant, wedding cake parade float. I decided a bit of a display would be helpful in getting people in the bookstore to come over and chat, so I did an interpretation of the book cover theme. It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but the cake with its bride and groom echoes the book's cover shot (have a look at the book cover on the top left of this page), only on my cake, the bride and groom are still atop the cake.
Here's a closer look at the couple atop the cake. I might have overdone the bloodstains on the groom--looks like he's been the victim of an axe attack, rather than a gun shot. I bought the bride and groom figures on eBay and realized to my surprise that they are identical to the figures on the book cover. I'm guessing whoever did the cover got the figures from the same place I did. What are the odds this would happen?
If you're in the Greater Vancouver area I'd love to meet you at one of these events. Drop in and say hello, and let's talk about mysteries!