The signing at Mysterious Galaxy went quite nicely. Besides signing copies of Elegy Beach and Ariel (old and new), I blathered endlessly about the writing of the books and my approaches to writing in general, and answered some great questions (my friend Tom Morgan showed up and grilled me mercilessly — I can’t wait till the tables are turned).
The staff at Mysterious Galaxy Books were wonderful and the store is the kind of specialty bookshop I’m sad to say you just don’t see that often anymore. If you live in the San Diego area, I can’t recommend them enough. We hadn’t even gotten underway and I was talking to MG employee Samantha Wynn about Burning Man and DJ gigs as if we’d known each other forever.
I’ll be seeing some of the MG crew again in a few days when I teach at the La Jolla Writers Conference, as MG is the book supplier for the conference. Woo hoo!
One really great surprise: Greg van Eekhout, whom I’d run into at World Fantasy Con, showed up. Greg was a talented student of mine when I used to teach at UCLA Extension, and now he has published a bunch of stuff, including his most recent YA novel, Norse Code. It’s been wonderful to watch his career develop and his star rise. He’s also a great guy. I just wish he’d have the consideration to age along with the rest of us. He doesn’t look a day older than when he was in my classes, and I think that’s extremely rude of him.
I was also delighted that Ken Mitchroney, my buddy pal since the Early Impecunious Period, showed up with a crew of animators and ne’er do wells (if that isn’t redundant). I’ll blog about Ken one day but it’ll be tough: he’s had such a full life, and has accomplished so many things in so many different fields, that he deserves a book, not a blog post. (Director, storyboard artist, comic book artist, race-car driver, pinstriper, custom car & trike builder, artist & advisor to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, railfan & antique train restorer, official cartoonist and logo designer for the Oakland As & the Baltimore Orioles — and that’s just on Mondays. He also took a great shot of me for the author’s pic on the recent books — and a good shot of me is a bigger accomplishment than all the other stuff put together.)
Ken dragged along his friends & Omation Studios coworkers Woody Woodman, Hayley Kohler, Tom Morgan, and Paul Claerhout. The latter two I met when I wrote interstitials for The Ant Bully at DNA Studios in Dallas. One-man peanut gallery and curmudgeon-in-arms John Field, whom I’ve known since the Late Salacious Epoch, threw zingers from the seats.
It was the first such event I’ve had in a long time, and it felt great to have old friends there.
(all pictures by Ken Mitchroney)
I don’t think Norse Code is really YA. But it is a fun read! (And I’m not just saying that because Greg Van E. is a fellow VP-er!)
Yah, my bad! Greg gave it to me and I knew he’d been writing YA’s, so I assumed this was one. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet; things are crazy (even more so than usual) right now. I’m just so enormously happy for him and proud of him.
Dunno wudditiz a VPer, though!
Steve, I wonder if this event was partially or completely recorded. I’m all the way out here in the Hartford area of CT and have no reasonable way to see you pitch the book (which I’ve already read and immensely enjoyed).
Hi, Brian! We only took pix, which I posted here, but I’ve been interviewed a few times for some radio shows & will be posting links as they appear. I’ve also begun recording my classes & talks and will be posting here (I’ll be blogging about the fantastic La Jolla Writers Conference and hopefully posting one of the classes soon).
Unfortunately we have nothing scheduled for the east coast as yet, but it’ll show up on my sidebar calendar when & if we do!
I’m delighted you enjoyed Elegy Beach!