Hi gang –

Well, last Saturday’s launch for UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS was a real blast, and very well attended. Thanks to everybody who showed up, and even bigger thanks to everyone who bought books.

I was talking afterwards to BakkaPhoenix Manager Chris Szego, who said that sales were very strong. She seemed to have brought two boxes of books, and was returning with less than one (when we do launches for UTP books we take this as a very, very good sign). She also said that they’ll need to order more for the launch this coming Sunday at noon during Ad Astra. Excellent news!

Here are some pictures of the event:

Yours truly with a copy of the anthology

We each did a five minute reading from our stories. Don’t worry–I remembered to look up and make eye contact.

Line up for autographs! One at a time! Plenty of authors to go ’round!

An ugly little interloper always trying to hog the spotlight…

What a jovial bunch, eh? From right to left: Amanda Bloss Maloney, Darwin A. Garrison, Douglas Smith, myself, and (in profile) Jihane Noskateb–who came all the way from Paris! Jihane told me that the anthology will soon be available at the “American bookshop in Paris.” Not sure which one that is, but cool to know nonetheless!

And now a slightly more perplexed bunch. I don’t recall what the woman holding the book said, but it clearly befuddled us… On the right of Jihane, you’ll notice Jana Paniccia, one of the co-editors. I’ll have to have a word with the photographer, who didn’t get any shots of Julie Czerneda at the launch–though I’m sure it was because Julie was “under cover” that day…

The centerfold (no, really: mine is the middle story!) I think this would be really cool wallpaper for the blog…if only I knew how to change the template background.

Hearing the authors read from their stories was really interesting, as it gave me insight into how the author hears the narration in their own head. For instance, Amanda Bloss Maloney read her story with a wonderful sardonic tone–not what I’d heard when I read the story myself, but it really worked. I guess it made me realize how much each person experiences the same story differently, even differently sometimes than how the author herself does.

Next up–Ad Astra, and the book launch on Sunday, March 4th at noon.

TTFN

– S.