For Real This Time

Blog No. 260

Tuesday the 21st will be quickly upon us and the crime anthology (All These Crooked Streets) will finally be released. It’s been a long, occasionally frustrating road and I am eager for it to be over. More importantly, in the end, I’m quite happy with the book. It is a step up from No Light Tomorrow in almost every way. It’s longer, it’s better written, the layout is better, the deign is more thought out. It really is a pretty nice package and I think people are going to be happy to get their hands on it. I know I’m happy to have a new book to share with people.

Having to push it back was a bit discouraging, but the last minute change of launch date ended up being partially helpful. The first shipment we got was misprinted. So with that fixed, it should be smooth sailing. Thankfully, everyone involved was quite understanding. It took some work to find a new date, and Tuesday is a bit of a gamble, but with so many things scheduled for the holiday season, it was better to do it sooner than later. I am eager to hear the readings from Ed Gagnon and Cristian Laforet. I’ve hear Christian read many (many) times but I really like his new story so hearing it read will be cool. Ed brought something really different to the table (inspiring the crime book in the first place) so hearing him read a bit of his story will be fun too.

As for the venue, River’s Edge gives off a pretty classy, but it’s a bit of a pub too, so I think the place is perfect for this kind of book launch. They have been really accommodating and are even throwing in some appetizers, so how can you go wrong? I’m planning on having a meal there before the event starts, so maybe I’ll see some people doing the same thing.

Adding Crissi Cochrane to the mix as a musician is about as perfect an option as possible. not only is she an exceptional singer songwriter, but she matches the classy, bluesy vibe we wanted to have for the launch. The book is a crime anthology, the closer we can get to a classic jazz/lounge singer the better. And, with all the mix-ups we’ve had, we couldn’t have asked for a more understanding and professional artist to work with.

It should be a fun night and a great kickoff to a string of events that will run through next year. If you can’t make the launch, I’m sorry that you’ll miss out, but I understand. I’ll be at the Christmas Craft and Gift Show at the Serbian Centre with both Christian and Ed on the 25th and 26th. You can get the book and all three signatures. Failing that there is the ChiSeries Windsor Holiday Showcase at Phog on the 30th. It’ll be just Christian and Me, but there will be a bunch of other authors there doing readings and helping us raise donations for the series. As a last option before Christmas, I will be at the Ford City Market on Dec 21st with Christian. Hopefully I’ll get to see you at some of those events. Hopefully the launch! You’ll be sorry if you miss it!