Hide Your Sons & Daughters
Why that title?
Mario is on the road. I’m posting his schedule again so you are forewarned.
But if you find yourself in any of these areas, after making sure your family is safe, you might want to stop in. Here’s your chance to see
Mark Henry, Cherie Priest, Caitlin Kittredge and Mario all in one convenient location. That’s either very good news or very bad news. I hope the towns in question have prepared. Course Las Vegas is used to crazies so the people there hardly noticed, I’m sure. Mario is supposed to be sending pics so let’s hope he takes them before he starts drinking. Didn’t get any yesterday, though, so it’s not likely.
Mario’s road trip schedule:
Clark County Library, Jewel Box Theater
Las Vegas, NV
March 11, 2009. 7 PM
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Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
March 13, 2009. 7 PM
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Dark Delicacies
Burbank, CA
March 14, 2009. 2 PM
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Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
March 15, 2009. 7 PM
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Powell's Books
Beaverton, OR
March 16, 2009. 7 PM
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University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
March 17, 2009. 7PM
HOWEVER, I do have pictures from Mario’s signing at the Tattered Cover right before he hit the road. Sorry my camera technique isn’t the best.
Mario doing his thing.
Friends of Mario (AKA FOM's) AKA His hard working critique group
Ron & Nina Else of Who Else Books in Denver, another great Indie.
Now, let’s get to the important stuff—
TV
Squad named its top ten hottest female non-humans. Guess who’s Numero Uno?
And from
Variety (courtesy of my friend Carol Malcolm):
(Joss) Whedon will be providing "a special musical performance" for an already-special episode of Ira Glass' This American Life on April 23rd. The episode - based around the theme of "Return to the Scene of the Crime" - will also feature contributions from TAL regulars Dan Savage, David Rakoff and Acme Novelty Library's Chris Ware, and be simultaneously broadcast to over 400 movie theaters and art centers around the US. No news, yet, as to exactly what Whedon's performance will entail, but we're hopeful for an appearance by Dr. Horrible co-writers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, we have to admit.Unfortunately for me, This American Life is on Showtime, which I don’t get. If any of you catch it, let us know.
A couple of things from Shelf Awareness.
3/10/09
A paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which includes an illustrated card signed by J.K. Rowling, was sold for $19,120 by a Dallas auction house. The Associated Press (via USA Today) reported that the book was "one of only 200 copies from the first printing issued with illustrated wrappers by London publisher Bloomsbury." The winning bid came from a vintage comic book collector in Dubai.3/11/09
Love the aroma of old books? New Yorker's Book Bench blog showcased CB I Hate Perfume in Brooklyn, N.Y., which sells In the Library, "a perfume inspired by the proprietor Christopher Brosius's love of books and his inability to pass a secondhand bookshop without stopping in."According to the company, the perfume is "supposed to evoke a first-edition English novel via 'Russian and Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth, and a hint of wood polish.' "Not to mention “the faintest trace of Scotch.” I can think of a few writers who will be checking that one out for sure.
I know Mario mentioned this on Monday. Mystery writer Barbara Parker, 62, of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, died Saturday morning surrounded by her family at the Hospice By The Sea in Boca Raton after a long illness. Here’s a nice
obit done by the Sun Sentinel if you’re interested.
Who watched Castle this week? Here are my rough first impressions:
Negatives: Daughter smarter than both dad and grandma, and more mature than either. Old and timeworn. Beckett - the detective - handled evidence bare handed. Big clinker.
Postitives: Nathan, of course. Loved the little eyebrow action at the end… The poker game with Steve Cannell and Jim Patterson batting around “Castle’s” idea. Reminded me of the Tom Clancy line—the difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense…The detective. She wasn’t TOO glamorous…Overall, I liked it. I’ll watch again. How about you?
And don’t forget the contest! Here’s the deal: Answer this question in 250 words or less:
If you could spend one unbridled night with any fictional character in the world, who would it be? Why? What would you do?
Prizes: Legacy, Many Bloody Returns, magnets and pens from me—Jailbait Zombie, buttons and a devil duck from Mario. Deadline: Midnight Sat. March 21—Mario and I constitute the panel of judges and our decision is final (that sounds SO official, doesn’t it?) The winner will be announced on the Biting Edge March 26—
Send your entries to: Jeanne@jeannestein.com
In the subject line, please put “contest”
Now, I’ve gotten a few entries with just names and addresses. I think what we have here is a lack of communication. For such a fabulous cache of prizes, you have to work.
One more thing: In today’s Denver Post there is an article about some guy from Canada who is having a camera concealed inside his prosthetic eye in order to “secretly record people for a project commenting on the global spread of surveillance cameras.” He uses phrases like people are “sleepwalking into an Orwellian society.” Anybody but me see the irony in what this guy is doing? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the article on line but his name is Rob Spence if you want to conduct your own search.
See you back here next week or over at the
League of Reluctant Adults on Saturday.