Monday, August 27, 2007

Group Book Signing

The group book signing that I did on Saturday with Sandra Kasturi, Michael Kelly, Brett Alexander Savory and Carol Weekes went over quite well despite the nasty rain that afternoon.

We were introduced by Chris Szego, bookstore manager extraordinaire, then we each spent a few minutes introducing our books and doing a brief reading from them.

Everyone who attended also had the chance of drawing from a hollowed out skull cup to see if they would win one of the eight free books we were giving away. We, of course, also had other fun prizes much to the amusement of those who didn't win the "grand" prizes.

Michael and I went into an over the top running joke pitch of the collaborated short story that we wrote with Carol called Relic. We kept flogging the fact that the chapbook was a horror story about an evil ancient book found on the shelves of the very store we were in and that it was written specifically for this event; we also continually pointed out that the chapbook was limited to 100 signed copies and that they could be purchased for a mere $1.50.

(And yes, before you despair that you missed a chance to get a copy of Relic: How to Get Ahead in Retail, there are still copies available at BakkaPhoenix. Call and reserve yours today -- see, I haven't stopped with the flogging)

As always, the staff of BakkaPhoenix was wonderful, the folks who showed up to support us and check out our offerings were fun and delightful to chat with, and we had a good time. It was also great to see my writing buddy Carol Weekes, whom I hadn't seen in about six years, and to finally meet her husband Rick.

I think the toughest part about the day was that I promised Francine I wouldn't buy any books. It was a difficult promise to keep, because BakkaPhoenix has an incredible selection of titles. I think within the first 10 minutes of arriving I'd already spotted at least half a dozen titles that I wanted to get. And their speculative fiction magazine selection is incredible. But I stayed true to my promise and didn't buy anything. (Francine is still amazed - I've never been able to not buy something at a book signing or visit to Bakka before. See, I am learning self-control.)

Carol, Weekes, Sandra Kasturi, Brett Alexander Savory, Mark Leslie, Michael Kelly

3 comments:

Rainypete said...

I just wish I could have made it. Did you manage to drag any extras home or do I have to go to TO and snag a copy?

Mark Leslie said...

Hey Pete - no, there are still copies available - Bakka took 50 copies, and I still have the remainder.

The only trick is the shipping will cost more than the chapbook. (It retails for $1.50 - did I mention that already? Heehee)

I'll hold onto a copy for you for the next time I see you.

Rainypete said...

Thank you good sir! I'm in your debt as usual. At least for a cool $1.50 anyhow.