October Book Launches

It’s hard to quantify how it feels to launch a book. I spoke to Stephen Hunt from The Calgary Herald about it, here, but, in fact, it sometimes still feels as though I’m living a strange unreality, where nothing has really changed since launching Clearwater.October was a busy month: two book launches, one of them in Regina, which necessitated sixteen hours in a vehicle; a drama class was added to my teaching mix; marks were due on my students’ stories (75 of them!); and the complete first draft of my novel/thesis was due on October 31.Real life goes on, and this is the first chance I've had to talk about the launches here.Shelf Life Books is a gorgeous store just south of downtown. Peter Oliva introduced me as “trouble,” due to a bait and switch reading I pulled on him at the Fernie Writers’ Conference a few years back. I signed books for a long time, grateful to chat with everyone who came through.In Regina, The Artful Dodger was a fantastic venue, easily accommodating everyone who came. I shared the launch with Anne Lazurko, a friend from Sage Hill, whose novel Dollybird was just released as well. Coby Stephenson introduced me by going back through my blog and referencing many details about my writing journey that even I’d forgotten.The hardest part of preparing both launches was choosing what to read. Finding a balance between action and narrative is a challenge – doing so without giving away important plot points was nearly impossible. I chose sections from early in the novel to introduce the characters.I was grateful to have my mom, grandma and sister come from Regina for the Calgary launch, as well as friends who made the seven-hour return trip from Fernie and back. There was a ton of support from the Calgary writing community as well, which was very much appreciated.In Regina, my family, friends and family’s friends came out in full force. It was so nice to see so many people, though I wish I’d been able to visit more. Shelley Banks took some great photos at the launch, here.Now that the launches are behind me, I’m looking forward to readings in Canmore, Fernie and Winnipeg. Details on forthcoming readings can be found here.Now it's back to report cards and novel revisions.