crush.candy.corpse-The Launch at A Different Drummer

It's been four years since my last book came out in Canada.  I have had six released in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany but it felt like there was no reflection in my mirror anymore.  With the publication of my thirtieth book, crush.candy. corpse (Lorimer) and this one in Canada, no less, it definitely seemed time to celebrate.  Especially since, Ian the owner of A Different Drummer Books, kept offering to host.  My main reason to stage the launch was simply to celebrate.

But every writer knows, a lot of nerves get played, during the days leading up to the event.  You add up your wine tab and the price of the cookie ingredients, and you realize the royalties from sales may never cover your expenditures.  Besides won't friends and family buy the book anyway?  The biggest fear, by far though, is that no one will show up.  We live in a distracted world.  

And so many of my fellow writing friends live too many traffic hours away.  If indeed no one shows up does that curse the book to failure?

Well, it was a dark and drizzly day and I awoke fighting a cold.  We headed for the store later than I had intended but still were able to enjoy the lovely ambience and great display of all of my books in advance of "the crowds".  Then my immediate family arrived, Robin and Kevin, bartenders with the backup books (oh, we only wish we needed those), Craig, my book trailer producer son next, and then Adam, my invite designer, and Jennifer, my social media director.   (The Burlington Post had also devoted a small corner to letting the general public know about the event.)  Three quarters of the grandkids came (one was celebrating her 2nd birthday and couldn't make it).  Already this intimate store came alive. Then the supportive writers arrived, some teachers, long lost relatives, people I had met on dog walks, students I had talked to on career day. What was especially heartwarming were the friends of my kids, now all adults with babes of their own, lining up to buy books for themselves.  Every birthday they used to get autographed books from us along with the trinket of the day.  My own kids cringed.  Little did I know I was building a fan base.

 So I will declare this booklaunch a huge success. Thanks to all who came out, thanks to Ian and his daughter Laura for setting everything up.  For those of you who couldn't make it, you can watch my presentation here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUzhM_2vJzg  or check out Jennifer Filipowicz's blog on it, to the right of my blog entry. Or you can raise a glass and celebrate Canadian books in whatever fashion you care to. ( But you can order a copy from A Different Drummer or order online from the box book stores, soft, hard or e-version, just sayin'.)