Tag Archive for: Crescent City

Report on My Book Launch and One More Mistake

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I’m back from Crescent City and the most successful book launch I’ve ever had, this was for Kindred Spirits, the latest in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series.

Before the event, Junie Mattice, the Tolowa woman who inspired the story and two characters, stopped by to see me at the home where I was staying. We had a great reunion and I gave her a copy of the book, explaining about the mistake of the wrong name on the dedication. She laughed and thought it was funny because she’d given me that name. She took the book and went right home and read it.

We had two luncheons, one right after the other 11:30 and 1:30 at a historic B and B, the Ana Wulf House. Those who came paid $25 and received a copy of the book.

Junie was right there with me to autograph books. She told me she loved it, but she also found another mistake. That one I’m not telling anyone about and will wait and see how many will let me know. It’s another error with a name.

After the luncheon, the first setting, I spoke about the book and how I met Junie and what she’d told me about her people. Then Junie talked about being Tolowa and some of the history and near genocide of her people. One of her daughters came too and was extremely thrilled for her mom.

The second setting we did much of the same but one of Junie’s aunts and two sisters came. One of the sisters was a Tolowa storyteller and she honored us with two stories.

Both settings were full–and I was paid for the books and extra to help with the gas.

On Thursday evening Junie and I did a free repeat performance (if you can call it that) at the Crescent City Library to another full house. Sold more books and Junie sold some of her excellent art work. I also donated a complete set of my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries to the library and was so glad I did because they have no budget for book.

It was a great week even if it did take us two days to get there and two days to get home.

Next up, I’m the keynote speaker for the Prose in the Park Writers’ Conference in Taylorville IL. (Flying to that one.)

Marilyn

Perils of Being an Author

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By the time you’re reading this I’ll be on the last leg of my journey to Crescent City and the launch of Kindred Spirits. Because hubby and I have to make regular potty stops, it takes us two days to drive to Crescent City which sits right next to the Oregon border.

Hopefully, I’ll be carrying the 200 books I ordered.

The last part of the drive is wonderful as we’ll be driving through the majestic redwood forest. The ancient redwoods are absolutely mind boggling. When you’re in the forest the trees are so thick, you can’t see the sky.

If we’re lucky, we’ll see a herd of elk. We have each time we’ve driven to Crescent City.

As we draw closer, we’ll be driving along the coast. The ocean is gorgeous along here with fantastic rock formations.

The whole process of getting Kindred Spirits out in time for the book launch has been nerve-wracking. Just before the edits came, I found out that a prominent fact given to me by my primary source and I used in the book several times was erroneous. This meant a scramble trying to find the places and making the changes so they sounded like that’s what they were meant to be.

When the galley arrived, I found one more place that had to be altered. In my determination to make sure the galley was correct I neglected to check the Dedication page. After the book was at the printer and too late to make anymore changes, I looked at the galley for something else and guess what I found? The last name of the person I dedicated the book to is wrong! The first name is correct, but the last name is the name I gave to one of the characters in the book. Granted, the character was inspired by this person, but that doesn’t excuse the mistake.

I suspect when I ran the spell-checker at some point, it suggested I change the right name which is quite unusual to the other name and I mindlessly did it and never noticed my error.

I’ll hand correct the mistake in the books that go out in Crescent City–and I’ll promise the person I dedicated it to a corrected copy when new books are printed. That’s all I can do at this point.

An apology will definitely be a part of my speech at the launching at the Ana Wulf Bed and Breakfast on Wednesday.

Oh, the trials and pain of being an author.

Who knows? Maybe the copy with the mistake in it will become a collector’s copy. Yeah, right.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Planning Towards Next Book Promo

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In my book that will be coming out towards the end of August, Kindred Spirits, my heroine, Deputy Tempe Crabtree heads to Crescent City, CA to see if she can find out some information about a murder victim. While there she meets relatives of the victims, who are also Tolowa.
As a presenter in a writers conference at the college in Crescent City, I had the opportunity to meet a wonderful Tolawa woman, Junie Mattice. She told me fascinating stories about her people, Big Foot, and some of the horrors the Tolowa have endured. Besides the fact, the white man did a wholesale slaughter on them in the 1800s, President Eisenhower decided since there weren’t many of them left, they shouldn’t be considered a legitimate tribe. So no Tolowa receive the benefits other Native Americans do. What a travesty!

Within the boundaries of Crescent City are redwood forests–gorgeous enormous trees that were growing before Christ was born. They cut down a whole section of the forest to build the infamous prison, Pelican Bay. They’ve also cut down many of these magnificent trees to clear the land for houses. Also sad.

I’ll be going back to Crescent City in September to promote my book. I’m not sure how well I’ll be received as I’ve portrayed the Tolowa and how they are treated now in a factual manner.
We’ve been invited to stay with friends who are enthusiastically planning the promotion for the book. I met the wife years ago when she attended a writing class I was giving. She is married to a minister who is now retired and they chose Crescent City as the place they wanted to live. She’s hoping to line up a library talk, a bookstore appearance over the border in Oregon, and most exciting, an appearance at the Tolowa coffee house run by Junie Mattice. Of course I dedicated the book to Junie.

One of the most fun parts of the book is some references to Big Foot. The Tolowa are great believers in Big Foot. In the book that comes after this one, Dispel the Mist, Tempe encounters the Hairy Man, the Yokut’s counterpart of Big Foot.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com