Great review of A Body at Rest on ReadAllDay.org and new short story published

The reviewer, Nina Sankovitch, also listed it as one of her “Great Books” and “Great Books: Life.” If you’re not familiar with the site, the NY Times ran a great profile on her in fall 2009.

I’m also happy to say that my short story, “Monster Jones Wants to Creep You Out,” is in the new issue of Conclave: A Journal of Character (and the issue is finally out!). You can read the table of contents on the Conclave website. Conclave is a great up-and-coming journal out of Chicago. I’m delighted to be published in it.

I just finished recording an interview for Talk @ Ten with Joan Bryden. It will air on Port Clinton Radio (http://www.portclintonradio.com/) this Friday at 10:00 a.m. and then be in their online archive for a week. (Only a week!) We talked about A Body at Rest and writing and other fun stuff.

In other news, my short story “Monster Jones Wants to Creep You Out,” should be out in the new issue of Conclave: A Journal of Character sometime in March 2010. I’m going to try and attend the launch party in Chicago (weather and family permitting).

I’m flattered to be one of three featured alumnae authors at Ursuline College’s Alumnae Appreciation Night and Fundraiser at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at Legacy Village next Thursday, November 12 from 6-9 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of A Body at Rest. Other alumnae authors at this event include Janie Reinart, author of Love You More Than You Know (nonfiction), and Deborah Perez-Stable, author of That Blessed Christmas Night (children’s book).Please stop by and buy a book or two (or have some dinner at the bistro). 20% of all bookstore purchases and 10% of all bistro purchases will be donated to Ursuline. Please stop by if you have a chance!

A Happy Accident
I stumbled upon this blog, which last December named my short story, “Sunday Morning in 1982,” Best Short Story Published in a Lit Mag. Thought it was cool.

This is a quick heads-up to say that I will be in one of the Regional Author booths at the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA) trade show this Saturday, October 3, from 3-4 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

I’m also happy to say that I had a short story accepted by Conclave: A Journal of Character for their Fall 2009 issue. Conclave is a newish journal (this is only their second issue) based in Chicago. I’m very excited that they’ll be publishing me. The story is called Monster Jones Wants to Creep You Out.

On October 21 at 7:00 p.m., I’ll be doing a book talk and reading at the Lakewood Public Library. Please come out and say hello!

Check out Loganberry Books Local Author Fair on Saturday, June 27 from 12-4. I’ll be there, selling A Body at Rest, along with 36 other area writers. Check the Loganberry websitefor more details.

A Body at Rest also received a generally favorable review from Austenprose (although I think it wasn’t enough in the Jane Austen fan fiction realm to completely satisfy them).

Midwest Book Review gave A Body at Rest a great review in the May 2009 issue of its Small Press Bookwatch!

“The road brings it all out. “A Body at Rest” follows Martha and Nina as the two college-educated young women who hit the road after they grow dissatisfied with their lives. Their trip is not a usual one, as they find the literature they both love so much impacting their journey. A tale of a quarter life crisis and what emerges from it, Martha and Nina’s adventure is enthralling, entertaining, and will give readers much to relate to, making “A Body at Rest” a highly recommended read.”

A Body at Rest provided the jumping-off point for a nice essay at The Nervous Breakdown

If you’ve heard about A Body at Rest and are curious as to whether it’s something you’d like, here are links to some of the reviews of the book.

Cool Cleveland.com liked it (and also conducted a nice interview)

Michele at A Reader’s Respite really liked it.

As did Meg at WriteMeg!

The Loud Librarian wasn’t sure (and that’s cool too)

I also did an interview with Dee Perry on WCPN’s Around Noon program (90.3 FM/Cleveland’s NPR affiliate). Wanna listen to the interview?

So there you have it. A lot of good press and some incredibly positive reviews. If you’re a former Liberal Arts major wondering what to do with your life or if you’re just a reader looking for something that’s funny and different, I hope you’ll take a little leap of faith and buy my book. I think you’ll like it.

Well, the official release party isn’t for a couple more days (Thursday, March 26), but the book is now available online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. I’m working to get it into more local indie bookstores in the Cleveland area; you could also special order it from any chain bookstore (Drinian Press distributes through Ingram). Did you know that March is Small Press Month? Why not celebrate by buying a book from a small press?

I have to say that I’m incredibly excited by the experience of releasing this book. People I know (and some I don’t know) are all helping me to promote it. It’s gratifying to realize that people think my work is worth an investment of their time and/or money. And it’s humbling. Thanks to everyone who’s helped me.

In addition to the signing and launch party on March 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Mac’s Backs in Cleveland, I’m going to be part of a local author book fair at Borders Books and Music at Sandusky Mall (4314 Milan Rd, Sandusky, OH) on Saturday, March 21 from 1-3. Please stop by and say hello if you’re in the area. Pre-order forms for A Body at Rest are available HERE.