Is this thing on?

Last night's reading went well. Twenty-five or so attendees. Not bad for a non-air-conditioned venue on the hottest day of the year (so far).

It's sale time again at Night Shade Books. We've got a few big titles coming in, and we need to clear space in a big way! So until midnight on Sunday, May 25th, we're offering 50% off all in-stock and forthcoming Night Shade books. Use the coupon code 50NSB2008, and there is a four book minimum order.

Not only do we have some great books, including Harry Turtledove's After the Downfall, Tim Lebbon's Bar None, Jay Lake's Madness of Flowers, Graham Joyce's How to Make Friends with Demons, and Glen Cook's An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat, coming in the next few months, but we've also added, for the first time, the infamous Night Shade Books Posse T-Shirts. These are printed on American Apparel sweat shop-free high quality shirts and Made in the U.S.A., and will feature a clever quote from a well-known genre personality (T-Shirts will be shipping on approximately June 15, 2008). We've also uncovered a handful of slip cases, for our Lord Dunsany and Manly Wade Wellman collections, that we're making available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

And don't forget our forthcoming anthologies: The Living Dead, Fast Ships, Black Sails, and Eclipse 2.

It's bloody hot, and I'm working from home today, reading slush and setting up the dominoes for tomorrow's Night Shade Books half price sale (yes, you heard right – consider this an advance head’s up). But it's bloody hot, so part of me is wishing I was down in the City, enjoying that ocean breeze in the scenic Sunset.

But Maddie and I are making the best of it, hiding from the sun, drinking lots of water, and taking turns lying on the cool tile floor of the bathroom.

At the same time, I'm trying to get myself psyched up for tonight's reading at the Phoenix. I'll be reading "Jennifer Army", a piece from my Chick Bassist story cycle (i.e. my Master’s thesis) that appeared in the last issue of Satellite Fiction. The show’s free, and we’ve got cold water, so stop on by if you can.

Yesterday, Jennifer and I were out running errands up in the Rohnert Park/Cotati area, making our monthly pilgrimage to the Comic Book Box, among other things. As we were getting on the freeway, heading from point B to point C, she spotted Sift, the brand-new cupcakery in the area. We took a quick vote, and cupcakes won, so we doubled back, then back again when I missed the parking lot entrance, finally arriving at the cupcakery. Owner Andrea Ballus greeted us when we walked in, and after our eyes adjusted to the astonishingly-pink color scheme, cheerfully gave us the grand cupcake tour, which is rather impressive.



We ended up picking up four cupcakes (at $2.75 each), the “Bugsy,” a carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting, an “Irish Car Bomb” (Guinness chocolate cake and Irish cream frosting—a tasteless name for a drink, all things considered, but a tasty cupcake), the “Ooh-La-La” (red velvet cake), and the hit of the bunch, a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting that I’ve since forgotten the clever name for, thanks to the sugar coma I fell into shortly after we got home and sampled the lot. Great stuff all around, so I’m sure we’ll be heading back to Sift soon (but not today, since they’re closed for a bit of construction). After all, there’s Limonata and Key Lime Bliss yet to be tried!


Peanut butter frosting FTW.

(Hey spinnerweb, is a cupcakery enough incentive to come north and visit?)

(As posted in the Night Shade Books forums... feel free to click on over and weigh in...)

Do you listen to Escape Pod and/or Pseudopod? In their most recent episodes, podcasts of Michael Swanwick's "A Small Room in Koboldtown" and Celia Marsh's "Wounds" respectively, both podcasts have featured a new sponsor... us.

Yes, that's right. We're advertising, trying to get the word out on Walter Jon Williams's Implied Spaces and Liz Williams's The Shadow Pavilion.

Have you listened to either of these podcasts? If so, what did you think? Would you be more likely to pick up Implied Spaces or The Shadow Pavilion based on what you heard? Would you like to hear us do more of this sort of advertising?

Feel free to reply and let us know what you think.

Sincerely,

Ross E. Lockhart
Night Shade Books

"Y'know," said Maddie. "Sometimes you just gotta say something, to let folks know they're doing things right..."

( More behind the cut... )

"So there I was," said Maddie, "walking through the moon base, when all of a sudden, thwonk!, a purple space squid landed right on top of my head..."

( More of Maddie's Adventures... In Space behind the cut... )

"...Like a true nature's child... We were born, born to be wild... We can climb so high... I never wanna di-iii-ie..."


"...Born to Wi-iii-ild...."


"What?"

"Oh, boy!" exclaimed Maddie, as I dropped her onto the passenger seat. "A ride in the car! Are we going to San Francisco today?"

"Nope," I answered. "Think closer to home."

"Are we picking up Jennifer from work?" She rolled on the seat, pausing to sniff at the container of water I'd left in the cup holder.

I buckled my seat belt, then started the car. "Closer."

"Taco Bell?" she asked, resuming rolling.

"No," I answered with a shake of my head. "No Taco Bell. We're going to go get you a car seat."

Maddie stopped rolling, staring up at me with a wrinkled brow. "Phooey!"

We drove the couple of blocks to Our Best Friends, then drove around the block until we finally found a parking space. I parked, shutting off the Prius.

"Nuts to your car seat," insisted Maddie. "Nuts. I don't need a baby seat."

"It's not a baby seat," I said. "Besides, it looks like it's going to be illegal for you to ride unrestrained pretty soon."

"Sheesh. It's not like I ride in your lap," said Maddie. "That is... most of the time."

I scratched her on the head. "They're calling it the 'Paris Hilton Law'."

"Peerless Stilton?" asked Maddie, licking her lips. "I like Stilton. Danish Blue, too. But what's this car seat law got to do with cheese?"

"Paris Hilton," I corrected. "The um... actress... er... singer... er.... Whatever. It's a law, and a safety thing, and we don't want any unnecessary trouble, right?"

"Okay," said Maddie, as we climbed out of the car and crossed the street. "Fine. We'll get a car seat."


"Hey Hannah," said Maddie as we walked through the door at Our Best Friends. "Some hairless Piltdown says I gotta get a car seat."

"Paris..." I started to say, then just shook my head. "Oh, nevermind."

( Continued behind the cut... )

Petaluma's Word Pirates put on a show to entertain and scintillate your senses… with literature!

Petaluma, Calif., May 15 – Word Pirates, a professional writing group, will host its second annual reading on May 15. True to their name, the Word Pirates will commandeer the Phoenix Theater to tell tales that could rouse a dead man.

Last year's standing-room-only reading featured local artists, gripping stories, and a surprise pirate duel. This year's event will be even better. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., with pirate-themed appetizers, grog, and surprise entertainment. Then the Word Pirates will read original pieces created in the group during the last year. This event is free and all are welcome. Peg legs and parrots must be checked at the door.

Word Pirates Reading
Date: Thursday, May 15
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Phoenix Theater – 201 Washington St., Petaluma
Cost: Free (donations welcomed)

Reading at the Event: Robin Cadogan, Morgan Elliott, Joy Lanzendorfer, Ross Lockhart, and Marcia Simmons.

For more information, visit www.wordpirates.org, e-mail wordpirates@gmail.com, or call 707-782-0971. Arrr!

***

About the Group: Word Pirates is an independent writing group dedicated to the development and publication of creative writing. Co-founders Joy Lanzendorfer and Marcia Simmons chose the group's name to reflect that while the group takes writing seriously, they don't take themselves too seriously. You can visit the Word Pirates online at www.wordpirates.org.

Joy Lanzendorfer is a freelance writer living in Petaluma. Her work has been published in Writer's Digest, The Writer, Salon, Imbibe, Paste, Bay Nature, San Francisco Chronicle, Pacific Sun and the North Bay Bohemian, among others. She also has an MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, where she sat on the editorial board for Fourteen Hills Literary Journal. She was a judge in last year's Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Award.

Marcia Simmons is an author services manager for Federated Media Publishing. Previously, she was the managing editor for the North Bay Business Journal, a New York Times publication. She was an editor and contributor for Project Censored's annual book of censored stories and produced radio and TV programs for the organization. Her blog can be found at www.smartkitty.org.

Maddie, seen here guarding the treat section at Our Best Friends, says you should click on through and check out the Flickr set from Sunday's Small Dog Social, before everybody else beats you to the good stuff.

I just realized that Demons is the reason I've never seen another Argento flick in a theater.... Wow. Talk about personal breakthroughs.

This entry is, inexplicably, brought to you by the letter R...


I skipped a chance to go see La Terza Madre (Mother of Tears) with jlassen this evening. Alas, as much as I want to see the third chapter of Dario Argento's Three Mothers Trilogy (Suspira and Inferno being the other two), I just wasn't up to the drive to SF. Nope, the week was just too long (and don't even get me started on the Hodgson book that haunts my weekend). Besides, as I later realized, with the exception of Demons (Which is, I know, Bava, but Argento was producer and writer), I've never actually watched an Argento film in a theatre. Wouldn't want to go setting a precedent.

Instead, Jennifer and I walked down to Velasco's (best Mexican food in Petaluma!) for dinner. Now we're home, settling in for a night of reading and relaxing... and waiting for Jeremy to post his review.

Early one morning last week, I was working from home, drinking my coffee while cleaning up and correcting the Harry Turtledove book Night Shade is putting out in June. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door.

Now it wasn't a big knock, only a slight scratching. And it wasn't the front door, either. It was the back door. So I went to check.

I looked out the window. Nothing. I opened the door. Still nothing. I looked down...

( Find out what was at the door (and more) behind the cut... )

"It's a tough decision," says Maddie. "One you gotta make this time every year in Petaluma. Maybe you folks out there can help me decide. So what do you say...?"

( Help Maddie decide behind the cut... )

A third series of Doll Parts photos is now available on Flickr. Click through for more.

Friday, over at Our Best Friends, Maddie decided to try on a pair of Doggles...


"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

( More behind the cut... )

Swiped from novawildstar: I can has Theremin...?

Easily the "Stairway..." to end all Stairways.

I'd retreated to the office, in an attempt to catch up on some e-mail, leaving Jennifer watching some mediocre R&B tune on American Idle. Maddie followed me in, settling into her bed while I typed and read. She recognized the riff first, and started pawing at my leg while I was still mindlessly tapping my foot along with the rhythm. "Come on," said Maddie, turning in circles. "I love this song!"



I've got to say... It's been more than thrity years since the song originally came out, and Nancy Wilson may be pushing sixty, but they rocked it. And Fergie? Who knew? (Yeah, yeah. She covered it on the Shrek the Third soundtrack. What can I say, I was warned away from that one.)

Here's the rub... I went to ITunes this morning, figuring that this was the one performance from that godawful show I'd actually be willing to buy (and hey, proceeds go to charity). But guess what's not available. Sure, they've got two songs from Billy Ray Cyrus's annoying sprogling, but Heart? Nope.

I commute, so I listen to a lot of podcasts. These are the best of the last week or so...

I've mentioned before that I dig StarShipSofa, particularly now that they have added a short story feature to their podcast feed. Recent high points include Elizabeth Bear's stunning And the Deep Blue Sea, Joe Haldeman's chilling Graves (Want to know how to write a damn good short story? Read and learn from this.), and Ted Chiang's fantastic The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate. Funnily enough, all three are available from Night Shade Books, Bear in The Chains that You Refuse and Wastelands, Haldeman in War Stories, and Chiang in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Two.

Also worth a listen is PodCastle's initial offering, Peter S. Beagle's fabulous (as in "of the nature of a fable or myth") Come Lady Death (Beagle's "The Last and Only, or Mr. Moskowitz Becomes French", also well worth reading, is included in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Two and Eclipse One) and Pseudopod's presentation of Amanda Spikol's Welsh zombie tale, The Sons of Carbon County. Good stuff, all of it.

Those ought to keep you busy for a little while...