So any book that is going to succeed needs good marketing. One of the best ways to get your book out there and get people aware of it is to set up a booth at a convention. However that costs money and time. 
With all of that in mind I am definitely going to be attending OryCon 37! It started out a few decades as just a gathering of Sci-fi fans in a Salem, OR hotel. It has grown in scope to a 1300+ convention. So small enough that I won't panic blindly at the crowds but big enough to attract a fan base.    

There really is something special about Thanksgiving Dinner Leftovers. The turkey of course, the sweet potatoes, the stuffing, the pie (oh merciful calories the pie) it all adds up to some pretty serious creative juices. At least that is what I am hoping the tingling in my skull is right now. :) 
Have a safe weekend everyone and remember to count your blessing the rest of the year as well. 
And now let the Christmas music begin! Quite frankly I could listen to it all year long but people object for some reason. 
Here is as good a place to start as any. Mary Did You Know?

To all of my USA fans, Happy Thanksgiving!
To everyone else, well, it never hurts to sit back and think about all the things you have to be thankful for when you sit down to eat at night.
For Pie and clean running water and kittens and beautiful fall foliage. 
We are thankful. 

The second live reading for "Dying Embers" went splendidly! 
Our thanks to the Mcminnville Public Library for hosting us. As you can see from the below image they have a wonderful rustic century building and the gave us the use of their Carnegie room. 
Betty Adams gave a presentation on "Getting Your Book Published in the Facebook Age" and Cathe Frederic read Chapter 17. The crowd was small but appreciative and two of the organizers for OryCon, the leading Oregon Science Fiction Convention, were present so we made some great contacts who gave me some great ideas! We exchanged baking recipes as well. 
Hopefully I will have a booth in Author's Alley OryCon37 in 2015 and if I can swing it at this late date a booth  at Norwescon. 

For those consumers who enjoy trailers and snippets, bits of the story leaked ahead of time to whet the appetite there is something new going on.
Betty Adams on deviantart will be posting one preview chapter a week to stir  up the fans in anticipation of the book coming out once it is funded. 
So pop on over the read the exciting beginning of a rollercoaster of a story. 

Many thanks to Cornerstone Coffee Roasters for hosting "Dying Embers"'s first ever live reading!
For a first effort it was exceptional. We lined up a few tables and put up our posters and got to it. 
The reading was done by Cathe Frederic and there was a question and answer session with the author afterwards. Cathe read from chapter 17 and captured the audience with her skill. 
The crowd was small but we passed out quite a few business cards and gave autographed postcard art to the listeners.

Today will mark the first live chapter reading for "Dying Embers" 
The location is Cornerstone Coffee Roasters in Mcminnville, OR
Time-4:30 pm
The reading will be performed by Cathe Frederic and there will be a question and answer session for the author afterwards.

Dragons.
Big, scaley, and dumb as posts.
Long, limber, and cunning. 
As real as can possibly be and completely mythological. 
These creatures have been a staple of both Fantasy and Science Fiction from pretty much the beginning of literature, clearly predating either genre. They exist in both Eastern and Western mythos and have always had a fascination for readers. Books with a dragon in the title but none in the story and usually considered disappointments no matter how good they are otherwise.
For the creation of the dragons for Dying Embers I drew from both the East and the West. They are lovers of truth and logic with a strict code of honor, but not very compassionate. Definitely belonging to the "do not meddle" variety.
 (Sidenote but did anyone else have trouble with this in school?)

Back from the print shop with all of my good-gotten booty!
100 business cards to hand out
100 Postcards to sell or give as prizes
5 Posters to be put up all around town! 
On a related note the Mcminnville Public Library just rocks with awesome sauce! 


November 2oth 4:30pm - Live Book Chapter Reading Cornerstone Coffee Shop Mcminnville, OR
November 25th 4:30pm- Open house - Writing a Novel in the Facebook Age- Mcminnville Public Library, Mcminnville, OR
December 2nd 12:00pm...NOON- Live Book Chapter Readng -  Slow Train Coffee, Sheridan, OR