>Launch of The Hunchback Assignments

>It's officially launched! The book is on it's way to the moon. Or maybe to Mars. It all happened on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd, 2009 at Mcnally Robinson Booksellers in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. One hundred and ten or so people showed up. And not all of them were my relatives!
?I'm doing my fancy Keynote presentation, complete with sfx. And no glitches!
?I'm standing there with my "what should I say next?" look.

You can watch a short video about it:
[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/AYGitAIA]
The voices that I used on the Keynote presentation were from the radio plays on the Hunchback website.
?Signing books!
?A pile of my books for sale.
?Smiling away as I try to remember people's names.
?
On The bestseller list already!

All in all it was a great night. And there were free cookies, too.

Art

>Odd Victorian Factoid #27: Queen Victoria's Burial

>Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria died on the 22nd of January, 1901, at the age of 81. She was buried in a white dress (she had worn black since the death of her husband 40 years earlier) and her wedding veil. She also had rings, bracelets, her husband's dressing gown, a photo of her servant John Brown (who predeceased her), a lock of John Brown's hair, shawls, handkerchiefs, and plaster casts of the hands of some of her favourite people stuffed into the coffin with her. She loved clutter!

>A Whole Box of American Version Hunchback Assignments...

>?

This is what authors find exciting. A whole box of books arriving! At my door. I have all my author's copies now. And only a week and a day until the book is released in the U.S.

? They popped out o' there like a spring heeled Jack! Err, several Spring Heeled Jacks, that is.

? And now the traditional authorial pose with the books....

Gosh, life is grand...

Art

>American Hunchback Books Are Here!

>?Yes, they've arrived. Blue and bold and ready to take on the world. Just the first two copies are here--extra bonus Random House sent me the library binding. I like library bindings. They're so sure of themselves. Sturdy, too. Now to wait by the door for the rest of my author copies. I'll set them up like dominoes. Or I'll re-enact the final battle in the Lord of the Rings using the American and the Canadian versions. Hmmm, which one is Frodo? And was it clever of me to name my character Modo? It rhymes with Frodo, that must be clever.

Modo lives!

Art