After a lovely week sequestered in Bucks County with the always-entertaining Paisley Stocking Society, it’s time to leap into a busy week of Doing Writerly Stuff. Want to join me? Here’s where I’ll be:
Wednesday, July 21st
Ray Bradbury in Conversation with Sam Weller at McNally Jackson Books, 7pm
I’m not in any way involved with this one. I’m just attending, and I think you should too. Sam Weller has compiled ten years’ worth of his interviews with Mr. Bradbury into Listen to the Echoes: the Ray Bradbury Interviews. Sam Weller will be present in person to launch the book, and Ray Bradbury will be Skyping in to take questions. McNally’s event space is wonderful but very small, so if you plan to attend, you should probably show up a little early.
Reason #54 that I love Ray Bradbury is this piece of advice for writers: I have three rules to live by. One, get your work done. If that doesn’t work, shut up and drink your gin. And when all else fails, run like hell!
McNally Jackson Books 52 Prince Street, between Lafayette and Mulberry Streets, NYC 10012 212-274-1160Thursday, July 22nd
Book Mark Shoppe Kids’ Book Club, 6pm
I’ll be visiting Bay Ridge, Brooklyn’s BookMark Shoppe, where they’re hosting a book club discussion of The Boneshaker for ages 10-15 . I believe I have also convinced the amazing Andrea Offermann, the illustrator behind the beautiful images in The Boneshaker, to come ALL THE WAY FROM GERMANY TO ATTEND THIS BOOK CLUB. Seriously. (She is coming all the way from Germany, and she is coming to the book club. So it’s mostly true.) I should mention that it could not be easier to get here, so I don’t want to hear any griping from parents in Manhattan and other non-Brooklyn boroughs. Take the Brooklyn-bound R train to 86th Street and 4th Ave. Walk one avenue west to 3rd and two streets north to 84th. If you want to speed things up by taking the N to 59th and walking across the platform to the R, you’ll cut your time down even further. Don’t be lazy. Brooklyn is calling.
The Book Mark Shoppe 8415 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, 11209 718-833-5115Sunday, July 25th
“Writing Fantasy for Children and Teens” Panel, Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH, 2pm-4pm
This should be a ton of fun. I’ll be part of a panel with six authors I just love, and we’ll be talking all aspects of, well, writing fantasy for children and teens. Come out and visit! With Ellen Booraem (The Unnameables), Chris Brodien-Jones (The Owl Keeper), Leah Cypess (Mistwood), Marissa Doyle (Betraying Season, Bewitching Season), Deva Fagan (Fortune’s Folly, The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle), Angie Frazier (Everlasting), and yours truly.
Toadstool Bookshop Lorden Plaza, Milford, NH 603-673-1734So that’s my week of excitement. Hope to see you somewhere along the way! Oh, and here’s another Ray Bradbury quote to tide you over until Wednesday: All my life I’ve been running through the fields and picking up bright objects. I turn one over and say, yeah, there’s a story.
