The local book launch last Thursday night was a great evening! Despite the rain and cold, there were about 40 people (maybe more) who came along to Dymocks and celebrated the book’s publication. The Dymocks staff were fantastic, and it was wonderful to have their support for the book.
Thanks to everyone who came along! I do appreciate all your enthusiasm and congratulations.
A reminder to anyone in the Armidale area that Dymocks (in the Beardy Street Mall) is hosting a local launch of As Darkness Falls this Thursday, 4th September, at 5.30pm. There’ll be wine and nibblies, some discussion about the book and the genre, and I’ll be signing books for those that want my scrawl.
Do come along and celebrate with me!
(I thought I’d actually posted this on Sunday – but must have just pressed ‘save’ rather than ‘publish’. Oops.)
I didn’t get into town on Thursday after all, as a thunderstorm started as I was getting ready to go, and I didn’t want to leave the dogs outside during it. I didn’t have anything urgent to do, so I went in on Friday instead – and also had to go in yesterday, as well.
My book is in the shops 🙂 It’s quite a special buzz, to see it on the shelves in the bookshops and in Big W and K-Mart. Big W even has a promotion for it on their in-store radio, which happened to air just as I was walking towards the book section. Dymocks, who are hosting the local launch event next Thursday evening, have it prominently displayed right beside the front entrance. I know they’ve sold at least two copies – I minded my friend Danielle’s wool shop for a few minutes on Friday while she went up to buy it, and yesterday my friend Martin asked me to wait while he bought it so that I could sign it for him, as he can’t make it on Thursday.
I’m definitely going to have to practise writing by hand again – I’m so used to using the computer these days, that my handwriting takes effort to keep readable!
As Darkness Falls will be out on the shelves in the next couple of days. Okay, I confess I checked a couple of bookshops today, just in case they had it out early, but there was no sign of it. It’s not supposed to be out until tomorrow or Thursday, so this is no major surprise. I will, of course, being a neurotic enthusiastic first-time author, check the airport bookshops tomorrow as I’m flying home, but they’re the only bookshops I’ll see for a day or two.
But what did happen today was that the book’s website went live – asdarknessfalls.com.au
Please do hop on over and have a look around. There are character profiles, an author Q & A, questions for reading groups to discuss, and you can download the first chapter to read.
After the fun, inspiring, and motivating weekend at the RWAustralia conference, I flew up to Canberra yesterday to see my Dad. My Mum came down to Melbourne for the book launch and stayed with me in the conference hotel for the weekend, attending the awards dinner on Saturday night, but my Dad isn’t strong enough now to travel that far. So, I’m having a couple of nights here with them. We went out to dinner tonight with my sister and her family, and had a thoroughly pleasant evening.
Tomorrow, I’m off home – two plane flights and about 5 hours of travelling all up, so not too much of an epic journey – all going well! Then from Thursday morning, it will be BICHOK: butt in chair, hands on keyboard, working on book 2. Although I might have to go into town to check a bookshop or two 🙂
The book launch was a great night – thanks so much to everyone who came, to Bernadette for introducing the evening and the book, and to Louisa at Hachette and Louise and all the Dymocks staff who organised the launch and the catering and made everything run so smoothly on the night. It was a great venue, and I really appreciate the support of the Dymocks owners and staff both for my book, and for the genre as a whole.
I only have a few photos so far, none of which convey the size of the crowd or the venue, but here they are:
Valerie Parv, who graciously launched the book, with me.
Me, with Valerie and Bernadette Foley.
Signing books.
Thanks to everyone who bought a book or who just came along and celebrated with me. It was a magical night because of you all.
