Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Radio interview!

My first (maybe only) radio interview was aired on the 17th on KAZI FM 88.7, a local non-profit Austin station! Hopeton Hay did an excellent job putting me at ease for this. I was so nervous, never having even been inside a radio studio before. The link can be found on Hopeton's blog.
  
Mr. Hay is also lining up an appearance at a nearby library in Pflugerville for September or October. He's a great guy to know!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

End of the sale

I've had good results with my 99 cent sale, but all good things must come to an end. Likewise my sale. I'm putting the prices back around the 15th. (I can't count on getting to it on schedule this week since I'm away from home.)

But when Imogene Duckworthy #2 (SMOKE) comes out, I think CHOKE will go back to 99 cents permanently.

Meanwhile, you can enjoy an audio short story for only 89 cents at Sniplits. And a completely free story at Apollo's Lyre.

In addition, I'm anticipating two anthologies before too long, in which I'll have stories. Stay tuned for details!





Wednesday, July 6, 2011

About Librarians

My pleasant early library memories are due, of course, to librarians. And their books. I haunted the children's section so thoroughly in the summertime that the librarian asked me if I wanted to help out. I got to stamp the due date on the pasted-in sheet in the fronts of the books the other kids were checking out. It was SUCH an important job. I loved it!

She even permitted me to go check out books in the adult section before I was actually old enough to do so. I think I may have read all the books in the children's room.

I worked in the library at Northwestern University when I attended there, too. That job paid actual money, so it was even better.

Wherever I've lived, if there was a local library--and there usually was--I had a library card.

Some of my best friends are even librarians, or former librarians. I hope they get a kick out of Hortense Duckworthy, my retired librarian character. She's a little over the top, but I love her dearly. (Of course I can love a fictional character, she's MY fictional character.)

Jennie Milchman started a campaign last year to set aside a day called Take Your Child to the Bookstore. She has since added Take Your Child to the Library Day. Wonderful concept, but let's not just do this once a year. All children should be taken to libraries! Even more so than bookstores. Libraries are free, so every child can participate. You don't have to afford to buy books at libraries.

I remember my children's librarian guiding me to all the horse books, all the dog books, then to some science fiction when I went through that phase. The school librarians always seemed to know what I'd like, too. I usually knew just what I wanted, but sometimes I couldn't find anything. Librarian to the rescue!

National Library Week was April 10-16 in 2011, but if you missed that, you can still go! The library is still there. They may have cut some hours--budgets are tight--but most of them are still there, waiting for you with open shelves.