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Posts Tagged ‘book publicity’

Halloween-bloganza; A List of Monster Mentions

Posted in Books, cryptozoology, giant birds, monsters, strange creatures, writing, tagged , , , on October 31, 2014|

BlogTourArt 001

Monsters of every type are spotted all year round, but they never seem to grab the limelight in April or January the way they do at Halloween. October is always my busiest time of year, but perhaps due to the recent release of American Monsters; a History of Monster Lore, Legends and Sightings in America, the past month has been extra crazy. I’ve been posting links to a welcome spate of articles, interviews and guest blogs on other social media, but thought I would gather some here just to marvel at the diversity of  Web venues that are out there these days. I sincerely thank these authors, bloggers, and writers, as well as the libraries and organizations that invited me to speak. Now: on with the tour! —

* Christine Verstraete is a horror author specializing in teenage zombies. My guest post, “My Favorite Monster,” ran on her kickin’ Girl Zombie Authors Blog Oct. 29.

* Paranormal Fantasy author Denise Agnew ran my post in which I ask whether there is such a thing as a hive mind when it comes to dreaming up book titles & other creative works on Oct. 31 at her beautiful blog.

* Parade Magazine chose American Monsters; a History of Monster Lore, Legends and Sightings in America as one of their three “Spooky Reads” picks in their Sunday, Oct. 26 insert.   http://www.timesfreepress.com/parade2/

* CNN.com’s “Why Bigfoot is Getting Nervous” tells 2 stories from American Monsters in their October 31 edition, both stories drawn from new and exclusive witness reports in my book.

* Gamers will appreciate an article explaining how my books about unknown upright canines may be used to show that the “Werewolf Dude” character is not necessarily a fantasy beast after all in the popular SurvivalCraft game

* Ian Gronau’s Oct. 16 CSI Community Shopper article asks five important questions about monsters and my unlikely occupation.

* Radio podcast of Jimmy Church FADE to BLACK  (small fee required for podcast membership) features two hours of really fun conversation on the topic of monsters.

* Magonia, a magazine that explores Fortean phenomena, posted a really great review of American Monsters that made me feel they really understood what I was trying to achieve.

There are others, and if you feel I missed one that should be included, let me know. (WordPress has a great edit feature.)

A few more things are still coming up in November; check the calendar on the About page here for those. In the meantime, Happy Halloween to all my friends and readers, who are the candles in my jack-o-lanterns.

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Christmas Cards from an Ax Murderer and Other Things People Tell Me At Book Talks

Posted in Life, Uncategorized, writing, tagged , , , , , , on March 29, 2009| 2 Comments »

Kenosha diner sign

Kenosha diner sign

There is a  reason I like to go out and talk to people about my books. Yes I like the sales, and the refreshments are often delicious. My gig last Thursday at the Burlington Antiques Club offered cheesecake and fresh fruit. The. Best. But what really got my boat afloat occurred after I finished blathering and took the opportunity to listen to the 10 people who had gathered to see me. That is when the good stuff always happens. 

This time was no exception. I found out that the host of the meeting, Laurence, grew up in the same town as the Lima Ax Murderer featured in my Strange Wisconsin. And that the murderer, after he went to prison for bashing his two elderly uncles to death, faithfully sent Laurence a Christmas card every year from Waupun. Touching!

I also learned that another of the attendees was the wife of the prinicipal who hired me for my first real art-teaching job, many moons ago, and that they had been following my book publication trail. They had been making a pilgrimage around the state to key sites related to the books and she had brought  their map to prove it. Seeing that was even better than the cheesecake.

This wasn’t unusual. People have told me all sorts of things at signings. One woman had a doctor’s diagram to prove she’d been molested by aliens. Many have related their family ghost stories, or that they have seen unknown, upright canines. The sweetest are those who share that their kids who never read sat down and read Weird Wisconsin or The Beast of Bray Road. Out loud. To their little brother.

Due to the inconvenience of there being only one of me, I sadly can’t attend all the events I’d like. But every time I have to say no, I wonder what I missed. What innermost secret did I fail to learn from some blessed reader?

For it really is true. Get enough cheesecake into someone, and they’ll spill their souls. With raspberry sauce.

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