The Women of the Apocalypse launched Wednesday night. A ‘white tie’ affair that had people lining up out the door to get their hands on my books. There was talk of the Calgary Flames getting books before the general public, and it created a semi-panic, but luckily my security team calmed the situation.
The launch was held at the Black Shire Pub in London, Ontario. My Mom was gracious enough to buy appetizers, Brian was the photographer, and the venue (normally designed for a band) was transformed into a literary landscape (which surprisingly looked a lot like a pub). I sold a bunch of books, saw a lot of friends that I hadn’t seen in years, had family come from out of town, and was a good time.
I did three readings — each approximately 3 minutes in length. The first two were from my story Dues Ex Machina. The third was from Billie’s story Hungersnot. While my story tends to the atmospheric and terror, Billie’s was more of a humorous cautionary tale — so a good contrast. One of the advantages of this collaboration was that each writer brought with them their own voice and their own sensibilities.
I don’t know what I’d do differently. Any suggestions? I think the night was a fitting send off to Women of the Apocalypse — but also a great first step in my writing career (which ironically, I’ve been working on diligently for 15 years)