Book Launch Reading and Party Pics, Two New Reviews of Field Guide to the End of the World, and an Interview about the book on JMWW!
- At September 19, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
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- Kelle Grace Gaddis, Natasha K. Moni, and me (holding books!)
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- listening to Kathleen Flenniken’s apocalypse poems
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- Lovely poets Susan Rich, Kathleen Flenniken, Natasha Moni, and me
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- With poet Jared Leising and his lovely wife Julie
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- Me with Glenn and the parents right before the reading
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- View from Woodinville Sunday
As I’m writing this part of the post right after my reading, I just watched a golden-tinged-almost-full moon rise listening to the tail end of the Tears for Fears concert down the street from my back deck, feeling pretty happy with all the day’s events. Lots of things could have gone wrong – I just barely had gotten my voice back after a bout of pneumonia, storms had been forecast (for an outdoor reading venue,) etc. But the weather turned sunny and cool just as the reading started, I kept my voice for the majority of the reading, and I didn’t get stressed or hive-y or break down into coughing fits or anything. I got to listen to one of my good friend’s poetry (Kathleen Flenniken, who read several “end of the world” poems) and see people I don’t normally get to see and we had unexpected guests, too, which was fun. Having my little brother and parents there was an extra bonus, too (my mom even sold books for me!). Above are some pics!
Anyway, this morning (pouring rain – we really did dodge the bad weather!) there are two new reviews of Field Guide to the End of the World up:
One by Lori Holuta: http://www.ceejaywriter.com/review-field-guide-to-the-end-of-the-world/
And another At Necromancy Never Pays: https://necromancyneverpays.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/field-guide-to-the-end-of-the-world/
And I have an interview up with Curtis Smith about the new book (among other things) at JMWW.
https://jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/its-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-i-feel-fine-an-interview-with-jeannine-hall-gailey-by-curtis-smith/
So although ready for more rest, I am feeling lucky and thankful. Thank you to everyone who came out, bought books and generally made the day brighter with your company!
Wine, Poetry, and the End of the World – Reading and Book Party Sunday!
- At September 17, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
- 0
Glenn and my mom with a blow-up poster of my book cover
Me with my parents at Matthews Winery
Tomorrow is our book launch reading and party for Field Guide to the End of the World, at Matthews Winery in Woodinville! 3 PM. Followed by a little wine-cheese-cookie-cupcake reception! Kathleen Flenniken, Poet Laureate of Washington State emeritus and author of the stunning Plume, will be the opening reader, so don’t be late. My mom (Pictured above with my book cover poster and at Matthews Winery) will be selling books – isn’t she adorable?
All the reasons you should come:
- Wine!
- Poetry!
- End of the world!
- Hanging out with awesome poets!
I’m hoping to see you there! It’s my first reading for the new book. I’m so excited! And here are some random pictures of hot air balloons rising in my backyard!
Lighter Side of the End of the World on Tahoma Review, Nice Things about Field Guide, and upcoming readings!
- At September 13, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
- 0
A few quick announcements today:
- I wrote a piece for Tahoma Review on “The Lighter Side of the End of the World” about why I wrote Field Guide to the End of the World and why I strove to find the humor in destruction.
- Here’s Jan Priddy’s lovely write up of Field Guide to the End of the World on her blog. Thank you, Jan!
- A big thank you to everyone who wrote reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. They have been lovely so far! It’s been so nice to see them popping up. Speaking of Goodreads, there are only two more days to sign up for the Goodreads giveaway to win a copy of Field Guide to the End of the World for yourself.
- I think I’ve FINALLY turned a corner on this pneumonia thing, after an entire week of antibiotics, bed-rest, and various inhalers. Doctor checked me out yesterday – main problem now is the asthma, not the pneumonia, so the antibiotics and bed-rest have worked! Now on to trying to get my voice back for the big reading on Sunday Sunday Sunday! I have already started picking out poems and vainly flipping through things in the closet to see which exude “celebratory apocalypse/winery” for the Wine, Poetry, and the End of the World event at Matthews Winery in Woodinville. I’m so excited to see everyone this weekend, especially if our beautiful summery-fall weather holds up AND I’m feeling better! There is nowhere prettier on earth than Woodinville in the fall when the sun is out, I’m convinced. I love our little corner of the earth.
Out of Commission – Pneumonia Attacks! Holiday Weekends, Thwarted Plans, and Other Ways to Live Through This
- At September 09, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
- 0
Where have I been? Well, I had a very pleasant holiday weekend seeing family and friends, even taking a day trip up to Skagit Valley – and I hope you did too – until I was struck by a sudden non-ability to breathe. We went to the ER, had a chest x-ray and some blood work, and sure enough, it was pneumonia – and the next few days were a blur of no-sleep and lots of coughing, headache, fevers, chills, antibiotics and nebulizers. This was two days before my parents arrived and exactly 11 days before my book launch and party on Sept. 18.
This is the first day – four days later – that I’ve had the mental power to write even a blog post or a cogent e-mail (though somehow I did end up writing “ax attack” today for “when you get a chance” from a phone e-mail – how is that possibly an autocorrect anyone would want??) I did watch an eerie, moody British apocalypse survival-from-a-teen-girl-perspective film called “How I Live Now” which I highly recommend, just for the soundtrack and the amazing combination of gorgeous rural English scenery and horrifying post-nuclear-and-more-war imagery. (One of the more disturbing images involved foxes eating decaying human bodies. Just so you know if you’re up for that.) It also goes surprisingly well with my new book! The lead, Saoirse Una Ronan, whom I already loved for her work in Hanna, was terrific in this. I don’t know, when you’re struggling to breathe and walk/talk without choking, it’s nice to watch people surviving things.
Here are some cheerful pics with writers Lana Ayers who is living us for Oregon, Natasha Moni, and Glenn and I goofing around in tulip country up in La Connor, WA right before I was felled with the nasty germs.
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- Glenn and I with dahlia blooms in La Connor
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- Natasha Moni and I
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- Lana Ayers and I strike a pose with my new book
Anyway, this is how author’s get ZERO book promotion stuff done nine days before their book launch party – life interferes with even the best laid plans – but if you want to do me a favor and review Field Guide to the End of the World, or talk about it on your blog, or leave a little Amazon review (hint hint), please let me know and I will try to get you whatever you need!
Book Launch Web Site Face Lift, Poem on Rogue Agent, and Post on Contest Winning at The Next Best Book Club!
- At September 01, 2016
- By Jeannine Gailey
- In Blog
- 6
Hey everyone! You may notice things look a little different today on the site. Yes, the graphics now reflect the new book graphics. What do you think? Better/worse? Too scary? Do you like the green, or is it off-putting green? Feedback appreciated!
That was to celebrate, of course, that today’s the official launch day of Field Guide to the End of the World. Hooray! It’s good to have something to celebrate after what’s been a very rough year. Please feel free to order a signed copy from me (now with swag magnets!), get it from Amazon, or order it through Moon City Press (distributed through University of Arkansas Press) here. If you want to really make my day, leave a review up at Amazon or Goodreads, or just your blog! Or even a mini-review on Twitter. Every little bit means a lot!
A poem from the book is up at Rogue Agent, a fab journal focused on the body. The poem, “Narcissist’s Apocalypse,” is pretty dark, but actually one of my favorites from the book. It’s a persona poem, yes, but it also reflects the very real feelings that we can experience when our bodies fail us. Also, don’t you love the name “Rogue Agent?”
I also have a post up at the Next Best Book Club on how it felt to win a book contest – on my fifth book – and how winning a contest so far has been different from publishing with indie presses through open submissions. I have to say it was kind of nice to finally win something after all those years (and books!) But as I say there, the most important thing is having a good relationship with the folks at the press.
I’m on my way tonight to Megan Snyder-Camp’s book launch (actually, it’s a double book launch. Does that make me feel lazy?) at the new Hugo House location (which I haven’t been to yet.) We poets have got to support each other, right? My own official launch party and reading (Wine, Poetry, and the End of the World, Sept 18 at 3 PM at Matthews Winery in Woodinville) isn’t for two more weeks, so I’ve still got time to be nervous, prepare, get nervous again, etc. But it’s always fun to see poets out with their new books, especially on a grey rainy day like today. When you think about it, fall is a great time for reading books. I feel I’ve got a ton of reading to catch up on, now that all my bookshelves are built and my boxes of books unpacked!
Last, here is a gratuitous picture of snuggling cats – Sylvia and Shakespeare, our two half-ragdolls.
Jeannine Hall Gailey served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and the author of Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, and winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and SFPA’s Elgin Award, Field Guide to the End of the World. Her latest, Flare, Corona from BOA Editions, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She’s also the author of PR for Poets, a Guidebook to Publicity and Marketing. Her work has been featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and JAMA.
