Marrie Stone interviews Gary Phillips (editor and contributor), Patricia McFall and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, contributors to Orange County Noir.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: April 14, 2010)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Tomorrow's show: Orange County Noir--what else?
Barbara in flight, because the book is doing well....
Sweet, brilliant, witty Patricia...
Gary, who doesn't look like he'd have the most booming laugh in the entire Southern California area, but he does...
And the articulate, funny and oh-so-svelt Marrie Stone ...
Tune in tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Pacific time for Writers on Writing, featuring Marrie Stone as host, and Orange County Noir contributors Gary Phillips (editor as well as writer), Patricia McFall, and Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, who will discuss the short story, noir fiction, and their stories included in Orange County Noir, which made the SCIBA bestseller list last week, its first week out.
Listen at 88.9 FM in Orange Co., CA, or listen online at www.kuci.org or at iTunes>radio>Talk/News.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Danielle Trussoni and Lois Lowry
Marrie Stone interviews Danielle Trussoni, author of Angelology, and Lois Lowry, author of The Birthday Ball.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Apr 7, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Apr 7, 2010)
Marketing your book, yourself
More and more writers email with questions about promotion, how they can find radio and media outlets in my part of the country--Southern California.
Questions like this, anymore, just stop me. Maybe if I were more organized, I'd have a list I could send to the hopeful writer. When I was a publicist, I did have those lists. But that ended in 1997, when I went freelance.
These days, more often than not, the promotion I do for Orange County Noir and Pen on Fire (now in its 8th printing--yay!), is made up of bits of this and that, not just radio and media outlets. Actually, radio and newspapers make up such a small a piece of the promotional pie. If you want these outlets, you can find them by Googling. I know, I know, you can spend all your waking hours Googling (oy vey!) with little time leftover for writing.
I've done radio shows--out in Palm Springs, up in Portland--and a couple of TV shows (Barry Kibrick's Between the Lines that broadcasts out of L.A., and Maria Hall-Brown's Orange County KOCE show), but otherwise, it's all bookstores, events and blog Q&As.
Southern California has more and more literary events, I'm happy to say, other than my own Pen on Fire Speakers Series. Book fairs at colleges, AAUW, which hosts literary luncheons and monthly events, women's clubs, bookstores, book groups, writers groups. But much of this takes your own so-called elbow grease. So many of the events I take part in are the result of following up on leads, responding to requests, and seeking out organizers. Or I speak somewhere and someone there generously suggests my name to the organizer of another event.
Blogs, too, are great ways of getting the word out. Get your book before prominent bloggers or offer to do Q&As for writers' blogs, big and small.
This sort of promotion fits in with my premise about how busy people--well, how I, anyway--get writing done: It's with bits of time scattered here and there. Amazing how the pages mount.
Likewise, with promotion. Doing a little bit every day, or one full day a week, will result in a busy schedule. Doing favors for other writers, too, often results in those writers doing favors for you. The worst thing is when you never do favors for other writers, never go out of your way to help them in some small--or big--way, but expect them to help you.
Doing promotion out of area is daunting. If I was wanting to do promotion in New York, say, I would write to all the authors/booksellers I know in NY and ask them for one lead. Just one. That's something a person can get their mind around. Asking for a bunch, well, that's impossible.
If you want a bunch, and don't want to do the legwork--and who does?--you can hire a publicist. So many editors and book people have become publicists. Authors know who they are in their particular area. In Southern California we have a few good ones: Kim Dower at Kim-from-L.A., Tricia van Dockum at Ollie Media (out of San Diego), and Debbie Mitsch Literary Services in Huntington Beach (based in Orange County).
It's worth spending the money (on out of area PR) so you can use your time to write and not fret. Because these days, writing and marketing go hand in hand, like it or not. I don't mean to sound cruel; it's just the way it is and if you simply accept it, you can get on with your writing life.
Questions like this, anymore, just stop me. Maybe if I were more organized, I'd have a list I could send to the hopeful writer. When I was a publicist, I did have those lists. But that ended in 1997, when I went freelance.
These days, more often than not, the promotion I do for Orange County Noir and Pen on Fire (now in its 8th printing--yay!), is made up of bits of this and that, not just radio and media outlets. Actually, radio and newspapers make up such a small a piece of the promotional pie. If you want these outlets, you can find them by Googling. I know, I know, you can spend all your waking hours Googling (oy vey!) with little time leftover for writing.
I've done radio shows--out in Palm Springs, up in Portland--and a couple of TV shows (Barry Kibrick's Between the Lines that broadcasts out of L.A., and Maria Hall-Brown's Orange County KOCE show), but otherwise, it's all bookstores, events and blog Q&As.
Southern California has more and more literary events, I'm happy to say, other than my own Pen on Fire Speakers Series. Book fairs at colleges, AAUW, which hosts literary luncheons and monthly events, women's clubs, bookstores, book groups, writers groups. But much of this takes your own so-called elbow grease. So many of the events I take part in are the result of following up on leads, responding to requests, and seeking out organizers. Or I speak somewhere and someone there generously suggests my name to the organizer of another event.
Blogs, too, are great ways of getting the word out. Get your book before prominent bloggers or offer to do Q&As for writers' blogs, big and small.
This sort of promotion fits in with my premise about how busy people--well, how I, anyway--get writing done: It's with bits of time scattered here and there. Amazing how the pages mount.
Likewise, with promotion. Doing a little bit every day, or one full day a week, will result in a busy schedule. Doing favors for other writers, too, often results in those writers doing favors for you. The worst thing is when you never do favors for other writers, never go out of your way to help them in some small--or big--way, but expect them to help you.
Doing promotion out of area is daunting. If I was wanting to do promotion in New York, say, I would write to all the authors/booksellers I know in NY and ask them for one lead. Just one. That's something a person can get their mind around. Asking for a bunch, well, that's impossible.
If you want a bunch, and don't want to do the legwork--and who does?--you can hire a publicist. So many editors and book people have become publicists. Authors know who they are in their particular area. In Southern California we have a few good ones: Kim Dower at Kim-from-L.A., Tricia van Dockum at Ollie Media (out of San Diego), and Debbie Mitsch Literary Services in Huntington Beach (based in Orange County).
It's worth spending the money (on out of area PR) so you can use your time to write and not fret. Because these days, writing and marketing go hand in hand, like it or not. I don't mean to sound cruel; it's just the way it is and if you simply accept it, you can get on with your writing life.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Orange County Noir events
Good news: Orange County Noir made the Southern California Independent Booksellers bestseller list (trade paperback fiction). Thanks to everyone who bought a copy and made this possible.
I posted these earlier, but here's an update re: events I'll be at:
This coming Wednesday, my co-host Marrie Stone, will facilitate an interview on "Writers on Writing" with Gary, Patricia McFall, and me, all talking about the book and writing noir fiction. Tune in at 9 a.m. Pacific, 88.9 FM in Orange County, and online at www.kuci.org and iTunes/radio/Talk & news.
Sunday, April 18: Patricia McFall and I, from Orange County Noir, as well as Denise Hamilton, who edited the new “Los Angeles Noir 2,” and Naomi Hirahara, who contributed to the L.A. book, will be at the Sisters In Crime monthly meeting at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Road, Irvine. 3 p.m. More info: click here.
Saturday, May 15: Martin J. Smith, Mary Castillo, Gary Phillips, and I will talk about the book and writing dark fiction at my Pen on Fire Speakers Series at the Scape Gallery, 2859 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. CJ Bahnsen will moderate. If you'd like to be on the mailing list for this event, email penonfire@earthlink.net and in the subject line say "put me on the mailing list for OC Noir at Scape."
Monday, May 17: Nathan Walpow, Gary McAlpine, Rob Roberge, Dan Duling, Mary Castillo, Patricia McFall and I will be at the Laguna Playhouse Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. A $25 fee covers admission, dessert and coffee, tea or champagne. 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. More here.
Here's a more complete listing of Orange County Noir events.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Maile Meloy and Marisa Matarazzo
Marrie Stone interviews Maile Meloy, author of Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It, and Marisa Matarazzo, author of Drenched: Stories of Love and Other Deliriums.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Mar 24, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Mar 24, 2010)
Pen On Fire Speaker Series (T. Jefferson Parker)
T. Jefferson Parker, author of Iron River, is interviewed by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series at the Scape Gallery in Corona del Mar.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Jan 26, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Jan 26, 2010)
Michael Zadoorian
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Michael Zadoorian, author of The Leisure Seeker.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Mar 31, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: Mar 31, 2010)
Friday, April 02, 2010
Orange County Noir: the path to publication
The path to publication of my story, "Crazy for You," included in Orange County Noir began almost two years ago at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Susan Straight, T. Jefferson Parker and I were standing by the buffet table (I was ogling the berries), when Susan mentioned this anthology that crime writer Gary Phillips was editing. She suggested I get in touch with Gary.
I had no idea what sort of anthology it was. I was in essay mode at the time, and so imagined the book was focused on essays.
I emailed Gary and he told me it was an Akashic Books anthology and would be called Orange County Noir. I loved the Akashic series of Noir books focused on cities. (Los Angeles Noir is one of my favorites, with an Edgar awarding winning short story by Susan Straight.)
Though I love film noir, I never attempted to write in the genre. But there was no time like the present, and I took it as a challenge. I get bored easily, and this was exactly what I needed. The anthology is broken up into cities of Orange County; my assigned city was Costa Mesa. After much dwelling, brainstorming, and beginning this and that, the plot of "Crazy for You" came to me. (Hint: The movie, Days of Heaven, one of my favorites, helped with plot.)
Now, almost two years later, the anthology is out. Here's how my story begins:
When I moved into Levi's apartment in the converted motel on Placentia Avenue, the blue neon "i" of the Placent_a Arms was burned out. I worried it was an omen, a feng shui gaffe. It made me think too damn much of placenta, birthing, that whole entire mess--not a good thing when the sign of blood makes you faint. I've grown used to most things, and I figured I'd grow used to the sign, if I didn't leave Levi or go crazy first. But I hadn't grown used to it, and I was still here. It was going on three months and my feeling of foreboding had only increased.
....
There are many book events coming up in the next couple of months. Hopefully you can make it to one.
Saturday, April 10: Gary Phillips will moderate a panel at the Literary Orange festival that includes Martin J. Smith, Susan Straight and me at the University of California, Irvine Student Center, corner of W. Peltason and Pereira drives, Irvine. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. More info: click here.
Sunday, April 18: Patricia McFall and I, from OC Noir, as well as Denise Hamilton, who edited the new “Los Angeles Noir 2,” and Naomi Hirahara, who contributed to the L.A. book, will be at the Sisters In Crime monthly meeting at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Road, Irvine. 3 p.m. More info: click here.
Saturday, May 15: Martin J. Smith, Mary Castillo, Gary Phillips, and I will talk about the book and writing dark fiction at my Pen on Fire Speakers Series at the Scape Gallery, 2859 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. CJ Bahnsen will moderate. If you'd like to be on the mailing list for this event, email penonfire@earthlink.net and in the subject line say "put me on the mailing list for OC Noir at Scape."
Monday, May 17: Nathan Walpow, Gary McAlpine, Rob Roberge, Dan Duling, Mary Castillo, Patricia McFall and I will be at the Laguna Playhouse Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. A $25 fee covers admission, dessert and coffee, tea or champagne. 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Orange County Noir is out today!
I'm so happy to be included with this roster of writers. Truly stellar. And it's out today!
In Publishers Weekly (2/22/2010) here's the review our anthology received--and it was starred. I love how the reviewer says it's "one of the stronger of the all-original anthologies." I love the series, so that's saying a lot.
Orange County Noir Edited by Gary Phillips. Akashic, $15.95 paper (300p) ISBN 978-1-936070-03-9
“There's a dark side to most places,” even California's sunny Orange County, Edgar-winner T. Jefferson Parker observes in his foreword to this outstanding entry in Akashic's noir series, one of the stronger of the all-original anthologies. The crisp, often seductive prose of the 14 contributors, most of them relatively unknown, is a tribute to the critical judgment of the editor, whose own assured story, “The Performer,” involves a heist at a dog food factory that ends with more than one surprise. Robert Ward, a writer-producer for such TV shows as Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice, offers some wicked twists in “Black Star Canyon,” in which a fictional alter ego gets bounced from the program he created. Gordon McAlpine uses his narrator's job as a security officer at Disneyland in “The Happiest Place” as an effective catalyst for a classic noir plot of betrayal. Other notable tales include Susan Straight's “Bee Canyon” and Dick Lochte's “The Movie Game.” (Apr.)
Consider attending a book party/panel on writing short fiction and noir fiction on May 15 at the Pen on Fire Speakers Series at Scape Gallery, Corona del Mar. On hand will be Gary Phillips, Marty Smith, Mary Castillo, and moi! If you'd like to be on the elist, email me at penonfire@earthlink.net.
And here's more...in case you can make it to one. Click here.
In Publishers Weekly (2/22/2010) here's the review our anthology received--and it was starred. I love how the reviewer says it's "one of the stronger of the all-original anthologies." I love the series, so that's saying a lot.
Orange County Noir Edited by Gary Phillips. Akashic, $15.95 paper (300p) ISBN 978-1-936070-03-9
“There's a dark side to most places,” even California's sunny Orange County, Edgar-winner T. Jefferson Parker observes in his foreword to this outstanding entry in Akashic's noir series, one of the stronger of the all-original anthologies. The crisp, often seductive prose of the 14 contributors, most of them relatively unknown, is a tribute to the critical judgment of the editor, whose own assured story, “The Performer,” involves a heist at a dog food factory that ends with more than one surprise. Robert Ward, a writer-producer for such TV shows as Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice, offers some wicked twists in “Black Star Canyon,” in which a fictional alter ego gets bounced from the program he created. Gordon McAlpine uses his narrator's job as a security officer at Disneyland in “The Happiest Place” as an effective catalyst for a classic noir plot of betrayal. Other notable tales include Susan Straight's “Bee Canyon” and Dick Lochte's “The Movie Game.” (Apr.)
Consider attending a book party/panel on writing short fiction and noir fiction on May 15 at the Pen on Fire Speakers Series at Scape Gallery, Corona del Mar. On hand will be Gary Phillips, Marty Smith, Mary Castillo, and moi! If you'd like to be on the elist, email me at penonfire@earthlink.net.
And here's more...in case you can make it to one. Click here.
Monday, March 29, 2010
An Evening with Ron Carlson
Tuesday, April 20 at 7 pm
An Evening with Ron Carlson
Join us on April 20 when Ron Carlson will be our featured guest. Ron Carlson is the director of UC-Irvine's M.F.A. program in fiction and professor of English, is the award-winning author of several short story collections and five novels. His collection, The Hotel Eden, was a New York Times Notable Book and Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. His novel The Speed of Light, was his first for young readers. He also wrote Ron Carlson Writes a Story (Graywolf), an excellent book on the writing of short fiction. On this evening, he will talk with Barbara about writing fiction, long and short form, and will take your questions. Orange County's independent bookseller, Laguna Beach Books, will be on hand selling Ron's books.
Our salon will take place at:
Scape Gallery
2859 East Coast Highway
Corona del Mar, CA, 92625
$20.00 includes nibbles, sips and sometimes cake. Advance tickets are required. Walk-ins are discouraged as seating is limited.
Please register soon as we expect this to be another sold out event (and we hate turning people away).
Go to www.penonfire.com; click on Speakers Series for more info.
Upcoming on Sat., May 15, is the celebration of the new anthology, Orange County Noir (Akashic Books).
On June 8, plan to join us for an evening with Aimee Bender.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Siri Hustvedt and Raj Patel
Marrie Stone interviews Siri Hustvedt, author of The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves, and Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy.
Download audio.
Note: Marrie knew when she interviewed Raj Patel that he was a well-known economist. What she didn't know was that he is also the Messiah.
(Broadcast date: Mar 3, 2010)
Download audio.
Note: Marrie knew when she interviewed Raj Patel that he was a well-known economist. What she didn't know was that he is also the Messiah.
(Broadcast date: Mar 3, 2010)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Fictional novel, true memoir: Not
Those of you who already know this, please, don't throw tomatoes, potatoes, or pie. Some quite intelligent writers have trouble with this one. (With each one of us, it's always something...)
This comes up a lot with new(ish), or not so new(ish) writers: In talking about their work, they say, "My fictional novel...."
No no no.
If you query an agent and you say this, you risk said agent pitching your project into the trash, or at the very least, sending you a form rejection letter.
Why is it a big deal?
Because agents figure that if you're writing a novel, you know it's fiction. Just as if you're writing a memoir, one hopes it's true. And if you say "fictional novel" or "true memoir" to an agent, it makes it easy for them to say no to you, and what with all the material slamming agents on a daily basis, if there's the slightest reason to say no, they will.
Of course they want to say yes. They want stellar work to come in the door, mailbox, email inbox, wherever! So make it easy for them to say yes. Learn the business of writing as well as the craft, and never ever ever say "fictional novel."
This comes up a lot with new(ish), or not so new(ish) writers: In talking about their work, they say, "My fictional novel...."
No no no.
If you query an agent and you say this, you risk said agent pitching your project into the trash, or at the very least, sending you a form rejection letter.
Why is it a big deal?
Because agents figure that if you're writing a novel, you know it's fiction. Just as if you're writing a memoir, one hopes it's true. And if you say "fictional novel" or "true memoir" to an agent, it makes it easy for them to say no to you, and what with all the material slamming agents on a daily basis, if there's the slightest reason to say no, they will.
Of course they want to say yes. They want stellar work to come in the door, mailbox, email inbox, wherever! So make it easy for them to say yes. Learn the business of writing as well as the craft, and never ever ever say "fictional novel."
Jess Walter
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Jess Walter, author of The Financial Lives of Poets.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: March 17, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: March 17, 2010)
Coachella Review Story Prize
Here's a little something for you experimental short story writers out there:
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Short Story Authors T.C. Boyle and Lydia Millet
Marrie Stone interviews T.C. Boyle, author of Wild Child and Other Stories and Lydia Millet, author of Love in Infant Monkeys: Stories.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: January 20, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: January 20, 2010)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
An Evening with Fiction Writers
Consider joining us on Tuesday evening, March 23, when Victoria Patterson and Tod Goldberg will join us for a night of conversation about writing fiction. Both have new books of short fiction, so there will be talk, nibbles and sips (wine and non-alcoholic drinks), a book signing, with books sold by indie bookseller Laguna Beach Books, and lots of great schmoozing amongst writers and agents.
Read more here.
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Chris Bohjalian
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett interviews Chris Bohjalian, author of Secrets of Eden.
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: February 24, 2010)
Download audio.
(Broadcast date: February 24, 2010)
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Whittier Book Fair and Literary Orange
Here are two conferences/events I'll be at in April. Maybe you will too?
April 3 - The Whittier Book Fair ... lots of panels. I'll moderate the closing keynote panel on Saturday. (On the website, scan to the bottom of the page and you'll see the link for the fair.)
April 10 - Literary Orange. I'll be on a panel talking about Orange County Noir, along with Gary Phillips, Marty Smith and Susan Straight.
There's more, but this is a start.
April 3 - The Whittier Book Fair ... lots of panels. I'll moderate the closing keynote panel on Saturday. (On the website, scan to the bottom of the page and you'll see the link for the fair.)
April 10 - Literary Orange. I'll be on a panel talking about Orange County Noir, along with Gary Phillips, Marty Smith and Susan Straight.
There's more, but this is a start.
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