12/21/2016

The Return from the Great Launch Tour

Four launches in four days, stretching from Melbourne to Sydney — what was I thinking? But despite the logistical demands (and they were along the lines of a small military campaign), it was a pretty transcendent couple of days. First of all, the Great Launch Tour was the fulfillment of a childhood dream: my book, and people eager to read it! Second, I can't even begin to tell you what a joyful experience it was to have so many people show up to celebrate with me: new friends, old friends, colleagues. Their goodwill is going to hearten me through many a dark night in the Writer's Desert, I can already tell. Third, people are already getting back to me about having enjoyed After the Bloodwood Staff — another writer dream come true. Like many of you, I'm sure, I have found books to be a solace, a joy, an inspiration, a refuge. The fact that I can give that gift to other readers myself is...pretty cool.

I'd like to offer many thanks to my launchers: in Melbourne, Joe Dolce; in Canberra, Cat Sparks and Rob Hood; in Wollongong, Anne-Louise Rentell; and in Sydney, Margo Lanagan. I'd also like to thank Michelle and Jen at Odyssey Books, and my cover artist (the cover has drawn much favorable comment!) Rachel Roberts. (If you click on the ATBS cover on her web site, you can read the "making-of" blurb about how she approached the task.) And at every launch location, kind and faithful friends pitched in to help set up and clean up — and I thank them, too!

My beloved husband, Houston, served as my dashing and charismatic MC as well as my bulwark against chaos and dismay throughout the entire tour. Here he is at the Melbourne launch. (Photo by Margaret Dunleavy, I think.)


Me, signing books in Wollongong. Little seven-year-old writer me dreamed of this day. (Photo by Heather O'Neill.)


So, now what? Back to work, of course. There's the bills to pay with what one could loosely term my day jobs (academia and editing). There's some research I need to get back to, and some performance-writing jobs. There's a story I’ve promised to a couple of friends (and hopefully it might be the germ of another series). There's the book to market and conferences to go to, presentations to prepare and deliver, a web-site overhaul to do. There are the preparations for the next book due out from Odyssey Books in May (watch this space). And, of course, there's the sequel to After the Bloodwood Staff to get cracking on (working title, The Caverns Beneath). I frankly have no idea how I'm going to get it all done.

2 Comments:

At 12:15 PM, Blogger Satima Flavell said...

Congrats on the new book, Laura! can we buy it online?

 
At 12:36 PM, Blogger Laura E. Goodin said...

Yes! Directly from Odysseybooks.com.au is probably your best bet. I've also got some in stock now.

 

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