Kobo Sale of my books at Five Rivers!

Five Rivers Publishing has announced a Kobo Sale. All their titles are being sold at 50% off during June 25 to 27. This is an excellent opportunity to pick up e-book copies of my two books at Five Rivers. One is my novel Tower in the Crooked Wood. The other is King Kwong the biography I wrote of Larry Kwong, the Canadian hockey hero. Here's a link to Five Rivers Publishing's announcement of the Kobo Sale. Don't miss it!

Trudeau Biography Announced!

Good news came today! My biography of Pierre Trudeau is scheduled for release from Five Rivers Publishing. They've got a great cover for it, one that fits well into their series Prime Ministers of Canada.

What can you say about a prime minister for whom suspending civil liberties with the War Measures Act wasn’t even his most controversial decision? At least, it wasn't to those folk who are still stuttering mad about his National Energy Program or White Paper on Indian Affairs, forty years later and counting. This book was fascinating to write! I hope that canoeists and outdoor enthusiasts will like the focus on Trudeau's wilderness interests.

Click here for a link to their listing. The book will be available December 1st,  2016, but orders can be taken now.

Rocket ships, telescopes, and astronauts! My computer brings me NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day and Image of the Day. NASA's space program has been fascinating since I was a child. These days, it's interesting in more ways, and the information is much more accessible than it ever was. 

Mike Collins in a command module simulator on June 19, 1969 during a practice rendezvous

 and docking maneuver with the lunar module. Credits: NASA

 

Did you know that since it was founded, NASA makes heaps of learning materials available for free? Fifty years ago, there were only newspaper articles for me and my brother to read about the Apollo program. We watched the moon landings on our family's black-and-white television. Then in a science magazine we found the mailing address for NASA. In reply to our questions about astronauts, NASA sent us free pamphlets and posters and booklets. We sent blank videotapes and got back recordings about Mars and Venus probes. We were the space program experts at our school back then! 

 

That same feeling of “kid in a candy store” is what I get today at NASA's website at nasa.gov . It's wonderful to see the photos and videos of images from telescopes and from probes that visit other planets. Banners at the top of the screen organize links to many pages on different topics. When I wanted detailed articles to read on Curiosity Mars rover, it was easy to find information. Social media links are there, for daily updates from NASA on current events such as the Pluto fly-by. I even found podcasts and ebooks to download for my phone and tablet, and ringtone mp3s for my spouse to mix into Acid music loops! There is material of interest for people of every age or reading level, and particular attention is paid to teachers and students. For young children, there are NASA Space Place at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/ and NASA Kids Club.

This Jan. 19, 2016, self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle 

at "Namib Dune," where the rover's activities included scuffing into the dune with a wheel 

and scooping samples of sand for laboratory analysis.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

I'll never forget watching the dawn sky from an isolated farm north of Edmonton as the space station went by, and feeling connected to the space program because I looked it up at https://spotthestation.nasa.gov . The information NASA gathers on Earth and in space is for everyone. International scientists study data and draw conclusions that are wide-reaching. Doctors in Canada's North use monitoring and communications systems originally developed for astronaut safety. Artists are inspired by images and ideas from programs that study the solar system and galaxies.

We may never know how many people are helped by NASA making this knowledge available. You can look at NASA's web pages on Benefits To You to get some idea of the impact. The weather data alone is priceless. As for my brother who made an astronaut costume for Hallowe'en, he grew up to test computer games and security programs, and edit Neo-opsis Magazine. I'm the author of over two dozen books on science for educational publishers. With my friends and colleagues I write for our blog Sci/Why which has a list of family-friendly science books you can find in the left-hand column on this page. Whenever someone says they want to know more about astronomy and the space program, I send them to NASA's website for all kinds of information.

Vegan Brunch, or How I learned to stop worrying and promote my books

There's a lot to learn about what a writer can to to promote book sales. One of the techniques that I've been working on is using social media to increase the chances that a reader will have heard about my books. As Cory Doctorow says, of all the people who didn't buy my book today, the majority didn't buy it because they never knew it existed.
So I'm learning Twitter in hopes of helping people who are interested in books find out that my books exist. I'm finding it fun. There are some commercial comments people make, so I'm learning how to make them. That's why I posted on Twitter and here on my website a note about Kobo's ebooksale, with a link to my books.
There are some funny & interesting comments people make, and when I know how to make them everyone will know it because my fame will spread far and wide on Twitter. So far, I've made Krista D. Ball laugh once, so that's something.
And then there are things I learn, such as the fact posted by Stats Canada ‏@stats_canada

The phrase "vegan brunch" is googled 74,000 times per minute in the Vancouver area

Sounds to me like a niche that needs to be filled with a book titled Vegan Brunch. Opportunity is knocking! I need to write a small ebook that's easy for someone to download and read on a phone. Now THAT'll be a fun thing to do.

yay!50% off ebook sale!

I just learned there's an ebook sale at Kobo that ends January 31!
Go to bit.ly/1OV2EAb for my ebooks & use code JAN1650 for 50% off my ebooks! This is your chance to read King Kwong! or Tower in the Crooked Wood! & more.
The code works for other ebooks as well. Check 'em out!

Selling Books at Craft Fairs

This Christmas I did something I haven't done for the last few years: I had a table at a craft fair. Twice.
Sure, my table was more than half-covered with big rolls of woolen quilt batting and some knitted hats, mitts, and baby booties. But the other half of the table had several copies of a few of my books.
It's always nice to actually SEE someone pick up a book I wrote, instead of just imagining what my possible readers might do. There is one big difference between imagined possible readers and real ones. Real ones squint a little. I bet way more people kinda need reading glasses than would ever admit it.
The craft fairs were a pleasant way to spend two of my weekend days this winter. I'll have to get more copies of my newer books, and be ready for more craft fairs in the future!

Book Event

It's always nice to go to a book sale, whether the sale is of new books or of used books. I like to paw through boxes of old books or shelves of nicely-arranged paperbacks. What I hadn't known until my own books were in print was that it is also fun to attend book sales as an author.
Maybe it would be less fun if I were trying to be The Most Famous And Popular Writer Ever. But I've always known that my books appeal to some people, not to everyone. Margaret Atwood can be famous and popular -- I'm glad to be HERE in the world of books with some works of which I can be proud.

Saturday October 24th I'll be spending the afternoon at Shirley Community Hall some miles down the road from Sooke BC. It's a cheerful little hall where a used book sale is happening from noon to four pm. Next door is a picnic park and a lovely little restaurant. You can see the Hall's page on Facebook at this link.

Come by and see copies of some of my books! I'll have a tablet and a Kobo there to show more of them. There won't be a lot of copies to buy, but there will be my cards with info you can take to any bookstore. My books can also be ordered from online booksellers or directly from the publisher.