Mike Mullin Signing

I arrived right at the start time and Mike was chatting with some of the audience. The audience was a mix of students, who seemed to range in age from 10 or 12 (I'm rotten at estimating ages) to about 14 or 15, and adults. The adults were mostly the parents or guardians of those kids, some librarians, and maybe one other adult who, like myself, was there to hear Mike talk. Mike was energetic, dynamic, and bopped all over the place; the only time he slowed down was when he sat to autograph books at the end of the night. His energy level was especially impressive considering he drove from Indianapolis, with a tour stop in New York state, and had a high school presentation earlier in the day.

"Ashfall" is the first book in a trilogy; book two, "Ashen Winter", comes out in October of this year.

For the first part of the presentation, Mike talked about writing the book, research he had done, the process of writing, different types of volcanoes, and how he came up with the idea of "Ashfall". He focuses his attention on the students and engaged them all throughout his talk; he didn't neglect the adults but the students were his focus, which was appropriate since he's a YA author. Mike is a tae kwan do practitioner and part of his appearance included a demonstration. At the beginning of the presentation, he invited anyone who was interested to try breaking a practice board. It appeared to be made of plastic and hinged in the middle. In order to separate the two halves, you had to hit it just right. Mike demonstrated a method (there are several) and explained why he chose that one (basically, it's a safe method, especially for non-practitioners). At the end of the night, he passed around a concrete block so people could examine it and verify that  it really was made of concrete. He then placed it on top of two large concrete blocks, placed a washcloth on top (to protect the skin on his hand) and, with one chop, broke it clean in half. I've seen it done in movies but this was the first time I saw it live and it was impressive.

Mike was engaging, funny, smart and enjoyable. He never talked down to his audience, but treated them with respect, and seemed to enjoy being there. After his talk, and the tae kwan do demonstration, he sat and signed books, chatting with each person. I held back until all of the students had a chance to get their books or event fliers signed, then got in line. I had told Mike on Twitter that I would be there so he knew who I was when it was my turn and I got a big bear hug. A few other adults had also held back and he chatted with us and showed us some pics of real ash fall on his laptop.

My cell phone battery died before I could get any pix at the signing; one of the librarians at the library where the event was held offered to send me pics; when she does I'll add them in. She also arranged the signing after she was contacted by a patron, Cindy, who had read Mike's book, "Ashfall" and saw that he was coming to Massachusetts. So, BIG THANKS to Ellen and Cindy for setting things up. :)

It was an enjoyable evening, well worth the drive. If Mike comes your way, even if you haven't read his book,  go. You won't regret going to see him.

Upcoming Book Signing & Campaign to Save Wild Horses

A friend of mine emailed me this flyer for an event this weekend in New Hampshire. When I was growing up, a favorite book of mine was "Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West" by Margaret Henry about Wild Horse Annie, who was successful in saving herds of mustangs. Today, though they have some protection, they're still in danger. If you want to help save the mustangs, and you're in the New Hampshire region, why not go and show your support? It should be a fun, and educational, family event. The signing is Sunday the 18th at NHSPCA from 11AM-4PM.


Some additional information:
 
Horses are no longer a necessity for work or transportation as they were in the days of the Wild West. Unwanted horses are often abused, abandoned, or worse. A new book by illustrator Denise Brown takes on these controversial practices. Wind, Wild Horse Rescue is an adventure about the plight of America's wild mustangs and the fight to prevent from being eliminated on
public lands. 

Wind focuses on the handling and management of the wild herds. The book also takes on the inhumanity of the slaughterhouse and the debate over what to do with wild horses. It also reveals many of the challenges faced by wild horses through the eyes, ears, and senses of a young colt named "Wind". Wind
is chased by a helicopter and captured during a round-up. The names here are fictitious, but the events are real.

The author hopes the world will realize wild mustangs should be treated humanely and should be allowed to live on the public lands that have been set aside for them. Working together, Brown says, informed Americans can ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy these beautiful creatures -- and not just in the movies.

Author and illustrator Denise F. Brown grew up next to several horse farms. Her love for horses and animals, and her talent as an equine artist, gave her the courage to write and illustrate this book. Wind has over 100 beautiful equine sketches and paintings. Click here for more info.
 

Brown grew up in New Hampshire, took riding lessons, and has sketched and painted horses all my 

her life. She's never had her own horse, but became an equine artist in order to stay in touch with horses and horse people. During her research for WIND she discovered that hundreds of thousands of wild mustangs and burros are being legally harvested, chased, or harassed each year. Mustangers and helicopter pilots ³hot shot,² brand, and place wild horses in holding pens with no shelter, often for years. Only a few are given the opportunity to be adopted. If not adopted, they are sold and transported in crammed trailers to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. There they are killed and processed into horse meat that is sold for human consumption in Europe and Japan.

Some horses are poisoned by cattle ranchers. Others are abused and neglected by owners who cannot afford to care for them. Rescue shelters and organizations across the country have joined the fight to help save them. Brown believes that stronger legislation and enforcement is needed to protect the wild mustangs and burros from a terrible fate.You can help too. Share the story of Wind with your friends and family. Write a letter asking your Congressperson to vote to protect these horses from a slaughterhouse. Volunteer at or donate to an animal rescue center, or adopt a wild horse or burro if you have a farm or ranch.

Patty Briggs Signing

I was ecstatic when I found out that Patty was coming to Cambridge MA for a book signing. I've met Patty before, on several occasions but the last time I saw her was a year and a half ago. Today was the perfect day for me to go too as it's my short day at school, so I didn't have to take any time off to attend.

It was, to me anyway, a small turnout, maybe 20-25 people. Patty started by reading the prologue from "Fair Game", then spent about 30 minutes answering questions. Some highlights:

• There's not a definite date, but she's working on an anthology of short stories set in Mercy's world. It'll be a mix of previously published stories (Star of David; Seeing Eye; In Red, With Pearls, etc) and new stories. Possible new stories include one from Bran's perspective, one with Sam, and one with the teen werewolf Kara. Patty is hoping that it will be out before the next Mercy book in March 2013 but there's nothing set in stone yet.
• Someone asked if there will be a book with both Anna and Mercy. The answer was no, but maybe a short story. 
• Someone else asked if Patty will ever return to any of her traditional fantasy series. The answer - yes. No definite date; Patty said there will be a third Hurog book, another Hob book, and another Raven book, but for now she's content to keep writing urban fantasy. When she needs a break, she'll switch over the traditional fantasy, and then go back to the urban fantasy. 
• Fair Game is the last definite Alpha & Omega book that she's contracted for BUT she's under contract for one more book set in that world so it could be an A&O book, a Mercy book, or maybe one using a secondary character from one or both series. It won't, however, be Bran. Patty would prefer to keep him mysterious. :)

As I was getting my pic taken with Patty, I had a pleasant surprise - author PJ Schnyder was also in the audience. She took some pix too but I don't have those yet. The person waiting in line behind me took this one.

 You'll see that Patty has a large selection of pens. Some she brought with her, some the Harvard Co-op (they sponsored the signing) provided. Patty likes to give people the option of what color pen to get their books signed with. I chose purple. :)

It was great to see Patty again, I passed on messages to her from people on her board, and I had a brief chat with her before she had to leave. It was also nice seeing PJ. I had the chance to meet her last year when she was in Boston for her day job. I had a fun evening, and it was well worth the trip into Boston.

Tomorrow night I'm headed to Belmont, just outside of Boston, for a reading and signing with YA author Mike Mullin. We chat on Twitter, and I'm really looking forward to meeting him in person. I'll post about that too.