Screwed Without Even Getting Dinner

Please see Screwed Without Even Getting Dinner on my other blog.

Get out the kleenex

I just listened to the new audio story up at The Deepening. I had read the story previously and liked it, but when I listened to it, I cried. Something about a read aloud story that is different, better, more...something. Again, Dawn at The Deepening does a nice reading. Go listen. You won't be sorry, but you might be a little sad.

Hobos and Hotcakes by Liz Brenaman

Book Events Coming Up

A couple of new things going on. I posted about the Chateau Lorane Arts and Wine Festival. I've also been notified that I have another couple of engagements this summer. Here's the schedule:

May 23rd and 25th: Chateau Lorane. I'll be there from 11:30am to 5:30pm. Note that I might participate in the wine tasting and will then give everybody really great deals on my books.
* Saturday, May 23rd has been added since my last announcement.

July 5th: Art in the Vineyard. Located in Alton Baker Park in Eugene, Oregon. I'll be there from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Note that 15% of gross sales goes to charity.

August 19th: Lane County Fair. I'll be with the Authors and Artists from 11:00am to 5:00pm.

If you're anywhere in the Eugene area on these dates, please stop by to say hi.

Chateau Lorane Event - Memorial Day Weekend

A ton of authors and artists will be selling their works at the Wine Festival. Here's the information on who and time that I have right now.

Saturday , May 23
11:30 am to 2:30 pm
Jen Chambers: Assistant Editor and contributor to Groundwaters. Author of Living Life Again, due out in September.

Joey Blum: "Bedtime Stories; A Novel of Cinematic Wanderlust," became available last fall. For more on his imaginative journey go to http://josephemilblum.com/.

Jo-Brew: Northwest writer giving voice to woman. A columnist for the Creswell Chronicle and author of six contemporary mainstream novels. http://www.jo-brew.com/

Pat Edwards: historian and author of From Sawdust and Cider to Wine: A History of Lorane, Oregon and the Siuslaw Valley.

Marva Dasef: Tales of a Texas Boy and MG and YA fantasy marvadasef.com

Groundwaters: Eugene literary magazine. Contributors will attend.

2:30 to 5:30 pm
Jen Chambers

Joey Blum

Dan Armstrong: editor of Mud City Press, author of short stories and three novels.

Shirley Tallman: Period mysteries set in early San Francisco http://www.shirleytallman.com/

Marva Dasef

Groundwaters

Sunday, May 24
11:30 am to 2:30 am
Carola Dunn: Daisy Darymple mystery series. www.geocities.com/CarolaDunn

Dan Armstrong

Sharon Brandsma: Award winning author and artist. Glory Rose and the Gloaming. Fantasy for teens and older. http://www.smbrandsma.com/

Groundwaters

2:30 to 5:30 am
Carola Dunn

Jo-Brew

Sharon Brandsma

Pat Edwards

Groundwaters

Monday, May 25
11:30 am to 2:30 am
Doug Card: Historian and Author From Camas to Courthouse: Early Lane County History

Joe Blakley: Sports History, Oregon History and fiction. http://www.bearcreekpress.com/

Marva Dasef

Groundwaters

2:30 to 5:30 am
Doug Card
Joe Blakley
Marva Dasef
Groundwaters

Directions: The entrance to Chateau Lorane is approximately 1/4 mile south of Lorane on Siuslaw River Road. As you pass the 2nd store (Lorane General Store and Deli), keep to your right at the "Y." (Don’t make a sharp right onto Old Lorane Road, though.) Follow Siuslaw River Road about 1/4 mile and you will see the entrance to Chateau Lorane on your right. It sits about a mile off of the road. See the map on the Chateau Lorane website at http://www.chateaulorane.com/contact.html

Cage McNatt's Prize Sow in Audio!

Now, at The Deepening listen to one of the stories from Tales of a Texas Boy.

Listen to the story here.

It's both fun and weird to hear someone else read your writing aloud. Dawn of The Deepening did a very nice reading. A couple of mispronounces, but who would know how Dasef is pronounced, and I think you've got to be from the Northwest to know our peculiar pronunciation of Willamette. I told Dawn not to redo for those minor gaffes. After all, do YOU know how to pronounce Dasef and Willamette? The odds are lousy for Dasef and about 50-50 for Willamette, so no harm done.

Review of Tales of a Texas Boy

"Tales of a Texas Boy" was originally self-published through Lulu. As I've said before, trying to get an agent or publisher for a thin volume of short stories is as likely as me being chosen to go on the next flight to Mars (I'd also love to do that).

The Lulu Review of Books blog just posted a review of Tales. It's a nice review, and I'd like to share it with you.

Review: Tales of a Texas Boy

An excerpt of the review, written by Linda Welch, author of Along Came a Demon:

I think Tales Of A Texas Boy by Marva Dasef will appeal to both children and adults. In fact, the large print is particularly suited for children and senior citizens whose eyesight is perhaps not as good as it once was. Marva Dasef skillfully brings her colorful characters to life, “a different life than any of us will ever know”, and I could have happily read another one hundred pages and another twenty Tales Of A Texas Boy. I’ll just have to read it all over again. And again.

Can't get much better than that.

Note: The book is available through Amazon in a several formats. A trade paperback has normal print, and there are two different large print editions.

Did a book ever really bug you?

I was getting ready for bed and my nightly reading session. The book I'm reading is from the library, so it's a hardback. It also happens to be 900 pages long. Don't know if that has anything to do with it, but when I picked up the book I saw a couple of ants crawling across the page ends. Then, I noticed that there were ants crawling across my bookshelf-style headboard.

I looked closely at the bottom of the book and noticed a slightly lump in the pages and an ant crawling out.

I took the book into the kitchen where we keep the ant spray (unscented) and after squashing a as many of the ants as I could see, I gave the book a light spray between the book's cover and the wrap-around outer cover.

I opened the the book to the page with the lumpy part and found a chunk of something white and hard. Glue? Don't know, but I pried it off, and resprayed the book. Lightly, mind you. I'm not one for destroying books.

This is definitely a very weird experience considering a story I wrote recently having to do with ants invading a home. Not just your average annoying ants, but ants bent on revenge (at least in the addled mind of the main character).

I'm returning the book to the library without finishing it. I'll get a copy later in paperback. I'll also examine the book closely before purchasing. Oh, the book? Anathem by Neal Stephenson (see the post below).

Freaky.