"BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE"
Ah, I am home, sitting at my desk, in my apartment overlooking the busy street, with my tiny kitty at my feet. Happy, happy. I had a blast in Omaha, though, I have to tell you. Omaha and I are like this.
Where did I leave off? Oh, right, the tornado.
Afterwards, the literary sex panel went wonderfully, except for Jami Attenberg and I being accused of underrepresenting eroticism in our work by Frederick Reuss. And, that perhaps this was generational. Say what? I wanted to pull the guy aside and explain that just because my work, or her work, or anyone else's work for that matter, doesn't cater directly to the center of his universe, does not mean our writing ceases to be erotic.
I love it when people forget they don't speak for everyone.
And, I would be terribly negligent to not share Ad Hudler's interpretation of my Einstein in Nebraska. 
So, to recap Omaha:
Arrive, hotel was fabulous, reading with Jami at Reading Grounds went well, cocktails were consumed afterwards by the two of us and new friend Mike, then there was the pseudo-barfight, then Friday was spent exploring Omaha, then many beautiful pieces of art were seen, taken in, considered and loved at the Bemis Center, then off to the cocktail party and deconstructed book auction at the library, back to the Bemis center for some drinking with the resident artists, big fun on comedy panel with Ad, Charlene and Will, chardonnay and beautiful conversation at Mr. Toad's, rest, tornado, big fun on lit-sex panel with Jami, Tim, fabulous sex counselor, Janette, Terese, Marilyn (Yes, that Marilyn who wrote Marcella) and of course, the fabulous Timothy, then Mike, Jami and I clinked our glasses once more in a secret bar on a bridge, sleep, brunch, travel, travel, home, rain, sleep.
Oh, and I did see a giant, overturned pig-chef tossed on the sidewalk without explanation on my way out of town. Just when I thought I had Omaha figured out, art kept popping up in the strangest places.
Oh, and speaking of sitting on panels with people, dear Galleycat, (who I also met this weekend-- poor chap, I bored the shit out of him rambling on about my Van Peebles interivew and surrounding blaxploitation projects) was good enough to mention us in Media Bistro this morning. I like how I appear to be checking out Will Clarke's crotch in the center picture, and how, though I am cut out of the bottom picture, Charlene and Ad are undoubtedly laughing at my jackassery, as I was sitting to the right of them.
Goon Squad Sarah and I had a nice talk this week that you can read about here. I love how people think writers get free books. Well, sadly, I'm here to tell you, we do not. We might get a few, but not a hoard. Well, anyway, my book has never been read by the leader of a Goon Squad, so I might have to find a way to sneak her a copy... She is pretty cool, after all.
And, this interview by Margaret Fieland just popped up, too. Please be sure to click through and show everyone some love, click, comment, repeat.
Not a bad week, kids. Not too shabby at all.
Sep 18, 2006
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29 comments:
Sounds like such a good time!
I left a comment on the last entry but my computer crapped out while it was processing, so I don't think it went through. Anyway, I have more than my share of tornado stories, but the more amusing is probably the time I was huddled into the basement of the University of Toledo gymnasium with a bunch of 15-16 year old "gifted writers." Hoo boy, good times.
I am concerned about the "art" in Omaha.
And silly girl, you are supposed to make your PUBLISHER send me the free book (unless you are self published, in which case I will buy the book because I am a sucker for that kind of thing.)
No, I'm not self-published, So New Media published it. I tracked a copy down for you. No worries.
It's not that black and white in publishing where you're either self-published or with a huge, multi-million publishing firm. There are a ton of degrees in-between, and I've run into that thinking, too, though, Ms. Guth, where people don't realize every copy is inventiried and counts for or against your profit margin. In the end, I give in rather than explain.
Oops. Inventoried, that is. Way to proofread, Ken.
OMG did someone just accuse Amy Guth of self-publishing? Hello? Manners? Jesus.
Whoa, there, Ken and Marty. First, thank you both for coming by and introducing yourselves, but no need to attack Sarah. She conducted a kick-ass interview with me, so it's not a big deal.
Good to meet you in Omaha! Can't wait to read Three Fallen Women.
Sorry, I have contempt for anyone who calls a 30-something woman a "girl". Oh, and I lost my ass with complementary copies of my first book.
OK, I'm sorry, too, I just have a thing about people assuming you suck if you didn't get a million-dollar book deal.
Isn't contempt a rather strong word? I mean, contempt?
Just to add to this little chain...
Remember, it's not the literary bling that measures the worth of an author. There are plenty of people out there who are doing wonderful DIY things in any number of different disciplines. So Three Fallen Women is an amazing book no matter who published it, and its merits would still exist even if it had been written on the back of a cocktail napkin. Umm on the back of many cocktail napkins. So New was just lucky enough to snatch it up.
I actually have the cocktail napkins it was written on. But I kept them in a cabinet under a leaky pipe and now it is the spitwad that 3FW was written on.
Oops.
Sorry about letting get all pulpy and stuff, next time I'll keep it somewhere safe.
Glad to hear it was awesome, safe and you kicked the ass of shyness on Day Two!
Wow, this is the blogger hotspot tonight!
Just thought I'd comment that
a) I really enjoyed the Goon Squad blog and interview (will go back and comment there too in a minute)
b) I think 3FW is probably my abbreviation fave of the day, if not week; good one, Leah
and
c) Adam, did you just coin the phrase "literary bling"? That, too, is awesome.
I like how this blogger asked for a free book in the public forum, so it makes you, your publicist AND your publisher look like assholes if you don't give her one.
Totally! She leaves her with no other choice. And, I agree-- I have been published by a large publishing house and I had to have my agent negotiate to get me a few free copies. Why don't people know that?
An established critic can get a free copy, whether they write in print or in a blog, but a mom blogger? I don't think so.
It's a virtual tour, not a review of your book. How out of it is this woman to think she gets a free book for writing an interview?
if guth wants to give this woman a book she has the right to but i agree that the writer shouldn't have asked for a free book in public
Give Sarah a break. She made a faux pas, but haven't we all? She's probably a newer writer and doesn't know the ins and outs of the business end of publishing.
Fair enough, Bookish, but it just seems to me that EVERYONE knows it's an insult to ask if someone self-published. Any person with a few bucks can self-publish and it'll haunt a writer forever if they do that.
Good point, Marty. I hold it against writers who self-publish, too. I'm just less likely to work with them-- it shows impatience and I don't want to work with wrters like that.
Oy, the laws of blogging! I think that the writer was totally fine saying, "hint hint" in her post. Most of us write with humor and the goon squad is certainly writen with humor. She also wrote honestly about what she thought she agreed to and what was actually asked. She fessed up to the mistake and upheld her part of the bargain.
I think both blogger ladies behaved totally appropriately in this case.
It was an excellent interview--done graciously, with humor.
What more can a lady who has just published her first (of many) novels ask for?
Other than mountains of rubies and 400 count sheets, of course.
Self-publishing is insulting? Why is that a bad thing? I don't get it. I just thought it was like music, where it just gave the artist independence.
Sheesh. I certainly didn't mean to offend Amy.
Hey Ken, girl means you have a vagina. It isn't a bad thing. Unless you have a problem with vaginas. I don't know, you might.
Holy Moses! You can't buy publicity like this! ;)
I agree that it was just a well-intentioned faux-pas on Sarah's part. Geez, I consider myself a "beginning writer" and I would have never thought of all this stuff. I try to buy whenever possible to support up-and-coming artists, but I don't think there was any shame in the rather tongue-in-cheek way Sarah broached the subject. Anyway, she may read it and recommend it to 40 of her friends who all rush out to buy it when it goes up on Amazon!
Yeah, I recommended it to the 200-300 people who read me every day.
Plus, nobody would have looked like an asshole if they didn't give me a book. How else do you explain to your readers who come to see pictures of your twins why you are suddenly talking about a feminist author who you have never read anything by?
Anyway, again, I apologize if I have offended anyone, but I think Amy gets it and that is what really matters to me. I will read 3FW (I like it too) and I'll probably write about it again.
You see? Agree with her or not but, this is why I wanted Sarah to be part of the virtual book tour-- she doesn't take any shit.
We at SNM are equally stingy with everyone. However, if Sarah had contacted the press, she probably would have gotten a book. Now. . . I think I'll tell the publicist she has to buy one! :)
Asking about self publishing is an insult only if you let it be. Plenty of writers self-publish and then their work gets picked up for commercial publishing, in part as a result. As far as I know, Ms. Guth is not the type of gal to take offense unless there is a good reason, like if some dumbass in a bar makes a lewd or inappropriate comment -- so while these fine gents who stopped by were well-intentioned in their chivalrous attempt to defend Ms. Guth, it seems a little unnecessary, given that she seems to know how to take care of herself.
Not to mention the fact that I was always taught that it's more offensive to make an assumption about someone's age (30-something?) than it is to use a jesting euphamism such as "silly girl" amongst colleagues.
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