Dirty Laundry

Book Expo!

Day two of Book Expo here in New York and I have been having a blast.  I can’t say enough good things about the wonderful people at Candlewick Press.  They have been so kind, so gracious, and incredibly supportive!  Here’s a picture of the awesome poster they have up for the book at their booth. 

  I’ve done two signings over the last couple of days which I really enjoyed.  It was great to meet all the librarians and booksellers.  Also did a “speed dating” event where you go around to twenty-two tables and talk about your book and why you wrote it (all within 3 minutes).  I was a bit nervous about it at first but after a couple of tables I started to relax and had a lot of fun with it.  Tonight’s a dinner with some booksellers and the Candlewick staff, so that should be a great way to cap off the weekend (although I’m still planning on trying to score a Richard Russo galley tomorrow morning.  We’ll see how that goes).

Posted by Don Calame on 5.30.09 at 11:22 am in Prattlings. (0) Comments

New York, New York

Well, here I am in my beautiful hotel in NYC that the amazing people at Candlewick Press booked for my Book Expo America visit.  I really can’t say enough about how wonderful they’ve been to me through this entire process.  I feel incredibly lucky and blessed.  Honestly, I still can’t believe they invited me.  The other authors they have here are all award winners and best sellers and I’m just… well… me.  With my first novel.  I feel very humbled and flattered to have been included.  And a little nervous, to tell you the truth.  Book Expo - if you don’t know - is this gigantic… well… book expo, where publishers and booksellers and authors get together to talk books.  I will be doing a couple of signings and going to a couple of dinners or “not-dinners” and meeting with my editor and doing something called “speed dating” where I’m supposed to go around and chat with 20 sets of booksellers (I hope no one’s expecting me to shuck down to a Speedo while on these mini-dates.  I’ve done that once before and it was…. cold).  Anyway, I’m looking forward to spending the next two days with the Candlewick people and authors.  It should be a lot of fun. 

Since I was coming to New York for Book Expo I decided to fly in a few days early.  And so, I spent the last four days visiting with family (a whirlwind tour of Long Island and New Jersey).  It was nice seeing the fams - my mom and dad went to every bookstore in town and bought copies of Swim the Fly and if a bookstore didn’t have the book on the shelf they demanded it be ordered.  It was very cute.  I was touched. 

I have so many things I want to write about (handing in the new book, getting to work on the screenplay for Swim the Fly, the Stanley Cup Finals) but I need to get some sleep.  It’s going to be a busy next few days.

Posted by Don Calame on 5.28.09 at 08:03 pm in Prattlings. (0) Comments

The Joys Of Free Time

So, the new book has been handed in.  Hooray!!! Just made it under the wire (after having tripped over the very same wire several times the last couple of months - but who’s keeping track?).  I’m very pleased with how the novel turned out.  Whether my publisher feels the same way, we’ll soon learn.  There’s always more work to be done, of course.  And my incredible editor Kaylan Adair always has brilliant ideas on how to make things better.  But for now, I can rest for a few days.  And then it’s off to Book Expo.  There is the little matter of a screenplay I will have to start writing soon.  I’ve been mulling it over, the things that might need to be trimmed to make it film-friendly.  But the nitty gritty of writing the script can wait for a few days as I recuperate from the marathon that is writing a book. 

So now it’s just hockey, reading, sleeping, hockey, food, dog walking, hockey and hockey (at least until next Friday when it will be books, books, books, and books). The Penguins (my second favorite team after the Canucks) seem poised to make it to the Finals and I am ecstatic about that.  Malkin and Crosby are playing out of their heads, so maybe this is their year to bring home the Cup.

Posted by Don Calame on 5.23.09 at 06:25 pm in Prattlings. (0) Comments

Homestretch

One more pass through the manuscript and then I’m sending it off.  For real, this time.  Friday’s my new deadline (thanks, Kaylan) and I’m fairly confident I’ll make it.  I never really want to let the story go.  I’m constantly finding things I can make better or tweak or strengthen.  My brilliant wife is reading the book as are my incredible writing group cohorts, James and Ken.  They’ve all been hugely helpful along the way in this book and the last (see the acknowledgement page in Swim).  I’ll incorporate their ideas and suggestions over the next few days (the ones I agree with) and then send the novel on its merry way. 

Then it’s back to Swim the Fly and shaping it into a screenplay.  I’m excited about revisiting the story and envisioning it as a movie.  Novels and films are so different.  Things I love in the book will have to be put aside, otherwise we’d have a four hour film.  Which I’d sit through, but I’m not sure many other people would.  It should be a fun and interesting process.

Also, next week is Book Expo and a quick visit with my family, which will be a blast! 

Posted by Don Calame on 5.18.09 at 08:36 am in Prattlings. (2) Comments