Book Signing Report

Book Signing Report

I had a book signing this weekend in Arizona. This is the third one I've had since the release. The first was at Dark Delicacies in Burbank. The second was during the Book Expo of America. Now this one which was the day before Father's Day, which was at the Hasting's Book Store in the sleepy border town I call home, Sierra Vista, Arizona. The local paper had a big write-up the Thursday before, which possibly the reason why the turn-out was so good. It could have also been the result of my dashing good looks and incredible writing. Or it could have been because we paid a group of illegals to line up at the table so it would like I was popular. (kidding) Seriously, Scarecrow Gods speaks for itself. The store ordered 16 copies and they were sold out by the time the book signing was over. I met some local up and coming writers, some grandmothers looking for something for their sons on Father's Day, a whacked out kid who spent ten minutes telling me about the crazy lights he saw in the mountains, the Russian KGB agent who actually read the writing (Israeli) on the face on the cover of the book, and a homeless man who traded in six bags of cans to get enough money for the book. No lie.




It was so much fun, I think I'm going to do some more. So, I'm going to begin setting up a schedule of signings that include Tucson, Phoenix, Southern California and New Mexico. If you have some favorite bookstores, let me know, and I'll make sure I contact them.

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Weston’s Grand BEA Adventure

Weston's Grand BEA Adventure
by Weston Ochse

Somewhere between fleeing Motel Ocho in North Hollywood before the Dark Delicacies book signing and dodging the crank-addled surf boy in Redondo Beach, I managed to have a grand adventure at the Book Expo of America 2008.  Between the Exp-loot (hundreds of free books lying around), meeting old friends, and pitching myself to publishers, I found myself far busier and far more satisfied that I'd thought possible.

I parked myself at the Horror Writers of America table in the West Hall most of the time.  We were wedged between an Elvis impersonator, a writer of books about trains, self published authors like the one with the corpse in the wheel chair, an awkwardly sensual purple woman dressed up like a children's book character and wearing an M&M green easy button around her neck, and brand new hip publishers like Ghetto Heat – Convict's Candy (ahem).  Not the greatest location, but one where people actually looked forward to finally reaching us, as if we were some arcane prize at the end of an Indiana Jones crusade.

Among those many people I met and spent time with were Kelly Dunn, Maria Alexander, Joe McKinney, Fred Wiehe, Lisa Morton, Gene O'Neil, Michael Calvillo, Del Howison, and Nancy Holder.  I also bumped into Feo Amante, Ray Garton, Steve and Melanie Tem, Richard Dansky, Rob Rogers and Jen Orosel in my travels.

Then there were those folks I hadn't met before, like Eric Brown and Nathan Long, both of Solaris and Black Flame Library, and both amazingly talented authors.  Speaking of publishers, I got to meet Jonathan Oliver, editor of Abbadon Books and the Afterblight Chronicles.  Nice to put a face to an email.  I also met Brian Hades of Hades Publications, a Canadian large print run tpb publisher of science fiction and fantasy that looks like an up and coming publisher.

My agent was with me much of the time, which allowed us to approach many of the big time publishers where I was introduced and my books were pitched.  We received a very nice response from most editors, with only a few times wondering why a company would send editors out to represent them with the people skills of a frog.

I bought copies of Scarecrow Gods from my publisher to give away.  Many of these went to regional booksellers and librarians, as a way to possibly entice them to carry it in their stores.  I also used it as a business card, giving it away to professionals in the field as something representative of my work.

The whole trip was extremely busy, leaving me with tired legs, sore feet, and a feeling of complete exhaustion every evening, but afforded me the ultimate opportunity in networking.  Mucho thanks goes out to HWA for giving their members the opportunity to attend the expo for free and to my agent, Denise Dumars of Ashley Grayson Agency for all of your help and support.

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Booksigning Today at Dark Delicacies

I just got back to my hotel room from a signing at Dark Delicacies.  If you haven't been to this horror haven in L.A. (Burbank, actually) you really should plan on going.  This is one of the pillars of horror booksellers and will leave you stunned.  I got there early so I could have a few drinks next door.  I met Lisa Morton, Joe McKinney and Gene O'Neil there (I'm leaving someone out, but I can't remember her name) for a few Margeritas and some Mexican Food.  Just what I needed coming from Arizona.  Lucky for me, I was too full from my late lunch of a Japanese noodle bowl with katsu to eat.  Although this didn't stop big daddy Gene from forcing an enchilada on me.  So we ate and talked and soon found it time for the signing.  We walked back the block and found a line of folks waiting for us.  In addition to those I mentioned, there was also Richard Dansky, J.M McDermott, Richard Dean Star, Rob Rogers and Steve and Melanie Tem.  We spent about an hour and a half talking amongst ourselves and signing books. I probably signed a dozen copies of Scarecrow Gods as well as some odd anthologies people brought in, like Gorezone, Children of Cthulhu and Tournequet Heart.  Del fed us beer and cookies and the time was well spent.  I'm sitting here waiting on an actor friend of mine to pick me up for some late night shennanigans.  If I can report them later, I will, otherwise, to protect the innocent I might have to invoke the 5th.

One note...if you are in L.A. and want a cheap hotel room, the farther up Laurel Canyon Drive you go, the more barrio it becomes.  As it turned out the hotel I'd booked online was a Motel Ocho with razor wire fencing aroiund it and bullet holes in the sign.  Either there was a blood stain on the sidewalk or someone threw a watermelon during a driveby.   I pulled into their encased parking lot, looked around and said fuck this.  As I was leaving, I saw a young twentyish coupple pulling in with Just Married on the rear window and dinner saucer eyes.  They were terrified.  So I drove down Lankershim for about four miles and found a nice Comfort Inn owned by a family of 137 Filipinos.

For those of you who have been following my travails, and remember the story of the Pakistanis who are still encircling L.A., this also happened on Laurel Canyon Drive.  In fact, I saw the exact spot where I sent my karma into a tailspin. 

More Later...with pictures.

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Publishers Weekly Loves Scarecrow Gods

"God speaks through odd prophets in this schizophrenic tale...[whose]... underlying themes of faith, martyrdom, madness and loss are richly, sometimes achingly portrayed." - Publishers Weekly

From Publishers Weekly:

Scarecrow Gods
Weston Ochse. Delirium Books, $16.95 paper (298p) ISBN 978-1-929653-95-9
God speaks through odd prophets in this schizophrenic tale, which won Ochse a 2005 first novel Stoker Award. Hideously disfigured Maxom Phinxs, known as the "Maggot Man" for his disgusting job at a chicken processing plant, learned a trick as a POW in Vietnam: he can astrally project, abandoning his ravaged body to soar and spy. He shares this ability with troubled young Danny, whose family was shattered when his sister ran away from home. The two join brilliant homeless man Billy Bones and a defrocked monk calling himself John the New Baptist to confront insanity and evil on an alternate plane called the "Land of Inside-Out." Stereotype-heavy and prone to strange time shifts, endless dream sequences and awkwardly placed flashbacks, the tale is narratively untidy, but the underlying themes of faith, martyrdom, madness and loss are richly, sometimes achingly portrayed.

Not bad for a first novel. I'm pleased and thing that any PW review is cool! There are some first novel problems in Scarecrow Gods, like most first novels, but it was still loved enough to win an award.  And the use of the word "achingly" is a nice finish. Lucky for me, my books after SG are narratively more tidy.

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New Skinny, Interviews and Testimonials

1. Interview by David Niall Wilson at Macabre Ink. This interview
talks about some of my influences and includes some answers that have
never appeared before in print. A link can be found at
www.scarecrowgods.com.

2. Interview by Maurice Broaddus at Fear Zone. This interview asks
some pretty frank questions. In it, I tell many secrets, including
how to get the key to the Bram Stoker Executive Washroom high atop
Mount Laymon. A link can also be found at www.scarecrowgods.com.

3. New Amazon Author Profile. I recently completed my Amazon author
profile page. Come by and check it out. What I really need is for
people to pop some reviews of some of my books. If you can, please
come by at least to say hi. A link can be found at
www.scarecrowgods.com.

4. New Scarecrow Gods Webpage. As you can tell by the links, there's
a new webpage solely dedicated to Scarecrow Gods. On it you will find
the cover, a video trailer, some links to reviews and where to buy it
on the web, and testimonials (More on this later). Come one by and
take a look at www.scarecrowgods.com.

5. Buy Scarecrow Gods. In an effort to help the launch of Scarecrow
Gods the Paperback, please see if you can take five minutes out of the
next two weeks and help out with one or more of the following. I'm
especially looking for help with booksellers.

If you're a fan:

1. Join my newsletter for updates.
2. Sign in on my Fan Map so I can have a signing near you.
3. Ask your local bookstore to order five copies once you learn the
ISBN.
4. Consider joining the Delirium Book Club for 25% off the cover
price.

If you're a bookseller or work in a bookstore:

Send me an email with the following information:

1. Store name and location.
2. Your name and phone number.
3. Best times for booksignings.
4. Mailing address.

Note: This book will be available through Baker and Taylor and Ingram,
as well as through the Horror Mall.

Delirium Books Book Club: Members of their book club will receive 25%
off the book, as well as all other paperbacks published by Delirium.
I recommend signing up today. You can go here for more information
about the release and the book club.

6. Testimonial Videos Wanted.

Come on all of you out there with video cameras or cell phones!

For all of you out there who have read and love Scarecrow Gods, have I
got a contest for you. I am calling for video testimonials about
Scarecrow Gods. These can be done in any way you want, with music,
graphics and nude animals (keep it PG-13 folks). No longer than 30
seconds please. They should be loaded to your Youtube account so I can
link them. If you don't have a YouTube account, they can be sent to me
and I will upload them for you. The winner will receive a framed
picture of the new cover of Scarecrow Gods with a brass plaque with
your name on it and the words -Keeper of the Paper God. (When H reads
this, if he will show us what the Keeper of the God picture he won
looks like, you'll get the idea.) The framed cover will also be signed
by me and the artist.

How to win: The winner will be chosen at random by me. To win you must
enter. For those of you who go far beyond the call of duty with
creativity, additional rewards will be forthcoming. Deadline for
submission is May 15th. As soon as you begin submitting the
testimonials to me, I'll provide a webpage for them. I've already
reserved www.scarecrowgods.com. Let's make this fun.

Please feel free to contact me by email or through Horror-Mall.

This is your chance for fame and fortune.

Now get out there and film something!

8:34 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Writing Life on the Mexican Border 1
Current mood: calm

So I'm now back fro Salt Lake City and the World Horror Convention.  I had a terrific time.  I spent a lot of time on panels and started right out talking about folklore and urban legends.  Really tremendous discussions.  I saw a lot of friends I hadn't seen in years, and also made some new friends.  I had a blast at the book signing and the Gross Out Contest.  Once again, I was the head bouncer and corraled an ace staff,  There's a picture of three of us on my homepage.

Finishing up some writing projects.  I just turned in a monster story to a monster antho.  It's a long ass story, but thats how the story wanted to be told.  All I can tell  you is that it's about the Mexican Border, tarantula wasps and Tarzan.

I have a couple editing gigs working.  One is an anthology I pitched to a publisher who liked the idea.  I'm working on getting some huge names, so wish me luck.

I'm also working on my new novel The Doomsday Breakfast Club.  Think a 20 year high school reunion, D&D gaming and a very original horror.

Also, Scarecrow Gods is coming out in paperback next month.  I'm going to be calling around next week to see if I can line up some book signings and such.  This is the fun part.  I've also announced a video testimonial contest.  If you have access to a video camera why not shoot 30 seconds of griping about not having the book, or commenting on what you liked about it.  Load it to Youtube or pass it to me, and you're entered into my contest.  This is a fun deal.

So that's about it for now.

9:22 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Scarecrow Gods Website

Scarecrow Gods now has its own website.

Try it atScarecrow Gods and tell me what you think.

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Scarecrow Gods Trailer - Paperback Edition

It's here!!!  Check it out on my Myspace page and tell me what you think!

8:29 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Scarecrow Gods Testimonial Contest
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Games

For all of you out there who have read and love Scarecrow Gods, have I got a contest for you. I am calling for video testimonials about Scarecrow Gods. These can be done in any way you want, with music, graphics and nude animals (keep it PG-13 folks). No longer than 30 seconds please. They should be loaded to your Youtube account so I can link them. If you don't have a youtube account, they can be sent to me and I will upload them for you. The winner will receive a framed picture of the new cover of Scarecrow Gods with a brass plaque with your name on it and the words -Keeper of the Paper God. (When H reads this, if he will show us what the Keeper of the God picture he won looks like, you'll get the idea. See-below) The framed cover will also be signed by me and the artist.

How to win: The winner will be chosen at random by me. To win you must enter. For those of you who go far beyond the call of duty with creativity, additional rewards will be forthcoming. Deadline for submission is May 15th. As soon as you begin submitting the testimonials to me, I'll provide a webpage for them. I've already reserved www.scarecrowgods.com. Let's make this fun.

Please feel free to contact me by email or through MySpace.

This is your chance for fame and fortune.

Now get out there and film something!

(H Casper with his prize for the Hardback version)

10:08 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Gasden Hotel Book Signing

Centennial Celebration of the Gadsden Hotel

The Second Week of November Yvonne Navarro and I went to the historic Gadsden Hotel for a book signing and a formal dinner party. We had a blast! There were about a dozen authors and artists from the area. Some, like J Carson Black whom we had dinner with later that evening, were people we'd never met before. Others, like Jeff Mariotte, were old friends it was so nice to see again.

The architecture of the hotel was worth the trip alone. From the marble floor to the marble columns to the white Italian marble staircase which Pancho Villa once rode up on his horse, everything was truly amazing. The hotel burned down in the 1920s, but was rebuilt with gold leaf all over the vaulted ceiling. Back then the cost of the gold added to the paint was 34 grand. Who knows what it would cost today, but I'm sure that if someone wanted to peel the paint and separate the gold, they'd be set for life.

The ceiling and wall above the staircase boasted incredible stain-glassed windows created by Tiffany and Company. What was the most amazing was how detailed the cactus scenes were. There was also a stuffed mountain lion on the stair landing. I was initially creeped by it, but the more I looked at it, the more I came to believe that the spirit of the creature still inhabited it. The lion lay proud and daunting, watching over everyone who came into the hotel, as if the place was, and always will be, his.

The formal dinner was fabulous. Hotel owner and party organizer Robin Brekus brought gourmet chefs down from Tucson and had local wineries provide some really fabulous wines. Of note was Colibri Winery's 2005 Cuvee which was like drinking pink velvet. We were also smitten with their 2005 Syrah which went perfect with the filet mignon. From Fort Bowie Vineyards we remember the Pecan Delight which was a sparkling wine with a nutty flavor. Really spectacular!

This was our first trip to the Gadsden Hotel, but it won't be our last. Although the rooms were old and a little cold, the vibe of the place is energetic. We'll probably come back for one of the amazing breakfasts at the Conquistador Room and find a reason to stay for the weekend.

Yvonne and I are very thankful we were invited. Robin was an excellent hostess and gave us fond memories to keep warm us during our long hours of cold creativity.

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