My Book Launch is Planned

 

                                        Please click this link for book and author information

I've picked the date and venue for the official launch of my new novel, A Killer Whisky. Tuesday, March 25th, in the RGO Treehouse at cSPACE, Marda Loop. The Treehouse is a whimsical name for the 4th-floor meeting room in Calgary's creative arts incubator. I held my last book launch in the Treehouse and the views are beautiful, especially at sunset. Thanks to the spring forward to daylight savings time, we'll be there again for sunset and twilight for A Killer Whisky's launch. 

City view from the Treehouse at twilight

Signing a copy of my book for a friend at my last launch

I'm planning a launch program similar to the ones at my last few book launches, with a twist. I'll do a PowerPoint presentation showing photographs related to A Killer Whisky's time frame and setting locations, interspersed with readings from the novel. Some photos will be images of Calgary circa 1918; others will be photos I've recently taken of 100-plus-year-old buildings featured in the story.    

A character in my novel moves into an apartment in the Hicks Block, Tuxedo Park. In the 1970s, the building was renamed the Kelly Block. My friend, writer and literary historian Shaun Hunter (crossing the street in the photo) will introduce me at the launch. 

It's customary at book launches to serve wine and light refreshments. Since "whisky" is in my novel's title and plays a large role in the story, a twist to the beverage service will be whisky instead of wine. Attendees can try a "wee dram" of whisky or a signature whisky cocktail. One of my tasks for the next month will be to develop cocktails named for my novel's characters. It's a tough job, but I'm up for the challenge. 
   

 

Another task will be to continue to work on online promotion to promote the book launch. If you missed Shaun's interview with me, check out her blog post.   

On Feb 22, 10 am PT, everyone's invited to my online reading and conversation with two other authors from Sisters in Crime Canada West. It's a free event, but you need to register here.

The week before my Calgary book launch, I'll get to practice my PowerPoint presentation at the Pincher Creek Library in Southern Alberta. I've titled this talk "War, Pandemic, & Prohibition: how historic events inspired my novel." Unfortunately, the library doesn't allow liquor service, so this event will reflect the novel's Prohibition theme.  

Cheers! I hope to raise a glass with some of you at these events. 

 

 

Hosting a Book Launch Party

 

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Last month I held my first in-person book launch in 4 1/2 years. Fifty people gathered in The Treehouse at cSpace, which is located in Calgary's former King Edward Junior High School. I had toured the renovated building when cSpace opened in 2017 as an arts and community hub and fell in love with the Treehouse meeting room. Its top floor setting, three walls of windows, and outside deck offer panoramic views of the city. On September 21st the weather was perfect for an evening event.      

View from the Treehouse deck

Prior to the launch, I often wondered if the effort was worth it. After I settled on the venue and date, the first step was sending out invitations. I created a Facebook Event page, invited my Facebook friends who live in Calgary, and kept the page active with comments to stimulate interest and discussion. In one comment I talked about cSpace and urged people to come to the launch to see what this unique building is like. In addition to numerous artist studios, cSpace houses community groups for seniors, indigenous peoples, writers, and those interested in speaking French. 

 

cSpace: The Treehouse is the top floor of the extension on the left-hand side

For friends not on Facebook, I created an invitation, which I emailed to each person. I started out wondering if anyone would come. But eventually enough people said "yes" that I realized I'd get a good crowd. Then new worries set in. Would they enjoy themselves and be glad they came?

During the week before the event, I purchased wine, juice, and snack food: cheese, crackers, vegetables and dip, and desserts.  

I developed a PowerPoint presentation, which focused on Calgary locations that inspired my story. I combined these with readings from the novel interspersed through the presentation. My first reading featured my protagonist Paula Savard in her office in Inglewood, Calgary's oldest suburb. In my mind, Paula works in this four-story brick building on Inglewood's main street. My added touch: the building is rumoured to be haunted.   

 

At this point in the presentation, I discuss my research visit to Calgary Police Headquarters-Westwinds  

For fun, at the end of my talk, I added a trivia quiz. Since the novel takes place in spring 2020 during the first COVID-19 lockdown, the ten trivia questions all related to COVID-19. I took my questions from the COVID timeline that I'd made for the novel to remind me of what was happening in the world on the story's dates. To test your memory, here are my first two trivia questions:

• On what date did WHO (World Health Organization) declare COVID-19 a pandemic? Month, day, year required.
• Shortly after this declaration, what celebrity couple announced in Australia they'd tested positive for COVID-19?   

The questions turned out to be too hard. The winner only got three right and received her prizes, which were priceless during the lockdown: hand sanitizer and a roll of toilet paper. 

I wrapped up the presentation with random draw prizes: two mystery puzzle books and two sets of playing cards because a character in the novel has a gambling addiction that affects the plot. 

Then everyone gathered for conversation, wine, food and drink. I signed books and talked with as many guests as I could. From the buzz in the room and comments afterward, I think people enjoyed the event. 

Was the work and strain I put into launch preparations worth it? I don't know. It's fun to to host a party to celebrate something good in life and now I have these wonderful pictures with friends who made the effort to attend and cheer on my writing.