Here at Exterminating Angel Press we’re taking deep breaths at the start of each new day, which is just as well since we’re about to head into the semi annual hell for leather gallop across the plains that is the launch of any new books. Two should arrive in the bookstores any day now–in fact, E. E. King’s DIRK QUIGBY’S GUIDE TO THE AFTERLIFE (the only book in history, as we continually say around here, to have cover blurbs from Ray Bradbury AND Margaret Cho) is probably already there on the shelves.
Then comes Danbert Nobacon’s 3 DEAD PRINCES: An Anarchist Fairy Tale, illustrated by our own dear in-house filmmaker/vegeterian husband Alex Cox (and yes, that suit of armor Queen Gwynmerelda puts on before the Battle of Bald River Falls, is indeed based on an outfit in my own wardrobe, though I don’t wear it outside the house much…). The cover blurbs on this book are hilarious, too–and our lovely distributor informs me that, once again, we have made blurb history by publishing the only book that’s ever gone through their warehouse with a cover quote from Iggy Pop.
Danbert’s got a new album coming out at the same time as the book–WOEBEGONE–and he’ll be touring with both. We’re kicking it off with an evening at his home brew pub in Twisp,Washington, and judging from the last evening I spent at his home brew pub in Twisp, Washington, it ought to be a raucous, multi age blast. Not to mention the local organic red wine I STILL vividly remember and am looking forward to meeting again…
Then E. E. King (she goes by EEK around here) and Danbert show up in Los Angeles, then San Francisco...then we’re all together in Portland, at Powell’s Hawthorne store, on Monday, October 4, at 7:30 pm…all of us: Dan, EEK, Alex, and me (also the dogs, but they’ll be in the car). So if you’re around…or if you’re around for the Wordstock book festival the following weekend at the Portland Convention Center, drop by our booth. We’ll all be hanging around the booth, along with our new ace intern, Alison Week.
Okay, okay, I know I said I would never have an intern again–not because they aren’t lovely, charming, intelligent, and punctual, but because training someone takes a lot of time, and who has any time these days? And then they go away, and it was all for naught. But Alison asked very nicely, and promised faithfully to either make my life easier or to move on, and by God, she IS making my life easier by coordinating all the events for EEK and Dan.
In fact, she made my life so much easier, that I was tempted by another flurry of emails from another young woman looking to intern in publishing, too. So welcome Amber Garner, who is presently wrestling with the Satan that is our website content management system. I’m looking forward to seeing who wins. If it’s her, you’ll hear more about her later. (So far it’s AMBER 2, CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 0–congratulations, Amber. Now just don’t get cocky.)
The main thing that gives me hope about these interns (and indeed pushed me over the edge into taking them on, even though I’d sworn etc etc etc) is that they are young, intelligent women who want to get into publishing. You may not know this, but a few years ago, all the talk was of how the publishing business was aging rapidly with no one young coming in. And now, everywhere you look, a vibrant, enthusiastic, above all, book-loving new generation is moving full speed ahead. It’s kind of fun watching two of them. Actually, it’s a lot of fun. And I really do feel we owe that generation a whole lot for our having eviscerated the economy and left it lying for dead just as they are setting out on life. We owe to them to teach them whatever tricks we have learned for surviving and thriving, and getting on without giving up your ideals for dead, too.
So whatever I can do of that, I’m happy to do. Well, we’ll see.
Meanwhile, we’ve found the perfect name for David Marin’s memoir of adopting three minority kids under the age of nine: THIS IS US (in stores September 2011, oh yeah, you think that’s too far ahead for me to mention, but just watch the months scream by…). David came up with that one, and I must say, it’s just the right fit. Now for the subtitle Mike’s having a great time turning the design for it over in his head. And we all met this weekend, for the first time, in Golden Gate Park, around the merry go round in the Children’s Playground. Ace intern Alison Week just happened to be in town, so she dropped by too. And ace intern Amber Garner stayed home and fixed our events page.
So maybe this whole intern thing is going to work out…
And if you’re around in LA, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Taos, Santa Fe, Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and/or Brooklyn…and you want to meet some terrific writers, and (in Danbert’s case) hear some terrific music, check our Events listing, and our Facebook page…and see if Amber has bested the Internet, at least three out of five, and gotten up all the significant details.
See you in a couple of months. Oh my god, in a couple of months we’re on to galloping toward the SPRING 2011 season…here it comes…heading right for us…