>Two Headed Edits

>


2head
Originally uploaded by Arthur Slade

Ah, I just finished the last revision for The Hunchback Assignments. It was a curious process this time because I was working on the copy edits from both my American and Canadian publishers. I placed them side by side and went through them page by page. It made me feel a little two headed.

I discovered that if both copy editors saw a sentence or a situation as confusing, I knew that I should change it. But if one copy editor pointed some change out that I didn't agree with I'd check the other copy editor's notes. I felt like I had someone on my side. Then again, at other times I felt like they were ganging up on me (can two copy editors be a gang?). One used a green pencil, the other a red pencil, so I made my marks in a purple pencil. The book looked like a Christmas tree! One liked using Post it notes. There's nothing more exciting than a manuscript decorated with Post it Notes! Whew, at least most of the questions were easy to answer. And none of the notes said, "nice try, but why don't you just start the novel over again?"

Did I mention whew!? It's out of my hands now. Until the galleys come back that is....

Art

>Signings and Awards

>Greetings,

Just got back from a signing at Mcnally Robinson Bookstore here in Saskatoon. It's only about three blocks from my house so I had a nice, chilly, bone-numbing, nose freezing, bracing walk. The perfect way to start a signing (note to self, be sure to blow nose before signing). I always enjoy public signings because they're a lot like public hangings. People just stare at you like the floor is going to fall out. Usually I am mistaken for a store employee and people ask me important questions like "where is the bathroom" and "where is the cookbook section?". Alas, this time people actually wanted me to sign books. The nerve!
Photobucket

That's my little macbook showing a slideshow, drawing in those thousands of signees! Okay, I admit it, the guy in the photo was Leif, a store employee. But there really were a lot of other "real" people there. We just staged this so you'd have something to look at. If you ever need a stand in for your own signings, weddings, or bat mitzvah's, Leif is your guy!

All went well. And I'm pleased to say this was my last promo event for the year. Yay! I'm done. I can rest now.

Oh, before we do that, everyone grab onto their hats, hold each other's hands and let's press the back in time button. We'll just go back a week to the Saskatchewan Book Awards. I went down (across?) to the event in Regina and had a lovely time. Maria Campbell was the keynote speaker and so the meal was buffalo stew and bannock, in honour of her metis heritage. Everything was in a metis theme, including we authors being "fiddled" in by John Arcand, master fiddler.
Photobucket
I didn't even trip on the way in. Jolted was up for Saskatoon Book of the Year, Fiction Book of the Year, and Young Adult Book of the Year! $6000.00 was just waiting to fall into my hands. I know, I know, what happened? How exciting! And the winner was....

Not me. Alas, I was a three time loser. : ) Ah, but I got a free meal! And I was especially happy for my friend Alison Lohans who won the YA book of the year. And my other pal, Pam Bustin who won Fiction book of the year. And my other friend Louise Halfe who won Saskatoon book of the year. Now that they're each a little richer I feel so much closer to them...

Here's a pic from my interview with Max TV before the announcements:

Max TV Interview

I did my best to find something profound to say. It was brilliant! I just wish I could remember what it was...

Art

>Launch of Jolted...and lunch

>Well,

I'm blogging about this rather late, but better late than never. I launched JOLTED at Tommy Douglas Collegiate here in Saskatoon on Oct. 23rd.

I cut together some video from the event. I condensed an hour long launch into about 10 minutes (in other words I took out the long boring parts and the tomato throwing episode and the tightrope walking schtick and the elephants who appeared--I assumed no one would want to see that). This will show you some of the other shocking things that happened.
[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/Ad7WTgA]
It was a fun, exciting, exhilarating event. As you can tell I need to learn to stay under the spotlight, so I brightened up parts of the video. For those of you who want to know such things, I edited it all on a Macbook 2.4 (yes one of the fancy new ones), using Final Cut Express. It was my first experience with the program and I'm learning to like it.

The actual audio video presentation for the launch is done in Keynote, which I highly recommend for these types of presentations.

The audience was great and I am thankful that Tommy Douglas Collegiate let me launch my book at the school. Nothing like celebrating with 400+ students!

Of course, I ended the event with lunch at Truffles, dining on truffle butter steak. Mmmmmm.


Cheers,

Art