Ravens in the Bay Area.: seanan

Ravens in the Bay Area.

Yesterday afternoon, I took Jon for what is becoming my regular tour through Borderlands Books, aka 'home of the freaky alien demon suede kittyfaces.' (Tip to the bookstores of the world: if you want me to come over a lot, get yourselves a naked cat. If you want me to avoid coming over, get, I don't know, a Persian.) We arrived to find the entire hive of demon cats playing bezoar in the back room, because nothing makes a bunch of naked cats cuter than becoming an undifferentiated ball of heaving, speckled flesh. Er, wait...

Jude was in the store, and I took great pleasure in showing her the cover print for Rosemary and Rue, which she was properly appreciative of -- I figure an author with new cover art is much like a parent with new baby pictures; you can hate it, but when they whip out their wallets, you'd better be prepared to coo over the fact that baby's got four limbs and a head -- before chatting for a bit about our various cats and the fact that All Cat Breeders Are Crazy. (It's true. It's just that some, like Betsy, are good crazy, while others are creepy won't let you into the house because maybe you're carrying the plague under your fingernails crazy.) Everyone's very much looking forward to Alice's arrival. Any bookstore that invites you to bring your Maine Coon for a visit with the creepy demon cats is a good bookstore.

Jude also rousted Ash for us, so that Jon could have his proper introduction to the glorious freakiness of the Sphinx. This was deeply pleasing unto me. I adore the freaky suede kittyfaces, and any day that they choose to grace with their presence is a good day for all of me.

As Jon and I were on our way out of the store (Jon having, naturally, purchased a souvenir postcard of Ripley), Jude stopped us. See, she was on the phone with Phil, confirming that the store had received their copies of Ravens in the Library. Yes: Borderlands has five copies of Ravens! They're gorgeous. And if you go down there, thus supporting your local bookstore and your local Sooj, you can totally buy one. Better still?

After Jude got off the phone, she asked if I wanted to sign them.

Nobody's ever asked me that before.

So yes, I signed their copies of Ravens in the Library -- signing several hundred CDs really makes you good at signing your name -- and walked home in a happy haze. You should, if you're local and haven't already ordered a copy, really go and pick one up. It's a truly gorgeous book. Better yet?

It's signed.

twfarlan

March 26 2009, 14:46:34 UTC 8 years ago

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This idea of a local Sooj intrigues me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

seanan_mcguire

March 26 2009, 14:48:25 UTC 8 years ago

There will be an actual local Sooj in the Bay Area -- not just the book -- in April, when she appears at both Borderlands and the Other Change of Hobbit in Berkeley.

March 26 2009, 14:57:06 UTC 8 years ago

So, blessed shall be the Bay, but that leaves many places forlorn and bereft. Hmm. Someone call the Professors Foglio. We're going to need cloning tanks and a Jacob's Ladder, STAT.

8 years ago

idancewithlife

March 26 2009, 23:50:59 UTC 8 years ago

Is Sooj doing a concert while in the bay area? If not and might like to and she needs an inexpensive venue I may be able to point her to one (Grace North Church) in Berkeley.

March 26 2009, 23:59:25 UTC 8 years ago

Never mind. Looked at her website and now have info.

trektone

March 26 2009, 14:53:22 UTC 8 years ago

Jude and Alan are super cool.

March 26 2009, 21:17:05 UTC 8 years ago

They really are just about as awesome as I could ever ask bookstore owners to be. I'm really looking forward to the party in September.

jimhines

March 26 2009, 14:55:42 UTC 8 years ago

"Nobody's ever asked me that before."

Get used to it :-)

March 26 2009, 21:19:07 UTC 8 years ago

I'm looking forward to it!

Deleted comment

March 26 2009, 21:36:06 UTC 8 years ago

I absolutely will, since my 'signing pen' is also my planner pen, and if you see me without my planner, I've either been mugged or the world has ended.

me-->needs her mother to stop asking her when the book will be arriving before there's a matricide

archangelbeth

March 26 2009, 15:30:43 UTC 8 years ago

(My kid loves your icon.)
(Said kid is also blonde, heh.)

Hooray for signing books!
*waits patiently for the one she ordered*

March 26 2009, 21:36:26 UTC 8 years ago

Has she seen the full-sized picture?

March 26 2009, 22:29:35 UTC 8 years ago

I don't think she has! If it's on the site, I can probably dig it up at some point, though.

March 30 2009, 15:44:39 UTC 8 years ago

It's not -- I'll re-post shortly.

the_gwenzilliad

March 26 2009, 15:32:25 UTC 8 years ago

Postal charges to the UK more than double the price of this book. Any chance you know someone who's coming to the UK anytime in the next year and wouldn't mind buying, holding and mongoling for me? :D

March 26 2009, 21:36:57 UTC 8 years ago

I was chatting with Mike today, and he says there may be someone going from FKO to the UK. So it's worth looking into.

Signing

sophie_lawson

March 27 2009, 00:32:02 UTC 8 years ago

As someone said, get used to signing. It is something that makes the book even more precious to the purchaser.

Re: Signing

March 27 2009, 17:16:35 UTC 8 years ago

Oh, I know! It's just very...whoa.

biguglymandoll

March 27 2009, 01:07:44 UTC 8 years ago

Ya signing! The big downside to living on the East Coast is none of the people I'm hoping will sign the books I'm buying live anywhere NEAR here. I wonder if there were some way to mail them, along with return postage and boxeseses....

Can't wait for my copy of Ravens!

argonel

March 27 2009, 17:15:56 UTC 8 years ago

Generally speaking it probably easier and cheaper to mail a bookplate in a SASE and have the author or authors sign the bookplate.

March 27 2009, 17:17:20 UTC 8 years ago

Absolutely true -- also less post-office intensive. That said, I can see why you might want to have the signature on the physical book, if you didn't mind spending the postage.

March 27 2009, 18:36:17 UTC 8 years ago

Thinking about it I expect to have a copy of Ravens soon. I may have to see about doing something for bookplates.

March 27 2009, 20:02:12 UTC 8 years ago

Since I used to work at the post office, I have absolutely no sympathy, um, I mean, abolutely full faith that they'll get the book there and back. The whole book. I just can't make myself do bookplates... ;-)

March 31 2009, 01:42:28 UTC 8 years ago

Monday is shiny! I get to read it tonight! ;-)

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