Ellen Meister's Blog, page 3

You Don't Have to Be Dorothy Parker to Outsmart Facebook

Yesterday I had the honor of guest blogging over at Writers on the Storm, and gave some tips on finagling Facebook's dastardly delivery algorithm. Check it out.

Skype Interview

Big thanks to J.J. Murphy, author of the Algonquin Round Table Mysteries, for interviewing me about Dorothy Parker Drank Here ...




FYI, everyone who pre-orders is eligible for a special giveaway from my publisher. But hurry--offer ends on 2/17. Click here for info.

Last chance to request a free bookplate!

For a limited time, I'm offering free signed bookplates to anyone who pre-orders Dorothy Parker Drank Here from any store, including  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, Powell's or your local bookseller. Simply purchase the book and then fill out this form to request a signed, personalized bookplate. I'll mail it right to your house. (FYI, these bookplates are self-adhesive and can go right into the front of your book.)

Click this form to request a free bookplate. Offer ends 2/8/15.

3 Ways to Get a Signed Copy of Dorothy Parker Drank Here

If you would like a signed copy of Dorothy Parker Drank Here, there are three possible ways to do it.

1. In person
Attend one of my events. Click here to see the schedule.

2. Request a free bookplate
For a limited time, I'm offering free signed bookplates to anyone who pre-orders Dorothy Parker Drank Here from any store, including your local bookseller or Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, or Powell's. Simply purchase the book and then fill out this form to request a signed, personalized bookplate. I'll mail it right to your house. (FYI, these bookplates are self-adhesive and can go right into the front of your book.)

3. Order from Book Revue, Huntington, NY 
Call Book Revue at (631) 271-1442 and ask to be put on the Signature Request Log for my 2/27 event. You'll pay Book Revue for the cost of the book plus shipping and handling, and they will mail it directly to your address.

The Incomplete Dorothy Parker Reading Guide

Click here to read
the Kirkus ReviewIf your loved ones were thoughtful enough to give you bookstore gift cards this Christmas/Hanukkah/secular holiday, you may be thinking of expanding your Dorothy Parker library. Naturally, I hope that includes pre-ordering my new novel,  Dorothy Parker Drank Here (available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and IndieBound) or catching up on my last one, Farewell, Dorothy Parker (signed copies still available). But I'd like to present a non-comprehensive to guide to other books you should consider.


DOROTHY HERSELF
If you don't yet have a copy of The Portable Dorothy Parker, don't waste another second. This is a must-have collection of her poetry, stories, essays and reviews.
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • IndieBound

BIOGRAPHY
Marion Meade's fascinating Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell is This is simply the best and most complete account of the great wit's life.
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • IndieBound

This year Meade also published two short ebooks that are must-reads for the true Dorothy Parker fan. They are The Last Days of Dorothy Parker: The Extraordinary Lives of Dorothy Parker and Lillian Hellman and How Death Can Be Hell on Friendship and Alpine Giggle Week: How Dorothy Parker Set Out to Write the Great American Novel and Ended Up in a TB Colony Atop an Alpine Peak .

DRINKING
If no one thought to give you a copy of Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide as  gift,
buy it for yourself. It's a smart and charming edition by Dorothy Parker Society president Kevin Fitzpatrick.
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • IndieBound

MORE FROM THE DOROTHY PARKER SOCIETY
Parker expert Kevin Fitzpatrick also wrote the entertaining and info-packed A Journey Into Dorothy Parker's New York and compiled her theater reviews into Dorothy Parker: Complete Broadway, 1918-1923 . His forthcoming The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide also looks like a winner.

MYSTERY
Author J.J. Murphy wrote a beloved Algonquin Round Table Mystery series in which Dorothy Parker is a prominent figure.
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • IndieBound

Of course, there are dozens more, including many Algonquin Round Table themed books. Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments.

Kirkus!

Love from Kirkus Reviews? I think this calls for a martini. Maybe two!



The ghost of Dorothy Parker meddles with the lives of mortals in this sequel from Meister (Farewell, Dorothy Parker, 2013). In the heyday of her career, Parker signed a guestbook that promised eternity. Against all odds, the claim turned out to be true, and now she haunts the famed Algonquin, greeting her friends after their deaths. They all go on to the afterlife, but not Dorothy. She’d much rather stay right there at the bar—but things are starting to get lonely. That’s where Ted Shriver comes in. A writer whose career plummeted after a plagiarism scandal, Ted is now dying of a brain tumor. If only Dorothy can convince him to sign the guestbook, she might just have some company. But things get a bit more complicated than she imagined. Norah Wolfe, an associate producer for a struggling television show, has her own reasons for wanting to talk to Ted. Neither of them will be able to get through to him unless they can help him tie up some loose ends…and maybe clear his name in the process. Meister’s Dorothy Parker is just as sharp, witty and pleasantly mean as fans would expect. Her humanity shines through, though, along with her humor. Her obvious loneliness, along with the dilemmas Ted and Norah face, make this a surprisingly emotional novel. Not even death can keep Dorothy Parker down in this sad and funny story.

Bringing Dorothy Parker Home for the Holidays

With the holidays upon us and the publication of DOROTHY PARKER DRANK HERE just around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to let you know you can still get someone a signed copy of FAREWELL, DOROTHY PARKER.

Every copy of the trade paperback has been autographed, so no matter where you order from you are guaranteed to get a signed copy. There's nothing special you need to do. Just place an order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, Walmart or wherever you like to buy your books. Your order won't indicate that you're getting a signed edition, but I promise you'll receive something that looks very much like the books pictured here. (I went through bags of Sharpies, so the signature could be in a different color.)

Thanks! If you have any questions, give a holler.

Ellen

"Meister skillfully translates the rapier-like wit of the Algonquin Round Table to modern-day New York ... [with] pathos, nuanced characters, plenty of rapid-fire one-liners, and a heart-rending denouement."
                    —Publishers Weekly

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | IndieBound | Penguin

My Duck Story is in the New York Times Today

Something fun to wake up to! Here's a link to the online version. 

"All I have is a pile of paper covered with wrong words." - Dorothy Parker

Big thanks to Writer's Digest for inviting me to blog about the backstory to a certain telegram Dorothy Parker sent her editor. Click here to read it.

If you'd like a signed copy of Farewell, Dorothy Parker ...

What if inspiration came to visit ... and wouldn't leave? My publisher informs me that we have about a month's supply of autographed copies of Farewell, Dorothy Parker left. So if you would like one, please order soon.

How to order a signed copy

I signed every copy of the trade paperback that's in print. So as long as you order that edition by the end of next month, you are guaranteed to get a signed copy. It doesn't matter whether you order from your favorite online bookseller or your local bookstore, your copy of Farewell, Dorothy Parker will arrive with my signature inside and a gold sticker on the cover. Your order won't indicate that it's signed, but I promise it will arrive like the book pictured here (though the signature may be in another color--I went through several packages of Sharpies).

Where to buy it

The trade paperback edition is widely available. If your local bookstore doesn't have it, they can order it. Or, you can buy directly from any online store, including:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • IndieBound • Walmart

Prefer the ebook?

Farewell, Dorothy Parker is also available in all ereader formats. Those are not signed, of course, but you can start reading within minutes:
Kindle • Nook • Kobo • iTunes 

Note that the book is also available in audio format.

Thanks! If you have any questions, drop me a line.


  Ellen  

 "In this funny yet tender homage to Dorothy Parker, [Meister] resurrects the iconic wit of the literary legend."
                    —Library Journal

"Delicious entertainment." 
                    —Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Meister skillfully translates the rapier-like wit of the Algonquin Round Table to modern-day New York ... [with] pathos, nuanced characters, plenty of rapid-fire one-liners, and a heart-rending denouement."
                    —Publishers Weekly