MariNaomi's Blog, page 21
December 22, 2010
Mr. Miyasaki
Mr. Miyasaki, originally uploaded by marinaomi.
A sample page of a new book I'm working on, tentatively titled "Hapa." In this page, I describe a customer at the karaoke bar I worked at.
November 18, 2010
Keeping Busy
Now what?, originally uploaded by marinaomi.
I've been up to a whole lot of busy work lately. Important busy work (responding to my publisher's needs, preparing for readings, having art shows, working on my next book, commissions, etc.), but what is truly on my mind is the March 15 release date of Kiss & Tell.
Thank goodness my tour with Sister Spit begins the very next day. Traveling cross-country for an entire month with a group of writers should be a good distraction from the nerves that will most certainly be blooming in spring colors as K&T unfurls its wings and flies into the arms of strangers and old acquaintances. As the public learns the intimate details of my formative years, I'll be reading these scenes aloud, mostly to college students, people who might have experienced similar things, only not so long ago.
Already I'm getting feedback from people who have read the galleys. Each time someone contacts me and says they enjoyed it, I get a thrill up my spine of both happiness and relief. It's already out there, in smaller numbers than what will eventually be, but every so often it's as if I can feel someone's eyes on my past, soaking it in, maybe judging, hopefully laughing.
As grateful as I am to have work to do in the meantime, it's been difficult to focus on these other tasks. I am positively brimming with excitement and nervousness, counting down the moments until it's out there. Less than four months to go!
November 6, 2010
I'm going on a book tour!
October 29, 2010
OMG OMG OMG
OMG OMG OMG, originally uploaded by marinaomi.
Two new blurbs for Kiss & Tell:
"MariNaomi is a true original. This sometimes harrowing tale of young love made me rock with laughter and wince with sympathetic mortification."
-Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City and The Night Listener
"Despite offering an abundance of convenient stopping points, Kiss & Tell insists on not being put down until you've read every sordid detail. MariNaomi's romantic resume is extensive and messy, but it's a funny and rewarding wreck to watch."
-Jeffrey Brown, author of Clumsy and Funny Misshapen Body
October 27, 2010
Printing—it's not porn, I swear!
Butterflies, originally uploaded by marinaomi.
It's time for Kiss & Tell to get ready to be printed. Yeah, they printed up advance copies to send out to reviewers and all that, but that was a small run, and its quality was less than ideal (also, that was prior to the proofreading edits). Now, I've gone through this process before, when I got a fancy print job for Estrus #4, but to be honest I had no idea what I was doing, and I got lucky it ended up looking as nice as it did (I have my friend Lisa to thank, who did the graphic layout for me in exchange for a meal and my eternal gratitude). Anyway, so it's getting to be that time again, time to choose paper—thickness, color, etc. Luckily, my agent and editor both have a lot of experience in this field, and are helping me out. My first choice was a glossy paper, but my agent PJ pointed out that my book is already pretty heavy, and a glossy, heavy paper might impact its portability in a negative way. I hadn't even considered that!
Interesting fact:
Kiss & Tell was rejected by at least two printers! Apparently the first printer they approached, although they would print nudity, they refused to print the actual sex act. And the next printer(s) they approached were in China, and apparently Chinese printers won't do nudity of any kind. Originally the last printer declined as well, until my publisher pointed out that they'd previously printed up the memoir or biography of a porn star. They begrudgingly agreed. Now, I wouldn't call my book pornographic. I'd put it two levels down from that sheet of paper, I'm sure you've seen it, of all the different Kama Sutra positions. You know, the one with the stick figures? Yep, that's about the extent of it. Kiss & Tell is not porn, I swear!
October 18, 2010
My first signing for Kiss & Tell!
Me and Marie, originally uploaded by marinaomi.
On Friday I did my first signing for my upcoming graphic memoir, "Kiss & Tell." I accompanied my editor to an NCIBA event (Northern California Independent Booksellers Association), where they plied me with wine, set me up at a table full of galleys, and gave me an escort (an awesome volunteer named Marie, who handed me open books to sign throughout the evening).
There were thirty authors there, each with their own table and escort set up in a giant circle around the large banquet hall. In the middle of the room was some catered food and tables to sit at. Local booksellers milled about, jovially chatting among themselves and with authors. They went up to the tables and received free galleys, signed by the authors. Everyone seemed friendly, literate and had a great sense of humor (Oh how I adore book people!), and it was a very positive experience.
The kinds of books in the room varied widely. I believe I was the only graphic novelist there. There were also children's books, mysteries, fiction that takes place in the 1800's, and on and on. The best part, for me, was at the end of it, when the authors got to go around and get books for ourselves! I acquired more than a dozen galleys, resulting in a lovely pile of newer-than-brand-new books to read, all stacked enticingly in my bedroom.
One of my favorite moments of the evening was when a woman came up to me and requested a signed galley, and I asked about her bookstore. It seems she retired from a long career in the medical field and opened up her own bookstore. "Oh, that's always been a fantasy of mine!" I cooed enviously, envisioning my own antiquarian bookstore, populated with various felines and the antique typewriters I've been collecting for years. When I snapped out of my reverie, I noticed that she and a few others were looking at me like I was nuts, and they commenced to inform me that being a published author is far more romantic than my bookstore ideal. But I will not be swayed! My fantasy remains.
October 15, 2010
Art reception at JT's Cafe on 10/21
I'm going to be part of a three-woman art reception at San Francisco's new JT's Cafe in SoMa (1167 Harrison Street, between 7th Street & 8th Street) on Thursday, 10/21, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Due to limited space, they are only letting people in if they're on the guest list. Want to be on the guest list? Just ask me before Tuesday (10/19) and I'll put you on there. Email me at marinaomi (at) pobox (dot) com. Or you can RSVP on Facebook--on my fan page, there is a link to the event.
Cheers,
MariNaomi
October 13, 2010
October 8, 2010
Kiss & Tell, the galley!
Kiss & Tell, the galley!, originally uploaded by marinaomi.
I invited my editor to a Litquake/Porchlight event on Tuesday (which was awesome, by the way), and when we met up, she surprised me with galleys of my book! (Galleys are advance copies to give to reviewers and such.) It was quite a moment, I have to say. I was speechless and holding back tears…in public…again. Seriously, when did I become such a crybaby?
So the very next day I bit the bullet and dropped one of the two copies in the mail to my parents in Japan. It's something I've been toiling over ever since I started this project all those years ago: Do I want my conservative parents reading about my crazy, drug-filled youth? Do they really need to see graphic diagrams of the sexual positions their little girl tried out? The answer, of course, is no, but there are also other questions to be had. Namely: Do I want two of the most important people in my life to miss out on one of the most important events of my life? Do I want their friends potentially seeing the book and asking them about it? Do I want them to feel left out? And those noes won out in the end.
So aside from that potential drama, I did flip through the book to see how it turned out. I was surprised by the print quality—the sharpness of my lines really comes across! And the book is just so…BIG. I can hardly believe that it's all there, half a lifetime of stories, many years of work telling those stories, all in a book that fits snugly in my hand. My god.
