James Bailey's Blog - Posts Tagged "quail-ridge-books"
‘Dirt’ now available at Regulator, Quail Ridge Books
Ever since the Raleigh News & Observer writeup on me and the book ran a couple weeks back, there has been a growing buzz in the Triangle area in North Carolina. The Greatest Show on Dirt is now available in two local independent book stores: The Regulator Bookshop in Durham and Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh.
I did interviews last week with both the N.C. State Technician (student newspaper) and the N.C. State Alumni Association blog Red & White For Life for upcoming stories. And Sunday, Chris Wise wrote about the book on his blog site Watching Durham Bulls Baseball, offering it up as a substitute for Bulls fans going through withdrawal due to the team’s rainout.
Up in my current hometown, Rochester, N.Y., The Greatest Show on Dirt was featured this past week in the Local Authors spotlight of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. That hit their web site last Tuesday and ran in the Living section of the paper Sunday.
Last week’s free Kindle download promo resulted in more than 5,000 downloads, putting the book in the Amazon’s Top 100 Free rankings for nearly 24 hours before it shifted back to paid status. With any luck a few of those people might even read the book and write a review.
I did interviews last week with both the N.C. State Technician (student newspaper) and the N.C. State Alumni Association blog Red & White For Life for upcoming stories. And Sunday, Chris Wise wrote about the book on his blog site Watching Durham Bulls Baseball, offering it up as a substitute for Bulls fans going through withdrawal due to the team’s rainout.
Up in my current hometown, Rochester, N.Y., The Greatest Show on Dirt was featured this past week in the Local Authors spotlight of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. That hit their web site last Tuesday and ran in the Living section of the paper Sunday.
Last week’s free Kindle download promo resulted in more than 5,000 downloads, putting the book in the Amazon’s Top 100 Free rankings for nearly 24 hours before it shifted back to paid status. With any luck a few of those people might even read the book and write a review.
Returning to the scene of the book
It has been five long years since I've been to Durham, N.C., my home for most of the '90s and the setting for my novel, The Greatest Show on Dirt. Friday morning I fly down for a whirlwind three-day trip.
The catalyst for this weekend is a friend's wedding, but I've built in a number of book-related stops, including a visit to old Durham Athletic Park, where the Bulls played until 1994 and where my book is set. When we visited in 2007 the DAP was in sorry shape, unused and run down, with the ultimate indignity of someone having taken a shit in the old souvenir stand where I spent many a night hawking Bulls t-shirts and caps. In the years since, the park has been completely refurbished, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it.
If all goes well, I will be meeting a writer and photographer there from the Technician, the student newspaper at my alma mater, NC State. I also have a book-related interview scheduled for Sunday evening at the Bulls game over at the new park.
Between all the baseball games, wedding events, and dinners with old friends I will find some time to sneak off to The Regulator Bookshop in Durham and Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh. Both are independent book stores that are selling my book.
Next week I should have a report on how it all went. Three days hardly seems enough time to see everything and everyone I want to visit, but it's as long as I can stand to be away from my wife and young son.
The catalyst for this weekend is a friend's wedding, but I've built in a number of book-related stops, including a visit to old Durham Athletic Park, where the Bulls played until 1994 and where my book is set. When we visited in 2007 the DAP was in sorry shape, unused and run down, with the ultimate indignity of someone having taken a shit in the old souvenir stand where I spent many a night hawking Bulls t-shirts and caps. In the years since, the park has been completely refurbished, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it.
If all goes well, I will be meeting a writer and photographer there from the Technician, the student newspaper at my alma mater, NC State. I also have a book-related interview scheduled for Sunday evening at the Bulls game over at the new park.
Between all the baseball games, wedding events, and dinners with old friends I will find some time to sneak off to The Regulator Bookshop in Durham and Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh. Both are independent book stores that are selling my book.
Next week I should have a report on how it all went. Three days hardly seems enough time to see everything and everyone I want to visit, but it's as long as I can stand to be away from my wife and young son.
Back from Durham--What a Trip!
So, I’m back from Durham and still trying to process all of the people I met and places I visited in an action-packed three days. Normally even a long weekend feels like mere moments when I walk back into work the next day, but today at work it actually felt like a week since I’d been there. (That’s a good thing, except for the part where I missed my wife and little boy so much that three days felt like forever.)
The very first thing I did after getting my rental car was drive over to Raleigh to meet the nice folks at Quail Ridge Books & Music. They were the first independent book store to stock The Greatest Show on Dirt, and I definitely wanted to thank them personally. I thanked them financially as well, loading up on a few new books. As fortune would have it, right next door to them in the shopping plaza sits the Go Pack store, so I stocked up on Wolfpack gear for me and my son.
Then it was off to Durham, to visit the Regulator Bookshop, where they’ve sold several copies of the book already and asked me to bring a second batch in. Again, I bought a couple of books (see how this all works out well for the book stores), then I was on my way down Ninth Street and around the corner to the Cosmic Cantina, which hasn’t changed a whit since I moved from Durham in 2001. Okay, the chairs and tables out on the roof were newer, but nothing else.
Friday night I met up with a college buddy, his wife, and a friend of his at the Bulls game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (a.k.a. the new stadium, even though it opened 17 years ago). Had a great time catching up, while paying next to no attention to what was actually happening on the field. Just happy I didn’t get nailed in the head by a foul ball. Took off during the seventh-inning stretch to meet up with some old friends (and former co-workers with the Bulls) at Satisfaction, where we powered through pizza, beer, and lots of laughs. Was dismayed to see that they had finally painted over the graffiti in the men’s room. It no longer says “King Rice still sucks” on the wall. I was very tempted to find a marker and fix that, but maybe next time. Wound up staying up talking until 3 in the a.m.
Despite the late bedtime, it was up and at ‘em Saturday morning, meeting a friend—and the main reason for the trip, as he was the groom in the wedding I was attending Saturday night—for breakfast. Barely an hour later it was time to meet some friends for lunch (back at Satisfaction), where I was so full I only managed a piece and a half of pizza. Went back to my friend’s house and crashed for a little while, then got all spiffed up for the wedding, where I was reunited with some old friends from Baseball America.
The wedding was at the Museum of Life and Science in north Durham, a really wonderful spot for an outdoor ceremony. We got to tour through the butterfly exhibit and ride on the little train and the weather was absolutely perfect. Left there around 11:15, then went back to my home base and mentioned how hungry I was. Next thing I know, we’re on the way to the Cook Out! up on Hillsborough Road. A cheeseburger, onion rings and a Cheerwine later, my tummy was happy and ready for bed.
Sunday morning started with a post-wedding brunch over at the home of the bride and groom in Durham. At 2:00 I met a writer and photographer for the Technician, the NC State student newspaper, at Durham Athletic Park (the old park) and we talked about my book and the history of the park. We even got a tour of the refurbished clubhouses underneath the stands. From there it was back to the Cosmic Cantina for another quick soft taco and Negra Modelo, then off to the new park for the Bulls game against Charlotte.
I bought a ticket in the second level up behind home plate, but moved out to center field when I tracked down Aaron Schoonmaker from WRALSportsFan.com and sat with him and his wife for the rest of the game. We talked about the book, Durham, bad jobs, good jobs, and all kinds of stuff while the game flew past. Really quick game. Ended in two hours and three minutes, which is almost unheard of. Aaron wrote up a review/story today, which is tremendously positive about the book. (Here I must emphasize that we had never met before Sunday, so I think he actually liked the book that much.)
After the game I made a quick stop at Devine’s, the favorite hangout of the main characters in The Greatest Show on Dirt. I wanted to sit outside on the patio, but it started raining, so instead I watched a little more baseball and had some dinner, then headed back to base camp.
Monday morning it was up and out, back to the airport and back home for a happy reunion with my little guy, and later my wife when she got home from work. As much as I love Durham, I’m very happy to be home again. And next time I go, I hope to take the whole family so I’m not shadowed all weekend by the feeling it would be more fun with them there.
The very first thing I did after getting my rental car was drive over to Raleigh to meet the nice folks at Quail Ridge Books & Music. They were the first independent book store to stock The Greatest Show on Dirt, and I definitely wanted to thank them personally. I thanked them financially as well, loading up on a few new books. As fortune would have it, right next door to them in the shopping plaza sits the Go Pack store, so I stocked up on Wolfpack gear for me and my son.
Then it was off to Durham, to visit the Regulator Bookshop, where they’ve sold several copies of the book already and asked me to bring a second batch in. Again, I bought a couple of books (see how this all works out well for the book stores), then I was on my way down Ninth Street and around the corner to the Cosmic Cantina, which hasn’t changed a whit since I moved from Durham in 2001. Okay, the chairs and tables out on the roof were newer, but nothing else.
Friday night I met up with a college buddy, his wife, and a friend of his at the Bulls game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (a.k.a. the new stadium, even though it opened 17 years ago). Had a great time catching up, while paying next to no attention to what was actually happening on the field. Just happy I didn’t get nailed in the head by a foul ball. Took off during the seventh-inning stretch to meet up with some old friends (and former co-workers with the Bulls) at Satisfaction, where we powered through pizza, beer, and lots of laughs. Was dismayed to see that they had finally painted over the graffiti in the men’s room. It no longer says “King Rice still sucks” on the wall. I was very tempted to find a marker and fix that, but maybe next time. Wound up staying up talking until 3 in the a.m.
Despite the late bedtime, it was up and at ‘em Saturday morning, meeting a friend—and the main reason for the trip, as he was the groom in the wedding I was attending Saturday night—for breakfast. Barely an hour later it was time to meet some friends for lunch (back at Satisfaction), where I was so full I only managed a piece and a half of pizza. Went back to my friend’s house and crashed for a little while, then got all spiffed up for the wedding, where I was reunited with some old friends from Baseball America.
The wedding was at the Museum of Life and Science in north Durham, a really wonderful spot for an outdoor ceremony. We got to tour through the butterfly exhibit and ride on the little train and the weather was absolutely perfect. Left there around 11:15, then went back to my home base and mentioned how hungry I was. Next thing I know, we’re on the way to the Cook Out! up on Hillsborough Road. A cheeseburger, onion rings and a Cheerwine later, my tummy was happy and ready for bed.
Sunday morning started with a post-wedding brunch over at the home of the bride and groom in Durham. At 2:00 I met a writer and photographer for the Technician, the NC State student newspaper, at Durham Athletic Park (the old park) and we talked about my book and the history of the park. We even got a tour of the refurbished clubhouses underneath the stands. From there it was back to the Cosmic Cantina for another quick soft taco and Negra Modelo, then off to the new park for the Bulls game against Charlotte.
I bought a ticket in the second level up behind home plate, but moved out to center field when I tracked down Aaron Schoonmaker from WRALSportsFan.com and sat with him and his wife for the rest of the game. We talked about the book, Durham, bad jobs, good jobs, and all kinds of stuff while the game flew past. Really quick game. Ended in two hours and three minutes, which is almost unheard of. Aaron wrote up a review/story today, which is tremendously positive about the book. (Here I must emphasize that we had never met before Sunday, so I think he actually liked the book that much.)
After the game I made a quick stop at Devine’s, the favorite hangout of the main characters in The Greatest Show on Dirt. I wanted to sit outside on the patio, but it started raining, so instead I watched a little more baseball and had some dinner, then headed back to base camp.
Monday morning it was up and out, back to the airport and back home for a happy reunion with my little guy, and later my wife when she got home from work. As much as I love Durham, I’m very happy to be home again. And next time I go, I hope to take the whole family so I’m not shadowed all weekend by the feeling it would be more fun with them there.
