Dan Coxon's Blog, page 7

Give the Gift of New Zealand this Christmas

The days are getting shorter, the radio waves are brimming with festive cheer, the Salvation Army has mobilized its ground troops on every street corner... Yes, it's that time of year again, and as we all gear up - and stretch our credit limits - in preparation for Christmas I'm glad to say that I'll be keeping it simple this year. Just give me a good book and a pint of whiskey and I'll be a happy man.

In keeping with the festive spirit, we're running some special discounts on Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand throughout the holiday season. Please consider buying it for your loved ones, fellow readers, fellow travelers, or even just for a random person in the street. Nothing says 'hello new friend' quite like a Kiwi travel memoir.

So here's the deal. From now through Christmas Ka Mate is 30% off when bought through Createspace. Use coupon code FGY57695 at checkout to get the discount. This is the best deal for those of you in the US, but we haven't forgotten about the UK either. The UK price has dropped to an awe-inspiringly affordable £8.99 - plus Amazon is giving you 10% off right now, making it a measly £8.09 for NZ-enthused Brits.

Ebook prices have dropped in line with these deals too, in case your loved ones are getting Kindles this festive season. But hey, everyone likes a real ink-and-paper book in their stocking now and then.

Please feel free to share the coupon code - and please buy generously! Every book sold keeps an impoverished writer in plum pudding and mince pies for a few extra days...

Of Books and Beer

Two weeks ago I took part in the inaugural Lit Crawl Seattle - an evening of over 60 author readings dotted about the Capitol Hill neighborhood. My reading was part of the Debut Lit presentation, seven debutant(e) authors from Seattle (and nearby) who are just emerging onto a larger stage. It was my honor and my privilege to share the mic with Suzanne Morrison, Jeff Bender, Rebekah Anderson, Lance Weller, Will O'Donnell and Nicole Hardy. In a room packed with people, and against a LOT of background noise from the bar, I think we all did ourselves proud.

My own reading was a collage of two separate excerpts from Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand , stitched together to make some kind of coherent whole. If you want to read the full chapter - or you're intrigued to see what went down in Capitol Hill on the 18th - then you can read the unedited version for free on The Nervous Breakdown. And don't say I never give you anything.

Luckily my reading took place early in the night, so I was able to take full advantage of the event's mind-blowing schedule. Highlights from the rest of the night included the Tin House event - with fantastic readings from old friend Vanessa Veselka and new friend Pauls Toutonghi - and the after party back at Richard Hugo house, where Peter Mountford read from his Salon article on the time he spent serving the rich and famous in Los Angeles. Beer was drunk. Old friendships were renewed. New friendships were forged. And, occasionally, we even sold a book.

The feedback I've heard from the first Lit Crawl Seattle has been overwhelmingly positive - let's hope they decide to do another one soon. In the meantime, we can all return to our ominously blank screens...

(Photos courtesy of Rebekah Anderson Fitzgerald, Dane Fitzgerald, and Debut Lit.)

Seattle Prepares for a Litquake

If there's one thing I like more than a good book, it's a beer. Okay, sometimes the beer wins... but it's hard to finish five or six books in a single night.

Either way, the Litquake event that's coming to Seattle's Northwestern shores next Thursday, October 18th, should satisfy both cravings (it's also part of this year's Heineken City Arts Fest... see, I told you there'd be beer). If you've been to one of the Lit Crawls in San Francisco or New York you'll already know just how satisfying they can be. If you're a book lover, it's a chance to see some of your favorite authors - and make some new discoveries - in person, all on the one night. If you're a beer lover... well, you can drink yourself silly while you're at it.

The idea is simple, so rather than overcomplicate it with my own words, I'll leave it to the official Lit Crawl site:

The first-ever Lit Crawl Seattle, to be held on October 18, is a co-production of the Litquake Foundation and the City Arts Festival in partnership with APRIL. Lit Crawl Seattle is inspired by the San Francisco literary festival Litquake’s long-running Lit Crawl (and produced with Litquake’s participation), and will feature some of Northwest’s most groundbreaking and beloved writers onstage. Come join us for an evening of 17 free readings and literary mayhem!

You can see the full reading schedule here, and it's worth noting that multiple authors will be reading at many of the events - turning those 17 readings into 50 or more writers.

The other thing to note is that I will be reading from Ka Mate as part of the Debut Lit event, 7:00pm at the Pine Box (1600 Melrose Ave). I'm particularly excited to be part of this line-up, featuring the authors of two of my favorite books from the last twelve months - Suzanne Morrison (Yoga Bitch) and Lance Weller (Wilderness). Drop by and hear us read, then head off to one of the other readings around town. With names like (Washington State Book Award winner) Peter Mountford and (PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize winner) Vanessa Veselka on the bill you'll be spoiled for choice.

Oh, and if you're buying... mine's an IPA.

FREE Travel Writing Worshop at Northwest Bookfest!

If there's one word I like to hear, it's 'Pudding'. But if there are two words, then the second would be 'Free' - which is why I'm excited for this coming weekend.

I'll be taking part in Northwest Bookfest 2012 in Kirkland, WA, as part of their extensive writing workshops program. There are many workshops across both days of the book festival, covering everything from book cover design to creating believable characters - and the best part is that they're free. In fact the whole festival is free, leaving you no excuses for being anywhere else this weekend. Where else can you catch bestselling authors like David Guterson and Greg Bear, rising stars like debut novelist Lance Weller, and eat some hand-crafted mini donuts?

My own workshop takes place on Saturday September 22nd at 11.30am, and will run for just over an hour. It will then also be followed by a signing session in the on-site bookstore (run by Parkplace Books), where I'll be signing copies of Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand . Here's the full description of the workshop:

Traveling can expand your view of the world and offer thrilling new adventures, but turning these experiences into engaging articles and works of non-fiction poses some unique challenges. Whether you’d like to be a roving travel journalist, write a travel memoir – or even incorporate your travel experiences into works of fiction – there are skills and techniques that can bring foreign locations to life on the page. Come prepared to write, and to discuss the options open to the traveling writer.

And remember - the class is FREE and there's no need to pre-register, just turn up on the day with a sharp pencil, and an even sharper brain. And if you're having trouble with that, I hear the donut place also sells excellent coffee...

Full details of this year's Northwest Bookfest, September 22-23, can be found on the festival website. The full list of workshops can also be found here. Hope to see some of you there!

Footnotes to a Rock Story

Some stories creep slowly into your subconscious. Others arrive there fully formed. In the case of 'A Rock Story', however - published this week on The Fiction Shelf - it took a lot more sweat and toil to get there.

The initial spark was nothing special, just a vague idea that I should use my experiences as a music journalist to provide the background for a piece of fiction. It's a world that few people get to see, and one that has a certain glamor attached to it - a glamor that often couldn't be further from the truth. I'd recently read Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists too, and the idea of a journalistic tale appealed. Quite where I was going with it was slightly less clear.

It will be immediately apparent to anyone who has ever written a work of fiction that my first draft was a disaster. Aimless, plotless, characterless - the only thing it had going for it was that it at least vaguely resembled my experience of the rock world. It was also very, very long - far too long for most literary journals - and even a couple of frenzied cuts couldn't slash it down to size.

So I did what most writers would do under these circumstances: I shelved it. Indefinitely.

Then, in November of last year, I signed up for a one-day workshop on short story writing at Seattle's Richard Hugo House. The class was held by acclaimed thriller writer Robert Ferrigno, and he asked us to bring the first three pages of a short story along on the day, for critique. I considered taking a story I'd just finished writing, but I knew deep down that the work on it was almost done. While on my shelf there sat some unfinished business...

The class quite rightly tore 'A Rock Story' to shreds. It opened poorly, meandered for a couple of pages, then flopped in a flabby, self-indulgent heap. They managed to pull out a few phrases and characters that struck a chord, but most of it was buried under furiously cross-hatched lines of red ink.

And yet something stuck with me. I cut the parts that didn't work, juggled the parts that did, kept trying to narrow in on what I was really trying to say. And gradually, paragraph by paragraph, it started to fall into place. It was a much shorter story now, but punchier, and with a slight twist at the end that - I hoped - gave it an extra layer of meaning. It was still the story I'd vaguely imagined months earlier, but it had grown up. It was time for it to head out into the world.

Of course, it's even more poignant that 'A Rock Story' should reach publication this week, as I prepare to cover Seattle's Bumbershoot festival throughout the long Labor Day weekend. It's the one time of year that I become a music journalist again to the exclusion of everything else, and for three days I live the life that - sort of, eventually - made it into print as 'A Rock Story'. I guess maybe it was just biding its time.

You can read 'A Rock Story' - and download it in all major electronic formats - at The Fiction Shelf.

(Photo: The Jim Jones Revue at Bumbershoot, Seattle; copyright Dan Coxon)

More Ka Mate reviews

Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand may have been out for almost a year now, but there's still no sign of the interest slowing down. In the life of the struggling, penniless writer this always counts as good news.

Last week not only did I make an appearance (and meet some other local writers) at the annual PNWA Conference Autograph Party, but I also received two new reviews from bloggers. The truly great news is that both were positive reviews, too. Clearly someone is smiling upon me.

First up is this review from the Vegemitevix blog. Okay, so she did get my name wrong first time around (for more on Davegate, see her blog post on the name mix-up here), but it's nice to get a true Kiwi opinion on Ka Mate . If she wishes that I'd gone to some of the more far-out places, then trust me, so do I. Anyone who wants to pay for my return ticket to New Zealand can contact me below.

Book Corner - Ka Mate, review by Vicki Jeffels

The second review came courtesy of the 1Dad1Kid blog, a great travel memoir site that's as readable as any travel writing I've found online. The other big plus is that this blogger loved the book - so I have to show him some love back, right? "Ka Mate has a great blend of humor, interesting adventurous pursuits, and cultural insights"... how can I resist?

Book Review: Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand, review by Talon

Now comes the big question. How can the next seven days possibly live up to this?

Give me a P, Give me an NWA...

It's official, summer is finally here (in the Pacific Northwest, at least). The sun is out, the crowds have flocked to Alki, everyone's complaining that it's too hot... and, of course, it's the season for writers conferences.

The PNWA Annual Conference is one of the biggest of its kind, and around here it rules the writing roost. That's why I'm pleased to say that I'll be attending their Autograph Party this Friday, July 20th, signing copies of Ka Mate and generally mingling with the literati. It takes place at the Seattle Hilton in Seatac, and runs from 8.30pm-10.00pm. The party is only open to conference attendees (and authors), but if you'll be there then please do hunt me down. I'll be the one with the English accent, weaving my way unsteadily between the tables.

And if you're extra organized, leave a comment here - or tweet me - in advance, so I know to look out for you. Now, back to that sunshine...

Goodreads, Here We Come...

If you're a lover of great books (and if you're reading this blog, then I certainly hope you are), you'll probably already have discovered Goodreads. The website does for reading what Facebook did for embarassing personal information, or Twitter did for banal one-liners. You don't just get to recreate your bookshelf in virtual form - you also have the chance to discuss what you've read, share reviews, chat to authors and other readers, and even discover your next favorite author via their surprisingly accurate recommendation algorithm. If you thought the internet would mean the end of real literature, then Goodreads is your bearded, haloed savior.

All of which means it was about time that I embraced the new, and created a pixelated Dan Coxon for the internet reader. So you'll be pleased to hear that I now have an author profile on Goodreads, complete with bibliography, events listing, far too much personal information, and an inanely grinny photo. If you stay tuned you'll also find that I regularly review new books and post the links on Goodreads - and that I'll be giving away autographed books from time to time.

Hopefully this all sounds too good to miss, so you'll just have to check out my Goodreads profile this minute (and sign up for the site, if you haven't already - the good news is that those of you with Facebook accounts can sign up using your Facebook login). The Dan Coxon author page on Goodreads is right here. Click, read, enjoy. And please, please add me... if only so that I can keep track of your reading habits. After all, there's nothing quite as fascinating as exploring someone else's bookshelf.

Return to Write-O-Rama

Some of you may remember that last November I taught a writing workshop at Write-O-Rama, the full day of workshopping that Hugo House offers several times a year in Seattle. I'm pleased to say that Write-O-Rama is back again on Saturday June 2nd - and yes, I'll be there again, waving pens at whiteboards and handing out random pieces of paper.

This time my workshop is on interviews - how to conduct them, what to ask, and how to write them up as feature articles afterwards. If you're in one of the two sessions held on Saturday you'll learn the different kinds of interviews, how to adapt your techniques to these different formats, how to sneak in those awkward questions - plus how to PIMP your interview. Gotta love that acronym.

Here's the official blurb on the workshop:

Writing and Conducting Interviews  
with Dan Coxon, 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Want to interview and write about your favorite author/band/artist, but don’t know where to start? This workshop will teach you skills for conducting an interview and writing it up as a coherent article afterwards. Be prepared to interview and be interviewed!

Other classes on the day include structuring chapter arcs, finding inspiration, writing the middle of your story, and developing sensuous imagery. If you feel like joining us, online registration is open now via the Hugo website,with pricing structured as follows:

Write-O-Rama Underwriter: $80 (includes a membership to Hugo House, plus a present that will be waiting for you at check-in!)
Write-O-Rama Supporter: $60 (includes a membership to Hugo House!)
Write-O-Rama Participant: $45
You can register online in the weeks leading up to Write-O-Rama; for the procrastinators among us, day-of registration will also be offered, beginning at 9:30 a.m., though you can drop-in at any time during Write-O-Rama, register and get writing.

See you there - and remember to sharpen those pencil apps...

Photo: Rebecca Swee

Ka Mate in the UK

Good news for readers in the UK, and for any Brits who follow this blog. Until now Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand has only been available in the UK as a Kindle ebook, or imported from the US at inflated prices.

That's no longer the case, however, and from today Ka Mate is also available from Amazon.co.uk in paperback. That's right - you can finally get your hands on an authentic British version of my travel writing debut. Even if you have an imported copy, I'd suggest that you buy a British one too, just for completion's sake...

The paperback is priced at under ten quid, so it won't break the bank. In fact, it's only 48p more than Tom Daley's autobiography. And it wasn't ghostwritten. Go figure.

You can buy Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand from Amazon.co.uk here.

(NB: The books in the photo aren't a special UK edition of Ka Mate. They are in fact some particularly snazzy Union Jack boxes from MiaBellaCasa.co.uk. If you like them you can buy them there... but I'd buy a copy of my book first, if I were you.)