S.M. Stevens's Blog, page 24

Samantha Bee’s Buffet of Gratitude

Nobody says it better than Samantha Bee, which is why I’m letting this video from her show Full Frontal do the talking today.

Here’s her intro to the segment: It’s been two years since #MeToo exploded across the internet and took down some of America’s worst serial predators. Sam met with Tarana Burke, the woman who originally started the movement 13 years ago, as well as badasses Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, Chanel Miller, and June Barrett. Together they celebrated the first annual Sam’s Food Day of Gratitude, an original idea that has never existed before, so stop telling us it did.

#MeToo #TimesUp #SamanthaBeeRocks #HAHG #AlmostCounts

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Fun Photo Friday: Badass Female Scottish 1900s Rock Climbers

(All the credit for this amazing photo and story goes to Edinburgh Live.)

This Friday’s Fun Photo shows members of the Ladies’ Scottish Climbing Club wearing–well, as you can see–the immensely practical and athletic clothing worn by all women in the 1900s…as they climb a rock face.

See that rope around their waists? That was their only protection, other than their wits and good judgement of course.

Before being allowed into the Ladies’ Scottish Climbing Club, a woman would have to climb four, 3,000-foot-high mountains including two “snow climbs” and two “rock climbs.”

Yep. And my daughter and I struggled to climb The Storr on the Isle of Skye a few years ago because we didn’t have proper footwear….

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Book Tour Photo Album

Today’s post might only be of interest to my mother and my boyfriend, but I’ve been too busy the past week to write an article for the blog so I’m going to post a bunch of pictures from my Horseshoes and Hand Grenades promotional tour. Here’s a sampling of pix from recent media interviews and bookstore appearances. Enjoy, Mom!

Fun Photo Friday: Wood Pile Art

It’s wood-stacking season in New England. We rely on our wood stove for much of our winter warmth, so stacking wood is an important project. But try as I might, I can never seem to make it fun. It’s more a question of which body part to use the most: back, legs or arms, in order to minimize the next-day soreness.

So I can’t imagine the time and effort that went into these incredible woodpile works of art. They are truly amazing.

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I just wouldn’t want to be the one to pull the first log off one of these piles! I guess the creators have to adopt a Zen-like lack of attachment to their art.

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All photos taken from Bored Panda.

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Indie Bookstore Week: Tatnuck Booksellers

Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough, Massachusetts—the largest independent bookstore in new England—has undergone several major transitions in its 43-year existence.

When I first moved to Central Mass. in 1994, I remember people raving about “the bookstore” to go to, Tatnuck on Chandler Street in Worcester.

[image error] Photo from the American Booksellers Association

That wasn’t the original Tatnuck, though, which was located elsewhere in Worcester when it opened in 1976. Fifteen years later, in 1991, Tatnuck was moved to a brick factory building at 355 Chandler Street. The 27,600-square-foot building was renovated and eventually housed five miles of books! In addition to bestsellers, Tatnuck was known for featuring many books by regional authors and about the region.

I’ll be reading from Horseshoes and Hand Grenades at Tatnuck Bookseller on Sunday, Nov. 17th at 1:00 PM.

Times Change

In 2004, the owners opened a second location, in Westborough,
Massachusetts. The 31,000-square-foot store is in the Westborough Shopping Center
on Lyman Street near Route 9.

Sadly, the Worcester store, which had long been considered a
local institution, closed its doors in 2006.

But the Westborough store carries on the proud Tatnuck tradition, which includes hosting local authors on a regular basis.

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Books & More

Today, like many independent bookstores, Tatnuck has expanded beyond books. It now sells women’s fashions and accessories, jewelry, gifts, toys, games, puzzles and cards. And it has a very comfortable café where you can flip through a magazine or dip into the latest bestseller.

But the focus remains where it should: on the books.

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Indie Bookstore Week: Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester

Independent bookstore Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester has a storied history that goes far beyond the town limits of Massachusetts’ second-largest city.

The store, located at 65 James Street in Worcester, is part
of a chain that once boasted 70 used bookstores, all dedicated to encouraging
book reading and book swapping.

Today there are eleven Annie’s shops, in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Annie’s is known for its discounted prices on new releases, and its policy of accepting and re-selling used books, which was the basis of the chain’s original name, Annie’s Book Swap.

I’ll be reading from Horseshoes and Hand Grenades at Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester on Saturday, Nov. 16th at 1:00 PM.

In addition to selling books in all genres, Annie’s offers gift items, audio books and greeting cards. Their busy event schedule features two to seven happenings each week, from children’s crafts to book signings to discussion groups.

A Storied History

The first Annie’s was opened in the
1970s by Anne Tryon Adams, in Westborough, Massachusetts. It was located in her
barn!

The book swapping concept took off,
and by the end of the 1980s, Annie’s had 70 franchises as far away as Florida
and California. Along the way, the name was changed from Annie’s Book Swap to
Annie’s Book Stop, and the stores began selling new books and merchandise as
well as used books.

In 2010, longtime children’s bookseller Patty Cryan purchased the Worcester store. She explained why in a Publishers Weekly article: “I didn’t want this store to go under…It was a lower risk to buy the store than to try to start something up from scratch.”

Cryan dedicated more space to new books and the children’s section, and instituted a number of events that bring the community into Annie’s, and vice versa.

Discounted Books

Annie’s is known for its discounted prices and its policy of accepting used books for re-sale. All new books are discounted a minimum of 20% off the cover price. Most pre-read titles are at least 50% off the original retail price.

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If you buy a new book at Annie’s
and bring it back in within two months, you’ll get half of the book’s retail
price back in store credit. That’s an amazing offer for people who read quickly
but don’t get sentimental about hanging onto their hardcovers and paperbacks.

If you want to sell some of your books to Annie’s, you do
that in exchange for store credit.

Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester also offers teacher discounts, mail orders, and special orders. Even their special orders are usually sold at a discount off the retail price.

Fans swear by the store, including this one on TripAdvisor: “We visit Annie’s Book Stop regularly. If you love to read and want books at a low price, this is the place to go. Popular authors, Dr. Who toys, great and friendly staff. I only paid $2.99 for a book Barnes n Noble wanted $24.99 for. Same new condition. This is a must stop for book lovers everywhere.”

Community Events

The events calendar at Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is impressive for what is a relatively small store. It includes:

Spinning Yarns – Listen to audiobooks while knitting your latest creation (weekly)

Game Night – Try your hand at various board games, card games and dice games (weekly)

Events for Aspiring Writers (varies)

LGBTQIA Book Club (monthly)

Free Peoples Artists Workshop – Writers, painters, illustrators, dancers and other artists bring in works-in-progress for feedback (monthly)

Doctor Who Meetup (monthly).

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Indie Bookstore Week: Gibson’s Bookstore

Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire, has quite a few claims to fame. It was founded in 1898 – you read that right…1898. It is the oldest continuously operating retailer in the Concord area. And it is the largest independent bookstore in northern New England.

In
2014, Gibson’s was awarded the coveted Independent Spirit Award, given each
year by the Book Publisher’s Reps of New England to a bookstore that best
exemplifies the spirit of the independent bookstore.

In 2018, it was one of five venues in the country nominated for the Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year Award.

40,000 Titles

The store carries 40,000 book titles, so whether you’re looking for a classic, a cult favorite, or a book for the beach, Gibson’s is likely to have it. If they don’t, they’ll order it, which they do several times a day to provide customers with speedy special orders.

(I know I’m using a lot of italics for emphasis but I can’t help it – I find each of these facts impressive!)

Gibson’s hosts more than 100 author events each year, featuring national superstars like Erik Larson, Jodi Picoult, and Jonathan Franzen; local talents like Donald Hall, Sy Montgomery, and David Elliott; and up-and-comers like S.M. Stevens. (Haha, yes I added that last part on my own, it is not in the store’s official materials.)

I’ll be reading from Horseshoes and Hand Grenades as part of Gibson’s “Discover Local Authors” event on Tuesday, Nov. 12th, at 6:00 PM.

Store owner Michael Herrmann bought Gibson’s Bookstore in 1994 and has expanded it twice to meet the needs of readers. In 2013, Michael moved the shop to its current location at 45 South Main Street in New Hampshire’s capital city.

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More Than Books

Gibson’s does more than sell books. Some of the awesome programs and services they provide include:

Supporting Books Clubs — Gibson’s stocks the books on the lists of dozens of local book clubs and provides them to book club members at a discount.

Young Reviewers Club — Children and teens (ages 11-17) are given Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of forthcoming books. The students review the books, Gibson’s displays those reviews in the store once the book is published, and the student earns a $2 gift certificate to the store.

Just for Kids — Within Gibson’s, you’ll find independent toy store Imagination Village with oodles of educational toys and games plus of course an extensive collection of children’s books.

Frequent Buyer Program — For every $10 spent, the customer gets a stamp. After collecting 10 stamps, the customer gets a shopping spree with 20% off virtually all of the books, cards and other store merchandise, on a day of their choosing.

The Laydown — A podcast in which three booksellers from Gibson’s chat about all things literary including upcoming releases and the hottest book news of the month.

Teacher Discounts — Many books for use in the classroom are 20% off.

True Brew Café — A “homegrown café” and a welcoming place to sit while enjoying a book and a brew from True Brew Barista.

What Others Say

If this description hasn’t yet made you want to check out Gibson’s for yourself, read what customers say on TripAdvisor and in this feature article from the Concord Monitor.

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Welcome to Indie Bookstore Week

Independent, local bookstores are holding their own in this digital age, which should make us all very happy. Browsing online has its allure, but nothing beats the tactile reward of running your finger over a new release’s embossed cover or flipping through the pages of a potential purchase. Bookstores even smell good!

Indie booksellers are celebrated during Independent Bookstore Week in the U.S., which is in April; and during Independent Bookshop Week in the U.K., which is in June.

But I am declaring this week as Indie Bookstore Week on my website, because in the next seven days, I have the privilege of appearing in three local bookstores to talk about my new #MeToo novel, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.

What’s Coming

Tune in each of the next three days to read the fascinating histories of:

Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, NHAnnie’s Book Stop in Worcester, MATatnuck Booksellers in Westborough, MA.



IndieBound

And the next time you order a book online, consider purchasing from IndieBound.org, a community of independent, local bookstores. Your purchase supports a local bookstore directly if you enter your zip code and select one of your area shops. Or it can support the organization’s network of independent bookstores.

Click on this image to order Horseshoes and Hand Grenades from IndieBound.org.

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Fun Photo Friday: Scottish Highland Calves

Cows are pretty cute if you ask me, and of course calves are definitely cute, like all baby animals. But these Scottish Highland Cattle take the cake for cute baby cows. The pictures speak for themselves.

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6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Funky Feminist & The Handmaid’s Tale

I’ve always wanted to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, so humor me while I mash together the literary and acting worlds for a lightning round of the amusing game, all designed to connect my new novel, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, to—of course—Kevin Bacon.

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades……was recently reviewed by Funky Feminist (see below). Funky Feminist highlights the mantra Nolite te bastardes carborundorum on its website, which is from……Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale. One of the actors in the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale is……Joseph Fiennes. Joseph Fiennes starred with……Elisabeth Shue in the movie Leo. In the film Hollow Man, Elisabeth Shue acted opposite…Kevin Bacon. Ta da! Six degrees of separation are all that lie between my new novel Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and Kevin Bacon.

Now, chances are you know of The Handmaid’s Tale. If you’re reading my blog, you’ve heard of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. But you may not be familiar with Funky Feminist.

I only discovered this fantastic site a few months ago, and
I was an instant fan. A website that blares “What My Menstrual Cup Taught Me
About Fear” across its homepage is a winner in my book.

Funky Feminist is, in their words, “an online platform
dedicated to empowering those who identify as women, girls and their allies to
push the limits, fight for what they believe in, and be unapologetically
themselves.”

The site combines a blog, discount codes for very unique health and beauty products, freebies like printable notecards and bookmarks, and merchandise boasting ultra-strong female messages.

Clothing items from Funky Feminist include a “bloody tampon
sweatshirt” which is not for everyone, including me, but I do appreciate the
effort to de-stigmatize feminine hygiene products. One of my faves is the
T-shirt pronouncing, “I Believed Anita Hill, and I believe Dr. Ford.”

But the blog is the heart of Funky Feminist, in my opinion. No topic is too tough to tackle, and many views come from perspectives you won’t find in mainstream media, e.g. a genderqueer perspective on menstrual care. The blog writers are not afraid to tackle tough subjects ranging from racism and mental health to gender, body positivity and sex.

As the website proclaims, Funky Feminist is “Feminist as Funk”. It is blunt, unashamed and in your face. It is not, however, a place to send your grandmother unless she’s really, really cool and you think she would like a vagina bookmark.

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Here’s what Funky Feminist wrote about Horseshoes and Hand Grenades on Instagram:

I want to tell you about a book I recently finished called Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by S.M. Stevens – this #metoo novel follows two women as they overcome abuse and learn how crucial it is for women to support women. I’m a pretty harsh critic when it comes to works of literary fiction, but this book gripped me from the very beginning. No, I was not paid to say this. Yes, this is my genuine opinion. Please go buy and read this book.

And in case you’re wondering, I was not paid to plug Funky Feminist. I just admire what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.

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