Old and Rare Doesn't Mean Obsolete

 

Hello all! I hope your weeks were more splendid than the thought of a thousand reindeer doing a conga line to "Winter Wonderland."

A quick reminder, for the rest of this month half of my proceeds from "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" and "Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor" will be going to benefit SpokAnimal!

So help critters like Grizzley here find homes! By the way, Grizzley is up for adoption! So if anyone would love this little six year old ball of fluff, go get him.

So this week I'm diverging from my normal snarky, yet happy-go-lucky, post but it is for something that I believe is important. 

This past month owner of Spokane independent bookstore, Monkeyboy Books, Marina, announced that she may have to close up shop in the next couple of months.

I find this extremely regretable. Not only is Marina a great supporter of independent authors, but her store offers something unique; A chance to find real literary treasures and turn up wonderful memories in an atmosphere of calm, serene comfort.

Independent bookstores selling rare and old books, like Monkeyboy Books, give us something that no Barnes and Noble can provide; A chance to touch history, find the lost pieces of our own pasts and possibly discover a new adventure bound in a cover that has let others discover that same shared adventure.

We live in a society that has very little value for 'permanent' and 'rare.'

It's like our nation as a whole has a fast food mentality. New phones that will be obsolete in five months, old family recipes that have been reduced, stuffed with preservatives and packaged for four minutes of microwave convenience, even our relationships now can be decided with the swipe of a thumb across a smartphone screen.

What independent bookshops provide us with is a moment to wander through a setting that is both familiar and unexpected and provides us with something tangible, something real, something that will not easily go away.

Let me give you an example. My childhood was not exactly tiptoeing through the tulips (not complaining, just a fact). I faced trouble at school and at home, and one of my few escapes was through the world of books. When I was around four years old I found a book called Robin Hood. 

I sat for hours reading, and rereading, through the stories of the daring Robin Hood, the bold Little John, the cunning Maid Marion and the conniving Sheriff of Nottingham. The book had few pictures, but I didn't need them as my imagination took me on adventures that would stick with me well into adulthood.

It was while wandering through Monkeyboy Books that I happened to look down at a shelf of old fairy tales and legends, that I found the exact copy of Robin Hood that I had read so much that I literally cracked the spine of it as a child.

It was like running into an old friend and remembering all the wonderful things that you used to do together. Taking that book home and reading it again was a feeling that could not be emulated scrolling through pictures on Instagram or picking up some new cheap gadget from WalMart.

It's not just about supporting local businesses, though that is important too. Being a patron to independent book shops protects your right to have the option to find something unique, treasured and rewarding.

So please, find a local independent bookseller, one that makes you feel welcomed, comfortable, with just a touch of adventure and support them with your business. I promise you won't regret it. 

If you want to find out ways to possibly help save Monkeyboy Books, please visit them on their Facebook page.

As always, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter (@AllisonHawn) and Goodreads!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

Hello all! I hope you have all had positively magical weeks thus far! 

I do have just a couple of quick reminders before we dive into today's post. For all of you in the Boise area, I will be having a book signing on Friday, June 13th at Hyde Park Books!

Also, I just started a new mini-blog called Case (Un)Managed about life in the social work and helping professions fields that is being updated approximately every other day!

This week we are joined by David Meredith and his book "The Reflections of Queen Snow White."

David Meredith's "The Reflections of Queen Snow White" is an interesting and fresh take on a familiar story. 

Set years after the events that we all know from our childhood Disney retelling of the classic fairytale, readers find Snow White looking back and facing her life in a revealing way. Meredith portrays a much deeper character than the singing, frolicking, conversing with woodland creatures one that most people picture when Snow White's name is mentioned. 

The book takes readers on a tour of Snow White's past, exploring her relationships with the dwarves, her subjects and especially Prince Charming in a real and emotional way. I particularly appreciated that Meredith did not portray Snow White as a perfect princess, in his work she definitely has her human flaws.

I also found it interesting that the author painted Snow White's marriage to Prince Charming as an almost political move. While the story is still romantic, it does bring a different edge to it.

This dramatic account as Snow White looks deep into herself from the very mirror that was used by her enemy will keep readers turning pages. Fans of the mini-series "The Tenth Kingdom" and the T.V. show "Grimm" will love this book.

And here is what the author has to say for himself!

When did you start writing and what prompted that start? 

I guess I’ve always had a little bit of the writing bug. As far back as elementary school I was writing stories on notebook paper in pencil and binding them together with marker-decorated shirt boards. 

I wrote a lot of crappy fan-fic and horribly cliché poetry in middle school and high school and I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to see any of that early work now, but those were important steps in developing as a writer. 

I guess the reason I have pursued it for so long though is that I’ve always felt like I had these stories bubble up inside my brain that needed to come out – things that would stay stuck in my head until I got them down onto paper. I think what finally convinced me to publish though was frustration. 

 

I had written several other novels before "The Reflections of Queen Snow White," but gotten nowhere with traditional publishing. I had gotten into this pattern of submitting my materials, waiting for months, and then getting yet another form rejection letter. When I did get feedback it was generally good. The few editors who took the time to write me a personalized response seemed to like my work, it just wasn't what they were looking for - didn't fit neatly into their predetermined slots. 

I decided to publish my work myself and take it directly to the public and so far, it has worked out well - "The Reflections of Queen Snow White" is closing in on 100 ratings on Goodreads and enjoys a 4.04 star average. 

Why did you choose Snow White as the focus for your book? 

On the one hand, I realize she might seem a little cliché at first glance - after all the Disney version of Snow White is iconic and there have been countless riffs and re-tellings. She is one of the first characters we think of when we hear the words "faerie tale princess". Who doesn't know Snow White? 

However, I felt like the intimate familiarity we all have with her really helps the reader connect to her older self. Much like an old friend I haven't seen in years, I sill care about her. Also, in reading the original Grimm faerie tale, there is a lot of really interesting darkness that I've tapped into for The Reflections of Queen Snow White. I think it helps elevate the level of drama and emotion in the story. 

 

You spent nearly a decade teaching English in Japan. Did you experience a sort of reverse-culture shock on your return to the United States? 

I Might Be The 8th Dwarf

 I did actually. In fact, the reverse culture shock was worse than the culture shock I experienced after I got to Japan. I think that might have been because I wasn't expecting the reverse culture shock, but there were lots of adjustments I had to make when I moved back to the US for good. 

For one thing, people struck me as being really loud and rude when I first returned, because I had gotten so used to the more reserved Japanese communication style. Also, I was amazed by the number of really large people I saw everywhere. Obesity is relatively rare in Japan. 

Probably the most difficult thing, though was that I had just gone through this amazing, life altering experience, gotten a more expansive view of the world and my place in it, and as a consequence really scrutinized and reevaluated many of the core beliefs and attitudes I had held before I left, but everyone who had been close to me - friends, family, old acquaintances - expected me to be exactly the same. 

I had moved forward and changed, but they had stayed the same. I still cared about them of course, but I had a lot of trouble relating to them like I had before. That was actually kind of sad and a little traumatic - some of those relationships never quite as close as they had once been. 

What was your favorite part of this book to write? 

In terms of what I found the most fun, I think it is the sequence when Charming is forced to mediate a truly stupid dispute between one of his nobles and one of Snow White's nobles. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that it works as a good break in the drama (a little comic relief), and was a lot of fun to write. 

In terms of what I think is the most impactful writing, I really like the funeral sequence. I think it vividly illuminates Snow White's mental state and is intensely relatable to anyone who has gone through a similar experience of loss and grief. 

Did you find yourself struggling to create a magic mirror with a personality? 

I don't think I struggled really, but I did give it some careful thought. The mirror in both the Disney version as well as the Grimm Faerie Tale is not developed very much as a character, but at the same time comes off as something sinister. I wanted the mirror to play a more proactive role in "The Reflections of Queen Snow White," but at the same time come off as less villainous. 

I suppose I view the mirror simply as a tool - a powerful tool, but still just a tool, the impact of which is determined by the intentions of the user. Just like a knife can be a good when you use it to cut up food for dinner, it can be an evil if you use it to stab someone to death, but the knife itself is really neither good nor evil. It's just a knife. 

In much the same way, I envisioned the mirror as being neutral and even a little sympathetic. After all, it was misused for years and secreted away by a narcissistic sociopath then abandoned in a storage room for decades more. In a way, you could argue that the mirror is just as abused as Snow White. 

I had a soundtrack playing in my head for much of this book. Was there any music in particular that inspired you? 

For this novel, nothing in particular, but I will admit to listening to a whole lot of movie sound tracks on Pandora as I wrote it. I think I tended to gravitate toward epic scores - for example the music of Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc. 

If you had to decide which of the fairytale step-mothers or adoptive mothers (of which there were a prolific amount) was the most evil, who would you choose?
 

Snow White's is pretty bad. After all, in the original Grimm story she not only tells the huntsman to bring Snow White's heart back in a box to prove that she is dead, but also directs him to bring back her lungs and liver so that the queen can have them cooked and served to her for dinner. 

I do make it clear that she is horribly abusive and self-absorbed, but I don't think I take Arglist quite that far in "The Reflections of Queen Snow White." Even though she is admittedly a horrible human being, I also try to help the reader understand her insecurities and motivations to better comprehend her obsession with Snow White. 

If you're interested in "The Reflections of Queen Snow White" it can be found on  Amazon.

As always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter (@AllisonHawn) and Goodreads! 

Excitement and Dinosaurs Squared!

Hello Ladies, Gentlemen and any Mayan gods that are currently feeling neglected by their followers! I have so much exuberantly exciting news for today that I am literally doing a butt-wiggle of happiness in my seat as I write this!

I actually have no idea which of these things I should start with, so I guess I will go in chronological order.

On June 13 (yes, Friday the 13th), I will be at Hyde Park Books in Boise, Idaho for a book signing! The event will be from 7 pm until... well, whenever you all stop arriving or disastrous meteor shower whichever comes first.

The address to the shop is:

1507 N. 13th St.
Boise, Idaho 83702

I would absolutely love to see you all there, chat and write fun things (and possibly draw what passes in my world as pictures) in your copies of "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus."

If that wasn't enough excitement in one blog post for you, then I invite you to keep reading. This past week I signed the publishing contract on my second book "Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor!"

Yes, you read that right, "Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor!"

I'm afraid I don't have any further details, not even a release date to give you all, yet. However, I promise that more and more news will be headed your way.

To stay up to date make sure you follow me here, Twitter (@AllisonHawn), Facebook and Goodreads!

A Treasure Hunt for the Mind

Hello all! I hope your weeks have been more fantastic than the thought of a thousand bulldog puppies in hamster balls running about to the sounds of The 1812 Overture!

The contest for a free t-shirt is still going on! It's super easy to enter, just go vote for "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" for a People's Choice Award and then let me know that you did so on my Facebook page! I will announce a winner at the end of January!

I have a confession to make, I am a bookstore junky. Specifically an independent bookstore junky.

There's just something about wandering through the stacks and shelves of books for a few hours that feels like an adventure all its own. The quirkier the bookstore, the more I love it. Even the used bookstores where nothing is organized make me smile, after all, who knows what treasures can be found sitting between a 1950's guide to homemaking and old editions of "Sports Illustrated" magazines.

I have happily lost entire days immersed in countless mysteries, science fiction adventures and philosophical queries.

One of my favorite little book nooks is a small shop in downtown Spokane called Monkeyboy Books. On my last visit, I asked owner Marina Drake, who possibly has the best name outside of a novel herself, if she would be willing to give the bookstore owner's side of the story.

Marina was kind enough to answer my questions (which, if you've read any of my previous interviews with authors, you know how brave she was being). But answer she did:

It's Harder to Find This Kind of Bliss in Barnes and Noble

How long has Monkeyboy Books been in business? 

4 years (I've owned the business for only a year).

What made you want to own a bookshop? 

It was a life long dream to be able to have my children grow in such a wonderful environment.

What is your favorite part about being in the business of books?

Meeting new and passionate people, and being able to physically hand them the book they were looking for, sometimes for years. Feeling the happiness that people experience by just being among old books.

Is there any particular type of book that your shop specializes in? 

We carry about every genre and type but rare and out-of-print is our specialty. Of course all are used!

 All Autographed Works

In an age of chain stores and e-books, why do you feel independent book shops are important?

It gives a unique, sensual experience that chain stores and, of course e-books, are not able to provide.

Do you have any special events planned at your bookshop in the near future?  

Nothing set in stone right now but possible conversation/reading circles and private French classes (classes will be at the Interplayers' to start with).

If you could have tea with any literary character, which one would you choose and why?

Love this question! But do I have really have to choose one?

OK! No sci-fi character because books don't exist any longer then...Elementary my Dear Watson : Mr Holmes, for his genius, acute sense of observation and cynical tendencies (sounds terrible, I know, but can't help it: I'm French you know)

No! Tintin 'cause I love traveling and adventures and London in the late 1800, ugh! Oh but he certainly wouldn't take the time to sit for tea!

So, Jeeves, on his free time and in a nice and classy place. Oh dear! That is hard!

If you're ever in Spokane I would highly suggest wandering into Monkeyboy Books for a look around. I have found countless treasures there. I also just want to say, support your local small bookshops, they are an amazing gift to their surrounding communities.

As always, feel free to follow my exploits on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads and don't forget to vote!

Free Your Mind!

Hello all! I hope everyone's weekend was more fantastic than the thought of marmots skiing over piles of glitter!

Well yesterday I had my first book signing for Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus at Monkeyboy Books!

Thank you to everyone who came out to get their copies of the book signed and to all the new readers I was able to meet! Also thank you to Marina for letting me take up a corner of your shop for this event!

Also Auntie's Bookstore has also started carrying Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus!!! So if you happen to be hankering for a copy, you can find it there now too!

And now for something completely different; Darth Vader in a kilt, on a unicycle playing bagpipes!

Prejudice. Wrote a blog post about it. Like to read it? Here it goes! (If you don't get that reference, go to Youtube and it will make a lot more sense.)

I had an interesting interaction today. I was buying groceries, a task that requires me to listen to "Eye of the Tiger" just so that the task of buying tomatoes feels more epic.

I should note that I was wearing a tank top today because Spokane has suddenly decided that Summer is happening, despite our random May "spit goes clink" cold snap. If you will note the picture above... I have some artwork, and by some, I mean quite a bit.

I was rocking out in the produce section, my headphones in but not turned up super loud, when I heard this lady right next to me say to her husband, "Look at her and those tattoos, I bet she doesn't even have a job. Such a shame that someone so young messed up their life."

I paused my lettuce perusal and turned to the woman and gave her the most sickeningly, sugary sweet smile I could muster and said, "Actually, I'm a social worker, and I've had steady jobs since I was 17. The tattoos just help me weed out the people who are too prejudiced for me to hang around. Oh, and by the way, I have a 4-year degree, so yeah, I've really screwed up my life." 

The woman's eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open enough that I could see the half masticated piece of gum she had been spitefully chewing, and so I continued in the brightest most cheerful tone I could muster, "Yeah, I may look like a cheap romance novel to you on the outside, but on the inside I'm Shakespeare. Have a good day, ok cupcake?"

As I walked away I could hear her husband chuckling. 

Sadly, this is not the first time something like this has happened. I once was asked if I was a Satanist, which is entertaining considering the fact that I have "Psalm 23:4" scrawled on my shin, a giant angel on my chest and two other crosses. I just looked at the man who asked and said, "Yep, better keep an eye on your chickens. You never know when I might need a sacrifice."

I have also been asked, "When you get old, aren't you going to hate the way they look?"

To which I normally respond, "When you get old, are you going to look like a beauty queen?"

Plus, if I can look half as awesome as this dude does at 80, then I don't think I will have any problem with it!

I realize that not everyone likes tattoos. That is fine. The solution to that is that if you don't like tattoos, then don't get any.

I also realize that some employers are not fans of tattoos, which is why I get them in places that I can cover them easily.

It is just plain sad, though, when someone looks at a wonderful piece of art (and I'm going to say it, my tattoos are pieces of art etched by true artists) and thinks that someone's I.Q. or capabilities are somehow diminished because of its existence.

Now granted, if someone has a tattoo that looks like it was drawn by a three-year-old or has horrible misspellings in it like this:

Then I can understand where one might think the person sporting this piece of awfulness might be a few fries short of a Happy Meal.  Not all tattoos are created equal.

But when it is like this:

An actual piece of art, then I don't see why someone must be deemed less intelligent, less capable or less in any way based on the fact that they made a choice that someone else may not have. (A shout out to Em and John at Talon Tattoo. Em did this piece on a friend of mine and they are true artists over there.)

The world is full of so many other important issues and questions that we could be spending mental energy on (like how do you peel a pomegranate without making a gory mess out of it?), so why focus any energy on making negative assumptions?

People are people, some people just resemble the Louvre more than others.

As always, feel free to follow my exploits on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads!

 

War is Upon Us... Oh, and There's a Contest Too!

Well happy June all of you warm weather loving folks (if you don't like warm weather, shush and move to Antarctica)!

First things first, remember that book that I drew a picture of Godzilla (or at least attempted to draw Godzilla) burning down a random city in? You know, this one:

Well now you have a chance to be the owner of that exact copy of "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" via a little contest starting today!  I will also be signing and dedicating the copy to the winner before I entrust it to the U.S. Postal Service to deliver it right to the winner's door!

So how do you get entered for a chance to win? Well it's actually very simple to get yourself in the running, hop on over to my Facebook Page and "Like" my author page. Then, find the post announcing this contest (it will be really close to the top of the feed) and click the "Share" button on that post and let your friends know about the contest too!

Only those who both like my author page and share the contest post with their friends will be entered (you can't just like my page and then try to keep the contest all to yourself, be nice to your friends and share, your kindergarten teacher taught you better than that). That's all there is to it, so go out there and click the two little buttons that will get you entered to win your very own signed copy of "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus!"

In other news, June 8th I will be at Monkeyboy Books in downtown Spokane from 1 to 3 pm for a book signing! Don't have a copy yet? That's ok, because Boo Radley's has just started carrying "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" in their store! Check it out (and yes, I know the camera on my chunky old phone takes pictures just about as well as a 2 year old with a disposable camera):

Isn't that spiffy?

Well, my job working with street involved and homeless youth often times means I get to meet some... shall we say, characters?

One such character approached me this week looking for food. He looked deep into my eyes and said, "You know that there is a war going on in downtown Spokane, right?"

I just kind of smirked and said, "Oh? And who is fighting this war? And would you like a sandwich?"

He stared more deeply into my eyes and loudly announced, "How can you not see the angels, demons and aliens, they are fighting in the clouds right now!!!"

I'm not sure if this person was just trying to follow George Lucas' "Indiana Jones" train of thought (three super successful movies based in religion, then you switch to hokey looking aliens just because you had set pieces left over from Star Wars, really George, come on!?), but looking up I did not see any such entities battling for domination of Spokane, Washington.

I just blinked at the man for a second, not really wanting to confirm or deny his delusion of cloud battling creatures. That was when he noticed something.

I have several tattoos (and by "several" I mean if I'm wearing a tank top I probably would remind someone of a 1930's painted lady), and the largest and most noticeable of them is a chest piece of a wonderful angel (artistically designed and implemented by Em at Talon Tattoo). I was wearing a tank top that day.

My new information sharing friend saw my tattoo and his eyes got wide enough that I probably could have driven a military Hummer leading several obese elephants through his gaze, "You're one of them!!!"

I just continued to blink for a second until he gasped out, "You're one of the angels!"

I sighed, "I'm guessing you're not a huge fan of the angels then?"

"No! They are beating the aliens, and I like the aliens."

So for my more visual readers, he was concerned that this:

 was going to beat this in battle:

I took a deep breath and said, "Ok... Well despite the fact that I'm an "angel," would you like a sandwich or not?"

He peered at me suspiciously, "But then the aliens would know if I took aid from an angel."

"Well, I won't tell them, plus if you eat the sandwich then all the evidence will disappear."

He peered at me some more then said, "Ok, I'll take the risk," and he snatched the sandwich out of my hand and skittered off down the street.

I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out why aliens, angels and demons would be so intent on fighting over Spokane. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this city, but our biggest attraction is that we have the world's biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament here every year. It's not like we're really that desirable of a place to invade and control. Maybe Hoopfest is just that important to the world beyond our own?

In any case, at least I'm beating the aliens right?

So, a question for my readers, if there were a war between aliens, angels and demons, who would you put your money on?

Well don't forget to head over to my Facebook Page to enter yourself to win a special signed copy of "Life is a Circus Run by a Circus!" Feel free to also follow me on Twitter and Goodreads!