Big Week for Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein

I’ve got a big book week coming up. The Mendocino Coast Writers Conference is at the end of this week and because I’m on the “New Authors” panel, I’m attending. The conference kicks off on Thursday. My panel presentation is Saturday from 12 to 1; it’s open to the public, which means you don’t have to be registered for the conference to attend the panel. It’s at the College of the Redwoods campus. So, come by if you can. Friday evening, starting at 5 pm there’s an open mike at Cheshire Books in Fort Bragg that’s also open to the public. Wednesday evening there’s a kick-off dinner for presenters that I’m invited to attend, but thanks to modern technology, I’m going to be two places at once! I’ll be on KZYX radio, 90.7 on your FM dial, on Thursday evening at 7 pm. The show is called Taking Care of Business and it’s hosted by Rachel Murray, a local small business consultant who has been giving me excellent advice. The interview is about marketing Requiem, an interesting departure from my normal fare. I thought the taping went very well.

For me, the BIG excitement, of course, is on Thursday when I’ll head over the hill to Ukiah to tape the New Dimensions interview with Justine Toms, which is going to air nationally. And if all that’s not enough, I’ve got several more irons in the fire: getting things set up for a little PR tour to Portland in September; meeting with a couple local artists to discuss an artists coalition for promoting our work; and today, my weekly writers group.

I haven’t mentioned it here before, but I am part of a regularly meeting writers group. There are eight of us and we read two or three pieces of writing each week. It’s excellent and keeps me working on The Appassionata, my second novel. I’ve had a productive couple of weeks writing about Paris in 1830, a year of political upheaval when Parisians took to the streets, manning barricades and bringing down a king. I find this inspiring, and although it was not enough to bring democracy to France, it was one more step toward that effort. The political history of France is fascinating: they fought for over a century, really, before they succeeded in bringing their monarchy to an end. Artists and writers were in the middle of the struggle, and the more I write about the intersection between art and politics, the more I feel the present-day parallels. Artists and writers CAN make a difference, so don’t be surprised if you see me leaning into my political disposition and speaking out on behalf of democracy, justice, equality, peace and preserving our constitution. I’m feeling like I must take advantage of whatever small platform I’m gaining from having a book in print, to stand up for saving the Earth and our democracy, which I think is in peril given the last eight years of political corruption.

I’ve been keeping company of late with Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Eugene Delacroix, Victor Hugo, Frederic Chopin and George Sand… and interesting group of Romantics if ever there was one. My main character is Victorine Farrenc, a classical pianist and her mother, Louise Farrenc, a classical composer. It’s a continuation of the theme of Romanticism. All of these people were especially influenced by Byron’s legacy. He, not unlike John Lennon, had a lingering influence on his generation and on the next, becoming a legend. Mary Shelley lived until 1851; she’ll be making a cameo appearance.

Got me started, I see… so, before this rambles on forever, I think I’ll just say, it’s going to be a big week for celebrating the fact that I’m a writer living and writing on the Mendocino Coast.