Saturday, June 13th @ 7:30 PM at Sechelt Arts Centre we launched my debut novel in Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada.
A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE was published by Light Messages in North Carolina.
Crowd began to gather. Half full here. Shelley Harrison Rae read one of the three excellent industry reviews that A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE has garnered since January, (Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly and this one from Foreward Reviews):
and Laurie McConnell read her review, published on BigPacific.com
http://www.bigpacific.com/sunshinecoastmagazine/2015/02/22/book-review-theory-expanded-love/http://www.bigpacific.com/sunshinecoastmagazine/2015/02/22/book-review-theory-expanded-love/
JoAnne Bennison shared pivotal emails and tweets from Senior Editor at Light Messages, Elizabeth Turnbull, who held my hand long-distance through this publication process from North Carolina since last August. She brought the audience up to date on the latest: A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE has been chosen as BEST NEW FICTION by iBooks!!!
Dear Caitlin,
Today is the day — for you, Annie, and the Shea family. You’ve worked hard for launch day and have been doing all the right things. Now, we send your book out into the world, a world I believe is going to love Annie as much as I do.
Thank you for entrusting your work to Light Messages. I can ensure you that we are doing all we can to give your book its best chance and to make it available as far as we can reach.
I hope you’ll be able to set aside a moment today to savor your release day and all you’ve accomplished.
With a happy heart,
Elizabeth
—————————————-
Elizabeth Turnbull, Senior Editor
Light Messages Publishing/ Meaningful books by emerging authors
www.lightmessages.com
The audience kept streaming in.
I read the first scene in SIX PALM TREES, the stage play about the Shea Family co-written with Gord Halloran and performed over 100 times in the US and Canada to stellar reviews and enthusiastic audiences. It’s a one person stand-up comedy show (& drama!) starring Annie Shea in their family home, years after the action in A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE. It’s part of the story. Reading two pieces from the book itself, I remembered the elation I used to feel onstage as a solo performer, when I managed to get all the laughs in the right places. There’s just nothing like that high.
Intermission. JoAnne Bennison marked up the 1963 Trivia quizzes and awarded prizes: First prize, Gumby and Pokey to Mike & Lolly de Jonge for a 100% score (they made a trip from Calgary for this launch!); here are runner-up winners with their prizes: books from Light Messages Publishing by three of their A-list authors, Dave Edlund, Susan Ornbratt and Stephen Martino. Left to right Richard Austin, Nadine Wong and Donna Schmirler.
The audience feasted on treats from 1963, re-created by Sally Simpson and JoAnne Bennnison:
First prize for best costume of 1963: Caitlin Goulet, a singer extraordinaire herself, who dressed up as Barbara Streisand.
Oh, by the way, there were no books left at the end of the night. Some people went without: all 40 were spoken for!
Laurie McConnell and JoAnne Bennison in their 1963 attire:
Gord played the ukelele for his first public performance and acted as the cool MC.
Someone told me I looked as happy as a bride on her wedding day. Surrounded by the guys who were there on those two most memorable days of my life: my wedding to the one on the left and the birth of our son, (the one on the right) it was true: I couldn’t have been happier. (It was sort of a ‘shotgun wedding’ so we were all there on both days!)
Here’s my team: JoAnne Bennison and Sally Simpson. Thank you everyone!
