Shaman Circus released!

I recevied word from my publisher on January 29, 2010 that Shaman Circus has now been released.  You can read more about it at the ATTM Press website.  I'm very excited!  Due to being iced in here in south Carolina, I haven't had a chance to  celebrate this yet. It's  been a hectic weekend with family birthdays, new job, lots of sledding, cookies and cocoa.  There's an ice storm in the book, so I guess this is appropriate.  

Now there's much work to do and fun things to  plan. I'm building my schedule with plans to attend the World Horror Con in May 2011.
 The World Fantasy Con is under consideration, but since its backed up to two nearby cons, I'm not sure. The SCWW Conference in South Carolina and Dragon Con in Atlanta,GA are within 2-4 hours drive.

About Shaman Circus:
In New Orleans following Katrina all bets are off; all masks dissolved. "Don't forget the sham in shaman," Jacob Laguerre lies to his new apprentice, Alex Hampton. When Alex, a twenty-eight year-old anthropology professor goes on field-study to post-Katrina New Orleans, he enters a chaotic and altered landscape where he's psychologically, physically and spiritually challenged by the sarcastic mentoring of the mulatto, Laguerre, a current day voudou shaman.



Both Laquerre's and Alex's psyches struggle through stages of transition and rebirth as their lives are enmeshed with a group of quirky fringe-dwellers, as colorful and eccentric as New Orleans itself. Lily Hampton, a sculptor, torn between her love for both men; Mavis, an artist who spent nights in her attic, but survived the floods; Perry Laguerre, Jacob's hermaphroditic twin, and Bad Jacqui, lesbian owner of a French Quarter bar: are pulled together to form the cynical but ultimately idealistic team who vow to stay in post-Katrina New Orleans.
They all follow a taut path between madness and redemption in the no man's land of Refrigerator Town as they assist in the aftermath and healing of both the city and those who remain.

I'll start planning some regional readings and book signings as well, at various venues: bookstores, art galleries, coffee shops.  I'm pretty bummed out that The Open Book, one of our longest running locally owned book stores will be closing. The Open Book supported indie small presses, local authors and sponsored SCWW writer's meetings.They often hosted frequent signings, and served the book lovers of Greenville for over 40 years. It's a cruel blow to our community to lose another local bookstore where we knew the owners by name. The Open Book now joins another favorite bookstore, Bentley's, in closing its doors. Sad tidings for sure.  Many of book lovers in Greenville are grieving. That leaves only three locally owned bookstores in  Greenville and those aren't quite the same as The Open Book. 

But on a brighter note, I've been overhwelmed with the support and community of the ATTM Press and its authors.We have a very active online group and the consistent efforts of Phill Harris at ATTM to support authors as their books go to market.  I've met a wide range of authors online through the press who offer tips and ideas it would take me many months to research. What a serendipitous gift I never expected when I first found ATTM and knew they were the right home for Shaman Circus. I was fortunate enough they thought so too.