September 28th, 2011

10 Questions

While I’m not posting much actual blog content lately, at least I’m posting links to what’s been keeping me so busy elsewhere, like this 10 Question Interview at Open Book Toronto.

Enjoy…and a real post, unlinked, is coming soon!

September 27th, 2011

Storyville

Hi again! My story “How to Keep Your Day Job” is on the Storyville App, which means if you subscribe to the app–for iPads and iPhones and perhaps some other things–you get my story as well as many other wonderful-looking ones, for $4.99 for a 6-month subscription. I think short-story apps are wonderful, and quite possibly the way the form will wind up going. Sort of makes me want to get a cellphone of some kind.

September 23rd, 2011

Pictures and Story

The kind person to send me pictures from Tuesday’s launch (at least the first one; I’d still be happy to receive more) is Kerry Clare, so she gets the 100 points and my eternal gratitude. Here’s us, waiting to go on-stage, and then on:

Talking with my hands! Further excitement is that the wonderful online literary project Joyland has published my short story Waiting for Women this week–so much goodness going on right now!

September 22nd, 2011

Wowsers

Well, the event on Tuesday was just about perfect! So many of the people I adore and admire were there, and I got to talk to many of them. We had great cookies (thanks, Jane) and cupcakes (thanks, Kerry) and so-so muffins (I have a weird oven, ok?) I did a lot of hugging. And then–yes there’s more–came the formal part of the evening, where Kerry Clare showed that cupcake-baking is the least of her gifts, and conducted a thoughtful and fun on-stage interview with me. She also managed to cross her legs whilst sitting on her high barstool, a stunt I simply could not manage.

Beyond baking and balancing, Kerry is brilliant because her questions are so intimate with the text, so much the opposite of the stock, ask-any-writer style of interview questions (“How much of your work is autobiographical? Do you write in the mornings or evenings? Who are your influences?”) And the questions at any given interview (she’s done lots) are tailored to the form, content, and style of the writer, so even when the questions were hard (no softballs at all), I was very interested in answering them for myself.

And then, after Rupert from Ben McNally Books, who did a superb job running the whole event, fixed the mike for me, I did a brief reading. Now that some people out there actually have the book I can say it was the beginning of the story “Research” and expect that someone might know what I mean! And yes, I did read far enough to say the “orgasm” to a room full of friends, strangers, my colleagues and my parents. It was a milestone of sorts.

And then more talking, a lot of book-signing, absolutely no more baked goods because they’d all been eaten, and lots and lots of fun! By the end of the night, it was down me and Mark and Dan, my publisher, and a few very lovely friends who helped me get every drop of celebration out of the evening possible. I never wanted to go home, because then the party would be over and it was so so so fun!

At my first launch, my edited John Metcalf warned me that it would never be so wonderful again, but I do think this evening was, in a certain light, just as good. It wasn’t as new, but the benefit of that was that I wasn’t as insane. I’ve had 3+ years of book events and stage fright and making bookish friends and I have, in words no one ever said but I’m sure a few were thinking, finally calmed the hell down. Oh, I was totally wired before the event, and pretty well afterwards, but I was able to have genuine conversations with people and enjoy them, and be somewhat aware of my surroundings.

So yes, a thrilling night. My only regrets are the people I didn’t get a chance to talk to in the flurry, and that the kitten had to spend 16 hours by himself that day and was hysterical when we got home. Oh, and the big one is that I cavelierly handed my purse to my dear friend Scott and instructed him to take the camera out and photograph the event, not realizing that the camera had fallen out and would spend the evening under the table. I’m really sorry for making you rummage through all my stuff for naught, Scott–thanks anyway! And I did eventually *find* the camera, so I’m not out $200.

However, I have no pictures, so if you were at the event and took a few, could you send’em my way? I’ll post them here with credit, of course, and it’s definitely worth 100 bonus points to me to have them. (Also, 30 points if you id who the title of this post is stolen from.)

Thanks to all who attended, who hugged and well-wished and book-bought, and ate cookies and stayed late. And to those who couldn’t but sent faraway wishes nonetheless. I’m a lucky, lucky writer!

September 20th, 2011

I’ve been…

I’ve been getting interviewed by Michael Bryson at The Danforth Review and Julie Wilson at Canadian Bookshelf. That last one was bonus-good, because it was a co-interview with Mark Sampson. I’ve also been making muffins and buying tights and rehearsing my reading because tonight is the Book Launch for The Big Dream.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

As you were. Hope you can make it tonight–it should be a wild party, or at least, one with a lot of friends and sugar.

September 17th, 2011

Doings

A few more doings to report on:

–The National Post Books ran my story How to Keep Your Day Job on page 1 of the Post Weekend section today (but it’s also online at the above link, if you are not actually reading this on today-today). It’s pretty exciting to be in a national paper, and see people reading it around town. I actually saw a lady toss down my story without reading it in favour of another section (I didn’t see which one). I can’t explain why I think that’s neat but I do!
–Also in the Fall Fiction extravaganza, several cool authors (and me!) recommend new books we’re looking forward to!
–I also did an interview on my forthcoming (Tuesday!) book with the lovely Braydon Beaulieu at Faded Paper

Yes, the book is really launching on Tuesday, 7pm, Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth Avenue, and I do hope you can make it. But if you can’t, I have a few more online things coming up this week, so hopefully you won’t feel left out!

September 13th, 2011

*The Big Dream* reviewed in *This Magazine*

Have you read the new issue of This Magazine yet? Maybe not, because it just came out and you, unlike me, probably were not awaiting it rabidly because you knew it had a review of your new book in it, but not what the review said.

The review, it turns out, said many positive and insightful thing, including this:

“Rosenblum’s natural dialogue and descriptive prose result in a
collection that successfully depicts the complex balancing act between
home and work that so often define the lives of office workers who
struggle to stay afloat inside and outside of their cubicles.”

For the full review, plus many other interesting articles that don’t have anything to do with me, get thee to a newsstand!

September 8th, 2011

Vancouver to Halifax (but not in that order)–The Dream Tour

A couple nights ago, I dreamed I was Dave Barry. If you are not familiar with him, Dave Barry is a very sucessful American humourist who has written tonnes of books and newspaper columns, and used to do a lot of book tours and speaking engagements that took him all over the world. Then he would write subsequent books and newspaper columns about how he hated touring.

When I am awake, I don’t think I’ll ever be Dave Barry–as far as I’m concerned, all readings are thrilling. And I have a lot of thrills ahead on the upcoming Dream Tour–I’m a little in awe about hitting 7 provinces and doing close to 20 readings in the next few months. Of the cities I’m slated to visit, I’ve never set foot in 4 of them (I bet regular Rose-coloured readers can guess which). And I’m touring with cool people throughout, so I don’t think I’ll have many dull moments.

If you are in or near any of the following spots on the right days, please do come out and tell your friends and associates to join us. I will no doubt be talking up all of these events individually as they get closer, and of course some things might get added (or subtracted, I suppose) but for now, here’s the plan:

September 20, Toronto The Big Dream Book Launch at the Dora Keogh (141 Danforth), 7pm–featuring a stage interview with Kerry Clare, a short reading, books for sale, and a muffin tray–what more could you want??

October 2, Windsor Women of the Short Story Kickoff event in Windsor at the Phog Lounge, 7:30, in concert with Laura Boudreau and Cathy Stonehouse

October 3, London, with Cathy and Laura at the London Public Library, 3rd Floor, 7pm

October 4, Hamilton, with Laura and Cathy, at Bryan Prince Booksellers

October 5, Toronto, with Cathy and Laura, at Type Books on Queen Street, 6pm

October 6, Ottawa, with Laura and Cathy, at Collected Works

October 7, Montreal, with Cathy and Laura, at Cafe Matina

Then–a nap. Well, then Thanksgiving, then a nap, then some work. And then,

October 19, Peterborough, a solo reading at Trent University

November 6, Toronto (venue TBD), the Literary Deathmatch, Golden Girls edition, with Carolyn Black, Dani Couture, and Grace O’Connell, hosted by Julie Wilson

And then, oh my god, in an airplane. WITH WINGS!

November 22, Calgary, with Ray Roberson, at Pages on Kensington

November 23, Vancouver, with Ray and Cathy (remember her from October?), at Incite (scroll down), 7:30pm

November 24, Winnipeg, with Ray, at McNally Robinson Grant Park, 7pm

Then a whole bunch more work, the winter holidays, 2012, and then (you aren’t tired of this yet, are you?)

February 5, Hamilton, at Lit Live, Line up TBD, 7:30

February 6, Toronto, at The Rowers Pub Reading Series, Line up TBD, 7:30

Then work, and snow, and then OMG another airplane! Hopefully this one has wings too!

March 27, Halifax, with Amy Jones, at…details to come

March 28, Wolfville, with Amy, details to come

March 29, Fredericton, with Amy, details to come

~~
Ok, that’s a lot of readings, but stretched over 7 months it should actually be just about perfect–no Barry-esque kvetching from this corner. I also do the occasional school or book club visit, but I’m not including those here since they aren’t public. If you want to talk about that possibility in your school/book club, please drop me a line.

Also, if you are distant from all of the above readings and wish I were doing one closer to you, please let me know. Not just because it’s an ego boost for me, but because it’s helpful to know where I could schedule a reading and not be faced with a sea of empty chairs. Obviously, if you’re knowledgable about good venues to read in and that sort of thing, that’s helpful, but no problem if you just want to say, “Come read in Saskatoon (etc.)!”

Really hoping to see many of your lovely faces at some of these events!

September 4th, 2011

Things that Don’t Happen When You Become a Published Author

I’m starting to get excited for my new book to come out. It’s not in stores for another couple weeks, but the ISBN and Amazon link are in place, and that makes me feel a little tingly.

There are so many amazing things that happened with my last book, it’s hard to describe. But there are also some cliches that everyone believes about book-publishing that it’s helpful to remind myself are *not true*. I’m sure there’s much more for me to learn, and many more illusions left to crush, but here’s what I’ve managed to debunk so far:

Everyone will think you are smart. I am not particularly stupid, but I do have some gaping holes in my knowledge–world history, current events, where certain countries are located, how microwaves work (not with nuclear energy, that’s for sure–what kind of moron would think that?). So sometimes people think I’m stupid in a more general sense and I find that very upsetting.

I thought having a book out might help–you can’t write a book and usually forget where Thailand is, is what I really hoped people would think (but they would be wrong). It didn’t work–people are impressed that I did manage the book *in spite* of certain obvious disadvantages like not being able to pronounce the word “origin.” But it doesn’t carry into other categories–they still raise their eyebrows as I stumble over a common 3-syllable word.

Pretty much the only time I can make people think I’m brilliant is when I don’t want to. Sometimes I meet people, usually younger than I am, whose lives strike me as interesting and whom I would like to get to know better, but they are so alarmed by this published-author thing that that’s all they want to talk about. I try to ask them questions about themselves but they insist they are boring and have nothing of value to say. I guess they think I’m trying to put them in a story.

People who didn’t think you were in cool in high school will now think so. Nope. I actually tried this out on a few girls who were basically nice but distant back in hs. We met at a party shortly after *Once* came out and I was pleased that they were being so friendly and even sort of remembered me. I waited patiently until they asked what I’d been up to in the last decade, and told them I had published a book and a bit about it. The silence was awkward; I don’t they either of them actually asked any questions. Later on, I realized a few things:
1) To someone who has never wanted to publish a book, it might not seem so particularly great to have done so.
2) I had not yet said I was had moved out of my parents’ house 10 years ago and since I was encountering them in the vicinity of said house, it might seem I had never done so. The conversation got a lot more lively after I said I had moved to Toronto and had a job–we talked about commutes.

Authors are famous. The above example pretty much illustrates how this one is wrong, too. To many people, writing a book–particularly a book of literary short fiction–is not very interesting or worthy of comment. This is, actually, fine. There are trappings of fame that come with small-press publication, but they aren’t the ones you think of–that doesn’t make them less lovely. Sometimes I get emails or Facebook notes from strangers telling me they liked my stories or asking questions about them (sometimes, they are students studying my work in a class, and wanting help with their homework; even that is strangely cool). And sometimes it’s weird too: I’ve been recognized on the street exactly twice, and both conversations were deeply baffling.

Being an author will encompass your whole life. Wrong again! I still have to do all of the things I did before, and sometimes I go for hours–nay, days!–without even thinking about writing fiction. This is not every author’s ideal, obviously, but it is also exactly like it was before. My work ethic was, perhaps, slightly bolstered by getting something into perfect binding, but it also added to the distractions like a higher volume of email, new writing friends, the occasional party invitation, etc. So it comes out a draw–I work about the same amount as I did before.

Writing success will make you more attractive to the people you want to be attractive to. This one actually sort of worked out for me, or at least, immediately following *Once*’s publication, I was flirted with more than I ever had been before. But I don’t think this was a strictly an authorial thing: I was also simply leaving the house more than I ever had before. Some people who aren’t writers may be familiar with the concept of attending parties where you don’t already know 75% of the guests, but I was not–it was kind of overwhelming just to keep introducing myself, not even bothering with the flirting. And I think the fact that a fellow author who liked my work recognized me at a reading from my author photo, and introduced himself, and two years later proposed, is probably a bit random and not typical.

So I’m counting on things staying more or less the same as they were before. They better–I don’t think I could handle any more change.

September 1st, 2011

On my desk right now

-desk lamp
-my watch
-desk organizer full of pens, pencils, 3 pairs of scissors
-bottle of bubble stuff
-doctor’s requisition for an ultrasound of my neck
-notebook
-Niagara Arts and Literary Festival keepsake minibook
-Central Neighbourhood House brochure (I’m going to volunteer for them if I ever again have free time)
-sleeping kitten
-stack of academic articles written by my parents
-a sixpence I got in England, to be put in my shoe on my wedding day
-2 coasters
-phone handset
-laptop
-mixed cd Em made me
-photos from P&J’s engagement party (yes, actual hard-copy photos!)
-business cards and postcards I keep meaning to put up
-a cut-out comic strip from “Rhymes with Orange”: a man is standing in the library near the shelf labelled “Books on CD”–he turns to the librarian and says, “No graphic novels?”
-a London tube map
-an expired library card from the Thomas Fischer Rare Book Library

That was fun. What’s on your desk?