Two shiny new books - one for each of my names!

My new book - and only one - with Hutchinson on it - has hit the bookstores. Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence is now available. This is a fundraising effort for the local YWCA, and as such, the Y will receive more needed funds if you purchase the book directly from the YWCA Sonoma County website. Click on online store once you're there to find the book. I am co-editor and also have two mini-memoirs in its pages.

I would also like to give a shout out to my co-editors, poet, Michelle Wing, who founded the reading series the book was born from, and Kate Farrell, who is no stranger to editing and publishing meaningful anthologies. Which brings me to our fabulous publisher, Carol Hightshoe of Wolfsinger Publications.

My friend, Sonja Bauer, did the cover art.

On Thursday, I'll be celebrating its launch at the Hurt to Hope Gala and book launch in Santa Rosa, where I will read one of my pieces, "My Body Remembered."

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, I'll be reading "The Curse of Having Been a Man," by candlelight in a Santa Rosa mausoleum again. No, I didn't have an operation. It's a fantasy piece about an elephant. ;) Those readings are so fun! In case you're local, here's the details from the parks page.


Also, the anthology with my story, "The Visitor," is now available at your favorite online bookstore. It's a story about first contact. Or is it? Is Charles Colby just going crazy from solitude? Was it something he ate?

The best part? I share a TOC with a ton of the great voices in science fiction, such as Isaac Asimov, Philip K Dick and Ray Bradbury. Here's the Amazon link for the electronic version.

Also, I've updated my Ann Wilkes page on Amazon and created an Ann Hutchinson page. I tell you, maintaining an online presence is work!

Ann Wilkes on Amazon

Ann Hutchinson on Amazon

One of these days I'm going to create an Ann Hutchinson page at www.clevercopy.net. I looked into getting annhutchinson.com and it was way out of my budget.

The reason I can't afford the URL for Ann Hutchinson is this famous woman, Anne Hutchinson, who defied the puritans and dared to practice and even - gasp - preach her own grace-based religion. She was excommunicated and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. You can read more about her at greatwomen.org.

I also need to change the banner for this blog. A fan, Gregory Gunther, did the one you see now out of the goodness of his heart, without even being asked. My kind of fan! Not sure I can pull off a new one myself, but I won't be tackling it today.

My one steady journalism gig just went a little sideways this week. Now I'm writing for the paper without a contract. I'm still not sure whether this is good or bad. I don't have to write as many articles, but I may experience a cut in my monthly check.