Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Belated Jingle Bells

ProtestKid and I joined with several other Occupy Astoria friends a couple of weekends ago to serenade workers at our local McDonalds, Taco Bell and other fast food restaurant chains on Steinway. It was organized at the last minute but we still had enough people turn up that we were able to fill the establishments with our rousing songs.

The only place we got grief was at the McDonalds, where someone (a shift manager? He clearly believed himself to be an authority figure) told us to leave... but we still finished our song and left under our own volition.

Some people just stared at us, and some people smiled. I got one very quiet, "Good job" muttered at me by a passing customer and nobody heckled us.

I enjoyed caroling to the staff and patrons, but my favorite part was caroling on the street corner, and singing, "Deck the jails with Wall Street bankers! We know you're all crooks and wankers!" outside an HSBC branch.

My least favorite part was when ProtestKid asked me what a wanker was. (For the record, I said it was a really rude word for a jerk, and he shouldn't say it at school.)

Afterwards, I asked ProtestKid a couple of questions.

Me: Why did you want to go caroling (for the 99%)?

ProtestKid: Because I care about people! And I don't want anyone to suffer because of the 1% not noticing them and not giving them human rights. Caroling is a good way to convince the 1% to actually realize, 'Oh, my workers are underpaid. Better make up for that!'

Me: How did caroling make you feel?

PK: I felt really really good. I only got a little nervous when we found the cop in the bank.

Me: How did you think people around you felt?


PK: A lot of them smiled. The cop looked a little scared and tense, ready to pull off an arrest.

Me: Anything else you want to say about it?

PK: I also liked singing the songs. ... I want to be a man of many talents; I enjoy singing when there's a chance and it doesn't embarrass me. And singing with the rest of Occupy Astoria, I didn't feel embarrassed, I felt special.

I have to say, I really like the idea of singing truth to power.

Happy New Year
from the Protest Family

Monday, December 30, 2013

Official announcement: Ta-Da!


A little over four and a half years ago, I got totally freaked out about climate change, swine flu, corporate control of everything, and the fact that my babies were being held hostage by this really scary future.

Then I found a book that claimed to be a "third wave feminist steampunk novel" and I was so excited! Because this! This was what I wanted to read! Adventure, romance, a little steam! But also alive to intersectionality and nuance and not ignoring privilege and colonialism!

...only it wasn't. It wasn't any of that at all. I was so pissed off (and, if you will recall, frightened by this daunting future two years before Occupy was a glint in anyone's eye) I wrote a 456 page book. ("I write big books and I cannot lie, all you other readers can't deny...")

I wrote a book (Original title: Whiskey and Sympathy) about a world affected by pandemic, peak oil, and privatization... But populated it with a wide range of people who still managed to have joy and create beautiful lives... and then I threatened their solar-powered, consensus-driven airship community with pirates.

Because that's what authors do!


So if you, too, want to read a cheerful dystopic story that loves intersectionality and passes the Bechdel test in the very first scene… Have I got a novel for you! Really, right here at Booklocker.com...

**The publisher’s website includes the first 9 chapters, so you can really get a sense of whether you (or someone you know) might like to read it**

Or here at Barnes & Noble who have it cheaper and eligible for free shipping if you spend more than $25...

Or even here at Amazon who have it cheapest and eligible for Prime.

Honestly, I don’t really care from which place (or even if) you order Suncatcher: Seven Days in the Sky, but it would be wonderful if you could check it out (as Amazon tracks who looks at it and what else they like) and maybe let your friends who are into speculative fiction know about it.

Cheers!
Alia

IT'S HERE!!!

I'll update the Red Button Press site soon, but in the meantime:

Suncatcher: Seven Days in the Sky is now available for purchase direct from the publisher:

At that link, you can read the first 9 chapters for free.

Barnes & Noble:
(eligible for free shipping offers)

Amazon:
(Prime eligible)

...and you can order it from your local bricks and mortar bookstore, too. (If you order it from *my* local bookstore, The Astoria Bookshop, and let them know you'd like an autographed copy we can make that happen!)

...and electronic versions for Kobo, Nook, Kindle, and all your favorite electronic reading platforms should be coming very soon.

Happy New Year!


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

So if we flash the cover of Suncatcher it counts as Marketing, right? Because this NEEDS to happen. On youtube.

I like big books and I cannot lie
You other readers can't deny
That when a book opens up with an itty bitty font
And a round type (in your) face
You get hooked, wanna pull out your card
Cause you notice that book was stuffed
Deep with symbolic meaning
I’m hooked and I can’t stop reading
Oh volumes, I wanna digest with you
And your illustrations
My librarian tried to warn me
But that series you got makes me book-wormy
Ooh, Dump-o’-info
Let’s burn the candle at both ends
Well read it, so epic,
Cause you ain’t the average blog post
I’ve seen them typing
Heck with Skyping
It’s purple prose
Got it goin’ like Romance de la Rose
I’m tired of webzines
Tweeting the novel is dead
Take the average reader and ask her what
She gonna fit in her backpack…

So, readers! (Yeah!) writers! (Yeah!)
Has your novel got the volume? (Hell yeah!)
Tell 'em to read it! (Read it!) Read it! (Read it!)
Read that heavy book!
Baby got back issues!