Monday, January 11, 2010

Publication: A Case of Dead Faces

I'm usually quick to post links to my publications -- after all selling books is part of the game. But I've been dragging my feet on this one, because I have to admit that I don't like the cover at all. The anthology was edited by Kerry Morgan over at Pagan Imagination. I haven't had a chance to read through it, but I'm sure the content is good. I just can't quite find it in my heart to like the cover.



My story -- which I think I've mentioned here -- is the jazz argot-tarot-Buddha story. Yeah, that's right; yet another chance to avoid that carefully constructed notion of "branding" which all good writers who wish to be successful are supposed to do. I think I should steal my "brand" from the wonderful Lynda Barry's Cruddy, a truly genius work of disturbing brilliance:

No matter what: expect the unexpected. And whenever possible BE the unexpected.



Yeah, that's a good marketing plan, right? Sigh. I should probably not quit my day job, eh? Well, I have a few other things up my sleeves; maybe this eclecticism will pay off some day...

The theme of the collection is the full moon: my story takes place in London and even drops by Treadwell's. FYI, the 59 bus is the one that runs from the Tavistock Hotel (my usual hotel) in Bloomsbury to the Southbank. I love slang and jargon, and found a good site for jazz age slang. This was a lot of fun to write and poured out fairly quickly. Sometimes inspiration is a twig and sometimes it's more of a yule log.

6 comments:

The Queen said...

This is the one time you can't judge a book by its cover......love your story!

C. Margery Kempe said...

Thanks! It's just so distressing to look at that cover. Not everyone who wants to design books should do so. I just don't see how anyone can look at that cover and say, "Hey, this looks good!" De gustibus non disputandum est, but surely there are some aesthetic veracities?

pattinase (abbott) said...

Oh, God we stay at the Tavistock Hotel, too. I think all academics do. Their breakfast was horrible last time we were there. The rooms vary. But the price and location are excellent.

K. A. Laity said...

LOL -- it's cheap and convenient (around the corner from Skoob and a couple of my fave pubs). The breakfast wasn't bad for the usual hotel buffet. Better than at the Royal National where I've stayed, too.

Todd Mason said...

OK, having looked at it closely, that IS a pretty dire cover.

C. Margery Kempe said...

Every time I look at it I feel inexorably sad. Sigh. It's so important. People with the "eye" really shouldn't do design.