Blog Post No. 710

Would you consider Thursday the weekend? I technically don’t especially since I regularly work on Saturdays. But last week, I had Saturday off, and I had an evening event on Thursday, so I’m going to count it because it’s my post and I can do what I want. It also works for me to connect the two events that happened last week into one post so I have something to talk about and I can share the stuff that happened.

On Thursday, I taught a workshop for Rose City Writers with Christian. It was a bit of a rush to get out of work on time, get home, eat, and get on the road to River Bookshop in Amherstburg for the 6:30pm start, but we I managed. The workshop was on short stories from concept to publication.

I think we did a good job. People were engaged, and while we were a little lopsided on time (it’s so hard to tell how long topics will take to discuss, especially without doing workshops more regularly) I think it turned out to be a good night. If nothing else, I feel we shared some info that I would have felt helpful when I was starting to write.

It’s also, always nice to do something different in the evening, especially something creative, rather than just watch TV. Even though, while I was getting ready, I really just wanted to stay home and watch TV. I’m always the most motivated when I’m busy doing something else.

The other event was Inoke Errati, my brother’s band, had an album release show on Saturday. Not my event, not about books, but I’m a big fan and I was there helping out. It was awesome to see them play live, even though I hear them rehearse fairly regularly.

The new album is great and you should check it out if you like music and good vibes. It was also nice to see some folks I don’t see often including the very talented Glen Hawkes who did some covers for me, but boy, oh, boy was it a later night than I’m used to. The show was done some time around 11pm (or a bit earlier) but I hung around to help pack up and bring some stuff home.

Then I helped with the load in because for a book event, it’s one or two trips, but for a concert, that can easily be a dozen. I was more tired than I’d been in a long time and it was a real struggle to get up the next day, but I’m glad I was there.

Next, I’ll be at Colasanti’s on September 12th with a bunch of other authors for a book event. I’ll be joined by Christian, Olga Kassimova from Rose City Writers, Marty Gervais, and the organizer, Gary May.

There will be a discussion, Q&A, and books for sale. And if you haven’t been to Colasanti’s, it’s a cool farm shop with a petting zoo, tons of plants, food, and more stuff that wasn’t there when I was a kid, but I wish it had been.