Ginger Blog Shutting Down

Here we go.  I started this book blog with those words; I might as well finish with them.  This blog began with friends nagging--uh, suggesting I should blog about my first book, Ginger Snaps: Photos & Stories about redheaded Queers.  As with almost everything about my book, I said okay, why not?  I'll learn about blogging.  Maybe it will sell books.  I have but it hasn't.

What have I learned thru blogging?  You should have a focus.  I decided mine was to share the experience of self publishing a book and what I learned along the way.  You have to post frequently.  Two weeks separated my first and second blogs.  Not good.  It's like friends: if you're not there for them, they won't be there for you.  You should make your blog interesting to read and look at.  I've tried my best on the first and failed utterly on the second.  You have to be patient and grateful for small things.  There are almost as many blogs as humans on the planet (not really but close).  How are people going to find yours?  It takes time and word of mouth/social media to build readership.  Be happy with your blog; it may have to be enough.  The odds of writing a widely read blog must be worse than those for writing a best selling novel.  Make sure your blog pleases you.  

With my short stories, I write for myself.  If other people like them, it's icing.  I'm not trying to communicate anything to you.  There's a story in my brain; I want to get the words out.  That sounds a little whacko but it's not.  It's the creative process.  You make the art you see, not the art you think others will like or buy.  Of course, it does help to have a day job or an independent income.

But blogging is different, at least it was for me.  You are communicating.  It's like giving a party: you want people to come.  Not many of you came to this one but I appreciated every hit, let me tell you.

Life moves on.  I'm working on my next book with an excellent gay artist, Michael Broderick.  My friend the painter Yelena Karanovich and I will meet in the new year to start planning a project.  David and I are set to start snapping photos and interviewing people for our next book.  Nonfiction, which I don't do--except for this blog, I guess--hmm--but he pitched an idea to me which started telling me stories immediately.

Some year I'll do a website and maybe you'll track me down.  Hey, there's always Facebook.  Anyhoo, thank you for reading what I've written.  A writer is always grateful, even if they write first for themselves.


Don't forget our Ginger stuff:
     Ginger Snaps the Book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527
     ginger & gingerphile t-shirts & hoodies at http://gingergingerphiletee.logosoftwear.com

French Ginger

Stop #3 for the Ginger Choo Choo is in Noe Valley, our (current) hometown.  For this one we're going French all the way at Le Zinc French Bistro, my favorite San Francisco restaurant of any cuisine.  Check it out at www.lezinc.com  If sweetbreads are on the menu, grab em!  Actually, better use your fork.  My friends Diana Barrand and Max Braud own and run this charming (really) bistro with delicious food and wine.

We are offering some of both at our event this Sunday: complimentary French wine and French hors d'oeuvres will be served. I may try out my college French or ask my twin to translate since she retains more French thru more frequent practice visiting France and other French speaking areas of the globe.  Even the game questions and prizes will have a French twist.  (No, there won't be an all expenses paid trip to Paris, not even Paris, Texas.)

The rsvp's came in at a good clip so we reached our goal and didn't have to tell Diana and Max only three people wanted to come--including us.  If you're in our neighborhood, don't worry about the non rsvp.  Just come on in.  Le Zinc is located in Noe Valley, San Francisco, at 4063 24th Street--one of our two main drags--between Noe and Castro Streets.  We'll be there this Sunday, 3:30 to 5pm.  David and I will be wearing our gingerphile and ginger tshirts, respectively, so you can recognize us.

It's nice to be able to walk to this one--although, on second thought, we'll have to drive the 10 blocks because of the party box with book copies and tshirts to sell, framed photos of the book and easels for atmospheric display, game prizes, etc.  Prizes include gift cards from all the local coffee places--we're like Little Seattle here, a do it yourself ginger kit and ginger chocolate from our excellent chocolate shop on 24th www.chocolatecoveredsf.com, among others just as wonderfully clever or at least useful.

See you Sunday!

Check out our book at http://blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527

The Rick and Dave Show Hits the Road

Book touring is new to us but it's part of the process of publishing your book so it's a good thing to think about it from the beginning.  Books, sadly, don't sell themselves.  You, the author, have to promote them, send your child out into the world.  One time honored way is the book tour.

When we knew we had a book, we thought: Let's party!  One and done.  But opportunities came up and then there were eight of them staring at us, saying: You've committed to doing us.  Get doing!

Most of the tour, we do have to do the doing.  If you're a famous author, maybe all you have to do is get your body in the door but if you're not, well....

We were in LA yesterday, where David lived and I went to college.  (Fight on for old SC!)  My adventure started at the airport when Southwest cancelled my flight and the one leaving 90 minutes later became 2 hours, which meant I'd be late for our event.  Complaining got me a $50 travel voucher and not much else.  A 30 minute, $55 cab ride from LAX brought me to the venue, Neveux Artisan Creamery, a place I highly recommend.  Owner Leo and his ice cream are both well constructed.  http://neveuxartisancreamery.com

I saw immediately, as David already had, that the layout of the shop wasn't going to let us read stories, much less play games and award red jockstraps.  This is the danger of nontraditional.  We want our signings to be events so we're in mainly not meeting rooms: ice cream store, French restaurant, museum, luxury condo.  But the evil twin of this good idea is sometimes the space doesn't work for what you want to do.  So, be flexible or ask for schematics.

Luckily, David and I are flexible boys and we switched to chitchat in L.A.  I met some terrific people, people I'd very much like to see again.  We sold books and ginger/gingerphile tshirts.  And the ginger ice cream was excellent.  You should stop by and take a bite.  Warning though: it bites back.

Meanwhile, I still have this red jock.  Anyone want it?

Preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527.

Tossing our cookies

The author photo.  If you preview our book at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3577527, you'll see two of the results.  Well, there were 100 results but two shots David and I both found acceptable.  He tells me that's a typical batting average.  I'm glad photography is not a contact sport.

It was a dark and stormy night when we met for our close up, Mr. DeMille.  Not really.  It was a bright and sunshiny afternoon at Castro & Market.  David posed us on a red cafe table (but of course) at Jane Warner Plaza.  That's where the naked men hang out.  No naked humanoids that day though.

The table was full of ginger items, including me.  Gingersnaps in three shapes, ginger root, ginger tea, ginger ale.  Ginger, ginger, ginger.  We were seated behind this plethora, smiling. Little did I know I would have to keep smiling for TWO HOURS.  Friends who model or take photos of models say that's nothing.  We got off lucky.  Four hours is more like it--and you should bring a book or iPod or both.  Not having been a model, I just brought me.

Me got pretty bored pretty fast.  At first Rich, David's friend shooting us, tried typical hand on the chin glamour shots.  I always wonder about those kinds of author photos.  Is the author's head so full of BIG thoughts that one (or both) hands have to help hold it up?  Anyway, it wasn't a good look for either of us, especially me.

I was having a hard time not eating the cookies so suggested we toss them for the photo.  David liked that idea so he and I began throwing cookies up in the air and staring at them, amazed.  We were supposed to look amazed because in the shot the cookies would be suspended in mid-air.  Very conceptual.  If you look at the book (please look at the book), you'll see that it does work.  Cookies mid-air, two sets of amazed eyes.  Our mouths open in amazement.  I admit I tried to catch one or two.  Even more amazing was how many times we had to throw those damn cookies into the ozone before we mastered speed, height, and eye to cookie coordination.  But finally Rich and David approved a shot and I buried my head on the table in celebration, eating cookies.

David joined in and Rich took shots of us.  Voila, le back jacket photo.  My hair never looked better.

Writing this has made me hungry.  Off to Whole Foods for gingersnaps!

Next time: Our goal is to break even.

Here we go!

This is a blog about a little book that could: Ginger Snaps: Photos & Stories.  Photos by David Sweet, stories by Richard May.  Me.

A year ago David and I started on a narrow road which widened and widened and widened...until now we're on the freeway and driving as fast as we can.  It all began when we met at a movie and then ate Japanese food.  I'm a ginger; he takes photos of gingers.  Commonality.  Next, over coffee he showed me some of his ginger photos.  I made the mistake of telling him that his photos told me stories, which they did.  97.9% of my short stories start with a visual telling its to me.

David asked me to write a story.  I did.  He said: LET'S DO A BOOK!  Since my life was complicated enough, I suggested I write three and see how he felt about it then.  It's called putting off.  Unfortunately, he liked them.  That's when the car really hit the streets and we started rolling along.  25 mph maybe.

We picked 20 or so of David's ginger photos--he has many, many--that he was most proud of and starting yakking to me.  I wrote 17 or so stories, which we narrowed to 13 (my lucky number, btw) to fit into the blurb.com format.  Then David put the stories and photos online, designed a cover, and I began playing editor, having been one in New York at Doubleday.  Who knew I'd ever use those two years for my own benefit.

I filled in details like title page, acknowledgments page, copyright page, front flap copy, back flap copy--all that interesting stuff.  I played copyeditor, discovering that blurb.com has intriguing hyphenation rules.  I also discovered my stories were too long so had to edit myself, sort of like performing your own appendectomy: is that paragraph really necessary?

Next installment: The Author Photo