Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Miraculous Trash Cans and Flying Paperbacks

Promotion of a book is a strange thing.  I went on a photo shoot last week, where the very talented Anre Fuentes of Urbanized Foot Photography took a zillion pics while I ran around doing strange things in a park.  My favorite shots are of me and a trash can we found.  It was one of those old fashioned steel drum things, upside down and empty, with the words "Throw Away All Hate" spray painted on it.  I immediately adored it.  Anre suggested I stand near the can and I asked, "You want me to get in?"  He got that "unexpected surprise gift" look on his face; a slow flush, kid-at-Christmas grin and the words, "If you want to" barely masking his delight.  I turned the thing right side up and climbed in, my long grasshopper legs barely fitting.  It smelled like old butt and wobbled like crazy, all of which cracked me up.  We took a bunch of pictures there, then spent the rest of the shoot wandering the park for cool things to pose with.  There was a wooden pole with words for world peace carved in it in various languages, a gorgeous gate I swung back and forth on, and a astro turf soccer field where I pretended to run away from my memoir, which I kept tossing in the air and fleeing from.

It was hot as hell and we were both soaked with sweat by the time it was done.  I went home, jumped in the shower, scrubbed the trash can butt stink off my skin, then went upstairs to work on some writing.

The next day I recorded myself reading the first chapter of FREAK, but the sound quality is sub-par so we're going to re shoot it with better equipment.  A new website is being built that will be more easily accessible, but I mourn my old site, which I think is beautiful.  We're going to use a lot from it in the new one, so I'm grudgingly happy.  I'm nothing if not loyal.  I've sent copies of the book out for review and had a new set of flyers printed up.  This last spring and early summer were very quiet in regards to book promotion, considering the fact that I got so damn sick, but now I'm well again and champing at the bit.  I've had many people contact me about how FREAK affected them, even helped them, and I want that to continue.  That's the purpose of the publication of my crazy life to begin with.  I want my experiences to help people.  So, wish me luck in the promotion of this very personal story.  And to all my brothers and sisters of circumstance out there, remember the words on that smelly garbage can: THROW AWAY ALL HATE.  That'll clean up a lot of emotional butt stink right there.  Take care.

Love, R

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