Danny in a Newfangled World

Successful Book Signing at Chapters

// January 15th, 2011 // No Comments » // Books

Today I experienced my first official book signing at Chapters, Oakville.  Although I’d hoped to lure a few of my friends who had not yet purchased my book, none of them showed.  It was just between me and whoever happened to walk through the store entrance. 

I am happy to report that the overall experience was very rewarding.  While not every family that I enticed to my table actually purchased my book, many of them showed genuine interest.  The greatest reward was watching kids’ eyes light up when I described the “cyber” premise of Danny in a Newfangled World. 

Also fulfilling for me, was the wonderful support I received from parents who understood the significance of this book.  They agreed that a cautionary tale about the internet is most relevant to the modern-day kid.  They recognize that, whether we like it or not, kids are online.  And this book provides an opportunity for kids to better absorb the message that the internet can be dangerous (while enjoying a fun story). 

Before my book signing, I set a goal (as I always do).  Today, I wanted to sell ten books.  While this may seem a rather low threshold to some, it is actually not an easy target to reach for an unknown author.  Certainly, when Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games trilogy, visited downtown Indigo for a signing, she would have been inundated with a hundred or so fans, eager for her signature.  Not quite the same circumstance for, well, little ol’ me.  I ended up selling 12 books (on a January, snowstorm-kind-of-day).  In other words, a successful day. 

My next book signing is at Indigo in Erin Mills (across from Erin Mills Town Center) on February 12, 2-4pm.  I will be reading an excerpt from the book, and… offering a few other surprises!  I look forward to meeting more wonderful kids.  And selling, um, 15 books?

Back to Work on Danny in a Newfangled World’s Sequel

// January 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // Books

My new resolution to work diligently on the book’s sequel has hit a couple of snags.  The nasty flu bug attacked me during the holidays, and then hit me a double whammy the first week of January.  As a result, I’ve been drained of the energy needed to get those creative juices flowing. 

Although I still suffer the sniffles, the head is clearing up bit by bit, and I’m now back on track!  Last week, I managed to almost complete chapter 4 of the sequel, and had a lot of fun writing!  I know how much kids have enjoyed the video game action sequences of Danny in a Newfangled World (book #1), so there will be a few of those, again, in book#2.  Unfortunately, I have yet to think up a super cool title, so the not-so-thrilling working title will remain book#2, for now.

More good news… I am re-working the layout of the first book to make it more reader-friendly.  That new version should be available by the end of January.  Although the story will not change at all, I think kids will enjoy the more spacious layout — but don’t be too concerned with the increased page count.  The number of words is not changing.