Reading of GAHA: Babes of the Abyss

I am going to be reading from GAHA: Babes of the Abyss at Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, on Saturday, March 28th at 4pm. I’m looking forward to this. It will only be the second time I’ve read publicly from the book. The last time was also at Buffalo Street Books, part of their Works in Progress series. That was a great experience. I think I had about 5 minutes. This time I’ll have an hour to read, answer questions, and yak over wine.
I’ve been very lucky to have Franklin Crawford and Tiny Town News in my corner. He wrote an excellent review for the Tompkins Weekly and held back (well, there wasn’t room for it!) much of our interview for Tiny Town Times, his website. It’s up now, in time for the reading. Read it HERE.
Warren Greenwood wrote a marvelous review in the Ithaca Times, also published in time for the reading. Read it HERE.
I’m grateful to both Warren and Franklin for articulating so clearly both what I’m trying to do and their reaction to it. It’s not an easy book, but even my father had a similar response of eventually liking my unholy trinity of characters, Bob, Elma and Irmela.
I love reading in public. There was a time when I would read regularly in Ithaca. I think it became an act of ego. It felt good to get the work out there, but it became about the performance. I want to deliver a good performance of course. And I always where a costume, which for me is a suit. The guy who writes my novels wears a suit, because that’s what you do if you want respect. Me, I don’t give a shit. Funerals, weddings, and readings are for suits. The only time I’ve worn a tie professionally was when I was a waiter at Around the Clock Cafe, 1985-1987.
Well, the suit thing is for another post. I can say with age I no longer feel like I’m being strangled and pressed when I wear one. I’ve gotten over the trauma. Except for the wide lapels. I don’t care what happens with fashion, I’ll never wear wide ties and wide lapels.