Guests at the "Between Sisters" book launch

Janet at the launch....

It was nice to see old friends at the book launch, many of whom had encouraged me in my pursuit of the longer form in one way or another. Anne had lent me her house so I could write without interruption, Neena always asked how the work was going every time I went to eat at her restaurant, Bollywood Bistro. Martha had critiqued some of my writing as had Stephen Henighan, who is also a novelist. There were old friends and family, as well as new friends and acquaintances. There were the priceless ones who always generously support everything I do and there were also people I didn't yet know. My M.P., Mr. Frank Valeriote, showed up with his daughter, which was a grand gesture, because he had received very late notice from a friend of mine. I had met Frank Valeriote M.P. here and there at events in Guelph and it was nice of him to come.

Celebrating Between Sisters 2

21 Planes by John Wood www. johnwoodphotography.biz

My emcee, Mary Baxter was warm, welcoming and charming . She kept the program running flawlessly with the right mix of formal and personal anecdotes. The drum songs were lovely, lending a rich foundation to the entire event, reminding everyone of West Africa, where my story is set. My son's band 21 Planes, gave the event the youthfulness that I wanted as the book reads in the voice of a teen, albeit a girl. Also my interest in the young adult genre had been stirred up by the books that I had read with my "son-parent" book club to which most of the band members had belonged, in their early teens. The music was good, with flavours contrasting yet meaningful and complementary all at once.

Celebrating the book in Guelph Ontario.

www. johnwoodphotography.biz

The book launch for Between Sisters went well. I booked our church auditorium to announce my book to Guelph and then I planned the program. I wanted it to be festive. I wanted to give my guests a good time and I wanted to celebrate it with significant people who had made contributions toward my literary process and progress, so I sent out my e-flyer to people on my list and hoped for the best. I went shopping for refreshment, and packed my table cloths, cups and serviettes ready for the day. I postponed writing for most of the week just to keep that vague feeling of stress away. It worked. For me, it's always best to focus on one thing at a time.
The day came. The set up was simple enough and a few friends showed up to help. There was a book sales table in the foyer, an author signing table in the next room where the refreshment was to be served and the auditorium for the book launch. My son's rock-ish band, 21 Planes arrived to set up and test their euipment. My husbands drumming group arrived with drums ready to play. At three o'clock my friends arrived.

TO BE CONTINUED....like a Nollywood movie:-)

You can still find my books at The Bookshelf, Guelph, Chapters, Guelph, WordsWorth, Waterloo, A Different Booklist, Bathurst, Toronto, The Smithsonian--- African Exhibit in D.C. and bookshops in North America may have it or order in at your request. There is also Amazon.com. "Between Sisters" is a good read for all, and a significant story.

Book Launch: Sign Surprise

I am still processing my book launch on December 4th....BETWEEN SISTERS. It was such a heady experience for me. The event was held at 3Watson Rd South at the auditorium of the River of Life Church. Here is a photo of me beside the sign that heralds the event, as one enters Guelph by the east. This was Pastor Bob Radford's surprise for me.