Sonoma County Book Festival

I had a great day last weekend exhibiting at the Sonoma County Book Festival. First of all, it was warm, which being from San Francisco is a very acceptable change. Next, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people there were and how open they were to hearing about the exhibitors' wares.

About 40 people stopped by my booth. By the end of the day, I think I had explained my book so many times I could have done it in my sleep.

The few moments where there wasn't a visitor, I spent my time talking with my boothmate, Ezra Barany, who is the most light-hearted and friendly person I've met recently. At the end of the day, we exchanged books. So I picked up a copy of The Torah Codes ("a Jewish DaVinci Code") which I look forward to reading. I also met a woman named Margaret Murray, who has written an existential story called Sundagger.net. I haven't started it yet, but I'm looking forward to reading more!

Of course, no great book festival would be complete without a visit at the end to a local brewery. So my wife Kim and I slid over Russian River Brewing Company, where a beer and pizza bites put a cap on a great day!

Kalamazoo!




Christopher

Exhibiting at the Sonoma County Book Festival!

It's been a while since I posted as I've been pretty busy traveling abroad for work and just plain working (not to mention dodging hurricanes in the Outer Banks for a friend's wedding last week and training for my third triathlon.)

So, I'm excited to finally have something new and book-related to post. I'll be attending and exhibiting at the Sonoma County Book Festival on September 24, 2011 in Santa Rosa, CA.

If you're in the area, I'll have a booth at the event and will be offering signed hardcovers of The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun. Come by and say hi. It's my brother's birthday that day too, which is a funny coincidence, and I'll be offering a 30% discount to mark the day.

In other book news, The Midwest Book Review gave my first book a nice review, saying it is "a fun entry into a brand new youth science fiction series, highly recommended!" although I wish they would have recognized it is more of an adventure novel set in space than true sci-fi. But that's a small point to quibble over. Thanks for the kind words MBR!

I also offered a free giveaway of my final paperback advance review copies on Goodreads.com. Although I only listed 150 books, I got over 1,100 requests! That was pretty exciting. I hope those who won them enjoy them as they are a rarefied version of my book now. I originally printed over 1,000 of them, gave about 700 away to kids, schools, and industry press and now only have about 50 left after the latest giveaway. If you were one of the winners, keep sending me your emails as feedback is key to me evolving the Onyx Sun series!

Lastly, since we're on the topic of the series, I have gotten a number of inquiries over the last few months about Book 2: The Wicked Adversaries of the Onyx Sun. Yes, I am working on it. I've got about 70 pages written so far and continue to chip away at it a few pages at a time. I did take a brief break to write a different novel - another book for younger readers but geared more firmly toward the YA crowd. Now that is done and out to agents for consideration, I am back to working on the Onyx Sun Book 2, while I promote Book 1.

Thanks again to all you who have supported me, sent letters from your children or students, or bought a book. I am much encouraged by all your positive support, words, and feedback.

Kalamazoo!




Christopher

Midwest Book Review Covers the Onyx Sun!

I just found out about another nice review from a well-known industry publication, The Midwest Book Review. MBR covers mainly independent books like mine. So even though The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun is right on target for the kinds of books they look for, I wondered for a while after I submitted my novel if they'd cover it.

Thankfully, a few months later I did a random Google search and found out they had! Here's what they had to say:

The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun
Christopher Mahoney
Privately Published
9780979520259, $19.95, www.onyxsun.com

Being one of the youngest astronauts ever sounds cool, until the inevitable evil buts its head into the picture. "The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun" follows Zack Goodspeed as he embraces his wildest dreams becoming part of a new generation of space explorers. But there may be trouble in his voyage to the moon, and it's up to Zack to act fast before his first mission turns into a disaster. "The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun" is a fun entry into a brand new youth science fiction series, highly recommended.

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/jun_11.htm#Fantasy/SciFi

Kalamazoo!




Christopher

Happy Birthday Aiden!

Happy Birthday Aiden!

The big eight today! You're becoming quite a little man.

Kalamazoo!