Author Mike will be appearing at the Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM to sign and share his anthology of tabloid sci fi, It Came From Beyond the Sun.

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Ah, the day of the big keynote for the Big Read is fast approaching and author Mike is hard at work finalizing all the details for an entertaining and thought-provoking speech called “I Blame Ray Bradbury” — a tongue-and-cheek look into uber-author Ray Bradbury’s iconic work - Fahrenheit 451. 

Jumpstreet coordinator Cindy Dlugolecki has been equally hard at work lending her shoulder to the proverbial grindstone, and making sure all the niggling details have been hammered out. BRAVO CINDY!!!

The program begins at 2:00 PM this Saturday, November 21st at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore on 3rd Street in Harrisburg. It’s right across from the Broad Street Market. Keep in mind that the store moved last September, so those of you counting on your GPS to guide the way may find yourselves a few blocks up the street. Fear not! Just come down 3rd or set your navicomputer to the Broad Street  Market.

My advice is to come early and drink in both the atmosphere and/or some hot coffee or tea. The Midtown also offers desserts and such that are pretty good.

I’ll look for you there!!!

The above number is NOT the anti-Christ in hexadecimal, nor is it this week’s winner lottery number. Just what it it?

It’s the number you should give to the person at the register of your local Barnes & Noble on Saturday, October 24th, 2009. By giving them that number, a portion of the proceeds goes to support Jumpstreet. This means ANYTHING purchased in ANY Barnes and Noble. Latte’s, brownies, fine novels like Bark of the Tree - ANYTHING.  

I’m definitely in support of Jumpstreet. They’ve participated in the NEA’s Big Read for a number of years and are a huge advocate of the literary and other fine arts right here in our community!

So fellow readers & writers, save your B & N purchases for Saturday, October 24th, 2009. Then go on out and say “I’m supporting Jumpstreet today - 10004422.”

Author Mike made a brief appearance (time-wise, not undergarments-wise) at the Jumpstreet Spectrum Awards Breakfast to invite everyone to the Big Read Keynote on November 21st, 2009 at 2:00 PM at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore on 3rd Street in Harrisburg, PA.

The Spectrum Awards are Jumpstreet’s way of recognizing community and business leaders for their amazing and generous support of Jumpstreet’s mission to bring arts to schools and communities.

One of these missions connects to the National Endowment of the Arts Big Read of Fahrenheit 451 this year - that’s where Author Mike will try to blame Ray Bradbury’s classic for a host of modern ills from iPods to the end of life as we know it.

Special thanks to Cindy Dlugolecki who served up a fine intro and who works so tirelessly to put fine writing into the hands of so many, many people.

There’s a moment at the begining of the publishing process I call, ‘Letting go.’ This is that terror-filled second where your mouse-clicking finger hovers over that left mouse button, as the onscreen arrow jabs the word “Send.”

This is the point where you commit your manuscript - your passion - your characters - your strengths - your weaknesses - your BABY - to someone else. It’s hard to let go.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited as all-get-out to begin the editing process that will bring The Gospel of Matthias Kent to the bookshelf, but now it’s all for keeps, so to speak. I can’t go back and constantly meddle with my character’s lives, or twirl sentences around my mouth to make sure each and every one comes out sounding just right.

But letting go is the only way to let your characters breathe, to let them spell out their lives in a world of ink and paper, one word at a time in a reader’s mind.

And that, fellow writers, is what it’s all about.

*Click*

The news is chocked full of eReader news these days. Amazon’s dropped the Kindle’s price a whopping $100 from when it was first introduced. Sony’s been ahead of the game with significant price drops on hardware AND on eBook prices. Add to this fracas, brick & mortar giant Barnes & Noble, who promises to announce an eReader all their own before Christmas.

But the real news isn’t about a digital blitzkrieg — it’s about a wholly-analog campaign being waged by none other than mega-tech company Google. Google has been leveraging Project Gutenberg, the digitization of pretty much every out-of-copyright book on the whole friggen planet, in a brand new old-fashioned way. They are going to offer to print any of the works in their catalogue on a portable book-making-printing-press in bookstores across the nation. You want a copy of the Gutenberg’s Bible? Swipe your debit card, then go read something out of the magazine rack for a few minutes. Voila, a book pops out of the machine, warm and fresh like muffins from the oven. Seriously, the books come out warm.

eReaders may be gaining ground and will no doubt replace paper the way pixels replaced silver halide in photography. But that’s a longer way off than the eReader manufacturers want consumers to think. Google’s investment in this printing process displays some savvy marketing skills. After all, the public still wants books and this press prints them on demand. No muss. No fuss. No waiting for an order to come in the mail. What a novel idea - pun intended.

Author Mike’s tabloid sci fi anthology is now up on Amazon.com in both Print and Kindle editions. Get your copy now!!!

Author Mike Silvestri signed a contract to publish his epic science fiction novel, The Gospel of Matthias Kent, with Draumr Publishing of Columbia, Maryland. The deal covers print and electronic rights to the book, which will be available in late summer/early fall next year. woo-hoo!!!!

Author Mike, joined by the irrepressible Roxy -The Insane Golden Retriever (aren’t they all…) had a great time at Woofstock 2009. Huge crowds of 2 and 4 footed creatures jammed Riverfront Park on a beautiful September day to celebrate all things canine including my Lazy Dog Mystery. Big thanks goes out to Pat Dravk of the Central Pennsylvania Animal Alliance for giving Author Mike a ‘celebrity’ spot near the tough guys of Rescue Ink and It’s Me or the Dog star Victoria Stillwell.

A great big HELLO to all you Barkreaders out there!!! Author Mike will be selling and signing copies of Bark of the Tree at the biggest and best downright fun event for dogs and their owners - WOOFSTOCK!!!

The fun begins in Riverfront Park with a parade of costumed pooches at 11:00 AM (near the Kunkle Plaza) in Harrisburg, PA, this Sunday, September 20th, 2009. From then on, the day is chocked full of dog-related events like agility training, obstacle courses, Frisbee catching, and oodles of booths from Susquehanna Service Dogs, to our good friends at GoldenHeart Golden Retriever Rescue. Dogs are permitted to bring their owners to a variety of musical events going on all afternoon, so long as they clean up after them. Scheduled to appear are Shea Quinn & the Luv Gods, Loose Cannon, and Nate Myers & the Aces.

This event benefits the Central Pennsylvania Animal Alliance, and it truly is an event that no dog lover should miss.

Author Mike and Roxanne, the Insane Golden Retriever, look forward to seeing you there!!!