The Glass Harmonica rocks

Dorothee sent fantastic news: The Glass Harmonica is a finalist in the Utah Book Awards. Although I've always believed in the novel, it's great to have it so publicly affirmed, and this will be a terrific boost for Dorothee as she works on her next writing project. The awards ceremony will be in Salt Lake City in October. We'll keep you posted. Congratulations, Dorothee!

Meanwhile, this morning Ratty shinned up the Delicate Arch in the Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, with the banner that Lily's Thursday evening Sewing and Sipping Circle whipped together last night, on hearing the news.

Which brings me to a delicate point. I'm thinking of subletting Ratty's services to help keep the fabric of Rosa Mira Books together. Do you know of an author (or are you one, yourself) who would delight in having their book — ebook or hard copy — represented by the rat in this place or that? He's able to travel and position himself (and the book) pretty much anywhere, as you'll know if you follow this blog. He's willing to handle the author's writing tools, sit in their favourite chair surrounded by their bric-a-brac, or even, for an extra dollar or two, don the author's clothes . . . your imagination and his will show the way. He'll make the resulting images available in either digital or hard copy on firm watercolour card. He can be contacted here or on Rosa Mira's Facebook page where you can leave a message for him in any recent comment stream.

Brenda Sue Cowley on coming to heel

Penelope: How strange. The image I'd formed of Brenda Sue since she sent her story to be considered for Slightly Peculiar Love Stories couldn't be more different from the one she sent yesterday of the athletic young person you see here. Nonetheless (or perhaps therefore) our exchanges have been lively, and I'm taken with the heart in her work.

Brenda Sue: I walk on tippy toes.  I've done it since childhood, as have many of my family members, leading me to believe it is a hereditary trait. 

Walking on tip-toes (usually reserved for puttering around the kitchen, slipping to the bathroom at night, climbing stairs ... and walking towards the computer) is a bad habit. 

It also has adverse physical effects such as (but not limited to) the deterioration of the arch in the foot and the shortening of the Achilles' heel — making it even more of a weakness. 

I met Penelope while walking on tippy toe. A very close friend had died an untimely and earth-shattering death, two years ago this summer.  Someone stepped into my life, and plugged me into a writing group here in Salt Lake City, Utah.  And that is where I met a woman named Dorothee Kocks. I tip-toed towards Dorothee (The Glass Harmonica), a new friend at the time, who quickly became a life-long friend.  Dorothee felt I might have something for Penelope, and that Penelope might have something for me.

On tip-toe, I reached across the world to Penelope and our finger tips touched. Now, while I head towards this publication, I am standing in a correct, upright position – feet spread on the floor, shoulder width apart, and toes gently splayed. 

Reading these blog postings have inspired me not only to correct my poor physical habits, but to correct some writing habits as well. 

Like not walking on tippy toe towards the computer when I think I might be onto something.

A week's worth

We have a cover for Slightly Peculiar Love Stories. I'm torn between plastering it everywhere and uncovering it little by little. Wait and see what I decide. It's striking and I like the fact that it doesn't have to follow the rules of regular book-making. Doesn't need a spine or a back page. Doesn't even have to be rectangular, except that it'll fit more neatly on a screen if it is (and it is).

Proof copies of The Glass Harmonica, the print-on-demand version, arrived in Salt Lake City and Dunedin this week, and we were pretty chuffed to hold it in our hands, stroke that winsome front cover, and see Dorothee's fine prose on cream paper of good quality. A couple of tweaks at the Lightning Source end, and a couple of technical details to attend to at this, and we'll be away. I'll keep you posted here.

While we're talking short stories, please consider pre-ordering a copy of Tales for Canterbury (collected and edited by Canterbury writers Cassie Hart and Anna Caro) for which all profits will go to the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal. I see that at least four of the writers have work appearing in our collection, too. What a feast of stories.

You're going to meet our slightly peculiar writers, one by one, here on this page, starting on Monday or even sooner. Some will blog, and others I'll introduce before pointing you to a fine example of their work. I hope they'll venture to speak about love, about writing, about their own peculiar interests – oh, anything at all; we just want them here, hanging about on Rosa Mira Books and talking to you.