Tag Archives: books

HORSE SHOW is an Editor’s Choice @ The Historical Novel Society!

Bonnie DeMoss over at the Historical Novel Society wrote a lovely review of HORSE SHOW, naming it an Editor’s Choice title!

DeMoss writes: “I was so impressed by “Two on a Horse,” set on the Steeplechase ride at Coney Island in the early 20th century. Although the horses were made of wood, they were part of a harrowing ride, and Bowers describes the personal stories of the riders in vivid detail. From the first lady to attempt to ride the Steeplechase astride to a sexual assault occurring during the ride itself, the story has a strong impact, and the reader can see and feel the violence of the ride as well as the trauma of the riders. Equally fine is “Of Course, Of Course,” which on the surface is about a young newlywed couple who discover a horse abandoned on their new property. However, underneath lurks a saga of a wife awakening to her own abandonment, abuse, and neglect in 1960s California. These perfectly crafted tales create a tragic picture that will have an emotional impact on the reader. Highly recommended.”

Click here to read the rest of the review over at the Historical Novel Society!

Then, click here to order your very own copy of HORSE SHOW!

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New Interviews at JMWW & Horse Nation!

The Horse Show publicity wagon keeps on clip-clopping along, with new interviews at JMWW and Horse Nation this month, and spurs that jingle-jangle-jingle…

First up, fellow fictioneer, SFWP pressmate, and translator K.E. Semmel and I weighed in on the recent Literary Discourse (tm.) about book promotion in the 21st century at JMWW. It turns out that many writers signed at Big 5 and indie presses alike are feeling considerable pressure to hire outside publicists to get the word out about their titles, sometimes even when their publisher already has a dedicated marketing team!

K.E. Semmel and I both have professional backgrounds in public relations and debuted small press books this year. (FYI, his trippy novel THE BOOK OF LOSMAN is out 10/1/24, and available for preorder now!) So, we felt uniquely positioned to say some useful things about what it’s like to sell a book sans marketing budget in 2024. Read our conversation, “On Book Promotion (When You Don’t Have The Money To Hire a Publicist)” right here!

Meanwhile, over at Horse Nation, I had an absolute blast chatting with fellow fiction writer-who-rides Siân Griffiths about HORSE SHOW for their “Barn Aisle Chats” series, because it meant getting to really geek out about the transition from horses to automobiles, writing what you know (when what you know is horses), and our own beloved animals. You can read our conversation here, then go buy Siân’s debut novel, Borrowed Horses!

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Taylor Swift as HORSE SHOW!

On Instagram, “community & cover design stan account” @taylor_swift_as_books is famous for matching book covers from small press titles to pop icon Taylor Swift’s fashion choices–a creative way to get new books in front of potential readers!

@taylor_swift_as_books

This week, Horse Show got the TSAB treatment thanks to the new 1989 mix-and-match separates she and designer Joseph Cassell Falconer added to the costume closet for the European leg of her Eras Tour. I especially dig how the texture of the ensemble’s fabric matches the texture of the title font!

I wonder if TS knows she cosplays as fiction, poetry, and nonfiction book covers from independent and small presses worldwide, effortlessly, day after day, show after show. It’s an art!

I do already know she’s a certified horse girl, as this humor piece I wrote for Horse Nation back in May, “Five Times Taylor Swift Embraced Her Inner Horse Girl” will attest!

Now, if only someone would start @kesha_as_books…!

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HORSE SHOW: Mule Tested, Mule Approved!

I was in Columbia, MO at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center’s Art On The Saddle fundraiser at Ozark Mountain Biscuit & Bar this past weekend!

Audie! (Photo by Katy Raymon.)

I had a blast reading “Of Course, Of Course” to the terrific crowd, selling signed copies of HORSE SHOW to benefit CCTRC’s riders and horses, and watching the bids rise on saddles whimsically decorated by a number of local artists! All twelve custom saddles were claimed by eager art collectors, raising more than 4K for CCTRC!

Best of all, we loaded up Audie, one of CCTRC’s therapy mules, and brought her along to the event for photo ops and general mule merriment! Ozark Mountain Biscuit Company is located in Columbia’s Stockyards District, right next to the Wright Brothers Mule Barn. So it was cool to bring a molly mule back to the Stockyards!

Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center is taking donations online at their website, so if you missed the festivities, you can still help out a great cause!

I was also thrilled to do an interview/reading with my friend Laura Wacker on local radio station KOPN’s “Evening Edition” on 6/11. For the next two weeks, you can stream the show online at KOPN.org.

Last but not least, I wrote a lil’ book list for shepherd.com, a new online initiative that asks “9,000+ authors to share five of their favorite books around a topic, theme, or mood and why they love each book.” My Shepherd list, “the best books for animal lovers who are also history geeks,” features five of my all-time favorites, both fiction and nonfiction–check it out!

And if you haven’t gotten your copy of HORSE SHOW yet, now’s a terrific time to join the herd!

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HORSE SHOW @ Art On The Saddle, 6/8/24!

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be returning to Columbia, MO this June for another reading, this time with a real live horse in attendance!

This one’s at a much earlier hour, and for a most excellent cause: I’m joining the program for Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center‘s first-ever Art On The Saddle Fundraiser at Ozark Mountain Biscuit Company‘s outdoor “Bullpen” on 6/8/24!

The party starts at 4 PM. And when we say party, we mean it! There will be food, craft beer from Logboat Brewing Company, live music by Mr. Fun, a real live therapy horse on-site for cuddles and photos (who will it be?!), and an auction of nine saddles repurposed into one-of-a-kind works of art by local Columbia artists! Check out my favorite below–Lisa Bartlett used found objects to transform an English saddle into a whimsical moth that’ll look incredible on someone’s wall!

Lisa Bartlett’s “Moth,” one of nine objets d’art on offer!

I’m not sure when exactly I’ll be reading, but it’ll be something “family friendly” from HORSE SHOW. I’ll also have copies on hand for sale and signing, with all proceeds going to CCTRC!

Cedar Creek was founded in 1988 and provides comprehensive equine-assisted therapy to more than 150 individuals per year. All classes include instructors that are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH). Cedar Creek is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and does not receive any United Way, state or federal funding, but instead relies on the generosity of the community to help children, adults, and veterans with special needs experience the benefits of horsemanship.

Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center is my favorite place on the entire planet, my new cat’s name is literally “Ozark Mountain Biscuit Company” (Oz for short), and it’s cicada summer in Missouri, so if you’re local, I can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t come have a beer in the sun for my very favorite cause: connecting humans who need horses with horses who need humans!

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HORSE SHOW @ Left Bank Books, 5/2/24

It’s been a little over two weeks since HORSE SHOW hit bookstore shelves nationwide!

I’m beyond excited for the next stop on my book tour, which will be at St. Louis’s own Left Bank Books at 7 PM CST on 5/2/24 alongside Travis Mossotti!

Travis is celebrating the recent release of his latest poetry collection, Apocryphal Genesis! And after reading his bio, you’ll see right away why it makes perfect ecological sense that we read together:

“Travis Mossotti has worked and volunteered over the last decade+ alongside his wife (a carnivore biologist) with U.S. government, university, and nonprofit organizations on data collection, animal captures/ releases and lab work for various endangered species recovery efforts all across North America. TRAVIS MOSSOTTI’s previous collections are ABOUT THE DEADFIELD STUDY, and NARCISSUS AMERICANA. His fourth collection, RACECAR JESUS, won the Christopher Smart-Joan Alice Poetry Prize and is forthcoming in 2023 with the Black Spring Press Group/Eyewear in the UK. Mossotti’s fifth collection, APOCRYPHAL GENESIS, won the Alma Book Award and is forthcoming with Saturnalia Books in 2024. He currently serves as a Biodiversity Fellow for the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University. He lives and works in St. Louis.”

We will have copies of both HORSE SHOW and APOCRYPHAL GENIUS for sale and signing at the bookstore on the day (natch!) but you can also order signed copies shipped anywhere in the world direct from Left Bank Books!

Left Bank will also be livestreaming the reading via their YouTube channel for any curious out-of-towners.

Onward!

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New Interview @ Speaking of Marvels and Review @ Automachination!

With just three days until my debut HORSE SHOW officially bursts out of the starting gate, I’m happy to share this interview I did for Speaking of Marvels. This delightful blog features “interviews with authors of chapbooks, novellas, and books of assorted lengths” run by poet, fiction writer, and generally excellent human being William Woolfitt.

The concept behind Speaking of Marvels is novel (at least to me!) with each interviewee leaving behind a question for the writers to come, like a guestbook signature. This makes for surprising and varied conversations that go places other interviews might not. Check out my contribution to the Speaking of Marvels palimpsest right here.

Behold! Su Zi’s gorgeous block printed logo for The Red Mare chapbook series.

In other news, Zoeglossia fellow and founder/creator of the Red Mare chapbook series Su Zi kindly read HORSE SHOW and wrote a review for Automachination!

We cannot stand next to a horse and be blithe to their extermination; however, so many of us have not, and might not ever stand next to a horse, we might not ever feel their subtle vibration next to our own physical selves, we might not get a sense of some ancient memory. Thus, in our obliviousness to the extinction of horses, to their barbaric treatment, we are missing both their ancestral place in our collaborative relationship, and the symbolic nature of our brutality now. If we can be so cruel towards horses, then there’s no surprise at our cruelty towards each other.

I’m grateful to receive such a thoughtful and insightful review from a fellow writer/equestrian! After you’re done reading, make sure to check out Will and Su’s incredible eco-conscious work!

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HORSE SHOW in MO!

With just nine (eight? what even is time?) days left until the worldwide release of HORSE SHOW, I thought it’d be a good idea to announce the three readings I’ve got lined up so far for Missouri! I will have copies for sale and signing at each of these events, itinerant bookmonger that I now am. These events are all free and open to the public, so bring friends!

Morton May Gallery, Maryville University, St. Louis, MO: 4/9/24, 3:30 PM

This one’s mainly for the campus community, hence the odd hour. Renowned poet, friend, and Maryville creative writing co-conspirator Dana Levin will join me for a Q&A after my reading, and there will be a HORSE SHOW-themed cake!

Unbound Book Festival Lit Crawl, Günter Hans Pub & Cafe, Columbia, MO: 4/18/24, 10 PM

I’m excited to head to CoMO for the 2024 Unbound Book Festival, where I’ll be reading at Günter Hans European Pub & Cafe as part of the festival’s annual “lit crawl,” along with poets James D’Agostino and Cass Donish, nonfiction writer Heather Bartell, and (if we twist his arm!) poet Marc McKee, founder of THE NEXT WEATHER reading series at Yellow Dog Bookshop.

Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO: 5/2/24, 7 PM

I’m teaming up with poet Travis Mossotti for this local event at St. Louis’s legendary Left Bank Books. This St. Louis reading is in a nice bookstore, at a much more reasonable hour to have a reading.

More readings to be announced as I schedule them…!

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HORSE SHOW Launch Party @ Atomic Books! 4/14/24! Plus Pre-Order Signed Copies From Anywhere!

I’m ridiculously stoked and grateful that my friends at total Baltimore icon Atomic Books will host my East Coast launch party from 4 PM – 5 PM on 4/14/24!

My Baltimorean friends have an inkling about what this bookstore (and city!) means to me. When I was moonlighting as an arts/music/books critic for Baltimore City Paper (R.I.P.), booksellers and general badasses Rachel Whang and Benn Ray welcomed this cocky twentysomething writer kid who dreamed aloud about publishing a book cool enough to be sold at Atomic Books someday.

That day has come! And I’m so excited! Because it’s been forever, Baltimore!

I hope you’ll all come on down, bring your friends, and buy a hot-off-the-press copy of HORSE SHOW from the greatest bookstore on Earth. I’ll even sign it for you!

There’s good news for everyone who isn’t anywhere near Atomic Books, too. Since I’ll be at the store to sign books just a few days after release, you can now pre-order a signed copy of HORSE SHOW from Atomic Books, and they’ll ship it right to your door! Click this link to get yours!

More book tour-ish news to come soon! I have a few readings in the works for St. Louis and more to come elsewhere later this spring/summer. Am I coming to your town? Watch this space!

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AWP Recap & A New Interview

AWP ’24 was my favorite AWP ever, I must say.

It wasn’t my first AWP, but it was the first where I had a book to sell, a press to represent my work, and an off-site event to read it at, which made a huge difference in how being at the conference felt. I had things to do beyond wandering around aimlessly searching for my friends and something to eat! Though I did a fair amount of that, too, natch–it’s the AWP way.

Santa Fe Writers Project‘s booth, shared with the incredible Whiskey Tit Books, was hopping with signings by fellow SFWP writers Monica Prince, Steve Eoannou, Charles Jensen, Lilly Dancyger, Wendy J. Fox, Elizabeth Gonzalez James, Ted O’Connell, and Andrew Gifford.

HORSE SHOW on the SFWP table!

I sold all 50 advance copies of HORSE SHOW (!!!), signed a bunch, and met many fellow introverts who are excited about books, specifically my book, which was a joy and a shock, like being plunged into an ice bath after a long hot day. Thank you to everyone who came by to say hello!

The good people at Laurel Review and SEMO Press (which is being shut down, along with Big Muddy, in a shortsighted and stupid blow to arts and letters) hosted an off-site reading at Cinder Block Brewery in North KC. I read part of “Based On A True Story,” which is probably the finest short story you’ll read all year about the 1976 John Travolta vehicle The Boy In The Plastic Bubble.

The cherry hard cider was delicious, the crowd was great, and I had a blast hearing fellow Midwest fictioneers Luke Rolfes, Ron Austin, James Brubaker, Khem Aryal, and Robert Long Foreman rock the mic, even if Travis Kelce and T-Swift skipped our party for some “big game” I heard was happening in Las Vegas. Their loss!

HORSE SHOW’s out 4/9/24, so advance press is coming out. Here’s an interview with me by A.A. Balaskovits in Full Stop earlier this week–we talked about women and violence and animals, as well as how the order of the stories in HORSE SHOW came to be.

HORSE SHOW is still, of course of course, available for pre-order wherever books are sold–but if you have to choose, might I recommend bookshop.org or direct from my press at SFWP?

Book tour updates soon!

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