Thursday, June 13, 2013

THE JUNE 8th SPIRIT GUIDE BAR REaDING AT THE BOOK FROG



These  photographs were taken by the talented writer/photographer Bryan Frank.
Find out more about Bryan's photography and writing here: http://coolshots.blogspot.com/2013/06/to-biker.html?spref=fb
Bryan and I have been good friends since 1981. That's...a long time.

My wife, four of my five daughters, four grandbabies, and a whole lot of old friends, classmates, neighbors and colleagues filled up that little book store.


Like any other red blooded American author, my pre reading routine includes a hard slap across the face. Really gets the blood flowing. Man it's the only way to go. The young man behind the hand is Adam Rodriguez.


This was my third Book Frog reading. Bookstore owner Pete Ledesma always takes care of me. Pete's a writer, stand-up comic, radio DJ, musician, and former teacher. Man, he does everything but sell popcorn.


It was a good crowd, upwards of 60 people and they even laughed at the funny parts.



 

 

 
 

 

 




I read three selections from Spirit Guide. I even had something for the kids, a detailed description of an exceptionally painful vasectomy procedure at the hands of a man hating lady doctor.

Here's my Camia Frank, an up and coming LA writer.





That's Kerry Anderson of the Groundlings improve troupe. Her son William the Kid is in the middle. And that's film maker Eric Tozzi. Eric worked with Ray Bradbury to produce a film version of the Bradbury short story "Kaleidoscope." It's a great little film.
In the background is Margie Galindo Lopez. We went to school together from first grade through high school. We hadn't seen each other since 1978. Margie informed me that when her young children asked what BS really meant she told them it meant Bill Snyder.  She said that even her husband has been known to say, "Awe, that's a bunch of Bill Snyder."


Here are a few members of Hawthorne, California's Frink family. Debbie, on the left, has been singing in the Saint Joseph church choir since the 60s. Debbie and the Frink ladies gave me a lot of scoop on the history of Hawthorne and Saint Joseph's Church that would have come in handy when I was writing The Spirit Guide Bar.


Here's the man who convinced me to publish my writing. He is the face behind CACTUS SURF BOOKS. He's Clif the Lawyer. I call him Clif the Lawyer because he's a dentist.


Here's yours truly with three Saint Joe's Catholic School vets.


We sold a whole mess of books.
It was a good day.