Chat With Bestselling Author Carleen Brice in Second Life July 26

UPDATE: Time has been changed to 12:30 p.m. SLT!!

Story Mountain Center for Writers on Athena Isle will provide the venue for an appearance by bestselling author Carleen Brice, whose second novel, Children of the Waters, has just been released as A One World Trade Paperback Original by Ballantine.

Ms. Brice will discuss her work at the Story Mountain Lodge at 3:30 p.m. SLT (Pacific time zone) Sunday, July 26, 2009. Sponsoring her appearance is Connie Briscoe, author of five novels and SL resident Zillow Dejavu, who will interview Ms. Brice and facilitate an audience question-and-answer session.

All Second Life residents are warmly invited to attend this free event. Teleport directly to Story Mountain by clicking this SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Athena%20Isle/203/105/23/?title=Story%20Mountain%20Center%20for%20Writers.)

Carleen Brice’s first novel, Orange Mint and Honey, made many bestseller lists, was chosen as a Target “Bookmarked Break Out Book,” and has now been optioned by Lifetime TV for the Lifetime Movie Network, with Damon Lee ("This Christmas" and "Undercover Brother") producing.

For more details about Carleen Brice and Connie Briscoe and their writing, view this Story Mountain blog post.

Story Mountain Owner Goes Off the Shelf & On the Air

The exciting new radio talk show about the literary scene in Second Life, Off The Shelf, will air its second program this Sunday, March 29, featuring perhaps the most well-known SL literary figure/writer/poet, Persephone Phoenix, and one of the newer SL writing-scene bloggers, yours truly, as my SL avatar Alas Zerbino.

Off The Shelf is the first literary talk show in Second Life and is hosted by two folks from one of my favorite SL writing hangouts, Bookstacks.  Kghia Gherardi and Simeon Beresford interview their guests live for this half-hour show at 1 p.m. SLT (PDT) Sundays on the Internet radio station, Radio Riel.  Bookstacks and the Second Life Literary Foundation are its sponsors.

Persephone Phoenix is a highly regarded poet and also the founder and operator of the Blue Angel Poets' Dive in Second Life, which sponsors, among other literary events, the longest-running open mic in Second Life every Sunday.

Alas Zerbino (er, I) will be interviewed about the Second Life writing community and her work to bring together information about writer-related events, places, and programs from across the grid to a single location for easy reference on the Web and at Story Mountain Center for Writers, the home of Athena Isle Writers, which she co-owns with Clarissa Tolsen.

Future shows "will focus on interviews with authors, poets, publishers, editors, librarians, literary venue hosts, and other bookish people, both within Second Life and outside," according to the Off The Shelf press release.

Details, links, and SLURLs for Sunday's show:

• When:  1:00 p.m. Second Life time (Pacific Daylight Time), Sunday, March 29, 2009.
• To attend the live show:  In SL, the live taping is at Awen, the home of Bookstacks (SLURL for teleporting).  While the program starts at 1 p.m., if you want to attend, you might go there earlier (the first show was well-attended).
• To listen to the show live: Radio Riel on the Internet (If the show isn't aired on its Main Stream, check the Secondary Stream (Events) -- both links are in the left sidebar of the Radio Riel Web site.)
• To listen to the show any time after the taping:  Download it at the Off The Shelf page on Bookstacks' Web site.
• To listen to the previous show: Off the Shelf blog
• More information about Bookstacks and/or Off The Shelf:  Bookstacks online.

Informational Open House for New Book Club: Oct. 2 in SL

In a previous post, we announced an exciting new book club in Second Life that involves the authors' participation, as well as the writers.

Story Mountain Center for Writers on Athena Isle will be holding an informational open house on Thursday, Oct. 2, from 3 to 5 p.m. SLT to answer questions and get acquainted with anyone interested.

Join us at Story Mountain (SLURL) on Thursday -- stop by any time between 3 and 5 -- for refreshments, conversation, and information about the monthly book club.

All SL residents who enjoy reading fiction are encouraged to check it out. There is no cost, and you can participate in as many or as few discussions as you wish. The first book club meeting is on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 3:30 p.m. SLT, with Michelle Gagnon, author of October's book selection, BONEYARD.

New on Athena Isle for Writers & Readers: A Book Club that Includes the Author

Read a great book, and then discuss it with the book's author!

A new Second Life book club is launching at Story Mountain Center on Athena Isle with the first selection a literary thriller and page-turner, BONEYARD by Michelle Gagnon. Read the book this month (October) and join other readers and the author on October 23 to discuss it!

Michelle Gagnon made her first appearance in Second Life at a meeting of the Athena Isle Writers Club in August. She was fabulous! A warm and funny guest. (A transcript of that meeting is available on this blog at Bestselling Author Michelle Gagnon Shares Journey from Dancer to Crime Fiction Novelist.)

How does the Story Mountain Book Club work?

• Every month, we'll pick a book whose author is willing to come into Second Life for the discussion.
  
• To join the discussion, all you need to do is read the book before the meeting.
• At the appointed time, we'll all gather with the author for an informal round-table discussion. (You'll be able to ask the author anything you want about the book you just read!)
• Immediately after the discussion, we'll proceed to the Story Mountain Stage, where the author will give a live reading.
  

What are the details for October's reading?

• The book selection: BONEYARD by Michelle Gagnon. Released in just July of this year, Boneyard has been on both of the IMBA Bestsellers' lists since then.

About the novel: "On the trail of a serial killer, the path splits in two… FBI special agent Kelly Jones has worked on many disturbing cases in her career, but nothing like this. A mass grave site unearthed on the Appalachian Trail puts Kelly at the head of an investigation that crosses the line—from Massachusetts to Vermont, from wealthy vacationers to poor transients, from a serial killer to a copycat nemesis."

"Boneyard is a winner! A compelling page-turner that pays due attention to the human heart. It'll keep you up all night," says New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver.

• Book club discussion with Michelle: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. SLT on Thursday, Oct. 23, at Story Mountain Center for Writers in Second Life. (Here's the SLURL). Come with questions, comments, or just an interest in hearing more about this book.
  

• Live reading by Michelle: 4:30 p.m. SLT on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Story Mountain Stage.

• For more information, send an IM to Alas Zerbino in Second Life, or email me at joankr@writersinthevirtualsky.com.
  

Who can participate?

Anyone in Second Life!

• Although it would be preferable to read the book before attending the discussion, at this point, there's no requirement to do so (though there will be spoilers!).
• The live author readings, however, are designed as much for those who haven't yet read the book, as for those who have read it. Everyone is invited to the live author reading!

For information on how to sign up for a free Second Life account, check out the Second Life website.

What does it cost?

There's no cost (other than buying your own copy of the book if you can't borrow it from the library or a friend), no commitment requirements, no discussion requirements. Come to as many or as few of the monthly discussions as you wish, discuss the book with the author -- or just sit back and listen.

Why are we doing this?

For several reasons:

• To offer book lovers in Second Life a regular time to gather with other book lovers
• By taking advantage of the virtual world's ability to eliminate travel, to bring readers and authors together who might otherwise never meet
  
• To give authors a way to easily and inexpensively expand contact with their audiences around the world

How do you find out about future book selections and events?

The best way to stay up to date with book titles, authors, and dates and times of the monthly meetings is to join either of these two Second Life groups: Story Mountain Writers Group or Athena Isle Writers Group.

Alternatively, send your email address to: joankr@writersinthevirtualsky.com, and I'll also send you email reminders. (Please use BOOK CLUB for the subject.)

How to get a copy of the book:

In addition to all your usual avenues for obtaining a book, you can also come to Story Mountain Center's Bookstore in Second Life, where you can "touch" the book for a direct link to the product page at amazon.com.