Image: www.portlandbuylocal.org
One of the things I love about local bookstores, such as one of my haunts, Longfellow Books in Portland Maine, is that they highlight local work. So when an author who lives nearby comes out with a new book, I can usually find a decent interview in the local press, a signed copy of the book from any of the local stores, and even, on occasion, a reading at said bookstore. The biggest plus however, is discovering works that otherwise would have gone un-noticed by this generation Amazon-er.
Such is the case with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente, a Peaks Island resident who was interviewed in the Portland Press Herald last week.
A quick look around the wonderful world of the internet and I learn that this book is the first to win the Andre Norton award before traditional publication – meaning it was an online book when it won the award. As a fledgling writer in a blogger’s world, this gives me hope. It also gives me something to add to my wish list. Having earned praise from Neil Gaiman, Tamora Pierce and Holly Black this is certainly one to look out for.
Read the rest of Sarah Pinault’s post on going local over at GeekMom.
