The book cover above really has nothing to do with anything, except I’m a fan of both Andre Norton AND George Barr. Some people complain that Barr’s illustrations never looked like real people. To me that was a big part of his appeal as an illustrator. There was always an otherworldly quality to his art that set the mood for the books he illustrated. In short, it worked.

I recently made a trip to Keaton & lloyd Bookshop, an indie bookstore located in Rome, NY, for an open mike reading. Mike Cicconi was the emcee, and a member of our flash fiction group. He has a great booming voice that seldom needs a mic and kept things running smoothly despite the fact that about forty people were reading altogether. Time management counts.

Once the readings were done I was neck deep in the bookstore. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a really good one, and came away with a fair haul, mostly of books I’ve wanted to read but haven’t managed yet, to my shame: Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip, Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle, and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I’m looking forward to a good time.

If you’re ever in Rome, NY, be sure to stop in and meet the shop cat.