West Hollywood Book Fair...stimulating, practical, and inspiring! Writers turn out in droves...

Well, you know what they say, early bird gets the worm!

Bright and early Sunday morning, I dragged myself out of bed and headed off for a quick snack before sauntering over to the Book Fair at West Hollywood park.

Ah, before the sun started to blaze down mid-day and swarms of book enthusiasts filtered in after noon, I managed to get a quick take on the event and got myself oriented right off-the-bat.

There were a lot of scintillating sights and sounds to drink in, as they say.

Quite a few children were enthralled with a captivating live-theatre presentation underway at the "Target Stage" as I headed off to explore willy-nilly.

There were a handful of attractive canopies sprinkled about the fairgrounds - and beneath 'em - clusters of keen writers expounding on their musings and fielding probing questions from rapt audiences.

As I sauntered by one spirited discussion, I overheard one intriguing snippet.

"How much effort do you take in developing surprises in your novels?"

At another tent, one novice sought advice on the heels of a creative crisis.

"My writing group just folded, what should I do?"

Quite a few up-and-coming novelists kicked up a book fuss on the sidelines - from whence they pitched their offerings - with great enthusiasm.

At one perch, I happened across a band of mystery writers anxious to reach out to curious dawdlers who strolled by sporadically, like moi!

"Are you a mystery fan?" one author quizzed.

"Yes. I love the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew," I kidded.

Michael Mallory proceeded to coral me for a moment and bend my ear a tad about a mystery series built around the character of Dr. Watson's second wife.

Allegedly - in the Sherlock Holmes classics - there was just a smidgen of background info on the mystery woman.

But, the character was tough to pin down.

There wasn't any first name to reference, for instance.

So, Mallory christened her Amelia.

"The character has sparked a lot of controversy with the fans of Sherlock Holmes," he gleefully noted.

The flap jacket features a still of the handsome woman - he refers to as a reluctant detective - in a period setting (which triggered some ideas of my own).

"Have you approached PBS about doing an adaptation of the material," I queried.

"Funny you should ask that," he laughed.

"WGBH in Boston has expressed an interest."

Darrell James - a pleasant-looking outgoing writer - stood next to Mallory's stall plugging his collection of "killer" short stories which have appeared in a handful of magazines over the past few years.

"Who wants to Kill Billy Tingle?" is an intriguing tale about a parlor-full of jilted women who plot the fate of a philandering lover.

Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

And - in another one of his pot-boilers - a humble priest decides murder can sometimes be a blessing in " A Miracle for Father Vega."

The collection - "Body Count" - nabbed James a prestigious book award for best new writer in the field, if I recall correctly.

But, don't quote me.

Find out for yourself!

Info: www.authordarrelljames.com

Quite a few authors of children's books were on hand, too.

"The Baffelgagging Blundernagging Brothers" is an illustrated fantasy series that combines the best elements of a picture book with that of a graphic novel.

"Part Dr. Seuss, JRR Tolkien, and Monty Python," authors Aaron Mason and Doug Warr joked from inside their holding area which brimmed full of eye-catching samples of the beautifully-illustrated children's books.

James Watson was the illustrious illustrator.











Just as I was about to stumble off for a snack, I happened across Skip. E. Lowe, foisting his autobiography on curious passers-by.

Mr. Lowe is a bit of folk hero in these parts with deep ties to the film and television industry.

Many of his celebrated friends have appeared on a cable talk show he hosts that has garnered a loyal fan base over the years.

Occasionally, I would spy him in the Silver Spoon cafe on Santa Monica Boulevard, chatting up legendary Shelley Winters before she passed to spirit last year.

As I meandered about the grounds, I stumbled upon a nostalgic little treasure.

Albeit, an updated one.

When I noticed a pair of 3-D glasses on a table top, I was inclined to make a flippant quip.


"Oh, those old 3-D glasses."

"No," the vendor responded, with a slight Chesire-cat smile on his face.

"They're the new 3-D glasses."

Bet your sweet bippy they are!

When I slipped a pair of the funky shades on my snoz - and took a gander at the 3-D greeting cards on display before me - I was taken aback at the delightful sight.

Images of the adorable cats and dogs literally sprung up off the face of the cards - and were not only amazingly 3-dimensional and life-like - but eerily holographic in many respects.

www.3dDigitalPhoto.com

There were some ecologically-minded activists in tow - and ever-ready to promote the "green philosophy" - too.

The "Tree People" - for instance - were handing out flyers with a bushel-full of information on their tree-planting projects.

Their worthwhile mission?

"To inspire the people of Los Angeles to take personal responsibility for the Urban forest - educating, training and supporting them as they plant and care for trees - and improve the neighbourhoods in which they live, learn, work and play."

"Tree people" invite like-minded citizens to volunteer, donate, and become a member.

Info: www.treepeople.org

In addition to the actual book promotions, there were a number of practical presentations sponsored by groups with close ties to the writing "industry" in the midst of its creative hub.

Writer's store, for instance, was handing out bookmarks with a great quote.

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." (Richard Bach)

The outlet has a great selection of books, software, supplies, courses - well, every little thing - a writer needs to go from the cutting-edge concept to the final edit.

"The Woman's National Book Association" turned out also.

WNBA serves the Los Angeles area by bringing together women and men who are active in the creation and appreciation of books.

In essence, the dedicated book-lovers provide much-needed informative data on the writing, production, and distribution (and use) of books.

Basically, the organization acts as a friendly forum for those who celebrate books in the community.

Membership is open to all persons allied with authors, editors, publishers, editors designers, agents, publicists, librarians, booksellers, teachers, and - last but not least - avid readers of books.

WNBA turns out their official publication - "The Bookwoman" - three times a year.

The prestigious group also gives out two coveted awards.

The "WNBA" Award (in honor of Constance Lindsay Skinner) is given biennially to a distinguished "bookwoman" for extraordinary contribution to the "world of books" and "through books" to the world in which we live.

The Lucile Micheels Pannell Award (established in 1982) is bestowed annually - with the ultimate aim of recognizing authors and projects - directly involved in the publication of children's books.

KPFK - operated by the non-profit foundation, Pacifica - was reaching out from the stimulating environs of the book fair, too.

Pacifica was founded in in Berkeley (1949) by well-known pacifist Lewis Hill.

Pacifica promotes world peace.

Their flyer succinctly points out their mission.

"To encourage and provide outlets for the creative skills and energies of the community...which serve the cultural welfare of the community...that engage in any activity that contributes to a lasting understanding between nations and individuals of all nations races, creeds, and colors...which promote the study of political and economic problems and reveal the causes of religious, philosophical, and racial antagonism."

KPFK broadcasts music and features that reflect human diversity - in addition to - putting forth straight talk on alternative approaches to health and the environment without the intrusion (and undue influence of) ads or sponsors.

The KPFK FM signal is the largest in Southern California and reaches from the pretty shores of Santa Barbara to the Mexican/U.S. border.

What would a West Hollywood book event be without gay authors?

Stephen Soucy chatted up friends as he sought to flog a collection of eleven gay-themed short stories (set in West Hollywood) he "selected" and "edited" for the publication - curiously titled - "Nine Hundred and Sixty-Nine".

Patricia Nell Warren (The Front Runner) wrote the introduction to the book which I expect shall be well-received in the community.

"Rainbow Authors" was handing out spiffy materials to enlighten alternative-lifestyle writers about their book publishing outlet that is powered by wordclay.

In essence - wordclay provides gay, lesbian, and transgender authors - with a streamlined user-friendly a-la-carte option - for self-publishing literary works.

"Rainbow" services range from a FREE set-up and sales portal on the wordclay site - to the purchase of worldwide distribution packages - which afford book sales on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Borders.com, respectively.

In addition to straight-forward publishing options, "Rainbow" also contracts out for cover design, in addition to, marketing and editing services.

What good would books be without a place to stock, catalogue, and offer up copies for voracious book lovers in the community to peruse at their leisure?

In view of the obvious, fundraisers for the West Hollywood Public Library were on hand to shore up donations, and unveil the designs for the new facility which will break ground in April (2009).

One of the volunteers was excited to inform me that the library just received a $1 million-dollar contribution from a long-time West Hollywood resident who made his fortune in computers.

With three million in the kitty - the Library has yet to rustle up the balance - or the whopping sum of $7 million dollars.

Soon, fundraisers will be reaching out to corporate sponsors, so I expect they'll accomplish their altruistic goal.

If you've got some spare cash to toss their way - be an Angel - won't you?