We don’t see HOW you could have gotten enough of I&PG’s authors yet, so here are a few opportunities to see two of them read in the next few weeks:

*Thursday, January 28, 2010*
Viva Las Vegas will be reading from her Dame Rocket Press title Magic Gardens for the Gray Skies Reading Series in Olympia, Washington.
TIME: 8 p.m.
PLACE: Swing Wine Bar & Cafe (825 Columbia Street SW; Olympia, WA 98501)
PRICE: Free & open to the public

*Wednesday, February 3, 2010*
Oregon Literary Review co-hosts First Wednesdays, a series of readings, performances, and wine-tasting at the Blackbird Wine Shop, 4323 NE Fremont (Portland), 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. This show is for ages twenty-one and over.

Ana Callan will read from her poetry collection Duet with Hummingbird (Three Muses Press). Other readers presenting are Alissa Nielsen, Lauren Schmidt, Bennett Huffman.

CONTACT Julie Mae Madsen at maemadsen@gmail.com for more information.

Bowler Hat Comics announces Schoolhouse Supplies as the recipient of donations from Bowler Hat’s December Charity Challenge. With several copies of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath and Visibility going to Schoolhouse Supplies, Bowler Hat Comics calls this experimental challenge a success and looks forward to doing it again next December.

Schoolhouse Supplies connects members of the community with students in over 130 schools throughout the Portland Public School district. To learn more about this organization and how you can support their efforts, please visit their site at schoolhousesupplies.org.

Bowler Hat Comics is pleased to announce that preview pages for all Bowler Hat titles can now be read at bowlerhatcomics.com. This includes a sneak peak at the forthcoming title, Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland. To learn more, or better yet, to read the previews, head on over!

A new year and a new vision—and it’s time for Three Muses Press to shine once more. During the past six months since Ink & Paper Group’s relocation and reorganization, TM’s publisher, Linda M. Meyer, has channeled much of her time and energy into behind-the-scenes business, all the while supporting Dame Rocket Press’s 2009 releases, Give My Love to Everybody and Magic Gardens, and Bowler Hat Comics‘ spring 2010 release, Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland. The dust has settled, our new books are gaining ground, and Linda is eager to get back to her literary love, Three Muses Press.

So what’s ahead? Website revamp, blog updates, refreshed marketing plan, and a new release schedule. Stay tuned…

Do you know that special someone who would love the adventures of Kid Beowulf or Natalie Irving for Christmas? Give the gift of books, and give the gift that keeps on giving!

For every five copies of KID BEOWULF, by Alexis E. Fajardo, and VISIBILITY, by Sarah Neufeld, sold during the month of December, Bowler Hat Comics will donate one to a school, library, or charity of our choice. ALL sales during the month of December will be tallied. The more you buy, the more we give! Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

In honor of the holidays and Ink & Paper Group’s ongoing mission to publish “come hell or high water,” Three Muses Press and Dame Rocket Press are offering a friends and family holiday special on any orders made directly through us now through December 16 (see details below).

Just call 877.232.0103 or e-mail orders@damerocketpress.com.

25% OFF (+ $2 first-class shipping)

• Duet with Hummingbird ($13.50)
• Give My Love to Everybody ($11.00)
• Magic Gardens ($11.00)

50% OFF (+ $2 first-class shipping)

• Hate Mail ($7.50)
• “I Hate this Effin’ Book” t-shirts, honoring Hate Mail’s Jean Luc the cat ($10.00) {There are only a few of these American Apparel, black ringer t-shirts left in our warehouse (sold exclusively through Dame Rocket Press, unisex sizes S, M, L), so orders will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis.}
• Keeper of Secrets ($7.50)
• nothing but squares ($6.50)

FREE!

• FREE copy of nothing but squares with any order of $25 or more of TM or DR titles or t-shirts!
• FREE Hate Mail with any full-price purchase of Magic Gardens or Give My Love ($14.95 + $4 shipping)

IMPORTANT SHIPPING NOTE: Any first-class shipping requests must be processed no later than noon on December 16. After that, please go to Powells.com or Amazon.com. Three Muses Press and Dame Rocket Press discounts apply only to direct orders made before December 16.

And while we’re on the subject of awesome Ink & Paper Group deals, go to Bowler Hat Comics to learn more about the December Charitable Challenge. It’s a heart-to-heart, book-for-a-book way to spread the happy holidays cheer.

Have a great holiday and a happy new year!
~ Your friends at Three Muses & Dame Rocket Presses

Despite the move and other organizational changes at Ink & Paper Group, Dame Rocket Press carried on with the release of two books, Give My Love to Everybody: Letters from a World War II Soldier (July 2009) and Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas (September 2009). The first is the product of a ten-year project for DRP’s publisher, Jen Weaver-Neist, who compiled and edited the work. It also has two interesting connections to Oregon’s 150th celebrations this year: (1) the featured soldier’s infantry division (the 104th, or the “Timberwolves”) was founded at Oregon’s Camp Adair in 1942, and (2) the Division’s national association decided to host its second-to-last annual reunion here in Portland in September. DRP took the opportunity to partner with Oregon Historical Society to collect oral histories from veterans at the reunion (the recordings will be available to the public in OHS’s archives in January 2010).

The second title, Magic Gardens (known lovingly as “the stripper book”), was written by a true renaissance woman in the arts—Viva Las Vegas—whose performances on stage and on the page (she’s a freelance writer) leave a lasting impression with all who encounter her. October’s star-studded release party also marked a year of successful treatments for breast cancer, which Viva discovered just as she was in talks for signing the book last October. A single mastectomy later (and with better-than-ever breast reconstructions), she has returned to the stage with all kinds of things to look forward to in 2010. (Check out the press section of DRP’s site for more about Viva’s party…)

And speaking of next year, there will definitely be neat things happening for Dame Rocket Press and Ink & Paper Group. It’s premature to say more than this for now, but we promise we’ll be keeping you in the loop on a more regular basis again. In the meantime, check out our holiday specials and consider supporting a small publishing house this holiday season. Every sale helps us to stay afloat for you, our beloved fans, and to keep those creative endeavors coming.

As part of a tactical reorganization, this summer Ink & Paper Group said a fond good-bye to our house on SE 7th and set up a high-tech network of home offices. (Our phone number, website addresses, and e-mail addresses remain the same.) Our book distribution has undergone a change as well, and we are pleased that our books are now available through Partners West (wholesale) at 800.563.2385 or orders@partners-west.com.

While regrouping and temporarily redirecting our energies, Three Muses Press has postponed the release of two titles until 2010. Bowler Hat Comics adjusted the release date for Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland—now Spring 2010—and we are thrilled by the early response to galleys for this, the second book in the Kid Beowulf graphic novel series. (Watch the Bowler Hat site for an announcement regarding the all-ages Kid Beowulf series). Dame Rocket Press has been the focus of our attention this summer, with the release of Give My Love to Everybody: Letters from a World War II Soldier and Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas, each of which is exceeding our expectations.

As with books, revision can tighten and energize a company. We are both excited and optimistic about Ink & Paper Group’s future, and we hope you will enjoy the changes we have in store. More soon…

Onward!

Bowler Hat’s Fall ’09 internship will see an emphasis on website development. Interns will leave their mark on the Bowler Hat website and lay the foundation for future online publishing. This particular internship has the potential to continue through the Winter ’10 term if the intern can demonstrate capability and dedication to the tasks at hand and a desire to continue. If interested, please send a cover letter to Bo Johnson.

Interns will be responsible for:

• term project – determined based on the current needs of Bowler Hat and skill set of the intern. The ’09 Fall Internship will focus on the development of our website with an eye toward online publishing.
• generating weekly content for the website in the form of:
  • timely news (1 article per week)
  • book reviews (1 review per week)
• general publishing assistance – various tasks on an as needed basis, but most often marketing centric

Ideal interns will have:

• an interest in comics and young adult lit
• familiarity with HTML and Wordpress
• interest in online publishing
• access to their own equipment, software (Word is a must, Adobe Creative Suite is a bonus), and reliable internet service

Interns can expect to work 10–12 hours per week over the course of three months. Most work will be done from home. A minimum of biweekly meetings will be held at locations to be determined. The position is unpaid.

Bowler Hat internships roughly follow Portland State University’s quarter schedule. Upcoming Internship Schedule (actual start and end dates are flexible):

’09 Fall, Oct–Dec
’10 Winter, Jan–Mar
’10 Spring, Apr–June
’10 Summer, July–Sept

*Bowler Hat is also interested in exploring long-term internships attached directly to specific titles, overseeing all aspects of the books development from acquisition to publication to post-pub marketing. If this type of internship interests you, please contact us, but please be aware that we will be looking for a very strong skill set for these internships.

Seventy-seven works of fiction will be honored throughout the National Book Foundation’s Book-a-Day blog event. From July 7 to September 21, a National Book Award winner and his or her award-winning book will be featured daily. Visit the National Book Foundation for the full list of winners. Click on a cover image to view the blog entry for that book.

You may have some of these great books on your bookshelf, but if not, visit your local library or favorite independent bookseller for a book or two…or 77?

Happy reading!