You Don't Have To Tattoo It On Your Forehead, But...

...you should definitely mark it on your calendar!

On Sunday, February 11th, at 8pm, Mr. Beller's Neighborhood will host a reading at Mo Pitkins (34 Avenue A at 3rd Street in the East Village).

Stacy Pershall, our favorite tattoo goddess, will read a selection from her memoir that was recently featured on the interactive story blog Common Ties.

We Love It When People Say Nice Things About Us

YOUR FIRST NOVEL, by a certain Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb, was recently reviewed on writersservices.com:

Your First Novel is an excellent tutorial and reference source for anyone who wants to become more than a weekend scribbler. Working through the chapters, carrying out the exercises, following up on the references provided, will give the budding author a very thorough understanding of what’s involved in writing a novel and getting it into the bookshops. The advice is clear and unambiguous, the tone supportive, but as both authors make clear, in the end it’s up to you. However, with a book like this on your desk, you stand a much better chance of succeeding.

If you enjoy reading nice things about us as much as we do (which you must, if you've made it to the bottom of the post), the entire review can be found here.

Good Times Coming Down The Road

Quill & Quire magazine says Brad Smith's new novel is so good that it might make a reader "run out and make baleful country music or buy a dilapidated truck and drive to rural America." It calls BIG MAN COMING DOWN THE ROAD a "fast-paced, plot-rich book that begs to be called, in all earnestness, a rollicking good time," and says that "Smith weaves together an absurd number of plotlines, each with its own unexpected twists and turns, so deftly that the novel’s dénouement comes as a believable resolution that is not the slightest bit trite."

Penguin Canada will publish the book in February, so pre-order your copy now!