Westminster Books Fredericton | nichepoetryandprose

Posts Tagged ‘Westminster Books Fredericton’

book launch for my covered bridge book!

I hope you can join me for the launch of my new poetry book ‘in the shelter of the covered bridge’ (Chapel Street Editions, 2017). The launch will be at Westminster Books in Fredericton on December 2, 2017 at 2:00 in the afternoon.

Anyone who buys one of my books will be entered in a draw to win one of my paintings. This painting (11″ x 14″, ‘apple orchard green’, acrylic, gallery edges) is a companion to the painting on the cover of my book.

Hope to see you there. For those of you so far away, perhaps there is a book reading in your own area to attend.

All my best!

Jane

Written by jane tims

November 27, 2017 at 11:44 am

Posted in books with a strong sense of 'place', in the shelter of the covered bridge

Tagged with art, book launch, covered bridge, draw for painting, poetry, Westminster Books Fredericton

reflections on a book launch

with 2 comments

The Event: my book launch!

When? a week ago Thursday evening (May 18, 2017) at 7 PM.

reading with a Dock-winder (one of the aliens in my book) … he doesn’t seem happy to be the bad guy in the book!

What? 90 minutes of introductions, readings, prize give-aways and explanations. Some by Zachary Hapeman and his very funny poems about the weird and the wacky; some by me, Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane) Tims, about the planet Meniscus and the skills of my very capable female protagonist Odymn.

We gave out three prizes during the evening:

a small painting ‘alien moons’ (painted by me)
a framed example of Zach’s illustrations from his book ‘A Crack in the Door’ click here for Zach’s book
a board game from my son’s gaming store in Fredericton, Meta GameZ http://www.metagamez.com/about

Zach shows one of the prizes given out during the evening … a framed copy of some of his illustrations!

Where? At Westminster Books on King Street in Fredericton, New Brunswick ( have a look at their site here, a great local bookstore). What better place to read than surrounded by books? And helped through the evening by those who love books (Janet North and staff). The day was the hottest of the spring (33 degrees) and I was absolutely dripping by the end of the evening. Some of that is due to my age and lack of stamina. The space is quite comfortable, transformed by chairs into theatre seating for a dozen or more. We had Gel-head punch to drink with lots of ice cubes (green apple, lime juice and gingerale), and three kinds of cookies from the Goody Shop in Fredericton.

Who? There were twenty-six there to listen, plus Zach and I. Most were friends from my work and church. There were also members of the writing groups where I am a member (‘Fictional Friends’ and ‘Wolf Tree Writers’). Also, one young lady I didn’t know and a woman who was visiting Fredericton and browsing at the bookshop. I suppose we would count my two stand-up life-sized cardboard aliens, a Dock-winder and a Gel-head. And a stand-up life sized ginger-bread man from Zach! It is always wonderful to see my friends and to meet new people. Some of my friends are having a hard time believing I have taken a side-wind into science-fiction.

the Gel-head stand-up figure … surrounded by all these books, I hope he can read! I think he ate the gingerbread man stand-up figure

Why? This was the launch of the first book in my Meniscus series — ‘Meniscus: Crossing The Churn’. I wanted to introduce my friends to the world I have built. And get them interested in where the story is going. I hoped to provide some entertainment and to assure them I am doing well in this retirement world. And, of course, I want to sell some books.

The evening will stick with me for some time. There were many memorable moments. Among others:

Zack gave out a little squishy animal to an audience member and told how he often sends these little fellows flying into the audience when he is reading.
A member of one of my writing groups, asked to draw for one of the prizes, wondered what would happen if he drew his own name and won the prize … and proceeded to actually win!!!!
The out-of-town visitor, browsing the shelves, found my first book ‘within easy reach’ … she was surprised to find the author present and eager to sign her book … my brain had a time switching from Alexandra Tims to Jane Spavold Tims (author of ‘within easy reach’) and signing correctly. And remembering I usually embellish ‘within easy reach’ with a line from one of the poems.
As we left the store at the end of the evening, a group of five young men asked to pose for a photo with the two aliens. They left with a copy of my book so they would know the names of the cardboard stand-ups!

I show another of the prizes given … a game of ‘Forbidden Desert’ from my son’s store Meta GameZ

I have a couple of upcoming readings, one at the New Brunswick Writers Federation WordSpring event in a few day’s time. And two at the Alexandria and Goderich libraries in Ontario in September. Meanwhile I can turn my attention to the next book in the series ‘Meniscus: South from Sintha’.

Written by jane tims

May 24, 2017 at 7:26 am

Posted in Meniscus: Crossing the Churn, writing

Tagged with Meniscus: Crossing the Churn, Meniscus: South from Sintha, poetry, reading, science fiction, Westminster Books Fredericton, Zach Hapeman: A Crack in the Door

Reading at Westminster Books, Fredericton

making stand-ups for my book launch

with 4 comments

On Thursday evening at 7PM, I will be reading at Westminster Books in Fredericton, with Zach Hapeman, poet-for-the-young-at-heart and author of ‘A Crack in the Door’ (Amazon books).

I’ll read from my new book ‘Meniscus: Crossing The Churn’. I have a few surprises for my audience, including life-sized stand-up cardboard aliens. I also did a set of smaller aliens to include in the Westminster Books display window.

First step: Obtain the cardboard. My very helpful husband brought home two big cardboard boxes from Leons Furniture in Fredericton. A big thank you to Leons! The boxes, originally used to protect table tops were the perfect size (6′ by 4′)!

Second step: Select a couple of drawings of the Gel-head and Dock-winder aliens from my book. Gel-heads are named since their skin is a transparent green gel – muscles, skeleton bits and even some organs can be seen through their skin! The Dock-winders have very long necks, tattooed to keep track of their exploits. They are called Dock-winders because when they invaded earth, they attacked from the sea and their necks resembled the dock piers sailors use to tie up their boats!

Third step: Transfer the drawing outlines to the cardboard. To do this I created a grid on the drawing and a scaled grid on the cardboard. Then I just drew a scaled outline using the grid-lines.

Fourth step: Paint the cardboard figures. Manipulating the cardboard during painting was the hard part. I just used my exercise ball to elevate and steady the figure. I was afraid the cardboard would bend, but no mishaps occurred!

had to add pants to my Gel-head alien … even on planet Meniscus, you need clothing!

Fifth step: Cut out the figure. I used a skill knife and carved away small segments at a time. Then I touched up the edges with black paint.

Sixth step: Reinforce the back of the figure, especially bendy parts like arms legs and necks, with wooden skewers and glue.

The Results: Here is a photo of the smaller stand-ups in the window of our local bookstore Westminster Books, Fredericton. Janet North (owner) and staff have been so good to me. The store is hosting the launch of my book on Thursday May 18, 2017 at 7 PM. If you live in the Fredericton area, Zach Hapeman and I would love to see you there!!!! My aliens would love to see you too!!!!