Exactly ten days ago, as you will recall from my recent blog post, I met at a local coffee shop with one Mr. Eldritch Black. A rather curious gentlemen and fellow author here on Whidbey Island, Mr. Black writes creepy books for the purpose of scaring youngsters. We’ve asked him not to do this terrible thing, however the children seem to enjoy these tomes of his, so I guess it’s all for the better. Weirdbey Island
Since becoming an author myself just over a year ago with “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies“, I’ve had the blessing (and sometimes curse) of connecting with numerous other authors. Quite a few have kindly shared their works, most often in the form of e-books — some with audiobooks. Over the past year I have received so many of each I can’t keep up with them. Mr. Black generously foisted some of his upon me — two from his Weirdbey Island series along with The Book of Kindly Deaths.
A few months ago I had the opportunity to listen to the first of the Weirdbey Island books — The Pirates of Penn Cove. Despite Mr. Black’s purpose of scaring children, I being an adult found I rather enjoyed the story. His story of Island newcomer, Dylan, was unsettling at every turn — and the locations were written much as they are in real life right here on Whidbey! For his generosity, and whatever possibly twisted reasoning behind it, I wanted to return Mr. Black’s courtesy with my online review.
Today I started Weirdbey Island book #2 — The Day of the Jackalope — and it’s already off to a bizarre and unnerving start. Dylan is with his friends leading their own investigations into the mysterious going-ons on Whidbey Island. These books have been a delight for the sheer sake that they remind me of the creepy books I read as a kid. It is a nostalgia-blast that takes me back to the first two books of the Bunnicula series.
As time permits I will listen to the audiobook copy of The Book of Kindly Deaths … not that I really want to, I just want to make sure the children out there are safe. Weirdbey Island
This has been an attempt to write in similar style to the story-telling you will find in these first few Weirdbey Island books. Frankly, they’re a lot of fun, and I hope you and the children in your life will enjoy them as much as I have. Both of the Weirdbey Island books above are delightfully narrated by J. Scott Bennett.
~ Best, Don
Summer is coming, and one of the things that comes with summer is vacation in all its forms. Whether you call it vacation, holiday, break, or retreat, it’s a great time to dust off your daily routine and exercise your sense of tourism. Take off to that place you always wanted to go to, attend that annual festival you never miss, visit those friends and relations you’ve been meaning to spend some time with, or escape to that quiet out-of-the-way place you’ve heard about. Take a book, and get a souvenir — or better yet, buy a book as a souvenir!
Pulling over and blocking the road just to take pictures of cows …. that we don’t appreciate quite so much. Seriously folks … it’s just a cow.
Here on Whidbey Island we know tourism — at a certain point in spring it turns on like a fire hose! Suddenly we go from being a rural island to having people EVERYWHERE! We appreciate that you want to come to this somewhat out-of-the-way rock of ours — we are off the beaten-path, so it’s flattering that you thought to come here and visit little-ol’-us. With any luck, about now you might be asking yourself, “Well, if I visited Whidbey Island, what would I do — where would I go, what would I see???”
The historic Deception Pass Bridge located at the north end of Whidbey Island
Of course, I’m biased — I’m going to tell you that if you are visiting Whidbey Island to go drop by one of the shops carrying my book. Frankly though, that’s not just a plug for my book — I’m suggesting these shops because they’re in great locations that I believe you will enjoy, and these shops are are operated by delightful people.
If you take the ferry from Mukilteo to get on the island at the south end in Clinton, just go a little ways up Highway 525 and you’ll see Goose Grocery on the right in Bayview.
Kingfisher Bookstore
A curvy-road-ways after Highway 525 turns into Highway 20, you’ll come to an intersection with a foot-bridge crosswalk, a gas station, and our hospital. Turn north to visit historic Coupeville and find The Kingfisher Bookstore located overlooking Penn Cove on Front Street. They have a local-authors table that includes my book. Ask for Meg or Brad and tell them I sent you.
(Read my recent blog post about Kingfisher Bookstore.)
I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE …
Yes, it’s formerly a firehouse
Last and certainly not least … As of Today I am once-again doing business with The 3 Sisters Farm Market, located at 779 N Holbrook Rd, Coupeville, WA 98239 — that’s on the north side of Penn Cove on the south side of Highway 20 — red building, you can’t miss it. Visit the 3 Sisters Market — their farm is the biggest producer of food here on the island and everything in their market is local-Local-LOCAL! Pick up a copy of my book, show it to the clerk at the register, and tell them that “Don The Author sent me!” You’ll probably also want to tell them that they have a great shop … why … Because They Do, hands down.
I’ve wanted to get my book carried by various stores here on Whidbey Island and I was told that Kingfisher LOVES local authors. When I called the shop on Wednesday I was told to bring my books by any time. My response to being asked if I was local, I gave a little local-flavour and replied that I was so close I could paddle a canoe across Penn Cove to get there. I opted to drive instead. (PSST! I actually got it in the Oak Harbor Ace Hardware, too — they’re at 150 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA 98277.)
Hey everybody — meet Meg!
Kingfisher Bookstore is located in one of the historic water-side buildings on the middle of NW Front Street in Coupeville here on Whidbey Island. When I went in I was immediately greeted by Meg Olsen — she couldn’t be more friendly, and she is Full of ENERGY! Soon following I met her husband, Brad — also a nice guy. Speaking of ‘also’ — he’s also a merchant sailor and a captain with Royal Caribbean International … yeah, remember when I suggested canoeing across Penn Cove? I wonder if I scored points with him by talking nautical-stuff …
Meg and Brad started their shop in 2018. Formerly a liquor store, together they have made it over into a cozy and delightful bookstore. In between talking with Meg about my book she welcomed and assisted visiting customers — during that time I had a bit of my own look around. I was pleased to see unfamiliar books I would love to purchase and read along with authors I already enjoy (she had a hardbound Dick Francis book!). While I was there Meg even invited a customer’s labradoodle into the shop — in fact, she laughingly demanded that he bring his dog in so she could meet it and give it scritches.
I hope Meg and Brad do well with their wonderful neighborhood bookstore and I am happy to have my book carried at Kingfisher Bookstore!
Last evening I had a meeting with Tom Trimbath – a gentleman I consider a friend, a self-publishing mentor, and an all around good soul. This ‘meeting’ was not unlike our previous meetings – informal, creative, humorous, and inspiring. A number of things are coming up for Tom and I — it was time to check in again. We met at Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville, WA, for dinner – the same joint we were in not long after the publication of my recipe book last fall.
Now before I tell you about the meeting, let me tell you a little about Toby’s …
If you think this view of Coupeville over Penn Cove is beautiful, you should see it from the ground level.Here’s a little look at Coupeville…
Before Tom’s and my meeting last year Tom suggested Toby’s and offered for me to look into other places in Coupeville. While Coupeville is about 22 square miles here on Whidbey Island, what I was inquiring about was the historic 2-block area on the waterfront overlooking Penn Cove. I know the area well – as a kid I spent summer days playing in the town and seeing the different shops when visiting my grandparents. While many of the shops have changed since then, the historic town has stayed much the same – and if you’re visiting Whidbey Island, definitely stop in and enjoy yourself in Coupeville for at least a few hours. But where was I? Oh yeah – back to Toby’s …
This is the place!
Last fall when I was looking at reviews for the different restaurants on the Coupeville waterfront I came up with a number of nice sounding places. When I looked up Tom’s suggestion of “Toby’s Tavern” I read some rather interesting reviews on Google and Yelp (etc). I read things that made it sound … well … TERRIBLE! Bad food, fist-fights, weirdoes galore … I hung out in my share of divey places in my 20s, but now it just didn’t sound all that appealing. When I checked with Tom he said Toby’s was nothing like that, to trust him, and to meet him there later that evening. So, trusting Tom as I often do, I did!
“A quintessential dive bar housed in a vintage mercantile building dating from the 1890s; even the polished back bar was originally shipped here from around Cape Horn in 1900. Quaff home-produced microbrews and enjoy a menu spearheaded by local classics such as fantastic mussels, clam strips, and halibut and chips, while listening to the jukebox or shooting pool.”
I haven’t been back to Toby’s since meeting Tom there last fall but in my time there I found I like Toby’s. There was something about the joint that was just … comfortable. When I have a few more things in order in my daily life I’d like to stop in for a burger, catch a window booth and write while looking out on the cove.
Not my burger from last night — I don’t take food pictures like this … it’s weird.
Locally, Toby’s is somewhat known for their burgers – I can’t say they’re particularly special – if you go there don’t expect them to be gourmet, from what I’ve seen they just make a good classic burger. So I joined Tom last night again at Toby’s – he had a plate of fish and chips and I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and lemonade. Since he was a little late for our meeting, and I was a little later, we quickly got down to business.
MY BOOK!
We started out with talking about our presentation next week at the Langley Library – titled “Self-Publishing – From Inspiration to Publication“. We gave this same presentation last October and it went well. If you don’t know about this already, it’s great for authors and folks working or thinking abut becoming authors. Writers have additional options to traditional publishing these days, and one of those is to self-publish – you do all the work to produce your book and have a press manufacture your books for you. Self-publishing is how I brought my recipe book to fruition – and one of the companies that supports this is Amazon.com – they make, sell, and provide me with copies of “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies“. Self-publishing has been growing like gangbusters over the past 20 years; it is an option that authors and to-be authors ought to know abut and consider.
I can write this — NO PROBLEM!!!
Tom then brought up the topic of a writing project he invited me to a number of weeks ago – it was about this time that the juices from my burger started leaking down my hand. As for the ‘writing project’, Tom had asked that I contribute some writing to a fundraiser book about tea. This was an interesting prospect to me since I’m more of a coffee drinker. I drink tea, I just don’t drink much tea. Tea remains a new personal discovery for me – I’m still exploring the flavours and finding the moods when it best suits me. As for this tea book, I’m flattered to be asked and I’m excited to get myself further known as a writer – and I know already that I’ll be writing from the ‘new to tea’ position.
Yep, that’s me — BagpiperDon AKA BiscottiDon
This ‘fundraiser book’ topic was timely since I brought a question for Tom on the subject to our meeting. Since publishing “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” I have been working on two books; one of these is my next recipe book, and the next book to be published is a bagpipe sheet music book that is planned to be a fundraiser for a veteran’s organization of which I am a member. It was at this point that my burger started falling apart in my hands with a distinct immediacy. Nonetheless, Tom helped to clarify that books can be set-up through Amazon and sold for fund-raisers, and gave me a little insight on the process … and, as usual, the day after I have a number of other questions for him around this.
There might be robots!
We went on to talk a bit about a Sci-Fi book that Tom is writing coupled with a series I’ve had in my head for 25+/- years. It was then, despite my best efforts, that my burger was really going to pieces – pickles falling out, onions falling out, juice down my hands … that otherwise tasty burger was making me look like a real SLOB! Tom’s book (actually, he said there is going to be two) could exist in the same universe as my book series and we’ve been talking about working on these cooperatively. The prospect has fed my mind – so much so, that to make his book(s) and my books work together it has given me ideas for a back-story book along with two or more books beyond the original four I had thought of – and I’ve been making notes regardless of other things I’ve been needing to focus on.
As we finished up our meeting, and I finished up the last of my broken burger, we touched on two other topics briefly before Tom had to leave. One of these is that we’re looking beyond our 1-off ‘how to self-publish’ presentations. We talked about taking our presentation ‘on the road’ and off of Whidbey Island – we’ve even talked about growing it to where it is a weekend-long workshop with additional presenters. Then, as I was wiping burger juices off of my hands, I introduced a new idea – doing podcasts to promote our writing. I have the gear and the capabilities, and between Tom and I we have plenty to talk about. Tom liked this idea, so I’m sure we’ll talk about it more soon.
Then, Tom and I wrapped our meeting. As our bill got paid we talked with one of the ladies who’s part of the Toby’s bar staff about our presentation. Tom left for an evening of dance, and I left for an evening of practicing bagpipes for a St. Patrick’s Day parade this weekend. Tom didn’t shake my hand when we departed, and after that burger I don’t blame him. And as for Toby’s – it’s dive-bar charm, tasty if sometimes greasy burgers, and view of beautiful Penn Cove – yeah … I’ll be back.
A few months ago I had the opportunity to listen to the first of the Weirdbey Island books — The Pirates of Penn Cove. Despite Mr. Black’s purpose of scaring children, I being an adult found I rather enjoyed the story. His story of Island newcomer, Dylan, was unsettling at every turn — and the locations were written much as they are in real life right here on Whidbey! For his generosity, and whatever possibly twisted reasoning behind it, I wanted to return Mr. Black’s courtesy with my online review.
Today I started Weirdbey Island book #2 — The Day of the Jackalope — and it’s already off to a bizarre and unnerving start. Dylan is with his friends leading their own investigations into the mysterious going-ons on Whidbey Island. These books have been a delight for the sheer sake that they remind me of the creepy books I read as a kid. It is a nostalgia-blast that takes me back to the first two books of the Bunnicula series.
Then, Tom and I wrapped our meeting. As our bill got paid we talked with one of the ladies who’s part of the Toby’s bar staff about our presentation. Tom left for an evening of dance, and I left for an evening of practicing bagpipes for a St. Patrick’s Day parade this weekend. Tom didn’t shake my hand when we departed, and after that burger I don’t blame him. And as for Toby’s – it’s dive-bar charm, tasty if sometimes greasy burgers, and view of beautiful Penn Cove – yeah … I’ll be back.