World Book Night

WHO: From Kodiak, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, in 6,000 towns and cities across America, volunteers will give away half a million free books on one day: April 23, 2012. Come meet those volunteers and hear the stories of where they will be distributing their books — as varied and colorful as the people themselves, and as engaging as their book choices.

WHAT: World Book Night U.S. is an ambitious campaign to give away half a million free, specially printed books across America. Volunteer book lovers will help promote reading by going into their communities and distributing free copies of a book they enjoy to new or light readers, reaching them especially in underserved places – and even some fun spots. Volunteers from your area will be picking up the books they selected to share in locations as diverse as VA hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, ballparks, mass transit, diners, and more.

We are proud to be a community partner for the first World Book Night in the U.S., following the impressive launch of this campaign by our bookstore, library, author, and publisher colleagues in the UK and Ireland last year.

We will be hosting activities the week before World Book Night, in preparation for the givers going out into the community on April 23.

http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/ 

California Girl Chronicles by Michelle Gamble-Risley book signing

Michelle Gamble-Risley will be at After-Words books on April 11 at 7p.m. signing copies of her book California Girl Chronicles (3L Publishing, Paperback, $12.95).

Michelle Gamble-Risley, author of the internationally critically-acclaimed new book, California Girl Chronicles, kicks off her book tour at After-Words Bookstore.

One of the sexiest hot sellers this summer will be the new internationally critically acclaimed book, California Girl Chronicles: Brea and the City of Plastic which is a sexy, witty romp that takes readers into the life of Brea Harper as she tries to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter only to be continually distracted by her romantic escapades. Numerous reviewers have praised the book, and author Michelle Gamble-Risley has been chosen by Chicago-based bookstore, After-Words, to launch her spring and summer book tour with a wine reception on April 11, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. 

“After-Words Bookstore is the ideal bookstore to launch this fun and fascinating story about a sexually empowered, adventurous woman, who is confident and secure enough to pursue her dreams whether in the entertainment industry or the bedroom,” said Gamble-Risley, who is also the CEO of the highly successful independent publishing company, 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com). “I wanted to write a strong female protagonist like Sookie Stackhouse in the Charlaine Harris series. Only this time, I didn’t want the girl to be violated in extreme ways and then return to her attacker’s arms. I feel like I’ve seen enough of the victimization of women in literature. I felt it was time to put the true ‘girl power’ back into the girl and imagine a woman, who under no circumstances, would return to a man who would violate her. I think that sends the wrong message to younger and older women alike.”

The result of Gamble-Risley’s effort is the witty, wonderful and sexy Brea Harper. Gamble-Risley is pleased to report that many reviewers have indeed lauded the fact that Brea is a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. While also flawed and sometimes just misguided, she is self-aware enough to know she’s making mistakes when she makes them. “You know we get to repeat our lessons until we learn them,” said Gamble-Risley. “Brea takes a few hard falls, but you will see as the series progresses, she does learn, change and evolve – that’s what makes her so interesting and relatable to younger and older women.”

You can now watch the new California Girl Chronicles book trailer on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDiZdVC08Mc