Guy LeCharles Gonzalez (aka glecharles) (aka loudpoet)

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Soda Pop Stop Lessons for Bookstores

“Thank you very much, Pepsi-Cola, for reminding me that I own my shelf space and I can do anything I want. So I immediately went out and found 25 little brands of soda that were still in glass bottles…”

—John Nese, Galcos Soda Pop Stop

John Nese, proprietor of Galcos Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles, shows independent bookstores one way they can deal with major publishers and compete with Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc. — depth over breadth.

I came across a great example of this approach while on vacation a couple of weeks ago, at Adventures Unlimited Books in Cottonwood, AZ, located on North Main Street in the historic part of town. Covering two decent-sized storefronts (maybe 800 sq. feet total?) with a small entrance connecting them that doubles as a seating/reading area, the left side features a modest selection of the kinds of new, recent and notable books across the typical categories that are found in most small, independent bookstores.

The right side, though, is an alternative history, conspiracy theory, sci-fi/fantasy aficionado’s dream, featuring an impressive selection of Adventures Unlimited Press books as well as books from other publishers covering similar topics and territory. It’s about as niche as you can get, sort of a bricks-and-mortar take on Tor.com‘s store, or the book equivalent of Nese’s impressive selection of 500+ sodas not produced by Pepsi or Coca-Cola.

(more…)

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

I am Jack’s scattered priorities and conflicting desires

A growing community of writers is participating in an online experiment in crowdsourcing fiction. It’s called #fridayflash, and it can be found via Twitter, Facebook, or by directly visiting participating writer’s blogs. A new #fridayflash happens every Friday, as figured locally, though some folks do post soon after midnight New Zealand time. The idea behind #fridayflash is to get eyeballs on stories—to build that proverbial ‘platform.’ Writers use the power of social networking to gain followers, name recognition, and most importantly, a loyal readership. It seems to be working. From discussions I’ve had with several regular participants most have experienced…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Grass is overrated; give me cacti

I've had a love/hate relationship with our yard this year; I love having one but hate the constant mowing and weeding required to keep it looking decent. I also hate that "decent" here still isn't anything close to my ideal.  When we moved in last summer, I noted our neighbor's gravel and concrete backyard and wondered why anyone would opt for that in the suburbs. I still prefer grass over concrete and asphalt, but after a week in the Southwest, where the terrain was even more beautiful in person than in pictures, I'm more ready than ever to ditch the…

Continue ReadingGrass is overrated; give me cacti
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

I want to live in Sedona

Whenever we go somewhere new on vacation, we like to explore the area and play "What if...?", looking at things from the perspective of possibly relocating. Isla Mujeres has long been the fantasy, "win the lottery and move anywhere" destination, but Sedona has officially replaced it.  Not even on our original itinerary for this trip, several friends noted it as a must-see so we changed our schedule from a drive-by on the southern rim of the Grand Canyon and a night in Williams, to a night in Sedona instead. After staying at the amazing La Posada and driving by the…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

The road to Winslow

We left ABQ yesterday morning, headed for Red Rock State Park and Ceremonial, alternating between 66 and 40 whenever we could. We had to turn around near Correo and Mesitas when we couldn't locate 66, and saw a depressing Native slum/ruins right off 40 near the latter. Other parts of 66 before and after Gallup were similarly destitute or desolate, but a few areas offered some great views of the terrain.  Outside Gallup, we rolled into Red Rock State Park only to find most of Ceremonial had finished already, except for the rodeo, so we wandered the park instead where…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Albuquerque – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

See the full gallery on posterous I love getting out of the New York area because there is so much truth in the cliche, "familiarity breeds contempt", and there are few things I have more contempt for than the bland green landscapes along our highways, and the soullessness of our over-developed suburbs and under-nourished cities. Southwestern landscapes have always fascinated me, though; from the rugged brown mountains dotted with bright green succulents, to the simple architectural style of adobe architecture.  Albuquerque has offered us a bizarre mix of both the good and bad, with some wonderful examples of Pueblo Deco…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Albuquerque – Here We Come!

Your Chance to Taste $1000 Salsa The highly popular “Homemade Salsa Competition” will be the focus of this year's Old Town Salsa Fiesta. Contestants will present mouth-scorching, tummy-tingling recipes for the competition, which is judged entirely by you! In addition to the competition, this event has something for everyone - live music and dance, a wine tasting featuring local wines, chile-inspired lectures in the "Hot Ideas" tent, and storytelling for the kids. When: Saturday, August 15 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: Old Town Price: $4 to judge in the salsa competition, and $4 for the wine tasting, or…

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