Book launch of "The King of Lighting Fixtures"

As writers know, birthing a book is hard. Not as hard as the many things that life throws in front of us, but artistically speaking, it ain't easy. Why? Well, we toil in the privacy of our studies, kitchens, dining rooms, or wherever else we write our books. Then we spend time (sometimes years) trying to place our manuscript with a publisher who will respect our vision and produce a nice looking physical and/or electronic version of our words.

And if all goes well and your manuscript finds a home, it will go through further editing, then designed and typeset. And after you've done all that in collaboration with your publisher, you fill out the author's questionnaire and turn over your master list of potential reviewers and bookstores that might carry your book and host a reading.

Oh, I almost forgot: BLURBS! If you're lucky enough to know several writers who are willing to read the galleys of your book and offer some kind words of praise that will adorn the back cover, you must confirm blurb writers. I am very blessed in this regard.

Then you and your publisher will decide on a birthday for your book.

Well, I've done this nine times so far. I've written seven books, and edited two. Each one made its way into the world with the help of many, and they each hold important and mostly good memories for me as a writer.

This year, I will birth two books. As shown by the lovely flyer that heads this post, my latest short-story collection, The King of Lighting Fixtures (University of Arizona Press), will come into this world on Mexican Independence Day at Other Books in Boyle Heights. As a lifelong Angeleno who grew up in Koreatown and whose father lived in Boyle Heights for a portion of his childhood, the venue for the launch is particularly special. 

The book launch is co-presented by The New Short Fiction Series which is run by the talented, hardworking Sally Shore. This means that actors will be reading a few selections from my collection, so this will make the evening that much more special. And the event is FREE!

I paste below the blurbs for The King of Lighting Fixtures (thank you, blurbers!).

In November, I will be launching my debut poetry collection, Crossing the Border (Pact Press), which Melinda Palacio wrote about last Friday in a thoughtful review. More on that birthday later.

For other updates, visit my website.

PRAISE FOR THE KING OF LIGHTING FIXTURES

“A sharp, smart collection punctuated with inventiveness and wit: in the ongoing effort to depict Los Angeles as lit by something other than the glare of Hollywood, Daniel A. Olivas reminds us that the vast topography of the entire city and its neighborhoods are vibrant with their own unique electricities.” 

—Manuel Muñoz, author of What You See in the Dark

“Comic, wry, very Angeleno, and essential Southern California.”

—Susan Straight, author of Between Heaven and Here

“The short story is a delicate artifact and Olivas knows it: the right balance is achieved only if what is said is in harmony with what is left unmentioned. His Los Angeles is not only from bottom up but from east to west and from south to north.” 

—Ilan Stavans, author of On Borrowed Words