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Late Last Night Books

because so much reading, writing, and living happens after-hours

Late Last
Night Books
because so much reading, writing, and living happens after-hours
Since 2013
Gary Garth McCann, founder and managing editor
an ad-free magazine about fiction by authors Terra Ziporyn * Sally Whitney * Eileen Haavik McIntire * Gary Garth McCann * Peter G. Pollak * Garry Craig Powell * Jenny Yacovissi * Lily Iona MacKenzie * Todd S. Garth * Daniel Oliver
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← READING IN THE AGE OF COVID-19
Book Review: Known by Heart →

A GATHERING OF BETTER ANGELS

Late Last Night Books
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SALLY WHITNEY

Author of When Enemies Offend Thee and  Surface and Shadow, plus short stories appearing in journals and anthologies, including Best Short Stories from The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest 2017.

10 MAY 2020 A GATHERING OF BETTER ANGELS

My new novel, When Enemies Offend Thee, was released on March 1—a happy, ebullient time until 11 days later when the governor of Pennsylvania closed all non-essential businesses, including bookstores, and issued a stay-at-home order for my part of the state. Consequently, my book launch party was canceled along with any readings and book signings I had scheduled for the foreseeable future. And so it remains.

I don’t know when I’ll be able to connect with readers in person, which is one of my favorite things about being an author. There’s nothing better than talking with readers about their thoughts on characters, motivations, and plot  development.

And then there’s the challenge of letting readers know about When Enemies Offend Thee with no parties, signings, or readings. That’s what I really want to talk about today because the outpouring of support from literary organizations, online readers’ groups, and other authors for authors who are releasing books now is amazing.

Ashley Spivey, who is one of the most upbeat people I’ve ever met, online or offline, offered to let authors whose books are coming out now take over the Spivey’s Book Club Instagram channel and Facebook page for a day with live questions and responses. They’re a sharp group, so answering their questions was stimulating and fun.

Therese Walsh, founder of Writer Unboxed, launched the Helping Fellow Authors in the Age of COVID-19 (HFAAC) series. To participate in the series, authors submitted videos of themselves introducing their books. The videos were then posted on the Writer Unboxed website. My submission was too late to be included in the series, but Therese couldn’t have been nicer about it. She offered instead to post my video and those of many others on the Writer Unboxed YouTube channel.

Wiley Cash, author of The Last Ballad and A Land More Kind Than Home, changed the name of his online Open Canon book club to Corona Canon book club for several weeks, during which he featured books released in March and April.

Douglas Preston, president of the Authors Guild, appealed to fellow authors, especially bestselling authors, to make videos to help promote lesser-known authors publishing during the time of the pandemic. The videos were then posted on the Authors Guild YouTube channel.

Two authors, Jenna Blum and Caroline Leavitt, created a brand new social media initiative called A Mighty Blaze to help authors whose tours have been canceled still reach their readers and to give readers a place to find and buy new books every week. On each Tuesday between March 17 and June 2, A Mighty Blaze features writers whose books are released on that day. The writers are invited to post messages, photos, cover art, and videos on A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Another group, Our Own Write, is organizing a virtual book fair for pandemic authors for May 27 on Twitter Live. Their format will offer 30 minutes for each author to read from his or her book and then answer questions live. I’m working with them now on my presentation, and they’ve been extremely helpful.

And there are probably more organizations and authors reaching out to help. I’ve always known that writers’ and readers’ communities include some of the most caring people on the planet, and their concern for others during this crisis is proof. So I encourage all readers and authors to support these groups. Visit their websites and social media pages. Return the love.

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Sally Whitney

Sally Whitney is the author of When Enemies Offend Thee and Surface and Shadow, available now from Pen-L Publishing, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com. When Enemies Offend Thee follows a sexual-assault victim who vows to get even on her own when her lack of evidence prevents police from charging the man who attacked her. Surface and Shadow is the story of a woman who risks her marriage and her husband’s career to find out what really happened in a wealthy man’s suspicious death.

Sally’s short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, including Best Short Stories from The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest 2017, Main Street Rag, Kansas City Voices, Uncertain Promise, Voices from the Porch, New Lines from the Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers and Grow Old Along With Me—The Best Is Yet to Be, among others. The audio version of Grow Old Along With Me was a Grammy Award finalist in the Spoken Word or Nonmusical Album category. Sally’s stories have also been recognized as a finalist in The Ledge Fiction Competition and semi-finalists in the Syndicated Fiction Project and the Salem College National Literary Awards competition.

 

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Book Review: Known by Heart →
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