HiStory of Santa Monica by Michael J. Atwood

HiStory of Santa Monica 2nd Edition!

2010-12-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

Aqueous Books announces the release of the 2^nd edition of HiStory of Santa Monica by Michael J. Atwood

Now On Sale!

New Reader’s Guide
Hand-drawn Map of Santa Monica
Larger font
Justified margins and spacing

Contacts: Cynthia Reeser, publisher, Aqueous Books - pubs@aqueousbooks.com or Michael J. Atwood, author, 508-243-2591 – mja2atwood@mac.com. See mjatwood.com or historyofsantamonica.com for more information.

The collection is thematically linked by both the characters—who are struggling to realize their Hollywood dreams and the setting—Santa Monica, California. A seemingly peaceful seaside city, Santa Monica is also a purgatory where the characters must face failure and loss—as well as their demons and ghosts. Family and ritual are consistent motifs throughout the collection, as are the themes of escape, addiction, redemption, reparation, religion, and death. Whether it is a young couple looking to buy their first home or a man returning to his hometown for a funeral or a baptism, readers will find the everyday rituals in these stories identifiable in many ways.  - Michael J. Atwood is a fiction writer and weekly opinion columnist for the North Attleborough Free Press (Massachusetts). His work has appeared in a number of literary magazines and online journals.

HiStory of Santa Monica is also available from the following retailers:

Books on the Square - Providence, RI  

Brown University - Providence, RI  

Boston College Bookstore - Boston, MA

Baker Books - Dartmouth, MA  

All Newbury Comics locations, MA

Brookline Booksmith - Boston, MA  

Village Books - Pacific Palisades, CA 

Heywood Hill Ltd. - London, England

Shakespeare & Co. - Paris, France

HiStory of Santa Monica Review by Jason Cook, Ampersand Minion Reviews – 11/6/2010

A book for anyone who has ever been in love or hate with the idea (or actuality) of Hollywood, HiStory of Santa Monica is one of this year’s best collections about the Golden State. Written by Michael J. Atwood and published by Aqueous Books, HiStory tackles themes of men supporting crumbling families with careers in teaching or screenwriting, reprehensible behavior, and an East versus West coast war that turns typical debates upside down. Atwood’s collection of twelve stories is full of beautiful details so elegantly picked—like Californian grapes themselves, the author’s intricate attention to the facets of life in Los Angeles is intoxicating. He makes any ex-Californians hungry for the taste of home—details down to In and Out Burger make for a collection of mouth-wateringly real stories. Atwood captures the diversity of California’s terrain and shows a love for his home state: “A traffic light held red and swayed gently in the breeze coming off the sea. I stopped for a moment and strained and heard the ocean just a mile away. To the north, I heard a coyote howling in the canyon.”

Atwood’s is a refreshingly fresh voice, rolling to the rhythm of the Pacific Ocean, but with the edge of a salty Boston harbor, and readers can’t help but have their own debate about what coast to call home. The author may shift tenses and points of view throughout the collection, but his colloquially poetic voice stays. While juxtaposing East and West, Atwood also compares beach and desert; this duplicity sways through his writing like picture frames during an earthquake. “The road behind us is dark and quiet,” Atwood writes in the story “Windmills.” “I look in my rearview mirror but see only a long empty path of tar leading back through the desert to Palm Springs—our promised land. It’s illuminated by the orange sun, which is burning out brilliantly.” Atwood’s attention to the moment brings readers back to a time before the instant gratification of flash literature, and lets the reader sink into his beautiful language.

While Atwood writes about families, not a single family in the work is functional or even communicating well—but within the brokenness hide real relationships and flawed, but heart-throbbing, characters. The interconnectivity within the book could confuse readers, specifically when two stories in the novel contain the same character, Gabriel. It seems Gabriel bookends the collection—we start with him, nervous at his uncle’s funeral, and end with him, nervous at his nephew’s baptism. However, Gabriel seems to grow out of his nervousness—on the last page of the collection, after running away from his nephew’s baptism, he takes the initiative to answer his enraged sister’s call. One could argue every character is a reflection, or shadow, of Gabriel in a way, even the one story in which Atwood conquers the female perspective. This mono-character is not droning, however, but more refreshing—in this way, readers realize how many people have the same thoughts, concerns, problems. After reading HiStory of Santa Monica, there is left a feeling of connectedness, a satisfied need for good literature, and a craving for Mexican food.

Boston College and London Bookstore Now Carry HiStory of Santa Monica!

2010-08-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Purchase HiStory of Santa Monica at these fine booksellers:

Boston College Bookstore - Chestnut Hill, MA
Baker Books - Dartmouth, MA
Brookline Booksmith - Brookline, MA
Books on the Square - Providence, RI
Brown University - Providence, RI
Village Books - Pacific Palisades, CA
Shakespeare & Co. - Paris, France

Heywood Hill Ltd. - London, England

Or online at Aqueousbooks.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and Amazon.com

New York City and Beyond!

2010-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Every writer wants their book in the Big Apple. On August 1st, I hope that if you live in NYC, you'll be able to walk down to your neighborhood bookstore and grab a copy of HiStory of Santa Monica. Same thing in Boston, Providence, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Paris, France. August 1st will hopefully mark the day that HiStory of Santa Monica exploded on the scene.

Now, "Why August 1st?" you ask. "Your book came out in May!" Well, for the last month of so, we've been wooing booksellers all over the globe. However, what it comes down to is the cost to the bookstores out there. As a new author, you need realize this cold hard fact: no one wants your book in their store if it costs them money and isn't returnable. Therefore, my publisher and I have to follow industry standards. Give them the big discount.

Originally, we'd offered a smaller discount through our distributor. No one was onboard. We were met with some resistance from bookstores. So we changed that and made it less of a risk for bookstores to carry HoSM. It now kicks into effect on Aug. 1st and hopefully those cool indie bookstores I mentioned earlier...they'll bite.

Your first book, I'm quickly learning, is all about exposure. We're trying to gain some positive attention and reviews for HiStory of Santa Monica. Don't get me wrong, I think that I've written a good collection of short stories and it's worth reading. However, when studying samples from Lisa Graves (http://www.olivitgroup.net/) - the silhouette smoker with orange and black colors - jumped out at me as a cover folks would notice while browsing the aisles of bookstores across America. I think that when people see it, they'll be curious. And if they open it up and read a story, well they might just buy it. Pass the word. Thanks for all your support.

Success on Amazon.com

2010-07-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'd like to tell you I'm a Top 10 book on Amazon.com this morning but I'm not. Still, I awoke to find we were at #157,122. I'm pleasantly amused. My little short story collection in the top 200,000 books. Sweet. A big success.

In reality, what do those rankings represent? I don't know. We were #40,000 one day on Barnes and Noble.com. I'm an athlete and coach - I tend to get competitive with these things. The bottom line is the hours I've spent posting links and asking friends to post links is doing something. Something. People have read the collection and there's an interest from friends, family,former students and maybe some newcomers, so it's a wait-and-see process. Time will tell if we can rise to the top of the charts.

Speaking of that, I still need reviews from...anybody really. If you are a writer and want to review my book, e-mail me here : mja2atwood@mac.com. If you are a friend and want to write a review, please go to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com where my book is listed. If you scroll down, you'll find "Create or Write Your Own Review". That's where you put it.

And thanks for reading!

Marketing Your First Book: Things a New Author Can Do

2010-07-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

Writing a book is one thing. Editing and publishing, well that's another. And once you accomplish steps one and two, here's the hardest part of all: Marketing and selling your book.

My collection, HiStory of Santa Monica (Aqueous Books - ISBN: 978-0-9826734-0-9) came out in May of this year. Needless to say, I was excited to seem my creative stories in print. However, as my publisher, Cynthia Reeser, and I celebrated our pre-orders from mostly friends and family, we both realized our new reality: It was time to take our marketing to the next level if we wanted to sell more copies. Time for a creative marketing plan.

Facebook has been a wonderful method to market my book as a new author. I have almost 1000 friends and many of them have purchased and recommended my book. I've posted links to Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com. I've included the link to Aqueous Books where my publisher offered free shipping. Things have gone well. I even started a "HiStory of Santa Monica" and "I Loved Reading HiStory of Santa Monica" Facebook group. People have responded. But I knew I needed to do more.

So on July 5th, arguably the hottest and most humid day of the summer, I boarded a Peter Pan bus in Providence, destination NYC. Armed with a backpack of books, I made my way around the city over an eight hour period. I went to independent bookstores like The Strand, Book Book, St. Mark's, Three Lives and Co. among others. I met owners. passing out press releases, cards and the occasional free sample of HiStory of Santa Monica. I even took the train to Brooklyn and hit a few more bookstores over there like Book Court and The Community Bookstore. It was a great experience to hit the pavement in the Big Apple and see what booksellers had to say about my new book. Many of them were interested and will order. Others were honest and wished me luck.

My publisher has supported the cause also. Aqueous Books has sent out press releases, advertised with online and print literary magazines, brought in their inner circle of literary friends from the noted online literary journal, Prick of the Spindle (www.prickofthespindle.com) and even did a marketing trip to New Orleans. That trip brought interest from several indie bookstores. Cynthia also added a press kit and video made by my friend, John Andre (also editor of the N.A. Free Press where I've written an opinion column for two years). My support crew was chipping into the cause. Check out our press kit here: http://www.aqueousbooks.com/press.htm

Another issue in new book marketing is using your time wisely. It's really important, in my opinion, to make sure your strategies are not a waste of time. I have easily spent 10,000 hours marketing on Facebook, Twitter, BookRabbit, LinkedIn, and e-mail and have had limited responses those contacts. E-mail marketing is hit-or-miss in general. I've had more success meeting with bookstore owners in person and calling folks - even with Barnes and Noble and Borders chains. E-mail may be the least effective way to market, in this author's opinion.

So pass the word on about HiStory of Santa Monica. Word-of-mouth has been a fantastic marketing tool with my new book. Below are some links that will lead you to Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and Aqueous Books. Thanks for reading and I'll be blogging and marketing my little collection of short stories.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/HiStory-of-Santa-Monica/Michael-J-Atwood/e/9780982673409/?itm=1?tabname=custreview

http://www.amazon.com/HiStory-of-Santa-Monica-ebook/dp/B003QTDMGG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1276353443&sr=1-1

http://www.aqueousbooks.com/publications.htm

HiStory of Santa Monica is Now Available at Several Bookstores!

2010-07-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

My short story collection is now available at the following bookstores:

Books On The Square - 471 Angell Street, Providence, RI

Brown University Bookstore - 244 Thayer Street, Providence, RI

Baker Books - 69 State Road, Dartmouth, MA

Brookline Booksmith 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA

Village Books - 1049 Swarthmore St. Pacific Palisades, CA (7/19/10 - Pre-Order Available!)

More stores in NYC, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Boston, and Providence coming soon!

Sun Chronicle Article - Appears on page E6

2010-05-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Buy My Book Here! Free Shipping!

2010-04-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.aqueousbooks.com/index.htm

2010-03-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

In dreams begin responsibilities—Atwood’s writing has a message of dreams and obsessions that lead to redemption for his characters. His premise is unique and the momentum of his stories simply purrs.

-Susan Compo, University of Southern California lecturer and author of Life After Death: And Other Stories, Pretty Things, Malingering, and Warren Oates: A Wild Life

In this impressive debut collection of stories, Michael J. Atwood charts the self-searching reality of the modern American experience. Whether it be a young man finally embracing positive choices and returning to his hometown to mourn the death of a beloved relative or a new father looking to move his family so they can have a better life, both the institutional and everyday rituals Atwood's characters embrace, endure and fall victim to will leave you gasping for more. HiStory of Santa Monica is a testament to the truth that the farther we drift from our roots the stronger the connection to them becomes. An engrossing first book by a writer whose voice we can expect more from in the future.

-Eric Wasserman, author of The Temporary Life

Fantastic storytelling! Original characters striving to stay afloat in the very deep and turbulent waters of Westside L.A. Atwood writes like a true roots rocker!

-George Wendt, actor and author of Drinking With George: A Barstool Professionals Guide to Beer

Michael J. Atwood's debut collection, History of Santa Monica, told from the first person perspective, is a book of tender stories beautifully rendered. In Ancient Hibernians a young man returns to the family home on the east coast to attend a funeral and confronts his own mortality. The protagonist in Been A Son, struggling with both her Catholic and female identities, says about living in Santa Monica: "the land of bikinis and jeweled navel rings; I won't be wearing either this summer." From his own deep heart, Atwood gives us the disenchanted heart of his characters and asks us to understand.

-Gloria Mindock, Cervena Barva Press

Michael Atwood's evocative stories are filled with characters dislocated by their ambitions--they're far from home, unfulfilled and left wondering if they've made the right choices. What the stories make clear is that Atwood's own journey, which fueled this strong first collection, has been emphatically worthwhile.

-Daniel McGinn, senior articles editor at NEWSWEEK and author of HOUSE LUST: America's Obsession with our Homes.

Purchase HiStory of Santa Monica today!

2010-03-20T10:41:00.001-07:00

http://www.prickofthespindle.com/pages/aqueous_books.htm

OR CLICK ON "PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE"

2010-03-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

HiStory of Santa Monica is now for sale! Pre-order on Aqueous Books today!

2009-06-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

News

HiStory of Santa Monica now has a Facebook page. You can join here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=92988281284&ref=ts

The short story collection has eight final draft and three published stories so far. It has been submitted to a few small presses in Massachusetts and I’m hoping to reach an agreement with one of them in 2009.

An extended version of Baptism will be published as a chapbook in 2010 by Cervena Barva Press of Somerville, MA:

http://www.cervenabarvapress.com/

“Welcome Back, Atwood”, my column with the N.A. Free Press, has reached 42 articles. Please check out the updated archive here:

http://mjatwood.com/articles.html

If you missed it, read Mike's latest published fiction here:

Ancient Hibernians - Istanbul Literary Review

http://www.ilrmagazine.net/story/issue13_st9.php

Baptism - Fresh! Literary Magazine

http://users.rcn.com/freshlit/baptism.htm

Windmills - Coq and Bull Journal

http://coqandbull.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/coqandbull1.pdf