My scrap booking of #TheWritingLife was kind of spotty back when my first book dropped. Add a couple of computer crashes and the exact date of the launch of The Boy from Willow Bend escapes me. But this newspaper review is February 2003, so I’m using it to approximate.
Willow Bend really got the short end of the stick (in terms of launch and launch images). Although, about to go in to its third printing, its been my most enduring book to date – in great part because it is taught in schools in a couple of Caribbean islands including my own Antigua. The only bit of extra-ness in terms of the launch is the t-shirt I got done with the book cover. Willow Bend’s thrift is so short, I have only one or two images from the launch – held on a Saturday morning, and essentially me set up with a table outside of the Best of Books (their British American mall branch) and signing books as people came by.I think we were both relieved it went well (Ms. Graeme of Best of Books indicated that sales were good and I could hardly believe I was a published author) and, hey, we’ll always have the memories (well, I’ll always have the memories, they do many launches). The Boy from Willow Bend was re-issued in 2009, but, while there was a lot of promotional hustle behind the scenes, there was no launch event (do re-issues get launch events?).
The re-launch was also the occasion for my first set of author photos for media distribution etc.; taken by my friend/photography enthusiast, Jane.
Anyway, count them, the actual first round launch pics (1, 2):
In the second picture, middle, in green, face obscured, that’s my friend Alstyne, now deceased- wasn’t sure I wanted to post that one, but, well, it occurs to me as I write this how often she was just…there. None of us do this alone.
Click my books for more on this or other books by Joanne C. Hillhouse. Explore the site for other launch galleries either already posted or coming soon. But don’t take and re-use any picture posted here for any purpose without first asking.
Back to Main Appearances page.
jhohadli 
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