Indelible Release Party

Yesterday was the book launch party for Indelible, a book written by Lani Woodland. I was able to help with the party planning and act as the MC. It was held at the El Cerrito branch of the Riverside Library and I have to tell you, it was a blast.

First off, the party for Intrinsical, the precursor to Indelible that was released last year, happened to fall on a day when I had a final. I was in design school at the time and while everyone else at the library was setting up for the party, I was on one of the library computers throwing together a last minute power point presentation (don't judge me, I had the rest of the project done, just not the dumb power point). I even had to leave the party early in order to make it to class on time. So, the opportunity to be at the Indelible party from start to finish was joyous for me.

Lani knows how to throw a party. Long after I've declared things "good enough", she's still working on new ideas. The party ended up with: a brand new book trailer, a Q & A session that got wild, thanks to a potent combination of bribery by candy and Lani's self-proclaimed "horrible throwing skills" (which led to many people ducking out of the way when the person behind them asked a question and received their piece of bribery candy via Lani's air mail delivery system), a drawing for several gift cards (my daughter, thankfully, was out of the room when her ticket was pulled to win the gift certificate to Cold Stone, and the prize went immediately back into drawing circulation), a dessert bar, a live musical performance of the original song Dreaming of You, featured in the books, and a signing session.

There were two things about this party that I'm especially excited about. Thanks to an article in the Press Enterprise, we had guests arrive who had never read the books before. One of these was the head of the Corona Historical Society. This is a real society which is featured in Indelible. She bought a copy of Intrinsical and Indelible and I keep imagining her reading through the books with a hi-lighter, marking up any Corona references and making sure the research is accurate. (On a side note, I received an email from her later that night inviting me to a Corona: Then and Now event. I plan on attending, and sitting next to an exit for quick escape in case they decide they don't like me).

The second thing that put this party over the top was the laughter and delight of the guests in attendance. I've been to several book signings and there's always an air of tension in the room. Lani was able to charm the socks off everyone. She really worked that crowd, and I admire her for not only all of her hard work, but for taking the time to make sure each person was thanked for coming and showing their support.

The most fulfilling part of this experience was working with Lani, her husband, Cheryl Brown, Clint, Gary, and everyone else who contributed their creativity and resources to making such a fun evening possible. Being creative on your own is fun, but being creative as part of a group is a hundred times better.

Pictures will be posted soon, including several shots of fan-made shirts.