The other night, Thursday to be exact, was the launch party for Lesley Livingston’s second book, DARKLIGHT. It was held at the same fantastic location as last year’s WONDROUS STRANGE launch, Dominion on Queen in downtown Toronto.

And of course all the usual suspects were there, including Karin Lowachee, who I picked up on my way into the city, Leah Bobet, SKS Perry, and Adrienne Kress. The night was filled with chatter, drinks, a fantastic reading by Lesley, the debut of the DARKLIGHT book trailer–which I’ve posted below–and quite clearly not enough time to talk with everyone quite enough, which was a real pity since we don’t get to see each other in the flesh all that often.

The night disappeared rather quickly, and after getting my book signed by Lesley (we waited until the line had dissipated) Karin and I ended up heading out around 11:30PM as I had to work in the morning. Unfortunately we’d left before we had a chance to chat with Lesley, but I’m sure we’ll see each other at Ad Astra in April.

One of the highlights of the night was definitely the unveiling of the book trailer, which is below, so check it out:

More photos of the night here.

Well, now that a week has gone by since I went with Karin Lowachee and Adrienne Kress to see Chuck Palahniuk read in Toronto–yeah, we’re talking May 12th, 2009–I figured now is a good time to actually blog about it. I know, I know, I’ve been rather lax in that department as of late, but life as snowballed around me and I’ve been having a rather trying time treading water. 

But I’ve vowed to remedy that! Starting today.

Right. So last Tuesday I finally got to see the awesome Chuck Palahniuk in person, reading at the Isabel Bader Theatre. And he does put on an entertaining show, including a funny discussion regarding his apparent misuse of the German language while on tour in Germany. Besides the mostly university-going crowd, who hovered over every word he uttered and laughed at things that weren’t necessarily funny, and cheered when he said ‘fuck’ for the first time (yeah, they did–for real), it was a fun-filled evening with inflatable penguins, blow-up dolls, and nursery rhymes that only Chuck Palahniuk could write. I’m sure the nursery rhymes, which are tied to his new book PYGMY, will be released sometime in the near future on his website.

After the reading I shared a few words with Chuck Palahniuk–which were primarily gibberish–and watched him sign my books. I brought PYGMY, CHOKE, and INVISIBLE MONSTERS. And he personalized all three, and wrote rather funny quips in them as well. My favourite, for numerous reasons, is below:

Handshakes with a trophy ensued:

And then Karin, Adrienne and I headed off for ravenous sushi gluttony, as we were absolutely famished. Good conversation ensued, as it always does.

Then the night was over.

The End.

You can check out more pictures here: 
http://www.derekmolata.com/photos/album/72157618302514209/chuck-palahniuk-5122009.html

Right. It took me a few days but I was finally able to find some time to upload the pics from the WONDROUS STRANGE book launch that HarperCollins put on this past Thursday. First off, I picked up Karin Lowachee after I was done work and we headed out for a bite to eat. As always, great company creates great conversation, and we quickly found ourselves running late. It wasn’t snowing too much but the roads were pretty icy, so I couldn’t drive like a complete maniac without endangering our lives needlessly.

When we found the bar that the launch was being held at, we quickly found a parking spot and made our way inside. But only to the inner doors. We mistakenly thought the side door was the only way in, which was locked, so we went back outside and walked aimlessly around the front of the bar, where we could see on the inside that Lesley had already started her reading. After walking in front of the window like lost puppies wanting inside, we realized that there was indeed another door and so we made our way into the crowded warmth.

After Lesley was finished reading from her book and making some great announcements, Karin and I located a few other people we were planning on meeting. Hijinks ensued. Namely S.K.S. Perry and I debating what was actually in the “crabcakes” we were eating, and Caitlin Sweet trying to get me to drink more wine. And more wine. Which really, isn’t a hard thing to do.

Yes. And then there was the purse. Stemming from a conversation on Skype with a few people, it seemed that I was forced into modeling Karin’s purse. I took to the task with great gusto. I’m sure the people in the bar enjoyed my photoshoot. Supposedly some people want this to happen regularly. I’m not quite sure why.

Anyways, I digress. It was a great evening out. If you haven’t picked up WONDROUS STRANGE yet by Lesley Livingston, I suggest you do.

You can check out more pics from the night here.