Tag: book signing

Margerumalia – Apostrophizing 

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – August 30, 2024

No, I didn’t make up a new word this time, you can put away your score cards. But don’t throw them away all together, I’m bound to invent more in the future.

Apostrophizing is “to punctuate a word with an apostrophe.” And since Grammar Girl has discussed this issue on her podcast twice in three weeks, I thought I’d add my two cents’ worth. (Note the apostrophe after “cents.”)

The sign in the photo has been hanging on the family home for at least ten years, maybe twenty, and the apostrophe has been getting my goat all this time. 

As a theatre professor teaching in liberal arts colleges for many years, I corrected hundreds—my wife says thousands—of student papers. Supporting a Writing Across The Curriculum dictum, it was my job to assign papers, give corrections, collect rewrites, and grade them. I got really good at spotting errors and deciphering what the students actually meant to say. There was a lot of teaching going on in those exchanges! 

So what’s wrong with the Margerum sign? It’s beautifully crafted and a lovely gift to my parents that I’ve kept hanging by the front door just for the aesthetic, but that apostrophe is all wrong. 

This is a house that holds more than one Margerum. So the sign should simply say “The Margerums” without an apostrophe.

If you argue that the implied concept is that it’s the house belonging to the Margerums, then the possessive apostrophe belongs at the end: The Margerums’ House. In its current location the possessive would be the house of only one Margerum. That has never been true in the history of this domicile.

I’ve seen a crayon-type of wood filler sold in many different wood shades which could potentially fill in the offending punctuation mark, but it’d still be visible. Kind of like applying White-Out to a scribbled out misspelling on a birthday card. We all see it. 

So live and let live, I guess. Maybe the Grammar Police won’t come pounding on our door…or door’s. 

* * * * *

I highly recommend Grammar Girl podcasts as well as her books and website. She’s very accessible and explains grammar with genuine enthusiasm and a sense of fun. 

Her episodes on the apostrophe are #1006 and #1009. 

You’ll find her at https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl/

* * * * *

I’ll be returning to Barnes & Noble in Lafayette, Indiana, to do another book signing on Saturday, September 7 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. 

The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is also available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – The Professor’s Stories

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – August 23, 2024

That’s my Dad raising a glass to family and friends. My brother shared this photo last week in commemoration of his passing five years ago. It goes by so fast! In honor of his life and his work, I’m sharing something about stories that I learned from him. 

Dad was a Professor of Chemistry for 54 years. That’s not a typo. Fifty-four years! He loved teaching and really loved research because it generated endless questions to be answered and problems to be solved. He even worked with a Nobel Prize winning chemist, taking the whole family on two sabbaticals to Germany to be able to work with him.

But let’s rewind his story to the 1940’s when he was a teen in Missouri and got a job with his Local Parks & Recreation telling stories to the kids. The future chemistry professor was hired to make up stories that would keep the children engaged and interested on a hot summer afternoon. (I always pictured them sitting under a shady oak tree.)

Later, when he had his own family Dad treated my brothers and I to stories he invented for us around the campfire. They were serialized stories that continued throughout the camping trips and he had us rapt with attention. He often added aspects of the trip to the stories: hiking the Grand Canyon, canoeing the Boundary Waters, searching for stones and fossils… Such adventures!

When I moved to Los Angeles I toured with a children’s improv group and would later teach a course in improvisation as a theatre professor, but doing a solo story-telling gig would’ve been another level all together. 

It was when I was teaching at Carthage College in Wisconsin that I had a revelation about his story telling. Dad was often invited to colleges and universities to give a lecture about his research and he offered to do the same at Carthage. They took him up on it and my wife and I sat in on a talk that opened a window in my understanding.

Dad wasn’t just taking about chemistry, he was telling a story about his research group. They began by trying to solve a problem, researched the issue, set up an experiment to answer some questions, and pushed forward to make new discoveries with new experiments to see if they could solve the original problem. I sure didn’t understand the nitty gritty of the science, but I was rapt once again by his story of the process. 

It’s classic story structure! I had been primed for storytelling from an early age. (I must also credit Mom for reading us countless books during long drives. I still enjoy audiobooks and have even recorded a few.) 

So I’ll be raising a glass to Dad’s storytelling skills and his contribution to my creative urges in theatre and in writing. 

* * * * *

Another MAMLA review! Nice! Thanks for lending me a hand. 

If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com 

The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available as both a physical book and an ebook at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles 

Margerumalia – Newhart-Musk Phone Call 

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – August 16, 2024

On Monday, August 12th, Elon Musk live-streamed an interview with Donald Trump on X after a 40 minute delay due to technical difficulties. I started thinking about my newsletter of two weeks ago and imagined the following Bob-Newhart-style phone call: 

…Hello, X Technical Support Line, formerly known as Twitter Technical Support Line, Jeremy speaking…

…A-Actually you’d be surprised at how many people think I’m saying it’s the Ex-Technical Support Line, like “the former Technical Support Line,” so I try to make it plain from the get-go…How can I help?

…Oh! Hello Mr. X, formerly known as Mr. Musk!…(pause)…Just Mr. Musk, I see…Yes, I’ll remember…

…Y-you’re trying to live-stream on X and haven’t been able to get it started?…Uh-huh, well did you turn it on?…(pause)…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you, but 37% of my phone calls end with that question, and I know you’re all about the time-is-money thing…

…Y-you say you’re trying to interview the X President? But Mr. Musk, I thought you were the X President…(pause)…N-not the X President, but the ex-president?…Oh, him!…Well good for you, Mr. Musk, I’m sure you’re very proud of that… 

…Oh, well, yes, that is a problem. You must feel terribly embarrassed…I mean it’s nothing compared to that car show when you broke the unbreakable window on the new Tesla truck. That had to be humiliating!…(pause)…J-just a demo model. Of course, sir, I apologize…

…Oh, the streaming…Uh-huh, well, if it’s not responding, did you try going to the source and giving it a bit of a jiggle? Sometimes that’ll get the flow going nicely…(pause)…N-No, I’m still talking about electricity, but you might try it with that, too…

…As for the other problem, it sounds like your server is down…N-no, not Maria, the server that controls the live-stream…I’ll have it patched in about 30 minutes…(pause)…Y-you’re right, Maria is a very good seamstress, but it’s not that kind of patch…

…Ten million people waiting? But, sir, we don’t even have that many users…(pause)…Sir? Mr. Musk…? 

Maybe Bob Newhart would have had to bone up on his tech-speak. I don’t know how savvy he was about that kind of thing.

* * * * *

Barnes & Noble Book-Signing

Barnes & Noble invited me back to sign more books during the back-to-school rush. 

It’ll be in Lafayette, IN, on Saturday, September 7th 11:00-4:00.

The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is also available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – Creative Hobbies

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – July 19, 2024

The book signing at Main Street Books went very well with lots of people coming in to get out of the heat and get their passports stamped for finding the hidden Waldo somewhere in the store. I gave my elevator pitch to several parents who bought my book, and I gave away free mazes and bookmarks to every child who wanted one. Every maze asks, “Can you find your way out of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles?” with my URL ericmargerum.com on every page. Kudos to my wife for coming up with that strategy! 

 * * * * * 

I had an email conversation with my friend, Michael, whom I met recently—another local author—and here’s what he wrote:

Do me a favor, Eric. I want you to be deadly honest with me about my book,… unless you absolutely love it. In that case, go ahead and review it on Amazon.

No hurry on the coffee. I can do it anytime.

I’ve always said, if I never sell a single book, it’s okay because the experience has been fantastic. I feel differently now though. I just need to stop spending money on this hobby.

 * * * * * 

I wrote the following and then asked his permission to share my reply in this newsletter:

Hi Michael, 

I can see you walking the line very cautiously. Timidly, perhaps?

On one side of the line you want brutal honesty from someone you barely know to justify laying down the pen. On the other hand you’ve written an intriguing premise for a second book and have been thinking about how to link it to the first one. Clearly you carry the creative spark and yearn to keep creating.

I can tell you from many years of auditions both as an actor and a director, one person’s disinterest or praise is not that of the guy standing next to him. Everyone has their own preferences. Your book moved someone to tears. Any artist would say that’s a great achievement in and of itself. The next reader may not be moved and that’s okay.

As for spending money on a hobby, I was just watching an episode of That 90’s Show (sequel to That 70’s Show) and Red is spending time in his garage with his model trains. Do they mean anything to anyone else? No. Is he spending money on this hobby? Yes. Does he think it’s a pointless expense? No. Do I think so? Yes. Who’s right? 

At least your “hobby” elicits emotions. One might look at Red’s train table, watch the choo-choo run the circuit a couple of times, nod and offer a vague compliment and leave. But your book, your work, is an art form. As a creative with a capital C, I see great value in that. It makes the world a better place, generates empathy, brings a unique perspective. I don’t see how that could be dismissed as a mere hobby.

Are there ways to improve on the generation of income? Doubtless there are. I’m looking for them, too. Are there ways to decrease the expense side. Probably. It’s worth looking at. That’s the whole business side of writing. If you’re hurting for income you may need to address that balance sheet. That’s practical. Separate that from the art form. 

Okay, enough preaching from me. I just don’t want to see you sabotage yourself. And, of course, I need to hear all these things, too. We have to develop our inner coach to give us a pep talk now and then, right?

Coffee soon. 

 * * * * * 

He said he really needed to hear that. Don’t we all? Guess what he showed me on his phone when we met for coffee? His model train set. The train table had mountains and ponds, flora and fauna, buildings and roads…the whole shebang…and filled one end of his basement.

Here’s the kicker. He had recently decided to pack it all up and put it away because it had just been collecting dust. I had no idea about that, but I do believe in the significance of coincidences, and that was a strong one. 

He’s writing his second book. I’m getting ready to read his first book and I’ll let you know more about it. 

 * * * * * 

Fun fact. That line of asterisks between sections of text is called a dinkus. In MAMLA the interior designers gave me a small maze wherever I indicated a need for a dinkus. Isn’t that cool? I love working with creative folk! 

TTFN

Margerumalia – A Case For the Arts and Humanities

Eric Margerum

I’ll be at Main Street Books during the Farmer’s Market tomorrow. MSB is a small charming independent bookstore with equally charming folk working there. I’m looking forward to meeting more readers tomorrow!

A few weeks back I was talking to a Chatbot about a script I had ordered but never received. The bot asked me: “Can you confirm that you have not received the script.” Hmm. At first glance it sounds like a yes or no question about receiving the script. But is it? Or is it a yes or no question about my ability to confirm? If I were talking to another human being, my expression or my tone of voice would help with my reply. But not with a chat bot. I thought about it very carefully and wrote back: “I have not received the script.” That worked. 

A few days ago, someone posted this on Nextdoor: “Amy cut my hair as well as my son…” Excuse me? Amy cut your son?!  The rest of the post was in praise of Amy and her skills, but the beginning of that sentence doesn’t seem to be going that direction. 

Why am I telling you this about the Chatbot and the Nextdoor post? Well, I’d promised to share the contributions from people who wrote ideas and put them in my “Most Amazing” book. The examples above are relevant to what one adult wrote: 

Museum of communication with semantics, common misunderstandings, various languages, expressions, tone, voice, diction, and ways to communicate. 

Granted it sounds like the summary of a master’s degree in communication, but she makes a good point. If only people were more skilled at expressing themselves clearly whether with words, like my examples, or with awareness of tone, expression, and so much more. 

I’m making a case for the arts and humanities here. They are the disciplines in which we develop empathy and insight into the human condition. As a director I can tell you that actors spend a lot of time parsing out the nitty gritty of words and phrases to find just the right vocal inflections, body language, and even pauses. It’s not just “playing pretend” although we like doing that, too. 

A recent article in our local newspaper reported on the lack of available driver’s training in our state. One mother described talking to someone at the BMV: ‘well, where do we go for the driver’s part of it? I need my kids to be able to get their license,’ and they said ‘we don’t know there’s a shortage.’” The last six words might be read two ways, either the person at the BMV doesn’t know the answer because there is a shortage, or they are denying any knowledge of a shortage. 

Good writing, as my friend Woody points out, should not have these tripping points for the reader. It should just flow. That takes practice, awareness, sensitivity, and communication skills. Something everyone has the ability to develop.

Would’t that be amazing?

TTFN

P.S. This PBS NewsHour segment about National History Day popped up in my podcast feed after I wrote the words above. It’s a perfect illustration of my point. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/competition-inspires-students-to-explore-history-through-art

Margerumalia – New Book Signing on Main Street

Eric Margerum

Newsletter  June 28, 2024 

Next stop: July 13th Main Street Books in Lafayette, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

Main Street Books is only a block away from the Saturday Farmer’s Market so we expect to entice the folks looking for A/C and a good read.

What I learned about publishing this week: algorithms are in charge. Maybe someone should write a story about that… 

“HAL, order 50 more copies of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles.”

“I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that.” 

“That is a direct order, HAL.” 

“I understand, Dave, but I am unable to comply.” 

So it turns out that all the websites from Amazon to Books-A-Million, have a notification saying MAMLA is on backorder, or temporarily out of stock. But that’s not really true. It’s just distribuspeak* for print-on-demand. If you go ahead and order a copy of the book from Barnes & Noble, for example, it’ll be printed and shipped out right away. Easy-peasy!

This is also true of local bookstores ordering from a distributor (I’m looking at you, Ingram) — in support of an author’s book signing.

You’ll probably save time by buying the book directly from the publisher at the BookBaby Bookstore. That’s store.bookbaby.com. By the way, I get more dollars when you go that route. Even the e-books.

On a different note, those of you already following me on social media have probably already seen my post of the Best Review Of All Time, or BROAT**. I’m going to share it again here because it gives me all the warm fuzzies every time I see it. 

I got an email from one mother who wrote “…this weekend my daughter asked to ‘go to Grandma’s house so she can read that museum book again.’ What a lovely thing for them to share.  Thank you!!!” 

I love that. 

May your weekend be full of warmth and appreciation.

TTFN!

–    –    –    –    –

*Another word I’m contributing to the English Language! That’s four, for those of you keeping a tally at home.

** Ch-ching! FIVE.

Margerumalia – Is An Acronym A Word?

Eric Margerum

Newsletter  June 21, 2024 

MAMLA is an acronym for The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles but is it a word? I’m asking for a friend. A friend who suggested that MAMLA is, in fact, my third addition to the English language — after hypernataldigitation (newsletter 5/03/24) and Margerumalia (newsletter 6/14/24). Maybe the origin of the museum name will help to suss it out.

But first: selling a book in a grocery store.

Fresh Thyme Market is an organic grocery store just three blocks from where I live and we often shop there. They keep a neat, friendly atmosphere and were very accommodating to my book signing table. I got to see neighbors, strangers, and a high school friend from years ago. I’ve also gotten pretty good at my elevator pitch for the book, describing just enough of the plot to intrigue potential readers. 

All in all I sold about half as many books as I did at the public library or Barnes & Noble, but—as I reminded myself while packing up—this is a food store, not a book store. Half as many books sold is pretty darn good, I’d say! And I left the store with a fresh perspective (pun intended). 

Next stop, the county library, date TBD, and Main Street Books in Lafayette on July 13. The Saturday Farmer’s Market on Fifth Street brings browsers to the bookstore. 

Back to MAMLA. It was inspired by MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, where I spent an adventurous afternoon several years ago. I had just missed the cut-off for student rush tickets at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown LA and found out that my parking fee was good for several hours but not good for a refund. The MOCA caught my eye and I walked a few blocks to see what I could see. 

I walked through many contemporary art exhibits, some of which bored me, like the big hall of six foot fluorescent lights hung up in as many different combinations as you can imagine. Actually, I think you could imagine several better ones. There were no colors, no sculpted neon-styles, just things like three horizontal lights and two vertical. Ho-Hum. And those fluorescents do hum!

A different exhibit really captured my imagination, though. It had huge geometrical shapes, each one painted in a solid primary or secondary color. I intended to glide through this hall but was surprised to feel vibrations emanating from each shape, almost like a musical tone. If you’ve made it to Chapter 16 in MAMLA, you’ll recognize The Gallery of Shapes and Colors. I was amazed to actually experience intrinsic emotions from each shape. That’s when I decided then to name my museum The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles. MAMLA.

Word (noun): a speech sound or series of speech sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning usually without being divisible into smaller units capable of independent use (Merriam-Webster.com). 

Yeah, I think I’m going to claim MAMLA as the third word I’ve contributed to the English language.

TTFN!

Margerumalia – Barnes and Noble Book Signing

Eric Margerum

Newsletter June 14, 2024

First, I’ve heard that a good newsletter needs a good name so I invented another new word: Margerumalia. It’s a portmanteau combining Margerum with marginalia (notes in the margins). SO that’s two new words I’ve added to the English language. Look out, Shakespeare, I’m catching up!

Second, the book signing last Saturday at Barnes & Noble was very enjoyable, with a steady stream of customers who bought about as many books as I sold the previous week at the library. 

I’ve got to tell you something I overheard from a 30-something couple passing by. The man pointed out the person at the service desk and said, “She’s like a liberrian.” Fortunately they weren’t facing me when I broke out into a big grin. That’s where I got the idea for the lie-berries in “Plot Holes” and MAMLA! It’s the common mispronunciation of library. I loved hearing that. Felt like a confirmation.

A friend in my writing group told me Piers Anthony also had lie-berries in his Xanth novels. I had no idea. I’ve read several of his other books but haven’t tackled that series—47 of them so far! Sounds like I need a new TBR shelf for his books alone. I recommend his writing and his storytelling, by the way—it doesn’t hurt that he has my same love of puns and wordplay.

I hope every local author is treated as well as I was at Barnes & Noble. They were so friendly and considerate, a few employees even bought copies of their own! They invited me to return in August for the Back To School rush and I’m looking forward to it. Meanwhile there are a set of signed copies on their shelves with my bookmarks inside. 

Tomorrow I’ll have a table set up at my neighborhood Fresh Thyme Market where they also like to support local authors. I’ll wear something warmer, though, because the last author I saw there was seated in front of a table of refrigerated food. Good organic produce, by the way. That’ll be from about 11:00 to 2:00 pm. Local friends should note that this is the West Lafayette store, not the one in Lafayette. 

A former student suggests that I also set up a book signing in Naperville, Illinois. Maybe I can line up a few stops in that area. It’d be fun to see some familiar faces! 

TTFN!

At Home Dress Rehearsal

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – May 24, 2024

There’s no performance without a dress rehearsal. That’s something I learned from fifty years of theatre. 

The image above is one end of my book signing table set up at home in preparation for June 1st and 8th.* The poster board and pile of books are to pique the interest of passersby so they approach my table. The bookmarks are a free giveaway, and the cloud and the butterflies are elements of the novel. 

See the peach colored book behind the bookmarks? It’s a hollow book in which I’ll invite children—and the young at heart—to contribute ideas about what they would have in an amazing museum: 

“What amazing idea do you have for a museum? Write it down and put it in the Most Amazing book. I just might include it in my newsletter.”

You can play along, too, if you want to send me your amazing ideas. Just hit reply.   

I’ll show you the other end of the table next week. More clouds and butterflies, of course, and other things from the book. 

Want to help? 

You can follow me (Facebook, Instagram, Substack, and X) and share my posts about the book. 

You can forward this newsletter to someone who would enjoy subscribing. They can click on this link: https://margerumwritesfiction.ck.page/f0b8e21e7f 

You can preorder the physical book on a few different sites including The Book Baby Bookshop, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. The ebook is available at all of those and at Apple Books, and Kobo.

TTFN!

————

*Indiana Book Signings

June 1 – West Lafayette Public Library Summer Reading Kickoff 11 AM to 2 PM

June 8 – Lafayette Barnes & Noble 1 -5 PM