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Author-turned-DJ Steven R. Boyett had a fantastic launch party event at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego this week on Tuesday, November 3, where he signed copies of both Ariel and Elegy Beach.

Fans lined up to have their favorite post-apocalyptic novel signed, along with the sequel fans have waited 26 years to read. Some even brought their original copies of Ariel, first published by Ace in 1983!
 
Boyett was thrilled to be in such good company--he'll be seeing some familiar faces at the LoJolla Writers Conference this weekend, where Mysterious Galaxy is selling books. Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore is beloved by both readers and authors who gather there to talk about the books, music, and everything in between, and once Steve got to talking about writing fantasy and DJ-ing Burning Man, there was no stopping him!

Check out some of the pictures from the event below:

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Sentinel’s Mike Huckabee Hits the Road on a 60-Bookstore Tour through 21 States

On November 3rd, Sentinel will publish former Governor Mike Huckabee's new book, A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories That Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit.

Unlike his previous New York Times bestseller, Do The Right Thing, this one has nothing to do with politics. It's a collection of true stories from his own life, ranging from childhood to the present -- all taking place at Christmas time. Some of these memories will bring a smile, some may bring a tear, but all will help readers reconnect with the things that really matter -- faith, family, love, and hope.

Huckabee is going on another massive national bus tour (his bus is pictured) - 60 bookstore signings in 21 states in 3 weeks. The events will cross-promote the paperback of Do The Right Thing. In addition, he is scheduled to make several national TV, radio, and print appearances, starting with his own talk show ("Huckabee") on Fox News Channel this weekend. In December, after the tour, he will wrap up with mainstream media including “The Daily Show” and “The View.”

For more information, click here.

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Patricia Cornwell Launches the Seventeenth Novel in her Internationally Bestselling Kay Scarpetta Series 

Patricia Cornwell, the world’s #1 bestselling crime writer, launched the seventeenth novel in her bestselling Kay Scarpetta series this week, The Scarpetta Factor. Cornwell was interviewed on ABC Radio’s “Imus in the Morning” on the morning of publication, which was simulcast on the FOX Business network; click here to watch a clip of the interview. She was interviewed on almost 40 different programs across the country during her national television and radio satellite tours. Yesterday, Cornwell taped an interview for CNN.com’s "Book Report", which reaches millions of viewers online, and was interviewed live on WOR-AM’s “Joan Hamburg Show.. Parade magazine interviewed Cornwell for last Sunday’s issue, and her Q&A for “Pop Matters 20 Questions” went up this week on Popmatters.com and was syndicated nationwide on the McClatchy Newswire.
 

George Putnam, Grandson of Putnam Founder and Husband of Amelia Earhart, Featured in a New Movie

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Actor Mario Lopez Garners Major Media for New Celebra Picture Book, Mud Tacos!

Actor and “Extra” Host Mario Lopez has written his first children’s book with his sister Marissa Lopez Wong titled Mud Tacos!, which was published this week by Celebra children's books, simultaneously in English and Spanish. Mud Tacos! is a loving tale about their family and the nurturing bond between a brother and sister. The story follows Mario and Marissa and their cousins Chico and Rosie playing in their nana’s backyard and using their imagination to have fun.

Mario Lopez was on "Live with Regis and Kelly" yesterday morning and also did a cooking segment on “The Today Show” where he made tacos. Mario has been talking about his book all week on “Extra” and will also be featured on “Ellen” and the “Wendy Williams Show.” People, OK!, amNewYork, Hartford Courant, San Diego Tribune, WNBC, and News12 Long Island, among many others, will all feature Mud Tacos! and Mario Lopez.
 

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Author Eric Carle Appears on “The Today Show” to Celebrate Jumpstart’s Fourth Annual Read for the Record Campaign

Acclaimed Penguin Young Readers author Eric Carle appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” yesterday in celebration of Jumpstart’s fourth annual Read for the Record campaign. Jumpstart was aiming to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to one million children in one day. They now estimate that they far surpassed that target, and expected that the book will have been read to close to 1.6 million children during the course of yesterday.

Celebrities joined Eric Carle on “The Today Show” plaza to lend their names to this important cause. Among them were actress Mary Louise Parker, actor Vince Vaughn, Disney actresses Madison Pettis and Jennifer Stone, and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis who made Very Hungry Caterpillar-inspired cookies on the show.

Following “The Today Show,” Mr. Carle appeared at a press conference at the New York Public Library alongside actresses Mary Louise Parker and Stephanie March ("Law and Order SVU"), New York City’s Deputy Mayor, Jumpstart officials, and Bill Barke, CEO of Pearson's Higher Education Arts & Science Group. At the conference, it was announced that Mayor Bloomberg had officially declared October 8, 2009 Read for the Record Day.

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The 2009 National Book Festival Draws Record Crowd

The 2009 National Book Festival, which took place last weekend in Washington DC, was a major success, drawing a record number of attendees, with over 130,000 booklovers making it out to the National Mall, despite rainy weather.

Fifteen authors from Penguin Group (USA) participated this year, and all drew packed crowds for their presentations in the various pavilions on the National Mall on Saturday. Haynes Johnson/ Dan Balz (Viking/Penguin); Sue Monk Kidd/ Ann Kidd Taylor (Viking/Penguin); Junot Diaz (Riverhead); Daniel Silva (Putnam); Walter Mosley (Riverhead); Mark Kurlansky (Riverhead); Margaret Coel (Berkley); Craig Johnson (Viking/Penguin); and Ricky Minor (Gotham), as well as Penguin Young Readers Group authors Jon Sciezka; Jacqueline Woodson; Stephen Kellogg; and Nikki Grimes, all greeted hundreds of fans who braved the rain to hear their talks. In addition, Junot Diaz was a big hit as a featured headlining author at the festival's kick-off breakfast, hosted by the Washington Post, on Saturday morning, prior to the festival.

The Penguin Group (USA) booth area was constantly busy with readers of all ages who turned out to take photos with the Penguin and the Very Hungry Caterpillar, grab free Penguin Young Readers books and participate in a variety of book-related arts-and-crafts projects. Pictured here is Dr. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress, who stopped by the booth for an impromptu dance party with the Penguin.

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Thirteen Penguin Group (USA) Authors Featured at 2009 National Book Festival

The 2009 National Book Festival, an annual event organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free and open to the public, the festival features more than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets appearing in "Fiction & Fantasy," "Mysteries & Thrillers," "History & Biography," "Children," "Teens & Children," "Poetry," and "Home & Family" pavilions. In addition, fun activities that promote reading will be set up for children in the popular "Let's Read America" pavilion. Individual 30-minute author presentations and one-hour book signings by the participating authors are the heart of the National Book Festival, which is designed to bring readers together with their favorite writers and illustrators.

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Barney’s Hosts Fashion Week Bash for Penguin Author Scott Schuman

In the midst of New York’s Fashion Week, Barneys hosted a soiree for fashion blogger Scott Schuman and his newly released Penguin Original, The Sartorialist. Lines snaked around the store as hundreds of fans and fashionistas gathered to toast Scott on his success. Scott also designed a men’s pop-up shop, featuring his favorite designers as well as his book, which will run through September 29th.

Scott is pictured here with Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan (left). For more coverage, visit Scott’s blog.

Penguin employees can get the deluxe/gift edition of The Sartorialist at the unbelievable discounted price of $52.50 (cover price is $175) here in the Penguin USA Employee Book Store.
 

Penguin Audio Featured in AM New York

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Gotham Author Michael Gates Gill Strikes a Positive Chord at Freshman Convocation

Michael Gates Gill, the son of a famous journalist (Brendan Gill of New Yorker fame), had it all: a beautiful family, a high-powered, high-paying Ad-Exec job, a mansion in the suburbs, perfect health, and a six-figure salary. At age 63, he then lost it all: he was divorced from his wife, estranged from his kids, downsized from his job, and even diagnosed with a brain tumor. His bestselling Gotham book, How Starbucks Saved My Life, talks about what happened next: he got a job at Starbucks. Being a barista gave him a new perspective on life in every way possible, and taught him a lesson that’s all too easily forgotten: one can always begin anew.

Recently Gill spoke about How Starbucks Saved My Life at Middle Tennessee State University, where his book was selected as assigned summer reading for the incoming class of nearly 4,000 freshmen. Speaking to about 5,000 new undergrads overall at convocation, Gill found his book practically everywhere on campus: on T-shirts, posters, and more. Above all, though, Gill enjoyed hearing feedback straight from fans of all ages: from teenagers, to fathers and sons, to entire families (one family remarked that it was their “summer read” for the beach).

The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard (Hudson Street Press, on sale now)

Most people know the horrific details of 21 year-old college student Matthew Shepard's murder in Laramie, Wyoming ten years ago.  Long before the terrible hate crime that took his life, and made him a household name in the area of gay rights, Matthew was simply Judy Shepard's son.  In The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed, on sale now from Hudson Street Press, Judy speaks for the first time in book form about her loss, sharing memories of Matthew, their life as a typical American family and the pivotal event in a small college town that changed everything.   National publicity included coverage in USA Today and Newsweek and appearances on CBS' "The Early Show," and NPR's "Talk of the Nation" on 9/8.   Judy kicks off a 12-city book tour with an event at the Barnes & Noble at Union Square in New York on 9/9.