Initial Rambles: A Writer Emerges
(Courtesy of Perfume Professor)
Earlier this month, my new book Midnight Rambles: H. P. Lovecraft in Gotham hit bookstore shelves. After years of toil and extended bouts of isolation, I was ready to emerge from the hermitage and savor the most rewarding aspect of writing–meeting and interacting with audiences and readers.
The past few weeks did not disappoint. P&T Knitwear, a welcoming and masterfully curated bookstore in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, hosted the launch on November 10, 2023. Claire Donner, Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, served as the evening’s moderator and presented me with a series of wonderfully challenging questions. Looking into the audience, I was grateful to spot several colleagues and friends. People shared their own thoughts on H. P. Lovecraft and expressed interest in his (until now) overlooked New York years. A great beginning to my modest book tour.
On November 16, a St. Bonaventure University journalism professor interviewed me about Lovecraft, New York, and my experiences in writing and publishing for his students. It was exciting to chat with young people dreaming of their own futures in books, ideas, and words. In the evening of that same day, I ventured to Hoboken, New Jersey, for an event at Little City Books. The conversation ranged from my research methods to Lovecraft’s obsession with felines.
Achieving a dream held by almost any American author, I next spoke at the storied New York Public Library. Yes, the august institution guarded by a pair of stone lions and housing one of the great research collections of the world. To a full house comprised of both longtime, knowledgeable fans and curious, new readers, I presented a distillation of Midnight Rambles and how New York City informed and shaped the life and writings of Lovecraft. The discussion was equally fulfilling with questions pulling my own thinking in unanticipated directions.
Next month begins with a short trip to Providence, Rhode Island, to talk about Lovecraft and my book in his very own hometown. I hope to make the old gentleman proud.