Connect with Garth on:
|
Readers' Two Cents
Book Bloggers Buzz about Raven "Stein's voice is fresh and unique, and
anyone searching for a book that holds them tight right to the end will find
such an experience in Raven Stole the Moon." -Carp(e) Libris "Stein's suspenseful and
occasionally hair-raising treatment of Jenna's battles with the kushtaka adds a
unique twist to what would otherwise have been a more conventional tale. This
is a fast paced, riveting story, and one that is a worthy precursor to Stein's
later work." -Bookstack "In a way this is a story
that has been told over and over again and yet Stein tells it through fresh
eyes that are never sentimental, never cliched, never simple. He held my attention and made me want
to keep reading long past my bedtime." -Chaotic Compendiums "Raven Stole the Moon has made my favorites list for this
year. It's powerful, thrilling, suspenseful, gripping and will scare the pants
off you!" -Just One More Paragraph
|
|
Garth's Event Calendar
Reading and Signing at
Borders
April 16, 2010
7 p.m.
Fairfax, VA
Reading and Signing at Books&Crannies
April 17, 2010
2 p.m.
Middleburgh, VA
Reading and Signing at WritersCenter
April 17, 2010
7:30 p.m.
Bethesda, MA
Author Series Luncheon
Brickell Avenue Literary Society
April 19, 2010
11 a.m.
Miami, FL
Seattle7Writers Literary Lunch & Benefit
The Nile Country Club
April 21, 2010
11:30 a.m.
Mountlake Terrace, WA
Community Read
April 22, 2010
7 p.m.
North Central Regional Library
Wenatchee, WA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rave Reviews for Raven
 Raven Stole the Moon,
a re-release of Garth's first novel, is now available in bookstores! Reviews
started hitting online book blogs in early March. The overwhelming consensus?
Raven is a must-read!
Check out this month's Readers' Two Cents column for review quotes, and look for Jenna and her red umbrella - in bookstores now!
|
|
Enter the Raven Stole the Moon Video Contest
 Would you like to win a live visit with Garth?
Would you
like your opinion to be featured on the Garth Stein website?
If so, enter the
Raven Stole the Moon Video Contest!
Click here for rules and a full listing of prizes. The deadline for submission is
Friday, April 30.
Like the looks of our new red Raven umbrella? Visit The Enzo Store and add a little
Jenna to your rainy season wardrobe.
Garth is on YouTube! Visit the Garth Stein YouTube Channel for
book trailers, interviews and fan videos. Become a subscriber to stay
up-to-date on Raven contest submissions as well as his upcoming video projects.
|
|
On the Road
 Garth visited Warwick's in La Jolla, California on February 2. In true Garth Stein form, he had the
crowd in stitches over the fascinating path of his manuscript for The Art of
Racing in the Rain. He joked about his wife's
initial dismay at Garth beginning a new book before finishing his last. He remembered
his first agent's outright dismissal. In the end, the real story was about a
highly successful, inspiring novel that Garth never gave up on.
In a side note to this event, we're trying to track down a
woman named Maria. Are you Maria from Warwick's? If so, e-mail Garth@garthstein.com. He has a special message waiting for
you.
Watch a video of the discussion.
Diesel, a
bookstore in Brentwood, California,
welcomed Garth on February 3 for a light discussion and book signing of The
Art of Racing in the Rain. Many of those who attended were already
fans of Enzo and Garth, and they all had a blast with the witty, entertaining
author.
"A Tale for Three Counties" in Western New York turned
out record crowds for events associated with their 2010 common reader, The
Art of Racing in the Rain.  Garth visited the area in early March for
talks at Genesee Community College and the Richmond library, as well as some
local book signings. Both Garth and the creators were blown away by the number
of people who participated in the community-reading program. A total of about
600 people attended the grand finale events - a record for the eight-year-old
"Tale" program.
"A lot of people discovered Tale for the first time," said Leslie
DeLooze, the Richmond Memorial librarian who started the program. "Our project,
which has been successful over the past eight years, got a tremendous boost
this year with Garth's visit."
Connecting with readers via Skype is a great way for Garth to make special appearances
at book club meetings all over the country. On January 24, he joined the
Seattle Book Club for a lively discussion with 22 of its members.
"Everyone loved the discussion, and we kept the conversation
(and wine, I might add) flowing for a couple of hours," said Michele Evans. "I
can imagine that Garth is busy, but he really made a big impact on our group!"
|
|
Coming Soon to You (Tube)
Riddle me this: What do you get when you cross a green-eyed gent, a thieving bird, and shape shifting Otter People with an insightful Q&A?
Send us your best guesses and the person with the right answer (or
close) will win an autographed copy of Raven Stole The Moon.
|
|
The Cloven Reading at the Hugo House
Garth's Twitter
followers know that The Cloven reading at the Richard Hugo House rocked!
More than 250 people came to the
Seattle literary hotspot on February 19 for the "Gods and Monsters" event, part
of the Hugo Literary Series.
"The audience loved Garth's reading," said Brian McGuigan, marketing
and program manager for Hugo House. "He has a knack for humor, and the
piece he read... caused many chuckles and chortles throughout the audience, yet
he didn't just rely on humor. His writing is thoughtful and tends toward the
universal, and by that, I mean he finds the nugget of truth in his piece and
drives home the importance of it through humor."
Garth shared the stage with Linda
Bierds, Terrance Hayes, and the literary-themed death metal band BloodHag.
Read The Cloven for a freakishly hilarious and introspective ride.
|
|
Seattle7Writers and Third Place Books Team Up
 Come meet, mingle, lunch, laugh, and chat
with your favorite Northwest authors, in special benefit of the Seattle chapter
of Writers in the Schools.
The Literary Lunch will be hosted by Third Place Books and the Seattle7Writers group, a collective
of authors including Garth Stein, Erica Bauermeister, Mary Guterson, Jennie
Shortridge, Carol Cassella, Randy Sue Coburn, Kit Bakke and Stephanie Kallos.
Check out the Calendar of
Events for full details.
|
|
The Art of Cooking in the Rain
 From Garth: Last summer I tweeted: "My new dish:
Crispy Salt & Pepper Chicken. Potato starch makes it crispy--an important
lesson to teach my son before he cooks for others." Apparently, my
tweet created a demand for the recipe, so it's time to unveil the real secrets
of the dish.
Crispy Salt and Pepper Chicken
1 lb. chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
1 lb. chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 cup potato starch*
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
Grape seed or other neutral oil**
A handful of Thai basil leaves
Marinade***
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
2 Tbsp sugar
Makes enough for 6 people.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix marinade ingredients together
in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add the chicken and marinade for 30 to
60 minutes in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, drain the chicken in
a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
Mix the potato starch, salt, pepper, and chili powder in a flat bowl or dish.
Pour an inch or so of oil into a large frying pan. Heat over medium until
just barely smoking.
In batches, coat the chicken with the starch mixture and add to the hot
oil. Cook for three or four minutes until done. Drain on paper
towels.
While the oil is still hot, drop in the Thai basil and fry
until crispy. (Make sure your basil is dry or you'll get dangerous hot
oil spatter!) Serve the chicken with the fried basil as a garnish.
BONUS ROUND: Call me crazy, but I like some heat. Adding red pepper
flakes or cayenne to the flour mix works, as does adding a sliced green Serrano
pepper to the marinade. But you're on your own experimenting with heat
level and the comfort of your guests. You could also serve this with a
spicy pico de gallo on the side so everyone maintains control of their own
destiny...
*When searching for potato starch, you'll find many types available at the market, some in organic
forms if you want to avoid pesticides. It is occasionally sold as starch flour or potato
flour instead. Like I said, it's what makes the chicken extra crispy, so it's
worth it! You can also use potato starch as a gluten-free thickener for soups,
stews and gravies.
**My preferred neutral oil is grape seed, but
any will do. If you use grape seed oil, please note that there are two
levels of grape seed oil. There's the super expensive, fancy kind that
has a lot of flavor, which you should NOT use unless you're really rich.
And there's the inexpensive, flavorless kind. Get a big vat of the
inexpensive stuff and use it to cook instead of canola oil; it's better for
you!
***Marinating the chicken is totally optional! It gives the chicken an
excellent sweetness and juiciness, but if you're short on time (or if you're
camping), it can be skipped.
|
|
Enzo is Everywhere
Now at a Costco near you: Giant bins full of The Art of
Racing in the Rain.
|
|
Enzo's Challenge: Goatboy Contest
 It's a goat. No, it's a boy. No, it's a Goatboy on Garth
Stein's bicep! Do you know the story behind this unique arm art?
Submit your
answers to sarahd@terracommunications.biz
by April 12, 2010.
Hint: Goatboy was last seen at Milepost 53 on Highway 20.
The first correct answer we receive will win a free copy of
Garth's recent release, Raven Stole the Moon.
 Congratulations to last month's winner: Keith
Leonhardt, pictured here with his yellow lab, Rollie.
|
|
|
Happy Manifesting,
Garth Stein |
|
|
