Time flies when you're selling books

Wow, it's been five weeks since I posted about the grand opening of Organic Books, our family bookstore in Albuquerque. The time has sailed past. The store has been busy with holiday shoppers and folks from the surrounding neighborhoods. Old friends and local authors stop by to visit. Next thing you know, it's nearly Christmas.

The photo shows our sons Seth (in hat) and Max working at the counter at Organic Books. They mostly staff the store day-to-day, though I'm usually there on weekday mornings and Kelly (who still has a full-time job!) fills in on weekends. We've been so busy, we often need two people manning the store.

Since the grand opening, the bookshop has been featured in super write-ups by the Weekly Alibi and the University of New Mexico news service, and we're all over social media, thanks to our supportive friends. You can join the fun by following Organic Books on Facebook and Twitter.

The Facebook page is a good way to keep up with coming events at Organic Books. Starting right after Christmas, we have lots of author signings and poetry readings scheduled at the store. I'm in charge of that calendar, so local authors who want to do events should write me at abqbrewer@gmail.com. I'm booking February now!

Hey, that's one of the points I'll make in my Jan. 5 speech at SouthWest Writers. The talk is called "I've Looked at Books From Both Sides Now." Though we're still new to retail, I've got some ideas about how authors can help themselves when dealing with bookstores. And the story of how things fell into place for Organic Books is a story worth telling. As with any successful startup, there have been lots of little miracles.

Happy holidays to you and yours. And happy reading!

Organic Books has its debut

The grand opening of our new bookstore on Saturday truly was grand, with hundreds of customers visiting and welcoming us to the Nob Hill neighborhood.

Other booksellers in town also visited, bearing gifts, which was much appreciated. We already feel like we're part of Albuquerque's book-selling community.

We sold a ton of used books, as well as lots of new books by local authors. Many of the authors stopped by for the grand opening and brought more books. Our 10-foot-long "Local Authors" table is groaning under the weight.

We've also received a number of donations -- dozens of boxes of used books -- that we're cleaning and pricing and preparing for the shelves. We have a trade-in policy for store credit, but most of the donors said they just wanted to help a new bookshop get started.

It's been many years since Nob Hill had its own bookstore, so residents are eager to support us. We feel like we've found the perfect niche.

Organic Books' Grand Opening Nov. 10

Organic Books is taking shape! We've worked furiously for the past week, getting 10,000 books onto shelves, and it's starting to look like a real bookshop.

We've still got lots of work to do, but we anticipate a "soft" opening in a week or so, in advance of our official Grand Opening on Nov. 10.

The store has been getting lots of interest from passers-by since the signs went up in the front windows. That's Max Brewer in the photo, posing with the logo he designed.

All those shelves in the background? They're full of books now!

Mostly, we'll carry all kinds of used books. But we have a long, antique table in the center of the store that we'll keep stocked with new books by local authors.

The Albuquerque Museum hosts its annual Author Fair on Nov. 3, and I'll be there as usual, but this time I'll be talking up Organic Books and encouraging local authors to drop by the store afterward to sell us their books.

Our website is still under construction, but you can see our origin story at www.organicbooks.net.

Nob Hill hasn't had a bookstore in years, and we're getting a great response from the neighborhood. Please help us spread the word.

The latest on Organic Books

Our new family-owned bookstore in Albuquerque's Nob Hill neighborhood draws closer to a reality with every passing day.

We now have a logo, designed by Max Brewer with input from the rest of us:

We love the open-book artwork, which fits with the Art Deco decor of the historic Nob Hill Business Center. We plan to put this design in our large front windows, and it'll be featured on our bags, bookmarks, etc.

Last weekend, the Albuquerque Journal carried a business story about our plans to open the store. You can read it here.

The store is almost ready for us to start filling with books. Electrical, paint and plumbing work was done this week, following some minor demolition and renovation. The 1,300-square-foot space, on the Carlisle Boulevard side of the shopping center, was formerly a nail salon.

We hope to move bookshelves and other furniture into the store next week. Once we take occupancy, even before we're officially open, we'll be taking books in trade and buying from local authors. I'll let you know when we're ready.

Lots of paperwork involved in starting a new business, and we're trying to get it all done quickly so we can have a Grand Opening in early November. Stay tuned.

We're opening a bookstore!

Wouldn't you love an airy, well-lighted bookshop with a great selection of used and new books? My family is opening just such a store in Albuquerque.

Kelly and I signed a lease yesterday for space in the historic Nob Hill Business Center on Route 66. In keeping with Nob Hill's all-natural hipster vibe, the independent bookstore will be called Organic Books.

Our two sons, Max and Seth, will work at the store, so it'll truly be a family business. We're a family who loves real books, and we hope Organic Books will become a gathering place for book lovers.

As the author of 31 books, I've visited stores all over the country, doing book-signings and talks. We plan to have a busy calendar of such events at Organic Books, where we'll feature new books by New Mexico authors as well as a curated selection of thousands of used books.

The Organic Books space has a 13-foot ceiling and huge front windows that let sunshine pour inside. It was formerly a salon, so there's a makeover under way, with some interior walls and fixtures being removed. We should move shelves and books into the shop by mid-October, and hope to have a grand opening in early November.

Photos and more details soon. Whee!

Summertime news

Other than social media posts, including my daily Rules for Successful Living, I haven't written anything in more than a month. And I'm okay with that.

All the writing advice says you should write every day, and that's good practice when you're starting out. But veteran writers -- I've been trying to write fiction for 30 years -- occasionally need a break to recharge the mental and physical batteries. Also, life intrudes. Sometimes, you've got to stop dreaming about your next story and deal with leaky roofs and family traumas.

My wife and I have reached that age where our parents are dying or making end-of-life decisions about assisted living. Our days revolve around their care and the required government and medical paperwork. I've driven to Arkansas, where my mom lives in a nursing home, seven times in the past year and a half.

Summer is often when I write a new novel. I disappear into the book for a month or two, and come out with a first draft that I polish during the school year, when part of my time and attention is devoted to teaching at the Honors College at the University of New Mexico.

Not this summer, though. Not only am I not writing a new book, I'm not even thinking about a new book. I wrote a couple of short stories last spring, but my head is pretty much empty of story at the moment. And that's okay. Because I've been doing this so long, I'm confident the next story will show up when it's ready.

My latest crime novel, COLD CUTS, is still fresh on the market, but I've been too distracted to give it the full promotional push it deserves. It did get its first Amazon review: Five stars!

Speaking of Amazon, I'm running regular sales on my backlist on Kindle. I try to keep at least one of my Kindle books on sale for 99 cents. Currently on sale is BANK JOB, which is in development in Hollywood. Give it a read and visualize who should play the roles in a movie version!

I should note that it's not all grief and drudgery at our house. 'Tis the season of the cookout, and we have wonderful friends. Our younger son is getting married next month, and the outdoor wedding should be an occasion of great joy.

The summer monsoons have arrived in Albuquerque, which reminds me of the climactic scene in COLD CUTS. But you'll have to read it for yourself.

Until next time, happy reading!

BETTER CALL SAUL, y'all!

Here's something fun: One of my books will be featured (ever so peripherally) in a future episode of BETTER CALL SAUL.

BETTER CALL SAUL is the prequel to BREAKING BAD and, like that enormous hit, it's filmed here in Albuquerque. They're filming the fourth season at locations around town now.

One scene is being filmed at the Monte Carlo Steakhouse, a local institution which I used as a setting in my crime novel BOOST. The Monte Carlo is one of those restaurants where every square inch of wall space is decorated in memorabilia -- model cars, Elvis statues, sports pennants, you name it. Unbeknownst to me, the folks at the Monte Carlo made a big display of BOOST sometime after it was published in 2004. The wall display, which includes the cover of the book, my photo/bio and the three pages that feature the Monte Carlo, apparently will be in the background of a scene in the final episode of Season 4 of BETTER CALL SAUL.

I don't know anything else about the scene or the episode, but I wouldn't blink when I'm watching, if I were you. You might miss my moment of fame.

Pre-order COLD CUTS now!

My latest crime caper, COLD CUTS, is now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle. If you pre-order, the ebook version will appear in your reader automatically on the official pub date, April 30.

The Kindle version is only $2.99. The trade paperback version, available at Amazon here, is $9.99.

COLD CUTS was inspired by a real-life situation: people smuggling Mexican bologna across the border because it's illegal to bring it into the United States. Rookie smuggler Lucky Flanagan gets into all kinds of trouble when he tries it.

I'm scheduled to do a booksigning for COLD CUTS on May 20 at Treasure House Books here in Albuquerque. Details here. I hope to see some of you there.

COLD CUTS now in paperback!

My new crime novel, COLD CUTS, was published this week in trade paperback. It's my 31st published book, and I'm very proud of the way it turned out.

The paperback sells on Amazon for $9.99. A $2.99 version will come out on Kindle by the end of the month.

The fast-paced novel was inspired by news reports about smugglers who specialize in Mexican bologna, which some consider a delicacy. The main character in COLD CUTS, a small-time crook named Lucky Flanagan, is recruited into a bologna smuggling ring. Things go terribly wrong, of course, resulting in some hilarious moments.

I'd like to thank award-winning authors Charlie Price, Bill Fitzhugh and Joseph Badal for the great blurbs on the back cover of COLD CUTS. I appreciate all of their support over the years.

Joe Badal says, "Only Steve Brewer could create a story based on contraband bologna." I think he meant that as a compliment.

COLD CUTS coming soon

I'm at that stage of the publishing process where I'm waiting for the printed proof to arrive in the mail. Earlier this week, I finished the final edits and formatting for my new crime novel, COLD CUTS, which will be available in trade paperback and Kindle versions by May 1.

COLD CUTS is a comic crime story about a low-level scammer, Lucky Flanagan, who gets mixed up with some guys who are smuggling Mexican bologna into the United States. Lucky is such an unlikely smuggler that he's perfect for the job. But there's a bigger scheme afoot, one that will end in violence.

Other characters in COLD CUTS include a butcher, a comic book nerd, two tattooed thugs known as the Badass Brothers, and a meat inspector who's a vegetarian. It's a fun novel, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you.

COLD CUTS will be my 31st published book, counting two Bubba Mabry novellas and three novels I wrote under the pen name Max Austin.

Meanwhile, another of my crime capers is on sale this week on Kindle for only 99 cents. BOOST follows Sam Hill, a professional car thief, as he challenges a vicious drug dealer in Albuquerque. Check it out here.

Cover art reveal!

Behold the cover art for my next crime novel, COLD CUTS, which is slated to come out May 1 in ebook and trade paperback.

COLD CUTS is a taut, funny story about low-level criminals who start smuggling bologna across the Mexican border.

That's right, bologna.

Certain bologna that's made south of the border is considered a delicacy, but it's against the law to bring it into the United States. A cult following has grown up around Mexican bologna, and customers will pay high prices to get their hands on it. Those are facts, and you can find news reports about smugglers getting busted with trunks full of bologna. Just the sort of jumping-off place I love.

Enter Lucky Flanagan, who is recruited to bring loads of bologna across the border, and a cast of hard-luck characters who aren't exactly what they seem. The stakes climb higher, until it all comes to a head during a crashing Albuquerque thunderstorm.

The cover was put together by my wife, Kelly, with me standing over her shoulder shouting suggestions the whole time. We've been married 34 years.

Here's what early readers are saying about COLD CUTS:

"Leaner than quality deli meat, COLD CUTS follows the whitest man in New Mexico, Lucky Flanagan, as he attempts to win back the love of his life by becoming a smuggler," says award-winning author Bill Fitzhugh.

Edgar Award-winning author Charlie Price says, "COLD CUTS adds another jewel to Steve Brewer's crown as the King of Crime Comedy."

I'll announce bookstore appearances, etc., as the publication date draws closer.

Happy reading!

Busy as a groundhog

That's not the way the saying goes, but it's nearly Groundhog Day (which is also my birthday), and it certainly is a busy time. I've got news of a public appearance, my current writing, and a Kindle bargain.

I'm looking forward to my speech Saturday (Feb. 3) at SouthWest Writers. I'm anticipating a big turnout because of the topic: "Nuts and Bolts: The Mechanics of Clear Writing." A nice refresher for all types of writing, this talk is based on the "Become a Better Writer" class I teach at the Honors College at the University of New Mexico. Details of the SWW talk are here.

I'm teaching the Honors seminar again this semester, and the second weekly class is later today. Sixteen students. They seem like a bright bunch.

My latest novel, a crime comedy called COLD CUTS, is with blurbers and beta readers now, and I'm getting great initial feedback. I'm still polishing the final manuscript, but it should be published in May via Amazon, in paperback and Kindle versions.

The Kindle edition of my comic caper FOOL'S PARADISE is currently on sale for only 99 cents. Set in Southern California, FOOL'S PARADISE centers on a bank heist and its aftermath. Check out this limited-time offer here. For those of you who have Kindle Unlimited, nearly all my books are available for free.

Hope your new year is off to a great start!

The Great Indoorsman

I'm not a big fan of snow, which is one reason I live in Albuquerque, where winters tend to be mild. But I like winter because it's a good time to stay indoors, writing and reading.

I know lots of you are seeing deep-freeze temperatures and snow and ice, and I recommend that you stay inside and read my crime novel BANK JOB, currently on sale on Kindle for 99 cents. BANK JOB is in development in Hollywood, and I think it'll make a great movie.

I've been staying busy with the revisions on COLD CUTS, my next crime comedy, which is about people smuggling bologna across the Mexican border. Look for it to be published via Amazon in May.

I'll venture out of the house next week when I start teaching my "Become a Better Writer" class in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico. The class, which I've been teaching for 10 semesters, also forms the basis for a talk I'm giving next month at SouthWest Writers.

On Feb. 3, I'll speak on "Nuts and Bolts: The Mechanics of Good Writing." See details at the SWW website here. Should be fun!