George Bishop gestures dramatically to emphasize a point about “character” during a creative writing workshop at Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee.
The Night of the Comet
Nancy Reads THE NIGHT OF THE COMET
“Holy smokes!”
COMET is Bestseller in North Carolina
Thanks to all the good folks in Salisbury, NC, who are reading THE NIGHT OF THE COMET. The Salisbury Post lists it as number 4 on their bestseller list, right between Earnest Gaines’ A LESSON BEFORE DYING and Pat Conroy’s THE DEATH OF SANTINI. Good company, I’d say.
In case you’re wondering where Salisbury, NC, is, here’s a map:
Comet Cocktail No. 4 at Maurepas Foods
The intrepid Nicola Wolf and I set out again last night in search of Comet Cocktail No. 4. We found it at Maurepas Food, in the New Orleans Bywater neighborhood.
I proposed the cocktail challenge to bartenders Tony and Lauren, two very capable and friendly people.
“See this here picture,” said I and, following my usual routine, brandished a reproduction of the cover of my famous novel, THE NIGHT OF THE COMET. “Can you do something like that?”
Tony hesitated. He wanted to take the picture home and study it for a week.
“No, no, no,” I said. “We don’t have a week. You have to do this now.”
Tony conferred with Lauren. “We’ll do it!” they said.
First they warmed a brandy snifter with hot water. We ate cheese and waited. Then Tony did something secretive with Pisco, 151 Rum, and Blue Curacao. He held a lit match to the concoction:
Watch out! Fire!
Lauren grated cinnamon over the flames, a nifty bar trick that produced a sparkly golden meteor shower above the glass:
Here’s the finished drink. It was potent and delicious. Lifted me right up into space. I got lost on my way home.
Salut, Tony and Lauren at Maurepas!
Comet Cocktail No. 3 at Arnaud’s French 75
Sorry to say I lost the napkin on which Nicola Wolf, record keeper, wrote the recipe for Comet Cocktail No. 3. But it was created by Vince of Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, and it contained gin, Campari, and, I think, creme de cassis. (This was actually his third version of the cocktail; Vince is such a perfectionist that he wouldn’t even let us taste the first two.)
Here, Vince seeks to recreate the Southern night sky in a glass. The lemon peel is the comet blazing through the sky. I can vouch that it tasted heavenly.
If you’ve never been to Arnaud’s French 75, by the way, too bad for you. Vince, the bartender has recently returned to New Orleans from San Francisco. He couldn’t stay away.
Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen . . .
. . . Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.
The good folks at the Greenfield, WI public library have thoughtfully included THE NIGHT OF THE COMET on their list of reading recommendations based on the names of Santa’s reindeers in the 1823 poem “The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Moore. Here‘s the full list:
DASHER (Books on Running)
-Complete Book of Running – Runner’s World 796.426 RUN
-Better Training for Distance Runners – David E. Martin & Peter N. Coe 796.425 MAR
-Fundamentals of Track and Field – Gerald Carr 796.42 CAR
DANCER (Dance in DVDs)
-Singin’ in the Rain – DVD SIN
-Dance Like a Star: Salsa Lessons – DVD 793.33 SAL
-Pina: Dance, Dance, Otherwise We Are Lost – DVD 792.8
PRANCER (Horse-Related Children’s Books)
-Wonder Horse – Emily Arnold McCully PIC MCC
-Safe Horse, Safe Rider: A Young Rider’s Guide to Responsible Horsekeeping – Jessie Haas J 798.2 HAA
-Horse Heroes: True Stories of Amazing Horses – Kate Petty J 636.1 PET
VIXEN (Varieties of Foxes)
-Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist – Michael J. Fox BIO FOX, Michael J.
-The Ultimate Experience (feat. Foxy Lady) – The Jimi Hendrix Experience CD ROC HEN
-Fox Terriers: Everything About History, Care, Nutrition, Handling, and Behavior – Sharon L. Vanderlip 636.755 VAN
COMET (Books and Stories About Comets)
Comets!: Visitors from Deep Space – David Eicher & David Levy 523.6 EIC
Comets – Samantha Bonar J 523.6 BON
The Night of the Comet: A Novel – George Bishop F BISHOP, George
CUPID (Romance Fiction Audiobooks)
The Inn at Rose Harbor – Debbie Macomber CD FIC MAC
First Sight – Danielle Steel CD FIC STE
The Perfect Hope – Nora Roberts CD FIC ROB
DONNER (Fashion Books)
-Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible: The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet – Tim Gunn 746.92 GUN
-Fashion Makers, Fashion Shapers: The Essential Guide to Fashion by Those in the Know – Anne-Celine Jaeger 746.92 JAE
-The Power of Style: Everything You Need to Know Before You Get Dressed Tomorrow – Bobbie Thomas 646.7042 THO
BLITZEN (Football Biographies)
-Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman – Jon Krakauer BIO TILLMAN, Pat
-Driven: From Homeless to Hero, My Journeys On and Off Lambeau Field – Donald Driver BIO DRIVER, Donald
-Alan Ameche: The Story of “The Horse” – Dan Manoyan BIO AMECHE, Alan
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone at Greenfield Public Library!
Shelf Awareness COMET Book Giveaway Winners
I’m a little late in posting this, but congratulations to the 10 winners of the Shelf Awareness Book Giveaway for THE NIGHT OF THE COMET: Heather Ripkey Joyce Mosby Debra Guyette Nicole Wright Marie Driscoll Amy Vermeulen Rebecca Foster Rosa Abraham Rita Pierini Denise Kritikos Thanks to all those who entered, and thanks to Ballantine/Random … Read more
New Publication Date
Flash! Flash! Flash!
THE NIGHT OF THE COMET’s publication date has been moved up a week, to July 30th. This is so the book can be included in a Barnes and Noble summer promotion–which is good news. Updated book tour to follow.
The Next Big Thing No. 2
Craig Renfroe is another old classmate from the UNC-Wilmington’s MFA program who’s doing some interesting stuff.
You might know Craig as the man who looks likes something like this:
(That’s a terrible joke; he actually looks a lot better than that.)
But check out some of his writing. He’s the author of the short story collection YOU SHOULD GET THAT LOOKED AT (Main Street Rag Publishing Company). He was a finalist for the Novello Literary Award and the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His work has appeared in Puerto del Sol, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Pank, Hobart, and 3:AM Magazine, among others.
Just now he’s working on a collection of linked stories, set in the fictional town of Sumerville, NC. You can read one of the stories in the pulp issue of Pank:
http://www.pankmagazine.com/parricide/
For more on Craig, here’s the link to his blog: http://craigrenfroe.blogspot.com/
He Twitters, too! @SCraigRenfroeJr
Preview of The Night of the Comet in Wilmington Star News
A very nice sneak preview of THE NIGHT OF THE COMET from Ben Steelman, arts critic for the Wilmington Star News (NC):
“Just received an advance proof on “Night of the Comet,” the new novel from former Wilmingtonian George Bishop. It comes out Aug. 6 from Ballantine.
Talk about publicity: The novel arrives between Comet Pan-STARRS (which should be popping up nicely in the southwestern sky this weekend, near the planet Jupiter) and Comet Ison . . .”
http://books.blogs.starnewsonline.com/17340/night-of-the-comet/
