Ah, yes, the celebrations for the double launchings of this book! Complications are pouring in.
Since I happen to be an American living in the Canadian Maritimes, TWO countries are trying to claim me as their own creative genius. Each country wants to be the first to host a major celebration. Canada insists on a maritime theme. Boat launchings, book launchings. You get the picture. Even though the book launch is not till 2/2/2010, Canada is planning TWO maritime events, which require good weather:
1) At Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, builder of tall ships, including the replica of the original
Bounty, using the original building plans, for the film
Mutiny on the Bounty. The fisheries museum there is going to expand their mini-boat launching activity to TWO model ships that tourists get to launch, instead of just one.
The models, about 6-feet long, are poised to slide into a water tank. Tourists get to use hammers to tap away the structures holding the boats on shore. From now on, the boats will be named
The Janice and
The Chuckie, after my main characters.
Here is a 58-second video of the Lunenburg Fisheries Museum:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1330383/fisheries_museum_of_the_atlantic_in_nova_scotia_chronicles_canad/2) At Halifax Harbour, where I live in an old apartment building looking out on huge, international freighters, tugboats, sailboats, and Canadian military ships, the usual parade of vessels will be supplemented by the International Tall Ships Festival in July.
The mayor of Halifax is logging onto this querytracker site for any suggestions on how to turn this event into one that primarily celebrates the lauching of my book.
http://www.tallshipsnovascotia.com/pages/TallShipsAtlanticChallengeRace.aspxNo word yet on what the United States intends to do about Canada’s claims of me as their author. President Obama says he hopes that this matter can be settled diplomatically.
