The Magic of the Book Launch

It wasn’t an accident, the magic of the book launch. I thought long and hard about what would feel like a success to me. After I did a guest reading at a coffeehouse in December in Ocean Springs, I knew I wanted it at a coffeehouse. Also, I wanted other authors joining me—at that reading, we had about eight writers reading. The intimacy, camaraderie, and engagement of the attendees was startling. So “coffeehouse with other writers joining me” went first on the list.

The Coffeehouse

After that, I knew which coffeehouse I wanted. A scene from When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women has our fearless krewe of Etoile and her murderous grannies walking past the Orange Couch Coffeehouse in the Marigny. When the manager of the Orange Couch enthusiastically said yes to our request, we had a coffeehouse. (And, yes, it has the world’s most fabulous orange couch.)

The Partners

“Our” request because Megan Holt, the Executive Director of One Book One New Orleans, endlessly helped with the launch. She told me the Orange Couch held readings. She encouraged me to ask Maurice Carlos Ruffin to join me. Because of OBONO’s Words and Music Festival, I invited Desiree Evans to join us—I had so enjoyed her reading at the festival. Megan—whom I’ve admired since she stepped in and got dictionaries into the jail during COVID because I wanted to honor Malcolm X—counseled me at a handholding level. No accident, as she is a gracious woman devoted to literacy and literariness.

The Joy

As soon as my younger sister in Durango, Colorado, knew the date of the launch, she said, “I’m coming.” That started an avalanche of family. I ultimately had four boy cousins attend from Atlanta, Jackson, Tupelo, and Baton Rouge. My girl cousin (who is my best friend) came, as did my sister. My New Orleans family arrived full of enthusiasm and bringing flowers. My husband (and assistant Marketing Director–we have no actual Marketing Director) was, as always, by my side. At one point in the launch, Megan, who was MC’ing, asked, “How many of you are related to Ellen?” Hands went up across the room.

“Friends and family.” Sounds so simple. But to see the faces of friends and loved ones crowding the Orange Couch created such joy. Plus strangers! (Strangers will be reading my book!) Some came because the Orange Couch is a literary coffee house. Some saw the flyer. Some who-knows-why. But they were the roux that held the gumbo together.

The Magic

Before I read, I said a few words (it was my book launch.) I described my decades with writing groups and how the writers in a group—not the leader—create the group. Same for the book launch. Everyone in that shop created the launch, not me. How could it be otherwise? I could have planned and schemed and chewed my eraser all day long. But the magic would have eluded me without the attendees. Once you bring together a literary coffeeshop, extraordinary guest authors, a secret book weapon like Megan, beloved family, and supportive friends, how can the community created be anything other than magic?