Saturday, July 12, 2008

Miami Manhunt, it's Hispanic Fiction tambien!

I want to thank all my readers and friends who gave up an hour of a beautiful warm early evening to stop by Calamus Books in downtown Boston last night for my first book reading/signing for my new novel, Miami Manhunt.
I had never read Miami Manhunt outloud so it was fun to hear everyone laugh as I read some parts of the first chapter from the point of view of Ray Martinez, my fictional Cuban-American gay movie critic.
If you live in Boston and have never been to Calamus Books, please stop by. It's the ony independent gay book store in Boston where owner John Mitzel will know your name after one visit. I left some signed copies of Miami Manhunt and Boston Boys Club, which I was surprised to learn last night has been a bestseller for Calamus where it has sold almost doscientas copias alone since 2007. Guao! Calamus is not just a store but a community where folks can gather and find news and events about Boston's gay community. The store is at 92-B South Street in Boston (one block from the MBTA South Station subway stop.)

I am also happy to report that Miami Manhunt is being categorized as "Hispanic Fiction" on Amazon.com where I am sandwiched between Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's "Dirty Girls on Top" and Junot Diaz's Spanish version of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.'' This is a big deal for me because I have long complained that my books are more than gay fiction and should be under the "Hispanic fiction" label. I am a gay Latino with an equal foot in both cultures and identities. And one of the reasons I wrote Boston Boys Club and Miami Manhunt was because I grew tired of reading Hispanic novels with no main gay character or reading Gay Fiction with no main Hispanic character. So making the bestseller's Hispanic Fiction list with Miami Manhunt on Amazon.com is a sweet victory for me. :)

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6 comments:

  1. Are you coming to the Chicago area anytime soon??

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  2. Hi Anonymous,
    I'm not coming to Chicago this summer. Just readings in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Boston, Washington DC and San Fran.

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  3. How do I get an autographed copy of your book?

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  4. Hi Gonzalo,
    Thank you for reading my blogsito.

    If you're in the Boston area, there are autographed copies of Miami Manhunt at Calamus Books, 92-B South St.

    If you live in South Florida, Books & Books in Coral Gables and Borders on E. Sunrise Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale have autographed copies as well.

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  5. Gonzalo,
    Hi. Send me your email address to johnnydiaz@aol.com
    You might be able to get an autographed copy mailed from one of the stores I mentioned earlier.

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