Panel discussion post-mortem

I thought the panel discussion and book signing went pretty well. One of the highlights, in my opinion, was the two other panelists, Juan Martinez and Victoria Patterson. (Juan was added a day or two before the discussion.) They were extremely well-spoken and interesting, and I look forward to reading more of their work. Another highlight was the late-arriving and eventually fairly large audience. It included sign designer Betty Willis, Rich Penksa of HELP of Southern Nevada, Marty Flynn of the central sewage plant, Valentino Santiago (my neighbor at the Diplomat apartments), my mom and dad (in from the Atlanta area), a few guys from the tunnels, a handful of former tunnel-dwellers, and quite a few other friends and family members. Indeed, it was an interesting cross section of my life.

Thanks to everyone who attended the discussion, and I’m sorry if you weren’t able to buy a book. However, I’m told that both Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel are available at the Town Square Borders and the Barnes & Noble on Maryland Parkway (near Flamingo). Also, I have a few other local signings scheduled before Christmas.

I’ll keep you updated, of course.

E-book available

The e-book for My Week at the Blue Angel is now available (in pdf format). If you prefer the Kindle, etc., version, I’m told that will be available in a week or so. Two advantages of the e-book over the hard copy: It’s cheaper ($5.98 versus $11.21 or so, depending on the retailer) and most of the interior photos, which are black and white in the paperback, are in color.

For more info, visit:

http://www.shoplva.com/products/my-week-at-the-blue-angel-ebook

A reminder

My panel discussion is at 1:45 p.m. this Saturday at the Historic Fifth Street School (401 S. Fourth Street, Las Vegas, 89101). I’ll sign copies of My Week at the Blue Angel and Beneath the Neon from roughly 2:45 to 3:15. (Yes, the books will be available there.)

For more information about the book festival, visit http://vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

Huntington Press news release

The book is at the printer, but should ship out soon. Here’s the Huntington Press news release announcing the publishing of the book:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Matthew O’Brien to Release Creative-Nonfiction Collection Revealing Unexpected, Darker Side of Las Vegas

Las Vegas—Matthew O’Brien’s creative non-fiction collection My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas (Huntington Press, $14.95) will hit shelves on November 1st. The book chronicles O’Brien’s off-the-beaten-path adventures into gritty and surprising Vegas settings, such as the central sewage plant, the blue-collar strip club Larry’s Villa, the Blue Angel Motel, and the drainage tunnels under the Strip.

By boldly delving into the broken and disenfranchised side of the city, O’Brien uncovers unexpected beauty in the hidden world beyond the neon facade.

The book also features more than 30 artistic shots from veteran photographer Bill Hughes.

O’Brien’s first book, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas (now in its fifth printing), told the story of the shocking number of people living in the drainage tunnels underneath Las Vegas, garnering attention from more than 100 media outlets, including Publisher’s Weekly, Der Spiegel, ABC News, Le Monde, the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times.

Inspired to help the people living in the tunnels, O’Brien founded the Shine a Light community project in 2009. In collaboration with HELP of Southern Nevada, the project provides housing, drug counseling, and other services to the underground homeless. For more information on Matthew O’Brien’s books and outreach program, visit www.beneaththeneon.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO OBTAIN AN AUTHOR/COVER PHOTO:

Heidi Olson
702-252-0655
books@huntingtonpress.com