Beneath the Neon
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
Vegas Seven published an excerpt from My Week at the Blue Angel. It’s an abbreviated version of the last story in the collection, “Another Day on Paradise.”
http://www.weeklyseven.com/ae/2010/november/04/another-day-paradise
Tod Goldberg’s review of My Week at the Blue Angel in Las Vegas CityLife:
http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2010/11/05/news/local_news/iq_39584317.txt
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.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal published a preview of the Vegas Valley Book Festival. Read it here (for free through Nov. 7):
Thanks to everyone who took advantage of Huntington Press’ pre-publication special and bought a copy of My Week at the Blue Angel. (Apparently, they’re selling well.) The special runs through Oct. 29. For more info:
Christina Lamb of the Sunday Times wrote a story about the tunnels and Nick Kindon cut a cool video clip. Unfortunately, you need to subscribe to the paper to read the story and see the clip. Oh well. Here’s the link:
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Americas/article426880.ece
Huntington Press is offering a pre-publication special on My Week at the Blue Angel. Through Oct. 29, they’re selling the book for $7.50 (half off) and shipping it for $3 (regularly $7). Check out the special here:
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
Nevada Magazine included My Week at the Blue Angel in its annual roundup of books. Also included in the roundup: Dead Neon, which is co-edited by my friend Jarret Keene; The Making of Modern Nevada by the late Hal Rothman; and Raw Edges by Phyllis Barber (who wrote one of my favorite Las Vegas-related books, How I Got Cultured).