With Piccolo Spoleto reaching its last weekend, I've just finished reviewing my last batch of plays for the local papers. Since the festival is about more than just theatre, there are still other events to cover; tonight I'll be spending An Evening with Jay Clifford at the American Theatre.

Last night I was at the fifth Felder Film Festival, and it was great to watch my short film Undead on Arrival with a crowd of people - a very different experience from watching hit counters on a YouTube site. That's why internet video won't be replacing TV or movie theaters just yet...

On Tuesday I saw Cloud Tectonics at Lance Hall, near the Circular Congregational Church. PURE Theatre managed to breathe fresh life into a show they've done a few times already.

The next night I saw The Great War, a multimedia story told with miniscule models that were videotaped and beamed onto a big screen. One of the best elements of the show was the sound and music, provided by

Books-a-Million in West Ashley was so impressed with my signing there last month that they've asked me back to do another one - either that or they want to make a few bucks.

I'll be signing copies of my latest thriller, Undead on Arrival on April 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store is at 832 Orleans Road, Charleston SC. Feel free to drop in, say hello and have a chat.

Philip "The Machine" Hyman - aka Mr. Eyeball - is tirelessly devoted to promoting original, contemporary art in Charleston and its environs (his tirelessness has earned him the "Machine" tag - not sure about the Eyeball one).

He has two new shows this weekend. One is a group show at the Old Village called Distractions from the Truth.

The other, at Vickery's in downtown Charleston, is a solo exhibition to mark the one year remaining of President Bush's term. Hyman reckons he's already under suspicion and expects Homeland Security to visit him after the one-week-only affair. Of course he's kidding (I think), but a one-man show from the creator of "RoboCheney" has got to be worth surveilling.

Here are the sordid details:

Distractions from the TRUTH: “An art show”

Instead of finding out what Britney and Paris are up to, come see an art show with plenty of TRUTH and great distractions. Musical entertainment by Subterranean Bleu Mind(s) and DJ “The Bird Hermit”

Saturday January 19th, 7pm-11pm at The Mill, East Montague Ave. in the Old Village, North Charleston, S.C.

Show features artists Erin Eckman, Phillip Hyman, Connie O’Donald, Sharen Mitchell, Chuck Keppler, Michael Lane, Seth Corts and others.

Count Down to 1/20/09 “Reflections of the politics of war, a one man art show”

Artist Phillip Hyman reflects in art….. how he kept his sanity for the last 7 years during the Bush administration.

Meet the artist on opening night January 20th, 7pm-9pm at Vickery's Bar & Grill, 15 Beaufain Street, Charleston, S.C.

Art will be on display until Sunday January 27th.

Hyman hangs out with some of his zombie art, displayed at the Undead on Arrival book launch at The Black Cart, downtown Charleston. Can't imagine what he's pointing at.

Thanks to everyone who came!

- Nick

Above & below: My son, Sam, keeps me company during today's

book signing at Barnes & Noble.

Got a nice mention in Charleston's Post & Courier today. You can read the article right here.

http://arts.ccpblogs.com/2007/12/19/journal-screen-printing-101-and-mr-nick/

Several Charlestonians have asked me where they can pick up a copy of my brand spankin' new novel, Undead on Arrival. Right now, the best place is Ravenous Reader at 792 Folly Rd. (near Mike's Bikes), although I didn't know that when I visited the store a couple of days ago.


I'm not always good at touting my book around different stores, but I was passing by and I took a copy of my book in to show the owner Pat Giacinto, whose passion for prose knows no bounds. She wasn't there, and her assistant had never heard of me - it's been a while since I've done a signing there (for my last book, The Kitty Killer Cult).


I left the details of my novel and left the store quick. Next day I get a call from Pat. Hadn't I seen my books on display near the door? she asked. They're perfect for Halloween.


I felt like a damn fool. Not for the first time either. Turns out Pat had pre-ordered some copies of Undead and had taken more of an interest in the project than I'd assumed. At least now there's a place where people can go to buy the book...

Yesterday I finally got a copy of Undead on Arrival from Amazon, weeks after my Mum and months after my publicist.

I'm over the euphoria of receiving my author's copies of the book, received around the same time. Now comes the tough part - juggling work on the next book with letting people know about this one, and doing other work that actually pays the bills.

I emailed a bunch of people, telling them I had a new book out. This is always a risky task because some of my acquaintances take exception to being emailed out of the blue, no matter how polite I am about it.

Undead on Arrival has been named book of the Month by publishers Luath Press. It's currently being distributed in Britain - my mum just got a copy from Amazon - and should hit US stores in time for Halloween.


Here's what Luath had to say about the new novel:


Bestselling author Nick Smith's new book, Undead on Arrival, introduces us to the grave new world of zombie 'life'. In a brilliantly funny, incredibly original fantasy world, where zombies must fight for their constitutional rights as citizens of our world, our hero, Glen, is struggling to come to terms with the drawbacks of being a zombie - and desperately trying to find his killer.

Undead on Arrival is now available to order from Amazon and other online booksellers - sort of.

Purchasers of the book are advised not to hold their breath when waiting for the novel to reach their mailbox. Amazon, for example, has an ETA of October.

The reason? Copies of the book have yet to reach American shores (apart from a few advance copies, in the possession of my publicist Peter Handel).

"The book is being loaded up onto a huge ship as we speak," Luath Press' Heather Murray told me in mid-August, "and will set sail on Monday, arriving about 4 weeks from now."

So presumably the slow boat from Scotland is halfway across the Atlantic by now. Good job I'm the patient sort...

According to Amazon, Undead on Arrival has just been released in the UK.

No news from my publisher, Luath Press. No advance reviews. But the novel's available for purchase on Amazon.co.uk.

Undead on the Horizon

Big news of the week: after several months of futering and postponed printings, advance copies of Undead on Arrival have finally arrived at the San Francisco office of my publicist, Peter Handel.

He says it "looks great" - and he's not one to make stuff up (read his sporadic blog, Rejection is My Middle Name, for proof).

The book's printers, Bell & Bain say that their printer was out of commission for cleaning and maintenance until just recently. That led to a considerable hold-off time for publication and an agonizing few months for me. At least the delay allowed some extra time for several hundred back orders to build up for the book.