Here’s a first look at the cover of our forthcoming novel Make It Back by Sarah Shaw, which will be released on 19 January 2009. Click to view a bigger version.

Paul

It’s been a very busy time promotion-wise at Tonto Towers. All the PR is going out, the calls being made… interviews, features, signings and events being lined up all the time and a lot of media interest in the four authors we are currently working with.

Today Ashley Hames will be on Juice 107.2 in Brighton. This is a live interview where (hopefully) Ash will get a chance to shamelessly plug his Borders gig later that evening. Tune in by clicking ‘listen live’ at 5pm.

Today’s itinerary also sees Ashley holding another author event at Borders Brighton. The gig kicks off at 6.30pm and is not a ticketer, so you can get there early to secure your first row seat. Due to the nature of the book, it is billed as an over 18s event. And very likely to end up in a bar or twenty.

Tomorrow (Sat 09) is another busy day. This time for Stephen Miller. Stephen will be holding a signing session at The Back Page, St Andrews Street, Newcastle. The Back Page is the biggest sports book store in the world, so we are pleased that they asked him along ahead of the Newcastle match. He will be signing books from 11.30am-12.30pm.

Look out for signed stock in Waterstone’s Emerson Chambers in Newcastle tomorrow.

After watching his beloved Newcastle United in the afternoon, Stephen will be signing books at his local social club in Cramlington, The ‘Bene’ at 7.30pm.

Team Tonto: Wheatman, Miller, Brown and Hames out in Newcastle.

One for next week: Roz Wyllie and Stephen Shieber will be on BBC Radio Newcastle at 10.30am discussing their new books… officially released on that day! You can buy them here on a special offer.

That’s all for now, folks!

Stu

Some fantastic coverage of Stephen Miller and his book Paralympian in today’s edition of The Sun. The full-length piece, “Miller is the undisputed king of clubs”, runs through his achievements, mentions the book and its great launch event at St James’ Park, and has a quote from Kevin Keegan. Stephen is the only Paralympic athlete featured in the paper’s 20-page guide to Beijing 2008. You can read it online here.

This is yet more fantastic national coverage for our key titles – in no less than the UK’s bestselling newspaper. (Hint, hint retail buyers…)

Meanwhile, our friends at NUFC.com are currently running a competition to win signed copies of Paralympian, ahead of Stephen’s signing on Saturday at the Back Page Shop in Newcastle. They’re also displaying a very old pic of Stephen from way back in 1991…

Paul

We’ve got literally 14 upcoming events on our calendar at the moment (with more to be confirmed) including new events in Manchester and London, the Morley Literature Festival, plus Ashley Hames at the Cambridge Union (an event that he is no doubt referring to as a mass debate…).

The full list is:
8 August: Sin Cities Ashley Hames author event, Borders, Brighton, 6.30pm;
9 August: Paralympian Stephen Miller book signing, The Back Page, St Andrews St, Newcastle, 11.30am-12.30pm;
9 August: Paralympian Stephen Miller book signing, The ‘Bene’ Social Club, Cramlington, from 7.30pm;
16 August: Paralympian Stephen Miller book signing, Borders, Team Valley, Gateshead, 12noon-2pm;
16 August: Paralympian Stephen Miller book signing, Borders, Silverlink, Newcastle, from 3pm;
19 August: Being Normal & Everything You Ever Wanted launch event, Northern Stage, Newcastle, 5pm, free, featuring music from Beccy Owen;
23 August: Being Normal Stephen Shieber book signing, Borders, Silverlink, Newcastle, from 12noon;
23 August: Everything You Ever Wanted Rosalind Wyllie book signing, Borders, Team Valley, Gateshead, from 1pm;
5 September: Jonny Kennedy Roger Stutter author event, Gosforth Library, Newcastle, 2pm, free;
6 September: Being Normal Stephen Shieber book signing, Borders, Manchester Fort, from 12noon;
4 October: Everything You Ever Wanted Rosalind Wyllie book signing, Borders, Brent Cross, London, from 1pm;
18 October: Being Normal & Everything You Ever Wanted Rosalind Wyllie & Stephen Shieber author event, Morley Literature Festival, West Yorkshire, 1.30pm, free;
21 November: Everything You Ever Wanted Rosalind Wyllie book signing, Borders, London Colney, London, from 12.30pm;
24 November: Sin Cities Ashley Hames author event, Cambridge University Union Society, Cambridge, time TBA.

New events will be added to the blog and the main website as they are confirmed.

Paul

Stephen Miller’s book Paralympian: My Autobiography is today the #1 athletics book on Amazon, outselling the likes of Paula Radcliffe, Colin Jackson and Kelly Holmes.

Stephen will be signing copies of the book this Saturday 9th August between 11.30am and 12.30pm at The Back Page book shop, St Andrews Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, ahead of Newcastle United’s game with Valencia. For fans who are not able to get along on Saturday, The Back Page will reserve signed copies, and they also have a mail order service. For further information please call the shop on 0191 261 5005.

PS. Thanks to Ashleigh for her sterling work here at Tonto over the last couple of weeks – including commandeering the blog!

Paul

Ok I was a bit presumptuous yesterday, and today is actually my final blog, we will call it my encore!

So today I’m going to show you behind the scenes at Tonto, with a few photos. Firstly, this is me hard at work writing the blog, previous to my blog writing today, I have been using my skills of persuasion in book selling and setting up book signings for Rosalind’s Everything You Ever Wanted and Ashley Hames’ Sin Cities in the London area, lets hope I pulled it off. I have also been looking through the final draft of Nik Jones’ book 9987 which makes for a very dark and interesting read.

Secondly we have a photo of the Tonto boys Stu and Paul, hard at work setting up book signings for their authors, working so hard they only had a few seconds to pose for this photo before burying their heads back in the books!

We have also been following up Stephen Miller’s radio interview on REM radio which also went really well. They are backing him as their number one for the Beijing Paralympics and so should everyone else! I know I’ll be tuning in come September.

So this definitely is my last blog for Tonto, as I have said before I have had an amazing experience here and have learnt many things that I will take away with me, and I’m very grateful to Paul and Stu for letting me come and work with them.

Maybe I will see some of you at the forthcoming book launches!

Ashleigh