Media Contact: Jaguar Bennett / publicity@quilldriverbooks.com

San Francisco Book Festival Gives Top Prize to “Upon This Rock”

David Eugene Perry’s Mystery Thriller Set in Orvieto, Italy
Wins “Best Gay Book” of Spring 2021
www.quilldriverbooks.com

23 June 2021 – San Francisco, CA: On the heels of last month’s Silver Medal Ben Franklin Award win from the Independent Book Publishers Association, first-time author David Eugene Perry has taken top prize from the prestigious San Francisco Book Festival as “Best Gay Book of Spring 2021” for his critically-acclaimed mystery thriller set in Orvieto, Italy “Upon This Rock” from Pace Press.

“Coming during LGBT Pride Month makes this an even happier moment,” said Perry, 59, who has lived and worked in San Francisco since 1986. “I’m greatly humbled to have been nominated among so many fine writers and so grateful to Pace Press for the encouragement and support.”

“All of us at Pace Press have been excited by the success of ‘Upon This Rock’.  It is a truly exceptional novel,” said Kent Sorsky, publisher of Linden Publications / Quilldriver Books. “It is a page-turning thriller and a deep dive into Renaissance history that straddles pop and high culture.”

The San Francisco Book Festival recognizes the best books of the spring cycle. A full list of other winners may be found at this link:

http://www.sanfranciscobookfestival.com/winners_2021.htm

Upon This Rock is an “elegant twisty thriller” (Armistead Maupin, author ofthe international sensation Tales of the City) and “the gay DaVinci Code, but a lot better” (Fenton Johnson, Guggenheim Fellow, author of The Man Who Loved Birds); Upon This Rock is “for those readers who love Italy and who love crime fiction” (Lucinda Hawksley, great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, author of Dickens’s Artistic Daughter, Katey); “Perry’s novel sparkles with campy wit but is written with serious clues that keep you reading. And, oh yes, because it is a mystery, there’s a killer of a surprise at the end. Move over, Sam Spade and Nick and Nora Charles. Welcome the new kids to the neighborhood, Lee and Adriano.” (Will Snyder, Bay Area Reporter); Upon This Rock is “a perfect read for anyone who is into thrillers, mysteries and historical fiction, like John Grisham and Dan Brown for sure.”(Ankita Dasgupta, The Bookworm Resort); “This is a wild read. Perry’s ability to build suspense is impressive and the denouement of this thriller will not just surprise you, but literally stun.”(Erika Atkinson, author of Ode to the Castro).

“You will not find a more exquisite, captivating, well written first novel than David Eugene Perry’s Upon This Rock. I was literally hooked from the first chapter. Set in the Italian city of Orvieto, Perry takes us on a roller-coaster ride that begins with the Sixteenth Century papacy of the de Medici Pope, Clement VII, and then quickly plummets us to the present day. A wonderfully addictive and engrossing story with brilliant characters and an ending that will have you perusing your favorite bookstore looking for Perry’s next novel”(Dennis Koller, author of The Rhythm of Evil). “You will not be able to put his book down. It is a page-turner from the first sentence until the twisted unexpected ending.” (Lynn Ruth Miller, author of Getting the Last Laugh). In short, David Eugene Perry’s Upon This Rock is “A potboiler thriller with nail-biting suspense” (Lew J. Whittington, New York Journal of Books); a “sexy, historical thriller” (Julissa James, Nob Hill Gazette);”a love letter to Orvieto like Tales of the City is a love letter to San Francisco” (Eric Jansen, SF Bay Times & Out In the Bay).

Perhaps Emmy Award winning journalist, famed Hollywood reporter Jan Wahl put it best: “Upon This Rock is fabulous. This historical thriller is a sexy ‘DaVinci Code.’ I can’t wait for the movie.”

Upon This Rock by David Eugene Perry / 360 pages / $ 18.95 / Quilldriver Books, Fresno, CA.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

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MAYOR LONDON BREED ON JUNETEENTH

“Today San Franciscans come together to celebrate Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. For the first time, this monumental day has been recognized as a national holiday that will forever commemorate the lives and struggle of those who have come before us. Growing up as a Black woman in the Fillmore, Juneteenth has always been a special day for me. I remember cowboys riding their horses through crowds of performers, both young and old, re-enacting the emancipation of our ancestors. Celebrating this day with my community always made me feel part of something larger than myself.

Juneteenth is not just a reminder of our history of being enslaved and our prolonged struggle for equality; it’s a celebration of the contributions Black San Franciscans have made to the City we all love. It’s about our grandparents, who migrated from the Jim Crow South, worked tirelessly, and helped build our City’s economy. It’s about the legacy of jazz in the Fillmore that paved the way for today’s artists and musicians. And it’s about San Francisco’s fighting history to ensure racial and economic justice for all Americans.

In May of last year the systemic injustice emanating from hundreds of years of racism and mistreatment of Black Americans was put into plain view when we witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. While we’re now a year removed from the mass protests that erupted across the country and the world, I have not forgotten about the challenges that our Black community continues to face.

We have taken bold steps to fight racial injustices facing our City’s declining Black working class. Investments like the Dream Keeper Initiative, which will provide an annual investment of $60 million to help support Black residents, communities, and businesses. I understand that funding alone will not heal generational wounds of disinvestment and economic inequities. But I can assure you that I will continue to work every day to make San Francisco a safe place for every individual, regardless of their skin color. 

As we celebrate Juneteenth this year, let us remember those we have lost to injustices and inequality. In a city that prides itself on embracing diversity, promoting inclusion, and being a beacon of hope, we must do better living up to these standards. For too long, Black lives in America have been overlooked. We must demand justice and work to change the systems that have kept so many of our friends and family members pinned down, and we must support and empower one another as we build a just and equitable country that we can be proud to call home.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

COIT TOWER TO WELCOME VISITORS AGAIN

San Francisco, CA — Coit Tower, the iconic white column defining the San Francisco skyline, will welcome visitors Thursday, June 17 for the first time in 15 months, Mayor London N. Breed announced today.

The 210-foot welcoming beacon, which also houses the largest Depression Era art collection in the U.S., normally sees up to 1,500 visitors a day. Health orders shuttered the National Historic Site March 15, 2020.

Coit Tower will resume selling tickets for elevator rides to its observation deck, where sightseers can enjoy 360-degree views of the City and the San Francisco Bay. Masks are required in the elevator.

Visitors can admire the 26 murals inside the tower’s base for free. The frescoes, which depict life in California during the Depression, were painted in 1934 by artists employed by the Public Works of Art Project, a precursor to the Works Progress Administration. 

Guided tours of the artwork will be limited to six people at one time. Coit Tower’s gift shop and café kiosk will also re-open Thursday.

“From its panoramic views to the Depression Era frescoes painted on its walls, Coit Tower gives visitors a glimpse of the City’s breathtaking beauty and the resilience of its residents,” said Mayor Breed. “I’m thrilled to open this beloved landmark to the public again.”  

The simple fluted tower is named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a famously eccentric patron of the City’s firefighters. Coit died in 1929, leaving a substantial bequest “for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city I have always loved.” The funds were used to build both the tower and a monument to Coit’s beloved volunteer firefighters, in nearby Washington Square. Coit Tower was completed in 1933.

“Coit Tower is a special place—not just for tourists but locals who want to see their city in a new and awe-inspiring way. We’re grateful to be able to provide this experience to visitors again,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg. 

Coit Tower is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday. For more information, visit Coit Tower online.