Writer's Grove

Something extra

Though it’s not perfect, an undeniable feature of the modern market is that you now have so many convenient ways to snag the books you want to read. You can even do it without pants (which to my mind is the true test of whether something is convenient or not) by ordering online from one of the big retailers. Usually they offer a discount too, so you’re getting a cool book, saving money and not wearing pants—is this not the best of all possible worlds? And if you want to save even more money—maybe some trees—and increase the convenience, then it’s hard to beat an ebook that downloads to your electric doodad right away. And heck, say you want a signed paper copy—you can do that from home too now! Both Barnes & Noble in the US and indie store The Poisoned Pen (which ships internationally) are offering signed editions of SHATTERED. Mouse click, boom. And to be super—thorough, my publisher has this giant list of vendors for ebooks and audio on their site. Convenience abounds!

Given all that, going to see an author on tour is probably the opposite of convenient. For one thing, both you and, thank goodness, the author, are required to wear pants. The event might be held at an inconvenient time or place for you. Such events are often (but not always) held at indie book stores, and since indies are small businesses they can’t afford the discount-till-you-drop thing. That means anyone who comes to see me on tour has gone out of their way quite a bit; they are spending far more time than they need and a few bucks more to get a book that they could easily get by other means. It’s the highest compliment that anybody would bother at all and I’m so grateful to everyone who shows up to say howdy.

Every so often I will meet somebody who drove a very long way to see me. This cool family from Kansas City drove to see me in Dallas one time. A  dude in Tennessee drove out to see me in Charlotte. A spiffy police officer drove from Houston once to catch me in Phoenix, and so on. I’m always humbled by that and wish I could do more than sign their book for them—like maybe if I had some sausage or a six-pack on hand for just such an occasion I would totally hand it over and say “YOU WIN!” Because they went to an awful lot of trouble to say hi in person and I don’t feel like a bookmark evens the scales. They deserve something special.

It’s tough to tour with sausage and beer, though. The TSA looks at you funny, and then you’re like “Hey, it’s not for me,” and they go, “Yeah, right.”

So I came up with something extra to give to everyone taking extra trouble and expense to see me—something that I can haul around with me pretty easily and yet is better than a bookmark.

I commissioned Galen Dara, the artist who painted the cover for “The Chapel Perilous,” to paint Oberon. And next to Oberon will be a quote of his from SHATTERED—don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil that for anyone now! Let’s just say it’s one of my favorite things. If you come to see me at one of my nine tour stops and buy a book, you will get an 8×10 signed print of that painting for free. Here’s a peekie:

Didn’t Galen do an amazing job? I love that doggie smile! Anyway, I’ll give away one print per book and I won’t be able to sell extra copies, sorry; I need to make sure I will have enough for everyone at the next stop. Here’s where and when I’m touring, in case you missed it:

June 17, 6:30: The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ
June 18, 7:00: Murder By the Book in Houston, TX.
June 19, 7:00: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY.
June 20, 7:00: Barnes & Noble at HarMar Mall, Roseville (near Minneapolis) MN.
June 21, 6:00: University Bookstore in Seattle, WA.
June 22, 4:00: Powell’s Books in Beaverton (near Portland), OR.
June 23, 7:00: Pandemonium Books & Games in Cambridge (near Boston), MA.
June 24, 6:30 or 7: Bakka Phoenix in Toronto, Ontario, Canada!
I’m spending a few days in Toronto and then squeezing in one last stop…in Colorado!
June 29, 3:00: Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch (a bit south of Denver), CO.

Huge apologies if I’m not coming to your town or even your state. It’s not because I don’t love you; it’s because travel is expensive, my budget is limited, and I start missing my family and doggies too much if I’m on the road for long.

I’ll be at San Diego Comic Con in July and there’s this cool bookstore/café called Upstart Crow where I’ll organize an informal coffee hootenanny on either Friday or Saturday morning (July 25 or 26). That way if you’re not going to the con you can still come on down and hang out. If I have any prints left over from tour I’ll give ’em away there. Updates on that once I get the details figured out.

If you really want an Oberon print but can’t see me on tour and get a free one (and that’s fine, I totally understand!), the artist, Galen Dara, will be selling them online beginning July 1. However you read the Iron Druid Chronicles—or if you listen the audiobooks—thank you so much! I hope you dig SHATTERED! It has more Druids! More gods! And more doggies!

Peace, love, and sausage, friends.