Friday, March 25

Haven't been here for a while, largely because there has been some Classified Shit going on that I just can't write about, and when I can't write about what's on my mind, I don't write at all.

But we're getting down to the wire, here.

The Great Friggin' Gonzo Revenge of the Sith Tour gets under way a week from tomorrow, and here's the latest:

1) I still don't have an official itinerary. I know what cities I'm going to because I downloaded the schedule from The Force.Net (and I got a supplementary list from Colleen when we talked on Tuesday). But I don't have flight or hotel info. At all. Colleen? You listening?

(Though to be fair, I'm teasing her a little. She only promised me the itinerary by the end of this week, which in Publisher Time means before the close of business next Thursday.)

2) Though the book seems to be all over the goddamn Internet by now, nobody's sent an advance copy to ME . . . which means I get to go through security checks with a one-way ticket. Loads of fun. "No, REALLY, I'm on a BOOK tour . . . well, I don't have the book WITH me . . ."

3) I am damned close to broke. It's been a (to paraphrase George Harrison) long cold lonely fucking winter. [EDITED BY THE BORG. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.]

4) My meds are only half working. I'm mobile and functioning and will remain so, but can I just say . . . ow . . . ?

5) The AOL/Moviefone tour blog thing is still supposed to be happening, except they haven't gotten the software to me yet, and we're kinda running out of time.

6) I continue to maintain, despite how the above may read, my Jedi calm. This shit is entirely out of my hands; I leave success and failure entirely to the whims of the gods, the Force and the Random House publicity department, in that order. I will be squeezing every drop of enjoyment from my 15 minutes . . . er, 30 days . . . of nascent celebrity, and I continue to believe that somehow everything will work out just fine.

Because somehow it usually does.

It's not unlike working a blisteringly busy shift at a high-end restaurant -- which, as many of you know, I have done many, many times in my long career. When you're in the middle of it and things look like they're about to start going wrong, it seems like the fucking Apocalypse. But at the end of the shift, you count your money and go home. Meanwhile, nobody died.

Which is the main reason I became a bartender instead of a cop, a doctor, a fireman or a soldier.

And so far, nothing has ACTUALLY gone wrong. It's just the damned full-body migraine that makes it feel like it's going to, and I'll get over that by the time I'm on the flight to Raleigh.

Tally Ho!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wreaking havoc on the nerves, this tour is, hmm?

The Hyperspace excerpt from RotS was fucking amazing, Matt.

I can't wait until next week, where I will be on spring break in Havasu with your (soon to be) best-selling novelization in my hands.

Mmm. Delicious.

Oh, and I was in Barnes and Noble no less than an hour ago and looking through the sci-fi section, when I came across the full-size paperback version of Heroes Die (you know, the one with Shanna and the header "HEROES DIE - But Caine's no hero, He's an assassin" on the back.)

It's brand new, which is funny because I've gone to the same Barnes and Noble many times without seeing it there.

I bought it, of course, and want to get it signed along with my other HD, BoT, JM, ID, and RotS.

So is there anywhere I can find the date you'll be in LA for the tour?


-Adam

MWS said...

I think it's the 25th or 26th of April or somesuch.

Don't worry, we'll give you all plenty of notice.

Anonymous said...

Wal-Mart managed to fuck up some orders, and people started getting things early. I checked their site, and they had the audio version of the novelization for sale - with express delivery.

So, of course, I ordered it.

And I love it.

Haven't had a chance to listen all the way through, but what I've heard is amazing.

Shitty that you don't even have a copy yet.

Anonymous said...

Sounds good, Matt. Thanks.

And yeah, that is pretty odd that you don't even have a copy of it on-hand for the tour. I'm sure they'll set you up with one to carry around at all times (on the plane, in the car, in the restaurant, walking the streets, etc) as soon as the tour gets going.

It's too bad Wal-mart isn't selling the actual book early with express delivery. I'm not a big fan of the audio versions. Hearing someone else voice the text doesn't allow me to focus and interpret it as well.

Anonymous said...

Agreed on that, but it was an oppurtunity I couldn't pass up. Apparently, those who are now ordering are getting notices that they cannot deliver until the official release date.

I will definitely be purchasing the actual book the day it comes out.

MWS said...

Right after I sign up for

BarbShouldBiteMe.com . . .

How's things at the Dberg?

Anonymous said...

Heh...geez, I can't believe they haven't given you a copy of your own book to carry around with you. Isn't the internet wonderful sometimes? Ah well, here's to planning on your 30 days of fame lasting longer than that when CBK has that nifty gold "NY Times Bestseller" on the cover.

-Rob