- While desperately lost in Houston, I paused to take this picture. No book stores around here, obviously.
The most recent manifestations on my “virtual book tour” – and I will be commenting on this whole process once it is over – are at A Bookworm’s World and Book Marketing Buzz. Nothing like marketing your book on a site about marketing books. Wheels within wheels. Know what I’m saying? I also make my guest editorial opinions known at the Barnes & Noble Review. This is totally unrelated, in case you are wondering, to my being friends with the managing editor of the Barnes and Noble Review.
Meanwhile, the real, you know, physical tour, short as it is, goes well. A nice turn out, of mostly people I did not personally know, in San Antonio last night, and it was standing room only at Murder by the Book, which was Monday night in Houston. I managed to get lost both on my way to and my way from the store, however, which is what happens when they send a guy like me out without a media escort.
Waiting for me on my return home was lots of movie business to tend to. We are now, in case you’ve missed it, firmly in the era of the free option and free option extension. The latter was for The Coffee Trader, which has been in pre-production for years, and the producer has always diligently renewed his options. Now he swears he will start filming next summer or fall, but money is tight, and wants to keep the option going without spending more. This is a variation of the “enough already” argument my late ex-step-father tried to use in court to get out of paying any more alimony to his first wife. It did not work there, but it did work with me. They sent me a fancy brochure with pictures of likely actors, so what could I do but say yes?
The other free deal is for The Ethical Assassin – put together by a woman with little Hollywood experience, but she managed to get an established producer at an established production company involved. In some ways, I like these free deals. In the old days, money was thrown around as a matter of power and prestige, but it didn’t mean your book was likely to get adapted. Now, anyone who gets involved actually means it, which I like. If I could get that and a ton of money, that would be best, but this is an imperfect world.
It is very hard for him to turn the pages. If only he could press a button instead.
I am reading a terrific biography of Byron right now, by the way: Byron in Love by Edna O’Brien. I will likely post a review soon. Sadly, I am not reading this on a Kindle, which I would enjoy doing, because I don’t have one. Yet. You understand me, I think, yes? I don’t have one yet.
Glad to hear more about possible movies. Good luck with both contemplated projects.
Wow, that’s creepy. My father joined facebook last week, and for a moment it felt like he had installed a surveillance camera in my apartment.
Mr Liss, is that your cat? Asking, because I am a vegetarian and I have one too! I Buy her commercial food, as she is a prime carnivore, but I’m interested if you have another solution more in keeping with your beliefs.
That is my cat, and you are quite right for thinking him very handsome.
My feeling is that I am a vegetarian, and I can choose to be so, but he is a carnivore, and he doesn’t really have a choice, ethical or otherwise, in the matter. You can find cat food that claims ethical corporate practices (though my understanding is that most of these claims don’t stand up very well to scrutiny), but in the end I think if you care going to live with a cat, you have to feed him some kind of meat.
Thanks for your reply! Your cat is gorgeous–I say with prejudice, because he looks a lot like mine. BTW, I have a bone to pick with you: I’m 1/4 through “The Devil’s Company” and I’m so addicted, everything else has fallen by the proverbial wayside! Be advised, I do have to work and stay in touch with friends and family. They are very upset with me right now for going underground and virtually ignoring them. I hope when I finally emerge there will be no grudges held. I’ll get back to you on that–but right now I’ve got a book to read, thank you
🙂