I’m sitting in my office getting ready for the road trip/book tour. First order of business – road trip music. Queens of the Stone Age, some Lovage, Alt-J, Tom Waits, Rush (what? I like me some Rush, so what). What else? I’m trying to think of all the little things so I don’t leave anything behind. The biggest-little thing being a card reader for my iPhone. When I did the last book we would go to open mics at bars all around Portland and I would sign up on the list and read a few chapters between bands. As it turned out that probably wasn’t my target audience, but I had a great selling point. I would announce that our 280 page book cost less than a pitcher of beer. I don’t know if it was a miracle or just misplaced pity but I would sell 5-7 copies a night, but I would have sold much more if I had one of these card readers. Of course this time I’m not selling books when reading at a place that does it for me. Anyway, I spent an hour today setting up the Square App and it was an hour well spent. I’ve been to my very last reading where people afterward want to buy a book but can’t because they have no cash.
I’m packing my Wonder Balsam because when do you not need that? Swag for the book – check, Johnny Cash stamps – check, digital voice recorder for the long trip, GoPro, flashlight, and all my phone/camera stuff. I’m excited to head out. My first stop will be to Kase and Mary’s house where I’ll have a day or so to get the workshop piece together before a night pub reading. So, drinking and ambient noise to me means I start with funny, go sad in the middle, then end funny again, and they’re mostly civilian so I may do a post war chapter.
The workshop has an hour and a half slot at University of Wisconsin. I came up with the name “Art and Ares”, but it’s far from finished. I have the outline, but I wanted to show some pictures too. The hope is that a 12 hour drive will serve as inspiration, and the deadline will promote brilliance. If not I’ll just do what I always do and ask Mag for help. Ha.
This morning I may have picked up another reading date in Green Bay after the Fox Valley Book Fair and before Des Moines.
I also picked up another box of books from Ooligan. So, I’m packing my clothes, emailing all the stories I’ve been working on so I can continue them on my laptop, and I’m just about gone. I’m having a small dinner tomorrow night with good friends and my amazing in-laws, and then I’m on the road Saturday morning.
Wish me luck.
Sean Davis 
When you doing Denver?