When my first novel, Rattlesnake Lawyer came out, I used to promote the book by driving to places like Amarillo and Lubbock for book signings. The band Midnight Oil had an album called Diesel and Dust with politically charged tales of life on the Australian outback. My adventures could be called Regular Unleaded and Red Bull. Those days are long gone. I won't leave my office this Tuesday for the release of the new novel, Rattlesnake Wedding. No more Amarillo, its all about Amazon.com.
I will miss life on the road. I drove to Greeley Colorado, eight hours from my home in Albuquerque. I then took a shower at a Motel Six and signed for four hours straight before collapsing. I woke up the next morning, ran on the campus of University of Northern Colorado for an hour, and then drove eight hours home. I sold twenty six books.
Was it worth it? My heart says yes, but my back muscles would say no.
I started one trip in Los Angeles and hit LA, San Luis Obispo and Las Vegas and then back. The final destinations were wonderful, but the road was unforgiving. Mapquest that. Had Mapquest been available back then, I probably wouldn't have done it.
I felt like a gunslinger back in those days. Have book, will travel. I had adventures along the way. No, I never found love.
People today aren't willing to drive across town to buy a book when they can just click on amazon and have it delivered to their iPhone within seconds. So on Tuesday, when I stare at my numbers at the screen, part of me will miss the wind against my face.
My back muscles will certainly be happy that I'm staying in one place.
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