Remember when I lived in London? Remember the time I went to Rome to see the Vatican? (I went twice in case you missed one of the trips) Well, if you missed both of the trips, I went once in the fall and once in the summer. Both times I was there I ate some very nice food, saw some really nice artwork and met some very nice people. A lot of people. I might be able to say that Rome is one of my favorite places on Earth if you are lucky enough to be there on a day that the rest of the planet decided to stay home.

Rome is such a nice place that everyone likes to go there. If only there were some way to visit Rome without all those crazy people around...

See what I did there? I made reference to something I have done in my travels and now I am going to tie it back into a little something that is going on in the world of events. But first, let me back up and give you a little info about the Virginia Writers Association. I cut this direct from their website.

The Virginia Writers Association (VWA) is a non-profit community of writers located in Alexandria, Virginia. We are a voluntary membership organization open to writers of all skill levels and to anyone with an interest in the literary arts.

One other thing the nice folks at the VWA like to do from time to time is host author events. The events are a lot like any other author event you might go to in a store, but the authors do a bit more than open their book and read the first chapter then take questions. The authors will explain a bit more about the process of creation and the way they work. Well, maybe that is the same as what they do in a store. Just stick with me, I am kind of going somewhere.


Have you ever had that feeling that our government sometimes engages in behaviors that might not be that ethical? Like going into a country that we shouldn't really be goofing around in and perhaps, removing an unsavory character without anyone knowing? What if I told you your government did just that? What if I said, the government had a guy that trained a whole team of guys to be used in just that way? That guy is Retired Navy Seal, Richard Marcinko, who created Seal Team Six, an elite combat unit with the sole purpose of sneaking into other countries and disposing of people there with contrary interests to that of America.

Richard Marcinko will be appearing at our Old Town store in conjunction with the Virginia Writers Association. His new book is called Holy Terror and takes place in Rome. I haven't read it yet but based on his other books, by the last page most of Rome will be blown up and the population of bad guys will be halved. Where was he when I was in Rome?--See? Right there is where I tied it all back to the first paragraph.-- If you have read any of Vince Flynn's books, you should enjoy Marcinko's.

The best thing about the books? They are sold as 'fiction'. In fact they are pushed hard as 'fiction'. When the first book came out it was under NON-fiction. I wonder why? Maybe because HE ACTUALY DID WHAT HE WRITES ABOUT! Where do you think he gets these wacky ideas? He really swam for 20 miles against the tide, snuck into a country, shot a bunch of terrorists, blew up planes and trucks and boats then swam back out without being caught. Then he cracked a beer and sat down at the computer. He even got sued for talking about missions he wasn't supposed to. This is going to be SO much better than American Idol or whatever tele-drivel is on.

Wednesday, April 4th, the baddest man you will ever meet, will be talking about his new book, his writing and perhaps, a few of the things he did in defense of our country. Even if some of those things were unsavory. Come out. Meet me, meet Demo Dick Marcinko and find out how democracy really stays afloat.

So I am reading the paper this morning and before I go any further, Yes. I am the type of person that wakes up and has breakfast while reading the paper. A long time ago a lady I worked with told me you have to wake up two hours before you have to be at work. It sounded like rubbish to me then but as I get older, I find she is right. I can't hop out of bed and run to work. I have to "wake up" and that process takes about two hours. Anyway, I am reading in the paper this morning that Americans are complaining about the dollar coin. Again! and Already! It has only been out for a month! I haven't even seen one yet. How in the world can you be tired of something you haven't even seen?

Okay. Let me back up and try to convince you that dollar coins are a GOOD thing.

Canadians, The English, The European Union, Mexico, Australia, Russia, Denmark and I am sure there are others, all have coins that cover the 1 or 2 denomination of their monetary system. If it works for the rest of the world, does that mean that we shouldn't do it just to be different? Oh I get it. We are just trying to make it even more difficult for people that come from other countries to get along here. I understand now, our main goal in shunning the coin is to irritate other countries. Well, I have bad news. We can do that without our money. All they have to do it turn on the television and see Britney beating a car with an umbrella, or watch us stand by while a nation is exterminated in Darfur. I am sure we can bother other cultures without using paper money.

If the nation switches to coins over bills, just think of all the people that would benefit. Soda drinkers. No longer would you have to try to feed a dollar bill into the machine 2000 times. Screaming in frustration as it spits the torn up little bill back at you. Soda is a buck? Drop one coin, ta-da! Parking the car? No more hunting for change or running to Starbucks to try and get them to break a dollar. Having to buy a $9 dollar latte, paying with a ten and asking for the change in Quarters only to find that you got a ticket while you were in the shop. Just drop the buck coin. Retail workers? No more waiting for the person in front of you to dig little balls of bills out of their pockets to pay with then trying to fit them into the till. If all that isn't enough to convince someone to at least TRY the bloody coin before they dismiss it, then the terrorists have won. Plain and simple.

In other news. March is coming to an end and I can't decide if it is going out like a lion or a lamb. I am taking bets though and giving odds. My money is on the lamb. I saw robins in the park the other day pecking for worms. Spring is almost here. Soon to follow will be humidity, cranked air conditioners and Red-Air days. I am so excited.

Let's see? What else? I read a book. Surprised? Don't be, the words were small, only the concept was large. The book was "Killing Johnny Fry" by Walter Mosely. I stumbled on a galley of it in the conference room and picked it up. I was a little nervous about it at first, but I am grown up and not scared of words. After a few pages, I thought it was just some literary porn I was going to be able to discount but then I started to notice things in the book. The main character, Cordell Carmel (what a cool name) goes through a similar mental and physical change as the main character in Murakami's "Wind Up Bird Chronicle". It must be good if I can tie it to Murakami.

Cordell discovers that his girlfriend of many years has been cheating on him. Not in your basic, cheating style, she is another person entirely when she is with this other man. Everything about her changes from when she is with her weekday lover (Johnny Fry) to when she is with Cordell on the weekends. This switch in her character causes a similar, albeit more permanent, switch in Cordell. He changes jobs, personal habits, promiscuity, everything but his hairstyle. Her shift causes his shift which in turn causes other characters to shift, eventually resulting in, well... I don't want to tell you too much. I encourage those among you that are not afraid of reading about sex, to pick it up. If you liked "Wind Up Bird", if you watched "American Beauty", my theory is that you will like "Killing Johnny Fry". Don't be afraid of the words, just get involved in the concept and the content.

I will be back next week to remind you all about Passover. Until then.

Editor's Notes: The countries mentioned are all places that the blogger has been to and witnessed the coinage Excepting Australia.

Coins are a good thing. PLEASE try them. There is another spot in the cash drawer, just take the rolled coins out of it.

Existential thought is a really cool concept. Read the book. Don't be afraid.

WAR! Huh. Good God!. What is it good for?

I'll tell you what it is good for. More techno goodie gadgets were made from war than anything else. That Hummer you drive to the all-organic grocery store by yourself to purchase a $300 packet of crisps? Made for war. The Kevlar vest you wear while rollin' through the hood with your peeps in the six-four Impala? Made for war. The laser-guided smart missile you can launch from any moving platform and hit a target the size of your palm? Okay. There is no real practical application for that. Unless you are clearing traffic on the inner loop of the Beltway... That might be nice to have on your Hummer. Mmmm...?

Some of you might be thinking that war causes other things. It does. It exposes mildly innocent people to a level of violence and destruction that most of us will never comprehend. That level of destruction leaves a mark on anyone who is forced to deal with it. Some people deal with it better than others, but it is still there. Unless you are Patton, war is not a nice place to live.

The reason I am talking about war? Oddly enough one more thing comes out of wars. Books. Loads of people deal with their feelings about war by writing about them. After they write about those feelings, if they did a very good job, a nice publisher thinks it would be good idea to let other people know about those feelings and they publish the book that was written. If it was REALLY good, then the publisher sends you (the author) out on a tour of bookstores to talk about your book. (See where I got to the point eventually?)

The Book? The Father of All Things by Tom Bissell. A very good twist on the stories of Vietnam. He returns to the country where his father was stationed to, if not expunge then to explore, the feelings born there among the trees, rain, bullets, and bodies. The books is split into three sections. The first outlining the final evacuation in the late 70's from first-hand accounts. The second is a sort of travelogue covering father and son return to Asia. The third is more accounts from people who experienced the war but this time it is from children. Children who had to grow up in the shadow of what some angry men thought would be a good idea 20 years earlier and couldn't figure out how to stop it.

Most of all this book is about a relationship between a father and a son. Figuring out that your dad wasn't always your dad, that he had a life before you were around filled with Highs, Lows and like every Gilbert and Sullivan play, Duty. March 20th, please join Tom Bissell in our Courthouse store at 7pm. For added enjoyment, bring your father and a box of tissues. If your father is living in upstate New York or anywhere else outside of the DC area, come get a book dedicated to him and keep it in your back pocket for Father's Day.

Tom Bissell is the same age as me and I am slightly jealous that he A) Has a published book, B) Has been to Asia, and C) Has fired an AK-47.
The closest I have to the book is a manuscript about London that still needs work. I once stood on the point in Istanbul and looked at Asia. (You can see it if the air is clear.) As for the shooting? I once fired an M-60 at a National Guard arms show in Pocatello. I went with my father. I also got into trouble for getting into the cockpit of an Apache Helicopter that day and rode around in a real Hummer. Later we had beers and sandwiches. Good times with my Pops.

Hi Everybody. No, this isn't Dr. Nick Riviera, just your event coordinator. I know I have been telling you all that my weeks are silly busy. Well, they are. To free up a little bit of my time, I am going to have to quit the blog. It has been fun to rant about snow, bad drivers and Thanksgivings gone wrong, but it all must come to and end. I am going to move to a monastery in Tibet so I can focus more on my event-ing.

What? You mean you want me to stay? I can't stay. There are books that have to be ordered, returns to be processed, coffee to be made and emails to be answered. Those things aren't going to happen all by themselves, someone has to sit in the Black Chair and do them. It is no use crying. I simply can't stay. ALRIGHT, I'LL DO IT! But they are going to have to be shorter. Maybe I can switch between a long, rambling dissertation about prestidigitation one week and talk about books the next. That sounds possible. Okay, an event coming up you might like. Think. Think. Think. Oh Bother.

Got it! Friday night! March 9th! Date Night! Nothing will make your date night better than a trip into the district for a book reading. Picture it with me. You pick up your favorite girl/guy around six from their office. The two of you take a nice stroll through the scenic Penn Quarter to our Lansburgh store (418 7th St.) where you grab a glass of wine from the cafe and chat about your day. After a few minutes of pretending you are interested in each other's jobs, sit yourself down at the book reading that is going on there. Catherine Crier (THE Catherine Crier from Court TV) is going to come over after her show and talk about her new book Final Analysis. The bizarre tale of Susan Polk who, in 2002, stabbed her husband 27 times with a paring knife in self-defense. It gets stranger. She fired her lawyers and represented herself for the second half of her trial. Forget reality TV, this is twice as interesting as American Idol. After you meet Catherine and hear about Susan Polk, you might need to unwind a bit. Pop into any of the wonderful restaurants in the area for dinner (Acadiana maybe?) and then the rest is up to you. That sounds nice actually, someone pick me up at my office at 5.

Something else, you say? Man, are you all pushy. One more and then I have to get back to work.

One from DC, how about one in Virginia? Tuesday March 13th. I know it is hard to park your car in Alexandria and a bunch of you use that as an excuse to not go there during the week. Shame on you. Once for relying on your H2 or Land cruiser to move one person across town and once for shunning a very hip bookstore in a nice pedestrian neighborhood. For those of you that love American History, the South and the Civil War (wars aren't that civil anymore) you will truly enjoy hearing Russell Bonds talk of his book, Stealing The General.

The year was 1862. In France, a group of young artists were fighting to be included in the annual painting exhibition with a new style of art. On the other side of the Atlantic ocean, a group of men stole across enemy lines, jumped aboard a train and made fast for the North destroying communication lines as they went. The 20 soldiers and their Leader, a Northern Spy, were pursued by the train conductor and eventually caught. Half were hung but half escaped and were later awarded the Medal Of Honor. The first people to ever receive it. A brilliant tale of war and history that was retold once as a Buster Keaton film. When you come to this one, take some notes and ask Russell lots of questions. He is an Atlanta Lawyer, Civil War Historian and a snappy dresser to boot. He won't steer you wrong.

That is all I have time for today. I am 18 minutes past my deadline and will probably be admonished by my webmaster for making him wait. Don't forget to set you clocks ahead on Sunday. I would hate for those coming to the Old Town event to show up an hour late. You might have missed the biggest part of the book event. If you make it out to both events, you can ask Russell what he thinks about the Susan Polk murder case. If you are Russell Bonds and want to come to the Catherine Crier event we can work that out too.

I took the weekend off. I normally don't. Normally, I am not in the office, but I am still doing things around the house that pertain to work. I work on the blog, I check in with email via the remote server, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what authors to stick in what stores on what days, or worried if I ordered the books. I really am quite mad. I really do dream about event management. Call me crazy.

But last weekend I thought I could use a bit of time off. With forty hours on the clock when I punched out Thursday night, I figured a long weekend was in order. I woke up on Friday morning and checked in with my never-ending pile of emails. There were a few things that needed some immediate attention, but nothing that would end the world before I got back.

Given that there were no impending catastrophes, I piled in the car and headed South. My original plan was to head South to Williamsburg, VA, find some dinner, walk around the little town and just hang out. That was the original plan. Things changed a bit as the road unfolded. Nothing tragic, just a nice day and a mild detour.

Due to some fit of... call it stupidity, call it curiosity, call it what you will, I thought a nice little detour through Charlottesville to see a couple of wineries would be a good idea. It really wasn't a bad idea. It only took five hours extra but it added at least another case of wine to my rack. Now, my wine rack is not huge but it does hold near 40 bottles. It was full to begin with but after this little side trip to three of the wineries in the Charlottesville area, it is beyond full. I even had to resurrect my old wine rack to hold the overflow bottles. I wont even tell you where my final total lies, suffice to say, I have a lot of wine in the house and I am planning a wine party to try and clear it out a bit. If you are all good, I might even invite you along.

I got back to work on Monday and found that the world hadn't ended, but a lot of things did come about that needed my love and attention. Nothing too bad, just a few last minute off-sites and a couple in store events I promised I would be around for. I know I say this from time to time, but I really do get too busy to sneak out to events most weeks. This week I had two events back to back that I had to attend.

First up was Monday night's Crystal City event with Jon Clinch. Jon wrote a book called Finn. You might recognize the name Finn from one of two places. One could be a book that was written a while back by a guy named Twain. The other would be from my blog a couple weeks ago where I talked about this same book. Jon joined us out in Crystal City to read from and answer questions about Finn. He got in early enough that he could take in dinner at Jaleo with his agent and his lovely wife Wendy. I hear they split a nice paella, but I didn't watch through the glass while they ate, so that is only hearsay. After dinner, Jon started talking to the 25+ people who came out to hear him. He started in on the -- Wait! Did you hear what I said? 25 PLUS! That is more people than I have chairs in Crystal City. Jon just started his tour, we were his first stop and this is his first published book. Imagine how big this is going to get when he hits Mississippi and starts talking at universities. Guess who had him first? Me! ME! Sorry, I got a bit carried away there. Jon started in on the first page and read a strangely beautiful description of a body floating down the Mississippi and introduced us to his main character, Pap Finn. Pap has made his way to the local bootlegger's fire and proceeds to toss strip after strip of flesh into the flames. What a wonderfully dark intro and insight into a great character. Thank you, Jon Clinch. Thank you for writing a great book, for coming to our store and chatting with our customers, and thank you to Wendy for taking our picture.

The second event I made it out to this week was Janice Graham. Janice came out to DC from the Darkest heart of Middle America -- she lives in a town best known for Meth Labs. What else would you call it? -- where she hangs out and collects matchbooks. Actually, she is a real writer doing everything in her power to push and promote her book. She is funding this author tour out of her own pocket. She has made fliers, promoted to a local sorority, and even baked brownies to get the message out about her book. I will be painfully honest with all of you. I haven't read this book. I have talked to Janice though and I have listened to her talk about her characters in her book and the amount of crap that women had to contend with back in the day.

I brought this up as a question towards the end of Q and A period. Janice had made mention of "mad women" in Victorian Era novels. She said that a lot of women went mad from the the pressures of holding back their true personalities. Hiding their true selves from everyone could cause a Psychic break and drive these women over the edge. My question was in the form of three words: "Britney Spears. Discuss." My faith in humanity was restored when I heard one of the attendees at the event didn't know that Britt had shaved her own head. Ah, Bless her.

Speaking of attendees. I had no clue what I was getting into when I figured I would head to Dupont. I got to the store and settled in. A few minutes later a couple of guests rolled in. One, a lovely young college girl. Then another, and another, and another and herd of others. 25 guests. 22 beautiful sorority girls, two boyfriends and me. Wow. Let me say that again another way for effect. Ahem... It was me, two boyfriends, AND TWENTY-TWO gorgeous ladies talking about empowered women in Victorian England with a beautiful author in a beautiful hand made suit.

The books I mentioned this week are very good. Very different, yet good in their own ways. Both deal with pain and suffering of a main character that finds a solution in different ways. Please, they are good books and they deserve to be read. Get your hands on a copy and read, read, read.

Editor's Notes: While I was in Williamsburg I hoped that I could dress up as a British soldier and shoot at some Americans. For some strange reasons they won't let you do that in Williamsburg. What sort of theme park wont let you shoot at "Traitors". They were traitors, they just got away with it. I was going to compare early America trying to throw off the ropes of oppression to Iraqis attempting to do the same thing. Maybe next week.

I do have too much wine. I have started drinking more to counteract that.
Jon Clinch is a lovely man and I want to thank him and his wife for coming by our store. For those of you that came out, you missed another famous author who showed up to meet Jon. I am not going to drop names, if you missed it, you just missed it.

Janice Graham is great, she is the hardest working author I have met and has a beautiful daughter to boot. Her daughter's boyfriend just got an internship with Bloomsbury in NY. Congratulations! Oh. Gabby, I am sorry about mentioning that your mom was my favorite cracker. Tell your friends to stop teasing you. And to all the ladies who came out to the event. Thank you.