Cruise Blurbs From Above

I have had a couple of exciting days regarding my book! Cruise Confidential is at that interesting stage where it is almost published: the typeset galleys are being produced right now and they are compiling lists of who they want to send some too. This includes those who would be potentially interested in writing a blurb about it, or perhaps some sort of acclaim. They leave a few pages open at the front that are called the acclaim pages.

Acclaim from whom, you ask? Fortunately I have publishers who really wants to sink their teeth into this project. They have already obtained a promise from a colleague of theirs who is currently tramping across the South Pacific, the charming editor-angel Jennifer Leo, of "Sand in My Bra" fame. They have a promise to read by the impressive Mr. Troost, author of "Sex Lives of Cannibals". This is exciting, but I was blown away by the agreement of the creative genius Doug Lansky. Not only did he read Cruise Confidential, but he endorsed it with a fantastic acclaim that was as charming, witty, and sharp as he is. He had some great ideas for how to sell the book, and we are thrilled to have him. After all, he is a National Geographic award winning author who has hosted TV shows for the Travel Channel and the Discovery Channel.

And today, as if it couldn't get any better, my publisher Larry Habegger has actually gotten an accepted invitation to read Cruise Confidential from none other than Bill Bryson himself! This is the big daddy of all travel writers, whose first book (A Walk in the Woods) is being made into a movie by a little-known actor/director by the name of Robert Redford. Yep. Now, it's a long shot that he will have the time to write a blurb, but his agreement to read it speaks volumes to the tenacity of my publishers, the robustness of their connections, and the unique nature of the book itself.
But man oh man, this is an exciting time.

Runs and Blurbs

No, I don't mean the runs. I am referring to running, however. Yesterday I ran my first half-marathon in a whopping 7 years. Now, I run almost every day and I prefer long distance runs into the desert mountains of Nevada, but that doesn't mean I have a specific time goal. This time I did. I wanted to beat my PR (personal record) that I set in the San Francisco Chronicle Marathon back in 2001. That was my first half marathon, and I did 1:42:43. That's 13.1 miles in one hour, forty-two minutes and forty-three seconds. I was ten pounds lighter and 7 years younger, mind you, and at sea level. This time I was almost a mile up in the air with gray hair, but I managed to get a very happy 1:36:39. That is a huge jump, baby.

Now, how did my lovely wife reward me? Being a non-runner, she thought it was just a bit longer than my usual practice runs. She wanted to 'reward' me with a healthy dinner. She made me a freakin' salad. Oh, joy. When you come back from slaying the beast, you don't want a salad, man, you want to EAT the beast. Over a fire, squatting and grunting with triumph. Girls are strange.

But the real triumph came from my publisher, Travelers' Tales. They sought out a leading travel writer, the hilarious Doug Lansky for a blurb. I am immensely proud to say he read my forthcoming book, Cruise Confidential, and loved it. He is considering adding a blurb for the cover. Needless to say, having a National Geographic-award winning travel writer give me a blurb would be flattering! Here's a great interview with him, check it out because he's great!:

http://www.rolfpotts.com/writers/lansky.html