Book Tour Virgin is Will Clarke.com

The July Leg Of The Tour Comes To A Close

Tonight's Quarry Market signing in San Antonio was the last in-store signing for the tour. It was a really great night. Family and friends drove in from Llano and they took me out to eat at The Canyon Cafe before the show. I have the best groupies in the world, by the way.

At the bookstore, I did a card trick which attracted a quite a few customers to the reading, and then I shook my stuff and signed books. 

After family and friends dispersed, I hand-sold books to about 10 or 15 people until the store closed. That's why there are no pictures from this signing. I was too busy shaking my stuff and getting people to crack my book.

Tomorrow I catch a 7:40 AM flight back to Dallas, where I will jump in the car and drive to Shreveport for my mom's 70th birthday party. Then after that I have a TV interview on August 1st and I am going out to LA for a couple of meetings about developing my book, THE WORTHY into a movie. I will also be doing parties in Chicago and Seattle. And I'll be speaking at book clubs and colleges.  So stay tuned. The book tour is far from over. But I am so glad to be getting a break. I am exhausted. Happy, but oh-so tired.

Here are some glimpses of what I saw that day in San Antonio. It's a beautiful town.

San Antonio Tonight at 7:30 Borders on E. Basse

I am at Love Field waiting to board my Southwest Airlines flight to San Antonio. (Pavement's Crooked Rain is on the iPod) I used to fly out of this airport a lot when I was a writer for McCann Erickson. Those trips always seemed like playing hooky from the office. It was during the dot com boom and there were always meetings with lots of fruit trays and pastries to be taken in Houston and Austin with techie start-ups. It was also when I would write Lord Vishnu's Love Handles. I got really good at writing in short spurts on planes, commercial shoots, and meetings that went on and on. I think all the traveling gave the book it's chaotic pace. Which I love, but am not sure I could replicate.

Anyway. We are boarding now. Come see me tonight if you are in San Antonio. And if you have friends anywhere nearby, please send them out. I promise not to bore them.

Okay, maybe I will bore them a little with stories that will go on too long, but I will give them free finger puppets to make up for it.

Behold My Genius!

As proven by the tableside IQ test at The Cracker Barrel in Jackson,
Mississippi.

Oxford In A 1000 Words Or Less

The signing at Square Books was swell. The crowd was great. Jamie and Mary, the events folks, were very gracious. Jamie even recorded my stuttering and stammering for an Oxford radio show. In fact, all the Square Booksters were very kind. They make a killer ice coffee. They put the secret ingredient in it: Vanilla.

They served up wine and cheese which is always a nice touch. A handful of Ole Miss Faulkner Conference attendees fleeing the rained-out Rowan Oak picnic, showed up to my signing. So this time, the summer showers actually worked in my favor. In fact, three Dallasites who were attending the conference showed up. Shout out to my fellow weary travelers, Rachel, Aaron and Michelle.

After the signing my buddy and fellow writer, Jeff Stayton, and I went to William Faulkner's house and grave. Being there made me happy but also sad. I don't know why it was so sweet and sour for me. Maybe because I just read that Faulkner told his daughter, Jill, that "Nobody remembered Shakespeare's children." in response to her pleading with him not to go on a bender because she needed him to be sober.

After all the Faulkner-gawking, we had dinner at the Ajax in the Square. I suggest the Tamale Pie if you ever dine there. Made with cheese grits and some kind of pulled-pork. Excellent. August 1st, I start running and lifting again. Book Tour Fat Ass will be the name of this website if I keep this up.

Also if you ever need to a great place to stay for about 70 bucks a night, just two blocks from Oxford's Square,might I recommend the Oliver-Britt House on Van Buren. The rooms are kick-ass.

Next Door To Faulkner's Grave

Oddly enough, WORTHY is also the title of my next novel which comes out from S&S in 2006.
Eerie.

Faulkner's Grave

Rowan Oak

Faulkner's place. Wow.

A View From Square Books Podium

Funny Signage at Square Books

Tonight at 5 in Oxford, Mississippi