Blog Tour de Troops.
Good morning, good evening, whatever greeting’s appropriate to whatever time it is wherever you find yourself to be as you’re reading this. I’m assuming most of you found your way here from Zoe Saadia’s joint, and you’ll while away a moment or three before wending off to John Zunski’s cabin; from pre-Columbian North America to post-hope Portland to the late, great ’80s and ’90s: quite a lot of hopping, and from the itinerary it’s just a couple of short legs of a long, strange, thoroughly enjoyable tour. —Don’t mind me; any of the regulars’ll tell you I get like this toward the middle of an episode, with the hair every which way and the eyes red and the empty bottles clanking underfoot. Trouble is, I’ve been in the middle of this particular episode for a couple of weeks too long already and I still don’t even know what the sticking point is so I’ll just be over here with the keyboard and the screen and the pieces of paper with the notes scrawled on both sides and the muttering and the occasional yelps and curses and don’t mind me. That’s best for all concerned.
Leave a comment! Right. Leave a comment on this post right here, today only, say hello, drop me an email address and I’ll send you a Smashwords code good for a copy of “Wake up…”, which is the collected edition of the first eleven episodes of City of Roses, which, well, is gonzo noirish urban fantasy set very firmly in Portland, Oregon, where sinister riverfront condo developments are fought by a sprawling tea-house constructed from scrap lumber and old windows, and ancient sea-gods retire to close-in Southeast apartments with lovely views, and Jo Maguire, a highly strung, underemployed telemarketer, meets Ysabel, a princess of unspecified pedigree. And, well, things happen. There’s sword fights, and a boar hunt in a shopping mall (after hours, of course). There’s this bit where a church gets besieged by ghost bicycles. There’s also sex and magic and witty banter, the important stuff, adventure, escapism, the ten thousand things, the one true only, you know: “a very English American adventure,” someone said, and some other folks have said it’s “just another Portland story,” it’s “utterly captivating,” and it’s “brilliant.”
Anyway: comment, email, coupon, download, read for yourself, do the right thing, support the troops, support the arts, read global, kick local, fight the power, stick it to whatever needs sticking and be sure to get a good night’s sleep and a hot breakfast in you before coming back to do it all again, okay?
—Like I said. Don’t mind me. Mumbling, yelps, curses, furious typing followed by even more furious deleting. Soon as I figure out what’s going on all hell’s gonna break loose.
—posted 4546 days ago
Thank you for participating in such an amazing cause :) My Granddad was in the RAF and fought during WWII, as a big reader himself before he died I know he would have loved the idea of the Tour de Troops.
shroudedheart(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you for participating in this wonderful tour.
I can’t wait to read your book!
Thanks Again,
Laura G.
cardinoles@gmail.com
Thank you for doing this and supporting our troops. Books are an amazing (and BEST!) gift. This book looks like a great read!
tweezle(at)gmail(dot)com
Good Morning! The book sounds good. Cant wait to start reading
pefrw at yahoo dot com
Your book sounds great and thanks for supporting a great cause.
lvs2dv (at) gmail (dot) com
Thank you for this book tour. Thank you for sending books to our troops. pringpringles(at)yahoo(dot)com
Your book sounds utterly intriguing and may I say it… weird? And I mean that in the best sense of the word ; )
Thanks for taking part!
suzy.turner[at]hotmail.com
Good lord! Not even six o’clock in the morning out here and look what I find with my coffee. The first emails are going out now with the coupon codes; thanks, everyone!
(Weird is definitely not an insult around here, Suzy Turner.)
My grandfather was also in the RAF; he ran away to Canada and lied about his age before the US entered the war because he wanted to learn how to fly so badly. And boy did he. —I’m not sure what he would have thought of the experience of reading ebooks, but the ability to carry around a whole library in a Dick Tracy telephone—well. What’s not to love?
Thanks for supporting our troops and for the free read – I can’t wait to check out your book!
allyreads81 at gmail dot com
Thank you for supporting our troops!!
Saph
saphsbookblog at gmail dot com
This is so much fun!! Good morning and thank you for being a part of this awesome blog tour. Your book sounds like something I will love reading. I’m sure our troops will love it, too:)
Georgeanna
tdf.gb@bucksmont.net
Thank you for supporting our troops. Thank you to our troops for all they do. Words are not enough.
dashegoblin(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for your support of our troops. Many in my family have served and I know how important it is for them to get something from home.
Don
djcox@liphoto.net
Thank you for sharing your book, this is great idea!
artgiote at gmail dot com
Thank you Troops! Thank you for the books to feed my addiction. spent most of the night reading inheritance.
Thank you for being a part of this, sounds like both a soldier and I will be enjoying some great escapism.
rivawriter@yahoo.com
A great project and worthy cause! Thank you for your generousity.
tamsyn5 at yahoo dot com
Awesome blog tour for a great cause! City of Roses sounds like a fantastic read. Thanks.
quinnsmythwood(AT)gmail)(.)com
Thanks for being part of this tour. You can send my copy to the troops as well
Thanks for participating. Please send my copy on to another soldier.
God bless you
Thanks for being part of this tour and I hope your book makes somebody’s day better :)
hellenlovesbooks (at) gmail (dot) com
THank you. Are you and my hubby related? :)
pamela at pbdesigns dot biz
This has really been fun. Thanks for doing this for our troops!
egstanley(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you so much for participating in this lovely event. God bless our troops!
Karen
kmoaton@Hotmail.com
Goodness. Twenty-four ebooks sent already, which means that’s twenty-four soldiers’ libraries out there that are all one ebook heavier, too. Load ’em up! (And as I’m typing this and sending out emails here’s another comment hot off the presses for twenty-five! Excellent.)
Thanks to those who serve, their families – and to everyone participating in this tour. What a wonderful way to support the troops!
Please send my copy to the troops as well.
Thank you so much for participating in this, as an air force veteran I can really appreciate it.
shayne
milldirt@msn.com
What a wonderful to show appreciation of the tropps. Thank you! I like the sound of an UF set in Portland :)
thanks for giving back to out troops .. god bless you ..and our troops.
As a 24yr Vetran it is my honor to serve.
The blog intro was truly how do you say organized chaos yeah I think that is what it apperad to be it was great. if all your writing is such then I can not wait.
thank you for your support of the troops.
ryan.mills68(at)gmail(dot)com
Very cool!
I didn’t know you had put out a Volume 1…
so even if you don’t send a code I’ll prolly just buy it.
Thanks!
blu_stocking(at)hotmail.com
Thank you for participating in the tour and supporting the troops.
Have a great day!
pauline@pjhandcrafts.com
hello! as a resident of PDX, and a fan of gonzo noirish urban fantasy, I’d love a copy of Wake Up! as the collected City of Roses sounds right up my alley
Thank you so much for supporting our troops!
nook_heartnsole at yahoo dot com
Just another author on the tour checking in. It’s been an awesome experience, being a part of the tour. Here’s to many more, similar tours with similar success!
Once I read the episodes, I’ll have to post a review at the Web Fiction Guide, too. I’ve come across your work there before, but hadn’t gotten around to reading yet.
~ Erin M. Klitzke
athensmcleod@hotmail.com
I used to send books overseas via ‘Books for Soldiers’, and this is the best way I’ve seen yet to continue that effort!
Just stopping by to say Hi! and thank you. Please donate my copy to a soldier.
Thank you for participating in such an amazing cause, you and all the other authors are doing a beautiful thing, thank you! :)
Marta
mpa931 (at) yahoo (dot) es
Kip, your rambling is delightful & reminds me a lot of my uncle, who also happens to live in Portland. If you haven’t already run across Fred Merkel, you might want to look him up, I think you would enjoy each other. If you do, please tell him Kathy said hi.
Thanks so much for being part of this incredibly generous event.
drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com
What a great cause – thanks for supporting our troops!
I look forward to reading your book!
Sandi(at)Beckman(dot)me
I have had to tone down my emotions during the Blog Tour de Troops, as we have so much to be grateful to our troops and veterans for. This is such a wonderful event, thank you so much for participating and honoring our veterans on their day and giving to our troops the joy of a good book. I am also thankful for your providing us readers a copy of your lovely book as well. I feel guilty wanting to read these awesome books as well and really am looking forward to Wake up and following the journey of The City of Roses. Your efforts are appreciated.
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
Such a great cause. Thank you for participating. As the mother of two young men in uniform, I’m doubly grateful.
The email I use for ebooks is merikat1948 at hotmail dot com
Thank you again.
More comments, and more yet. And of course today I have to be gallivanting about all over town rather than staying hunched over the keyboard.
Another round of coupons about to go out. Thanks to all so far, and all to come. Quickly en passant, as I scroll down the endless list: controlled chaos is indeed what we strive for, ryan mills, though you might find the voice of the story itself a bit more dry than the shenanigans I get up to nonfictionally, as it were. And blu_stocking, you left a comment, so you get a free ebook, and dine, I see what you did there. Thanks for saying hi, Erin: the Webfiction Guide is a great resource, ennit? And Kathryn, I have not yet met Fred Merkel, but Portland’s in many ways a very small town; I’ll keep my eyes peeled. And I don’t think I’m related to your hubby, pamela; all my cousins on that end of the family are ladies.
Thanks again, everyone. Let’s get it up over a 100 today, shall we?
It’s a wonderful thing all these authors are doing with the Blog Tour de Troops. I was just reading a news article in which active duty troops were lamenting the lack of new books to read! Thank you for your generosity and the contest!
Thank you for supporting the troops! I think this tour is a wonderful idea and I’m glad so many authors are participating!
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
I think what you all are doing for our soldiers is a wonderful thing! My husband served in the Navy, and my mother-in-law and daughter served in the Air Force, so our men and women are very close to my heart at all times, but especially on and around Veteran’s Day :)
Thank you for the free copy of your book! I am really looking forward to reading it:D
jwitt33 at live dot com
Thank you for showing your support for our troops and us families that are left behind at home. We appreciate it so much.
My husband is currently serving overseas.
betty.vickery.johnson@gmail.com
My loving soldier Jon:
provert247 AT gmail DOT com
Love getting free books & helping the troops at the same time. Indie authors are so great
Thanks for supporting our troops! You’re participating in a great event ;).
evanbartholomew@gmail.com
My husband is a former Marine.
Thanks for supporting our troops.
Heather
earthsbooknook at gmail dot com
My dad was a WWII vet and landed at Omaha Beach on D-day. He didn’t live quite long enough to go on one of the Honor Tours and he didn’t talk about the war but he looked very dashing in the pictures.
Thanks for the book and thanks for supporting our troops. Your blog is great. Urban fantasy is my favorite so it sounds like your E-book will fill in between Charles de Lint and the Shadow Unit episodes from Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear and all those folks. If you haven’t read Shadow Unit, you really should.
OmahaUrbanec AT aol Dot com
Nancy! Portland misses you! I’m sure of it. And Betty, I’ll happily slip an extra coupon to your husband, no sweat. Diane, I’m a big fan of the Shadow Unit, though I haven’t caught up on the most recent season. The funny thing is we’re both rocking the television show metaphor, though they ride theirs a little harder, it must be admitted.
Folks: it appears some of the comments here aren’t making it through to my email account, which is where I’ve been managing responses. I’ll confirm that this evening when I have a little free time and a glass of wine to assist. If you haven’t received a coupon yet, hang tight. And thanks again!
Absolutely loved your blogpost and description of your book? episodes? (not quite sure what to call it). Thanks for your participation in this event. I’ll be looking forward to reading.
Oops, forgot to leave my email (and don’t see my comment either, but hopefully it will post).
jen@delux.com
Thank you so much for supporting our troops!!!
magluvsya03@yahoo.com
Thank you so much for supporting our troops and for doing this.
thenarcissuslibrary at gmail dot com
Thanks for supporting our troops this way. I am sure a soldier would love a good book to escape to while they are away from their families protecting out freedom. Thanks again Linda Meza
linmeza@hotmail.com
Thank you for caring and brightening the day of many soldiers. christygibbon at juno dot com
Books are such a wonderful gift – thank you for supporting the troops this way!
Please donate my copy to a service member.
Thank you for participating! Thank you to all Veteran’s and those still serving!
miranda.grissomATgmailDOTcom
Thanks for supporting the troops. Please send my copy to the troops as well. Thanks again.
Thank you for the book and for supporting our troops! Email is appleblossoms977@gmail.com
Thank you for participating! I know when I served i would always have a book!
Thank you for participating in this great tour. I look forward to reading your book, it sounds really strange, which is right up my alley!
melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com
Hello – and – thank you for taking part in this blog tour.
And thanks to the troops for what they do as well.
Janey
jandhj2(AT)yahoo(DOT)ca
Thank you all for doing this tour for the troops. This is so great.carolynvaldez51@yahoo.com
Thanks for supporting our troops. I hope someone gets a copy who truly appreciates Portland. :)
reikibirth@gmail.com
Thank you so very much!!! Your generosity and the generosity of all the fabulous authors on this tour is just remarkable!!
I love that my comment will mean that one of our troops can read it too.
Lauriej170 at gmail dot com
This was such an amazing idea! Thank you for helping support our troops!
ruby[dot]meek[at]yahoo[dot]com
What a great way to support our troops! Thank you :-)
smaccall AT comcast.net
thanks for doing this. As an army veteran of multiple deployments, I can assure you that reading provides sanity and a chance to explore worlds outside the dust/rain/dirt of the present un-fun. With the advent of eBook readers it has become even easier to read, try new authors and to feel less cut off from the world.
sincerely – Holly (prosekniticATyahooDOTde)
Thank you so much for supporting our troops!
glenn(at)keyaquests(dot)com
Thank you for supporting this wonderful event!
ML
mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com
Thank you for supporting our troops. I know they will enjoy your book!
brjf [at] yahoo [dot] com
Thanks for taking the time out of your writing to participate and share your stories with everyone.
helpersarah2009@gmail.com
Thanks so much for supporting our troops! My dad and hubby are Marine Corps veterans. Semper Fi!
kathleen_howard2003@yahoo.com
thanks for supporting the troops and participating in the event.
eileen at booksrusonline.
Thanks for taking part – I think it’s such a great thing that you’re doing!
Donna
donna.haw@gmail.com
Thanks for supporting our troops by doing this. My father, Husband, and brother-in-law have served or are currently serving, and anything that supports them and our troops is something that is near and dear to my heart.
Many Thanks,
Andrea
a_ariail(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you for all your help in supporting the troops, the past, the present and the future. And I also wanted to thank you for all your hard work in this memorial. I can’t wait to read your book.
tammi.hagberg@sbcglobal.net
Thank you for participating in this tour! What a way to give back to those who protect us :)
nurse6030@gmail.com
Thank you for participating in this wonderful project, and thank you to our veterans and their families for their service!
lindaspencer@mac.com
Thank you for participating in this event, I think the tour is a great way to show support for our troops and am happy to see so many participating authors. shadow31071 (at) suddenlink (dot) net
First – thanks for participating in this great event and being so generous with your work.
Second – you’re a trip! You write the way I do, so I totally appreciate the self-deprecating banterish mumblings and sort of free association.
Can’t wait to read your stories!
MJB
msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com
Thank you for being a part of such a great program!
melissa.gwinn(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you for supporting our troops in such a generous manner! I know that each and every book received will be greatly appreciated! And thank you for allowing me to be a part of it through you!
iarvd@yahoo.com
100 comments! Though four of them are mine. So four more to get us to 100 ebooks winging their way to your libraries, and theirs.
I’ve reconciled comments left with comments that actually made it through to my email system earlier, and everyone’s everything should be out the door; if you left a comment and didn’t get a coupon, please email me again at the enclosed link and let me know.
Twenty minutes until eight, post meridian, here on the Pacific Rim. Just over four hours till I shut the comments off. We can do it, oh yes. Wanna try for a hundred and fifty? C’mon.
—While we’re waiting: JenM: it’s a book, but it’s perfectly appropriate to refer to them as episodes; think of a television series, and so the book’s a DVD boxed set, the first half of the first season, say. (Do note that I’ve been posting chapters since eleven here to the website, of course; when I hit number 22, there’ll be two books!)
Holly: I’m glad books were there for you, and I’ve got to say the ability to carry whole libraries in your back pocket all over the world is one hell of a selling point for ebooks, even to a paper-loving Luddite like me.
And, um, everyone else: thank you! And thanks again! And one more time!
Thanks for participating in the Blog Tour de Troops! Such a great cause. :)
~Jesi
jesilea(at)charter(dot)net
I think you book sounds awesome and I also think the work you are doing is wonderful!!!
~Brandy
brandyzbooks at yahoo dot com
Interesting post. Should be an interesting read! Thanks for supporting our troops!
I admire what you all are doing. As a child of the military, (my mom, biological father, and step father, all are military, in various branches, not to mention aunts, uncles, and grandparents), it’s always been part of my life, so I think it’s really nice when people acknowledge what they spend their lives devoted towards.
jamileigh17 at gmail dot com, kindle format preferred.
Thank you for supporting our troops.I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.
stefscat@gmail.com
Thank you to all of the troops, veterans and heroes out there. You’ll never know how much you mean to all of us. I hope that everyone returns home safe and sound.
jessangil at gmail dot com
-Jessica B
I’m so glad there’s another Tour de Troops!! Can’t wait to see if there’s more comments than Memorial Day! What a great way to give our troops a little escape in a book while they are away from home and at war. Thanks IndieBookCollective!! Thanks for the free book – can’t wait to read your story!
I would like the troop book to go to my cousin Zachary Neer serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan. His email is: zach.ne(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks,
Melissa
missyebookmail(AT)mediacombb(DOT)net
I just got my email for the fourth day, I hope I’m not too late.
I would like to thank all of the women and men in the military for their sacrifices, their honor and for keeping our country safe! I would like to thank the families of the military men and women for their sacrifices too!
Pinky
pinkmaiden821(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you to all the vets for serving our country and for those currently serving my prayers are with you for a safe return.
If you really want to honor Veterans Day—say hello and thank you to especially a Vietnam vet who came back to America after the war to being treated horribly by the US citizens. They were spit on and yelled at in airports and hated by many fellow citizens when returning from that hellish war.
I have a close friend who still lives with the aftereffects of that war and he told me he really appreciates it when people thank him for serving back then today. He said it makes up for how badly he was treated on his return to his home country.
Thank you vets for doing the service some of us are not able to. You are always loved and appreciated.
Thanks to everyone! 108 comments all together, 108 ebooks on their way. Melissa, I’ll be happy to send one to your cousin as well.
Don’t forget to add “Wake up…” to your shelf at Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing, and let folks know what you think. And, well, thanks. Again! Why not.
