“All my bags are packed, I’m ready to goThere’s only one downside to this John and Dec’s Most Excellent Adventure road-trip malarkey, and it’s the ‘already I’m so lonesome I could die’ bit – I’ll badly miss the Princess Lilyput while I’m away jollying it up pretending to be a writer, there’s no two ways about it. But I guess it just has to be done, and hopefully she’ll still be saying “Da-da-da” and looking for lots of hugs when I stagger back into Dublin in the wake of the Bouchercon festivities …
I’m standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breaking, it’s early morn
The taxi’s waiting, he’s blowing his horn
Already I’m so lonesome I could die …
Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go …”
Anyhoos, I’ll be up-up-and-away to Toronto tomorrow lunchtime, and even though John and I intend to blog the road-trip, I’ve no idea how practical that idea is, or how regular the posts will be. We’ll see how it goes … Bear with me; regular service will be resumed all too soon.
All that’s left to say is thanks a million to everyone who’s contributed to putting me in the position whereby I can fly off on a road-trip through New England promoting our humble tome THE BIG O. It’s a cliché, I know, but it’s true that the people you meet on the journey are far more important than the destination itself. And if the quality of folk I’ve met over the last 18 months are anything to go by, I’m honestly hoping I never actually make it to that destination. Peace, people.
Good luck with it all, hope it goes swell.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on trip. I must make it there one year. Doubtless this means you won't be able to plug my upcoming gig, and I do mean gig, at the Empire Music Hall in Belfast this coming Sunday night. This is in aid of Oxfam and is an evening of punk music at which I will be doing dj along with the legendary Terri Hooley and the BBC's Stuart Bailie. On the poster advertising the event I have top billing and am described as 'Superstar DJ and Author' Colin Bateman. This is news to me. I had no idea I was an author. But if you want to hear The Clash, and quite possibly The Clash, that's were you should be on Sunday night.
ReplyDeleteThe best of luck with the trip, Dec and enjoy Bouchercon. You'll have a ball, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteMuch obliged, gents ...
ReplyDeleteColin, squire - how come you always wait until the frickin' day beforehand, before you post up these plugs for gigs?
And if you see that Gerard Brennan, give him a dig in the bake for me.
Cheers, Dec
Good luck, mate. We'll discuss the above when you get back...
ReplyDeletegb
Oddly, my young boss had the same torn apart feeling at having to leave her one and a half year old daughter to attend an independent booksellers conference across the country this last weekend. But she and daughter both survived it, and her husband told her that he had never seen a bigger smile on her face as she walked up the path to the house. So enjoy the trip and know that your family is going to be pretty darn happy to see you when you get back. Hope the tour is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHave a safe trip Declan. Knock 'em dead.
ReplyDeleteArlene
“The journey not the arrival matters.” - T. S. Eliot... Have a great trip Declan!
ReplyDeleteI'm having extreme-withdrawal symptoms. Hope you're having fun on The Big T(rip) but hurry back to the keyboard, Dec.
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