Pleased To Meet You
This morning it hit me that in 5 days I’m going to have to stand up in front of a bunch of people at River Run Books in Portsmouth*, ready to read something from HORNS. Which sounds straight-forward and simple enough, except it isn’t, because among its many qualities, HORNS is one filthy motherfucker. Maybe I can just read the dust jacket and take questions?
No? All right, no. I’ll read ten pages or so, and I’ll aim for moderately clean, but if you decide to bring your kids, that’s on you, baby.
A few quick HORNS hits. There’s a new review up on The New York Journal of Books; it’s a good one. Zach Dionne of GQVerge did an interview with me about the book; it’s here.
And the tour schedule has been updated to include most (maybe not all) of my UK appearances. I expect to see you while I’m out there. All of you.
Yes, you too.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Filthy? I thought the first and second chapter were ok.
But I used to live in New York City. Nothing seems dirty to me since then. Or most things don’t.
February 11th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I just ordered my signed copy! I loved “Heart-shaped Box” and the short story “Last Breath” in the back of the book (I kinda pissed myself reading that one.)
I can’t wait to read it!
February 11th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
It’s just the nature of your game.
February 11th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
On Tuesday morning My wife is having surgery to place a stint in a brain aneurysm. I will be bringing her a freshly printed copy of Horns to read while she’s in recovery. We’ve loved everything you’ve done so far, Joe. I’m sure we’ll love this too. Maybe we’ll see you in San Francisco on your tour!
February 11th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I should think the first two chapters would be ok. I laughed out loud at least three times…great stuff!
And that review from “The New York Journal of Books” was fantastic! “Gripping and well paced”…”well crafted tale of pain and redemption”. Perfect descriptions. Gosh, I want to say more but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Let me just say that what the reviewer said about the “monster” is exactly what I thought when I read HORNS. Oft times evil has a pretty face…and I know from experience.
And Joe…I wish I could see you “out there”. Maybe next time you could make some stops in the south? We do have indoor plumbing now!
PS to Travis…Best wishes for a speedy recovery to your wife!
February 11th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I may just take River Run up on the signed copy.
I wish you were coming South, too. I can go to Florida’s West Coast again…that was a nice ride & visit. So…Get more places on that tour, hee hee.
Seriously, hope you & your fans have a great time on tour and at the reading(s)!
February 11th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Best of luck on the tour, Joe – I’ll be getting my copy as soon as humanly possible. And yes, I have my fingers crossed that you’ll somehow/accidentally/impossibly make it to Australia while on the tour circuit (I’m sure it’s only a half-hour flight from New England …)
February 11th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Hey Joe! Look forward to seeing you on the 23rd in South Hadley, MA. As long as we buy Horns there, can I bring a copy on 20th Century Ghosts for you to sign as well?
February 12th, 2010 at 12:45 am
So, you’ve run out of Locke & Key puns for blog post titles, but the Devil puns are just beginning. Excellent.
February 12th, 2010 at 8:22 am
I liked this one too, CKHB!
February 12th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Good Luck, Joe!
February 12th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Um. So Joe, you weren’t thinking about that while you were writing it? haha
But don’t sweat it, anyway. They are expecting Joe Hill to show up, they are going to get Joe Hill.
February 12th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Just ordered my signed copy! Hope you have a good pen, Joe – sounds like there are a lot of orders! Congrats! Can’t wait to get it and the lady at River Run was so very nice!
February 12th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Now, I know we’re distance-challenged over here in the UK compared to you guys, but all those venues are pretty far away from me. How about Gloucester Waterstones? Or Swindon (no, scrub that, I wouldn’t afflict Swindon on you) better yet just come to my town – Cirencester…I’ll buy you a pint!
February 12th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
I just looked at your book tour dates and still not coming to Arizona? If you wait too long, it will be so hot that someone with horns would feel perfectly comfortable here.
February 12th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Southerners get no love…….
February 12th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Stuffed dogs are for sale at my store. I had named the pug some time ago as “Pugnacious”. I cant resist this book! I ordered my copy of HORNS yesterday. I’m feeling that its going to make a big splash!! Magic 8 ball reading say’s..”It Is Decidedly So”!
(no fortune cookie’s=)
Best wishes for everything Joe! May your public speech go well!
C’ya in Bangor!
February 12th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Pull that hog out and shake it at them Joe! Don’t be afraid they wouldn’t show up if they weren’t your fans. By the way how is it that so many people here have read this book already? How does that happen? Interesting. Good luck at your reading.
February 12th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Well, isn’t this nice? You’re going to be in London, where my friend lives, but he could probably care less. He rarely reads fiction and, when he does, he chooses British authors. Like Charles Dickens and even Lewis Carroll.
I’ll just be happy when I get my darn book. The storm is making the delivery late, and I’ve never been good at waiting.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:54 am
I’m sorry.
February 13th, 2010 at 5:27 am
If you expect us all to be there, then you should come to DENVER! Come on!
February 13th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Vicki…I don’t think they’re releasing it till Tuesday.
February 13th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
To be honest, I haven’t bought any of Joe’s stuff in more than a year. Most of last year was spent reading Neil Gaiman. He saved me when I was “drowning,” and for this I say thank you. A friend is one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.
February 13th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Where can I get one of those?
February 14th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Would love to meet you. Any plans to come to Lexington KY.?
February 14th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Almost everything about the New York Journal’s article was great. Tho I wish they’d talk about you and stop trying to relate everything back to Stephen King. I’m not trying to be mean. I just see an article about you, and that’s who I wanna read about. If I wanted to read about him, I’d look up an article on him.
Oh well. I don’t get to rule the world. In which case, I’ll settle for the article they published.
I never explore how I relate to my family, b/c I lived in an orphanage for 3 years. That incident caused me to feel a total cutting off of considering myself as belonging to them. And I didn’t belong to them before that, b/c I’m adopted. They took me back, but the feeling of being separated remained. I still don’t know how to get rid of it, so I ignore it. Most of the time.
That’s why I like reading Dean Koontz. I relate to the part of his writing that reflects how alone he felt as a child.
Charles Dickens was an orphan. I didn’t know he was until Andrew, British friend, told me Dickens lived in an orphanage for a while.
I still haven’t read Oliver Twist. I started to, but got lost trying to decode the language. Or syntax, or whatever it’s called when you need understanding of a person’s lingual culture in order to appreciate the writing.
Sometimes, I wish I knew what it was like to be related to a famous person; like Bronson Pinchot. I’d want to be related to him if I could pick any famous person to be related to. He already has a sister, but he may not mind one more (hehe) : )D
I still can’t get it through my head that Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone have a star on the Walk Of Fame, but Bronson Pinchot doesn’t.
I’ve looked three times, b/c I believe they HAVE to have made a mistake giving Sylvester one and not Bronson, but Bronson’s isn’t there no matter how many times I look.
I wish I knew how they decide to hand out stars for the Walk Of Fame. It’s not for talent, that’s for sure. Sly Stallone doesn’t HAVE acting talent compared to Bronson Pinchot.
February 15th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Joe
Any plans for a signing possibly in Dublin or Belfast in Ireland?
February 22nd, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Vicki,
This has nothing to do with anything but I thought I would let you know. You can nominate Bronson Pinchot for the walk of fame. You would contact the Hollywood chamber of commerce. The kicker is that for them to select him he would have to agree to attend a ceremony within five years of selection and then the real kicker, pay them $25,000.