Yes, those are a pair of silver testicles hanging from the back of that truck. Yes, I'm in Texas.
The trip across the I-10 in Louisiana was long, and it took us through the largest swamp in the U.S. (the Atchafalaya Basin) as well as "Crawfish Country." Every other billboard advertised either crawfish or crawdads, as well as boudin and cracklins (that's sausage and pork rinds to you Yanks). When we crossed the Texas border, however... damn, you could feel the Texas-ness of it all. The big sky does seem a bit more expansive. The highways wider. The spaces more open. Not to mention that everything is suddenly in-yo-face TEXAS. The local Burger Kings don't serve ordinary Whoppers; they feature TEXAS WHOPPERS. There are silhouettes of the state everywhere--on billboards, on restaurant signage, on the support columns of the highways... I wouldn't be surprised to find little Texas-shaped cakes in every roadside urinal. Y'all sure do love your state.
And you know what? I do, too.
Tonight I'm lucky enough to be part of Murder By the Book's Noir Night 2011 with superstars Megan Abbott and Sara Gran. This will be a homecoming in a lot of ways, because my very first appearance as a novelist was at the store's first "Noir Night" back in 2005, along with Ken Bruen, Jason Starr, Allan Guthrie and J.D. Rhoades. This was back when Secret Dead Men had barely just appeared from Point Blank Press, and many months before The Wheelman was published. (I was so green I could have sung a duet with Kermit the Frog.) The night was epic. Many beers were consumed, friendships were forged, and at least one anthology (Damn Near Dead) was hatched.
I'll admit it; tonight will be bittersweet, since this is will be my first event at MBTB without my friend David Thompson. It's always going to feel strange to be in Houston and not see David. But I'm very much looking forward to seeing McKenna, Anne, John, and the rest of the MBTB family who have always made this Philly boy feel right at home deep in the heart of you-know-where.
Anywhere near Houston? YOU MUST ATTEND. C'mon, it's Abbott! Gran! Me! Murder By the Book is at 2342 Bissonnet Street, Houston, Texas, not far from Rice University. Can't make it, and want some signed books? Call (713) 524-8597, or (888) 4-AGATHA and we'll personalize the living hell out of them.
Postcard update: Haven't been out to buy any postcards yet, but will do so today. Stay tuned...
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