The days are growing short before my big London trip, and I am having difficulty containing my excitement. Every day seems to bring a new teaser tidbit to keep me psyched, like the spanking new hardcover and trade paperback copies of the book that Voyager sent me a couple of days ago (pictured above, along with my US & UK ARCs), or e-mails from my publishers setting up meetings, interviews and signings. I also just got my first review on Amazon! 5 stars!

My second review, however… ouch.

It’s all starting to feel very real.

For those of you in the UK, here is my basic plan for the trip:

  • Leaving JFK International Airport on Thursday night (August 28) at 6:10PM. I had better sleep on the plane.
  • Arriving at Heathrow airport in London 6:30AM and meeting my friend and webmaster, David Wenk, and friend and fellow author US Coast Guard Ensign Michael Cole at the airport and proceeding more-or-less immediately on a hike to Stonehenge.
  • Saturday and Sunday we will hit the town in London, alternating between pubs and museums.
  • MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 IS BOOK LAUNCH DAY! Look for me lurking around London bookstores and watching people browse. It is also the birthday of UK editor extraordinaire Emma Coode, so I will have to buy her a pint (or twelve).
  • Tuesday Sept. 2 I am doing a video interview for Amazon.com. It will be my first live interview, and filmed, to boot! What the heck should I wear? Good thing I got a haircut, or my mom would be cross with me.
  • Wednesday Sept. 3 Ensign Cole and I take the Eurostar to Paris to meet Stephane Marsan, my editor at Bragelonne, who will be publishing The Painted Man in France next year. We will also eat at least one croissant, sit at a sidewalk cafe, and see several priceless works of art.
  • Thursday Sept. 4 I have back to back book signings
    • The first is a private signing at Goldsboro books, where I will be signing and numbering 200 books stamped in groups of 25 with the character avatars I designed.
    • The second will be my first public signing! I will be appearing at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore from 6-7PM. Already a few people have promised to show up, even though I am a new author that very few people have heard of.
  • Friday… I dunno. I guess we’ll get drunk or something. Aaaannnnd…
  • Saturday Sept. 6, I fly back to NYC in the afternoon. Theoretically, I will immediately go to someone’s bachelor party, but my lovely wife and perfect baby girl might have other ideas…

So please, if you’re in London on the 4th, stop by the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, between 6-7 and keep me company!