Greg Rucka's Blog, page 2

Etiquette

First event for The Last Run was tonight at Portland’s Murder by the Book, and it was delightful. Big thank yous to everyone who came out for the signing, and again to those of you who heeded my plea in the last post here and called the store to order your books. Books were signed, bookplates were included, and you did a good thing.

I will reiterate: if you’re looking to buy the book, and you’re looking for a signed and/or personalized copy, I urge you to contact any of the stores listed on the Appearances Page and order through them. I will gladly inscribe your book, personalize it as you wish, and will include a bookplate there and then.

Now, to a minor matter of protocol for those who are wondering.

Folks often ask if it’s appropriate to bring comics for me to sign at these events, and frequently, when they do bring them, they wonder how many is “too many.” This has come up before, but I realized tonight that I’ve never made my policy, so to speak, clear upon the matter. There is some confusion. It is understandable. Those who read my novels, those who read my comics, and those who read both, this is for you.

The answer is: if I wrote it, I will sign it. Simple as that. If you want to bring your entire run of 52 for me to sign, I will sign your entire run of 52. If there is a long line waiting for my signature, I may ask you to allow me to sign in batches. But if I wrote it, I will sign it.

And yes, it is perfectly acceptable to bring comics for me to sign, even if I am, ostensibly, promoting my newest novel.

You paid for the books, be they comics or novels. The very least I can do is put my signature to it at your request.

That is all.

The Last Run (It’s Called Timing, Friend, Timing…)

I love the fact that people are surprised to hear Hamid Karzai admitting he took bags of cash from the Iranian government.

Look at a fucking map, people. Seriously, just look at a fucking map. Where is Iran on that map? Where is Afghanistan?

Iran has expertly been influencing and shepherding events in the Middle East for the last twenty-plus years, aggressively so since the end of Gulf I. They’ve been working the angles in Iraq since the invasion; they’ve established a presence amongst the Kurds (due in no small part to put the Fear of Allah into Turkey); they’ve been pouring money into Lebanon; they provide materiel support and money to Hezbollah. Everyone’s looking at their nuclear capability, and yes, that’s legitimate, and they forget the conventional. Iran is a tank, and it’s rolling neatly all over the Middle East.

On a more personal, and somewhat darkly amused front, this coincides nicely with the release of The Last Run, which sees Tara heading to Iran. Once again, my timing is impeccable.

Yay, me.

So, yes, the new novel is on sale as of midnight tonight. It’s available at Amazon and B&N and oh so many other places online, and I would like it very much if you would buy a copy. And if you are looking to purchase a copy, and if you are, say, interested in getting it signed, even personalized, with a JH Williams III limited edition bookplate (details in this post, here!) included at no cost, might I make a suggestion? Amazon and B&N, they’re very nice, true, they make things easy…

…but you could contact, say, Murder by the Book in Portland, Oregon. Or Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas. Or the Seattle Mystery Bookshop. Or the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. Or The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale. You could email or call any of these fine independents, and when I am there, I will happily sign a book or three for you, and yes, I will have bookplates with me, and yes, they will be included.

I would, frankly, much prefer if you did this. These are only a handful of the terrific mystery bookstores out there, just the ones that I will be visiting on this abbreviated tour. But if you were to buy from them, not only are you supporting the independents, you also won’t have to wait for me to get around to mailing you a bookplate separately. It’s win-win. The staff at each and every of these stores are terrific – they will take down your precise requests, exactly how you want the book inscribed. We’re talking personal service here!

So please, if you’ve yet to buy a copy, consider buying from one of these wonderful establishments. As much as your willingness to read what I write, their efforts make my continuing work possible.