Stephan Pastis's Blog, page 6

Signed Books. Because I Care.

For those of you who live in cities I wasn’t able to get to on the tour, I just signed a bunch of books (and drew a character in each) at my local Barnes and Noble in Santa Rosa.

Call (707) 576-7494 to order and they’ll ship them to you.

But call now because they tend to go fast.

I Put the Keno in Kenosha

Hey, for those of you coming to see me on Saturday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the show is now sold out.

But the good news (depending on your perspective) is that they’ve added a SECOND show on Saturday at 10:00 am.

And, well, if that one sells out, I’ll just have to visit your homes individually.

Please vacuum accordingly.

 

I’ve Probably Ruined the Entire Genre

If you’ve ever walked into a bookstore and taken a glance at the gift book section, it’s enough to make you cry.

Not in an emotional, “I feel kinda touched” way.  But in a “Good lord, do people really buy this crap?” way.

The books are sappy.  They are trite.   And you can’t shake a stick without hitting a rainbow or a puppy.

So I wrote my own.

And, well, it’s different.

Different enough to scar anyone searching for rainbows and puppies.

So if you’re not one of those people, and you share some of my sociopathic tendencies, behold, there is now a gift book for you.

 

 

God bless.

The Freak Show Tour Dates

I’ve updated the Freak Show Tour information.  Here is the latest.

Saturday, 9/29, Kenosha, Wisconsin

3:45 pm, DaimlerChrysler Hall, Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 1st Avenue, Kenosha, WI

Monday, 10/1 Milwaukee

7:00 pm, Boswell Book Company, 2559 N. Downer Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

 Thursday, 10/4 Chicago

7:00 pm, Barnes and Noble Old Orchard, 55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL 60077

Friday, 10/5 St. Louis

7:00 pm, Left Bank Books Downtown, 321 N. 10th St., St. Louis, MO 63101

Saturday, 10/6 Washington DC

1:00 pm, Politics & Prose, Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016

Monday, 10/8  Raleigh, NC

7:30 pm, Quail Ridge Books, 3522 Wade Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607

Tuesday, 10/9 Atlanta

7:00 pm, A Cappella Books, event to be held offsite at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N Highland Avenue Northeast Atlanta, GA 30307

 Thursday, 10/11 New Orleans

5:30pm, Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Friday, 10/19 Corte Madera, CA

7:00pm, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925

Wednesday, 10/24, Alameda, CA

7:30pm, Books Inc., 1344 Park Street, Alameda, CA 94501

 Thursday, 11/8, Louisville, KY

7:00pm, Barnes & Noble, 4100 Summit Plaza Drive, Louisville, KY 40241

Saturday, 11/10, Frankfort, KY

10:30 am, Kentucky Book Fair, Frankfort Convention Center, 405 Mero St., Frankfort, KY

 

Hope to see you at one of these dates.

Stephan

P.S.  Beer makes me draw better.  So if you bring some, it’s a win/win for everyone.

The Freak Show is Hitting the Road. And Bring Beer, Damn It, Or You Will Make My Bunny Very Angry

As I am telling my body-less blue bunny, the book tour for my upcoming treasury, Pearls Freaks the #%$# Out, is now set.

At each stop, I will talk about the strip, tell the strange tale of how I went from being a wayward lawyer to a wayward cartoonist, show a number of readers’ favorite strips, and of course, talk about some of the strips that weren’t big hits  (including some of the angry mail they generated).  It’s inspirational, it’s funny and it’s better than just sitting with a bunch of people in a quiet room.

Afterwards, I sign books and try to draw a character in each book.

So, without further delay, behold the Freak Show dates:

Saturday, 9/29, Kenosha, Wisconsin

3:45 pm, DaimlerChrysler Hall, Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 1st Avenue, Kenosha, WI

Monday, 10/1 Milwaukee

7:00 pm, Next Chapter Book Shop, 10976 N Port Washington Rd, Mequon, WI 53092

 Thursday, 10/4 Chicago

7:00 pm, Barnes and Noble Old Orchard, 55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL 60077

Friday, 10/5 St. Louis

7:00 pm, Left Bank Books Downtown, 321 N. 10th St., St. Louis, MO 63101

Saturday, 10/6 Washington DC

1:00 pm, Politics & Prose, Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016

Monday, 10/8  Raleigh, NC

7:30 pm, Quail Ridge Books, 3522 Wade Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607

Tuesday, 10/9 Atlanta

7:00 pm, A Cappella Books, event to be held offsite at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N Highland Avenue Northeast Atlanta, GA 30307

 Thursday, 10/11 New Orleans

5:30pm, Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Friday, 10/19 Corte Madera, CA

7:00pm, Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925

Wednesday, 10/24, Alameda, CA

7:30pm, Books Inc., 1344 Park Street, Alameda, CA 94501

 Thursday, 11/8, Louisville, KY

7:00pm, Barnes & Noble, 4100 Summit Plaza Drive, Louisville, KY 40241

I apologize in advance to readers in New York City and Boston.  We tried to book shows in both cities but were not successful with the bookstores we contacted.

But the good news is that I will be doing another book tour just five months later, and we will hit another 12 or so cities.  I believe both Boston and New York should be included on that trip.  Other cities on that spring tour that are strong possibilities:  Austin, Houston, Tampa, Philly, Toronto, Tucson, San Jose, Seattle, Vancouver, and Los Angeles.

Thanks again.  Hope to see you there.

Stephan

P.S.  Beer makes me draw better.  So if you bring some, it’s a win/win for everyone.

One Day I’ll Learn To Not Say Everything That Enters My Head During Interviews, But Until Then Listen To This

Here is an all-encompassing interview I just gave regarding the Pearls e-book, the upcoming treasury (“Pearls Freaks Out”), the fall book tour (including dates), my upcoming kids book (“Timmy Failure”), and a story about Pittsburgh that I probably shouldn’t have told.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.talltaleradio.com/episode-...

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

So for the past couple years, I’ve been writing a novel (hence, the lack of blog posts).

It’s called “Timmy Failure:   Mistakes Were Made.”   It’s about a boy detective who can take any mystery and make it more mysterious.  It comes out in February and is being published in the U.S. by Candlewick Press.  It is currently set to be published in 10 other countries as well.

In theory, it’s for kids, ages 8 to 12.  But personally, I think it’s for anyone.  It also has around 200 drawings in it.

Here is the cover:

 

And here is Timmy’s business partner, Total:

 

The two of them even have their own Facebook page.

The book is filled with action, idiocy, and more.  But best of all, it contains my writing (Insert smiley emoticon).

Hope you like it.

 

 

 

Pittsburgh — One Show Added (or, as I wanted to title this blog post — Boy Oh Boy Am I Popular)

My Friday talk at the Toonseum is now officially sold out.  So the Toonseum has added a SECOND SHOW on Saturday, June 23 at noon.

Hear the story of how I went from being a pathetic lawyer to a pathetic cartoonist.

Watch as I show fan favorite strips and better yet, the not-so-favorite strips.

Gawk at the wonderfully furious complaints people send me.

In all, a night that is just slightly better than doing nothing.

Click HERE for tickets.

A Sneak Peak at the Freaks

A first look at the cover of the next treasury (which comes out in September).

I’m the one in the beautiful pants.

 

Own an Original Pearls Strip (and Give to a Great Cause)

I’m often asked if I sell original Pearls strips.  I don’t, but twice a year or so, I auction one off for charity.  And this is one of those times.

The genesis of this auction is cartoonist Richard Thompson (Cul De Sac), who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

In honor of Richard, a bunch of us cartoonists (including Bill Watterson) donated art to be auctioned off for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.  So if you want to own an original Pearls and contribute to a great cause, click HERE.

And if you’re interested in buying the book collection of all the great art that was donated (which is pretty much a who’s who of all the best cartoonists from the past 30 years), go HERE.