Thank you, Austin

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Wow…the Austin Books signing for ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS was a massive success, to say the least. Thanks to everyone who came out and patiently stood in line Saturday. It was a pleasure to be there with you. Mike Moorcock kicked it off with a reading from the novel THE STEALER OF SOULS, and then he and I did a quick Q&A. During that time, the people just kept streaming into the store. From there, it was a solid two hours of signing books and visiting with good people. Take a look at the photo above….I made the grievous mistake of looking up from signing books and assuming the end of the line visible in the photo was the “end of the line.” Then someone informed me that the line wrapped behind the bookshelves, and kept going. Wow.




Huge thanks to Brad Bankston, Brandon, and all at Austin Books for putting this together. 1/3 of the store is under a major renovation and Bankston shrewdly housed the signing event in that space, while the other 2/3 of the store was the usual comics nirvana that makes it one of the finest comic-book stores in America.

Special shoutout to Eric (pictured above), who came all the way down from Minnesota just to attend this event and meet Mike and me. He flew in the day of the event, did it, dined with us afterwards, and then flew back home six short hours later. You’re an animal, man! That was impressive. Great to meet you….we’ll be in touch. Speaking of dinner, we all had dinner afterwards at the excellent Clay Pit, a nouveau-Indian restaurant near downtown Austin. Traci and I loved it, and we’re sure to return. Joining Traci and me, and Mike and his wife Linda, were my good friend Brian Farrens (who took the photos here….thanks, man.), Eric from Minnesota–and a terrific surprise–Allison Baker of MonkeyBrain Books fame. It was a great, great day….I’m ready to do it again! 🙂

10 thoughts on “Thank you, Austin”

  2. Congratulations!

    I’ve never read Moorcock – I just might have to now, solely based on your many blog entries about this book!

    I’m always super-happy to see so many people at book events – it just goes to show that books are not dead yet!

  4. Hi, D —

    Thanks….yeah, you’d love this store…trust me….it’s right up there in quality and diversity, with Jim Hanley’s Universe across from the Empire State Bldg….

    Hi, ces —

    Yes, long live books! 🙂
    Thanks very much….if you decide to read Moorcock, and especially Elric, the new release (ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS) is a great place to start….it gives you a lot of historical context and extras that are pretty cool whether you’re new to Moorcock’s work or a hardcore fan.

    Hi, Ryan V —

    Yeah, if you’re ever in Austin — this store is a must! 🙂

  5. Good Morning John!

    I just ordered the book via Amazon – I should have it on Thursday!

    Now I just need to finish Perdido Street Station.

  6. Hi, ces —

    I’ll look forward to hearing your comments about the Elric book, down the road! 🙂

    I’ve got a British hardcover edition of Perdido Street Station…..someday I need to get to that myself….

  8. John —

    Got to eat at the Clay Pit for the first time myself recently — man, that’s a great restaurant! We should organize a convoy there next Armadillocon.

    (Hey, you going to ApolloCon this year? They invited me, so I guess I have to go…heh.)

  9. Hey, Lou — Thanks, man. Yeah, you’ve got a mint condition copy coming your way from Austin Books. I bubble-wrapped the bastard myself, just to ensure that it got properly protected.

    Hi, Mikal — Yeah, I’ll be at Apollocon. The main reason is because it’s Lou’s first GOH gig and I want to be there for that. See you there!

  10. Hey there!
    Just realised I never responded to this.

    To everyone out there that is fan of John’s art, take any oppurtunity you can to meet the man. He is genuine, humble, and real. I can laud his art, but really…if you are here you already know the quality of his work.

    For those that haven’t read any Moorcock I highly recommend it. One note though: if you are a stickler for genre and “staying true” to certain forms, Michael Moorcock does everything he can to transcend and shatter those definitions!

    In all, it was a wonderful experience. One I greatly appreciate having and one that I hope to have oppurtunity to repeat.

    E

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