The Next Big Thing

My generous friend and colleague Miles David Moore has tagged me to participate in the ongoing blog interview  for authors, "The Next Big Thing." The interview asks ten questions about the writer's current project; Miles posted his answers at the link on February 4. He asked to me post my answers one week later, which is today. I hope to be tagging at least one other writer this week for a February 18 post.


WHAT IS THE WORKING TITLE OF YOUR BOOK?

The working title and the final title of my humor collection, to be published on March 1, is Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth. Since the book contains poetry, fiction, song parodies, essays and lists that deal with a wide range of subjects--from fashion to environmental issues and quite a bit in between--I had to find a title that encompassed as much as possible.


WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR YOUR BOOK COME FROM?

Ideas came from many places. The day's news provides plenty to work with, as does advertising. The vanities and follies of the world, including my own, have given me a lot to work with.


WHAT GENRE DOES YOUR BOOK FALL UNDER?

Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth seems to fall under general or miscellaneous humor. That said, the tones of the individual pieces vary widely (and wildly). Some are innocently funny, while others are bawdy or biting. One piece even aspires to be a condensed update of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal".

WHICH ACTORS WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY YOUR CHARACTERS IN A MOVIE RENDITION?

Quite a few characters appear in the book's stories and other pieces, so it could take me a long time to answer. I can see much of the material brought together in some framing tale starring Bill Murray and, as is the case with pie, there is always room for Gilbert Gottfried. Rights are available, and I am on IMDB.


WHAT IS THE ONE-SENTENCE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR BOOK?

Man tries to make sense of world, gives up and describes absurdity.


WILL YOUR BOOK BE SELF-PUBLISHED OR REPRESENTED BY AN AGENCY?

The book will be published by Los Angeles start-up Cassowary Press. Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth is the publisher's first title, and I am honored to be placed in that position. No agent represented the manuscript, but I did rely heavily on an attorney as the contract was drawn up. A specialized publicity firm is in the process of getting the word out to print and electronic media.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT?

Writing the individual pieces took place over about fifteen years. Imposing some kind of order on them took about four months.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS WOULD YOU COMPARE THIS BOOK TO WITHIN ITS GENRE?

The variety within Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth, something like a magazine written entirely by one person, brings to mind One Fell Soup by Roy Blount, Jr.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?

I had to write the pieces in the book to get them out of my head and make them someone else's, whether as a gift or a problem.


WHAT ELSE ABOUT YOUR BOOK MIGHT PIQUE A READER'S INTEREST?

This is the only place to find a funny rendition of a seafood menu in the year 2050. Also, mimes are punched out.

Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth

Sometimes a blog takes a little nap.

And sometimes that little nap turns into a long nap, then a hibernation that continues into the spring.

And then it goes into a longer nap that lasts all summer, which is called estivation if memory serves.

And once in a while that nap will go all the way through the fall, though the word for that doesn't come to mind at the moment.

Some regular readers of a blog, such as the blogger's father, might even start to wonder if that long slumber has turned into a dirt nap.

But that is no longer a concern for this blog.

Smitroverse is waking up (if perhaps groggily burying the lede) for the March 1 publication of my first humor collection, Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth, by Cassowary Press of Los Angeles. Both print and ebook editions are available for pre-order from the usual online seller suspects, and the print edition will be shelved at bookstores with a pulse and a sense of daring. (If you manage such a bookstore, please contact SCB Distributors to order.)

In case you're wondering, Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth has a little bit of something for everyone: stories, poems, essays, song parodies, lists, a manifesto or two and even a canine resume. You can think of the collection as a whole magazine by a single author who is attempting to become the Swiss Army knife of American writing.

In an upcoming post I'll say a little bit more about the book, the publisher and the publicity firm that will be getting the word out.

For now, though, I would simply urge you to order Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth for the sake of my cash flow. My wife and I are remodeling both bathrooms this year, and I might be placing some rather large long-shot bets on Puppy Bowl IX.

New Lists on Top Hat Tap Dance

The list may represent America's unique contribution to humor, and many of us know it best from David Letterman's Top Ten List.

I've recently had a few lists of my own published on the site Top Hat Tap Dance, the creation of Austin, Texas writer and photographer Kristin Hillery, whose work has, like my own, appeared on Yankee Pot Roast.

My lists (or, as some of the kids call them these days, "listicles") appear on the following dates:

October 8

September 22

September 15

September 14

and September 14

(September 14 was a busy day).

I will soon put together another set of previously published humor links, including both lists and longer articles, but the links above can be considered an appetizer.

Humor Issue of Poemeleon Now Online

The eagle--or some other, perhaps less majestic bird like a curlew or wood duck--has landed.

The humor issue of Poemeleon (www.poemeleon.org) is now online. In addition to my dog leave-taking poem Aubade, which originally appeared in The Bark, the issue features work by poets including Sherman Alexie, Julie Kane, Martha Silano, Marilyn L. Taylor and Charles Harper Webb.

My thanks to editor Cati Porter for including me in such fine company.