The press release would appear to have stirred up a tiny bit of interest in Missionary Man.
I got a phone call on Tuesday from the New York Press—from the assistant to editor John Strausbaugh, as a matter of fact. Said assistant told me that Mr. Strausbaugh wanted to see a copy of Missionary Man. I tried to explain that the book is still unsold, but the assistant only reiterated the request and asked that I get it in the mail that day.
I consulted my agent, who told me that John Strausbaugh is an influential fellow and yes, I should send the manuscript straight to him. So I ran out a copy, boxed it up, and mailed it at the all-night post office on 8th Avenue that very evening. We'll see what comes of that. (Bend positive vibes in this direction, please.)
Later that same day, I got a request from a senior fellow at Hamilton College who wants to see a copy of the manuscript for research on a thesis on contemporary rites of passage. Again, after a consultation with my agent, I've decided to send a copy of the manuscript. At least in this instance I won't have to pay for repro and mailing, and hey, I might end up quoted in an academic paper. Every little bit helps.
In other news, the KGB reading will soon be upon us. I'll need to spend some time this weekend polishing up the excerpts I'm going to read, and running through it once or twice to make sure I fit in the forty-minute time limit. I got email from Ellen Datlow the other day, telling China Miéville and me that we can decide between ourselves who reads first and who reads second. I'd rather go first, for the obvious reason that I'd hate to see China go first and half the crowd dribble away when he's done.
(There's a notice about the reading in this week's Time Out New York—first time my name has appeared there! Page 55 in the July 11-18 issue, under "Fantastic Fiction," right next to a two-column ad for China's new novel The Scar. Ironically, right above the ad, there is a listing for China's Thursday reading at the Barnes & Noble on Astor Place. It refers to him as "her." I know the copy editor didn't see the ad, but it's funny that that mistake appears right above a photo of the obviously male Mr. Miéville.)
But then again, if the people who've told me they're coming aren't lying, then I think I can expect a pretty good turnout among friends of mine who've never even heard of China. Some of them will even be ringers wearing Bill Shunn T-shirts. And I've sent invitations not just to media types like John Strausbaugh, but to some of the editors who've, er, already seen the book.
And finally, █████ and I will be in Burlington, Mass., this weekend for Readercon. I'll be at the Meet-the-Pros(e) party Friday night, and then I'll be doing a reading Sunday at 11:30 am and then hosting a kaffeeklatsch that same day at 1:00 pm. I'll read my story "The Diagnostic Feast," which appears next month in the anthology Beyond the Last Star, edited by Sherwood Smith.
And that's the news for now. More to come, surely.
