LOS ANGELES, September 10 – That’s not the way it’s meant to be done.

I know it’s not the way it’s meant to be done.

You know it.

Everyone knows it.

When you’re expected to arrive at 6pm, you do not arrive at 7pm. Especially not when everyone arriving at 6pm is arriving at 6pm because they are expecting to find you there at 6pm.

A basic test of both good manners and professionalism is the ability to get your ass someplace on time. Not to brag, but in the normal course of things, I’m pretty darn good at getting my ass places in a timely fashion.

This did not prevent me from arriving a full hour late at the Westwood Borders on Thursday, September 6th where I was to be speaking at an event sponsored by the California Lawyers for the Arts.

Why, you ask, was I so abominably late?

Because the event was scheduled to start at 7pm. It said so on every email I received from the CLA. My God, man, that’s the time I had posted for the event on my website. I know damn well it was scheduled for 7pm. And that’s just what I told the poor Border’s clerk who had the misfortune of being the first person I found to talk to after I arrived at the store at five minutes before 7pm, and saw a sign advertising the event for 6pm.

“Every email I have listed the event at seven,” said I.

“Let me see if I can get you a manager,” said he.

And he did. He got me Lita Weissman, District Marketing Manager, who told me that she too had thought the event started at 6pm. Thought that until she was informed by the CLA that that was not the case, and then checked my own website where, wait for it, the time for the event was listed as 6pm.

I don’t know what color one should use to indicate humiliated chagrin, but that’s the color I turned.

The color of a total fucking asshole.

To the members of the CLA, to any of my readers who were waiting for me patiently, and to anyone else who may have stumbled upon the event and wasted an hour while I drove slowly across town rehearsing my opening witticisms in my head, my apologies for fucking up.

No excuse. Just a huge, unprofessional, impolite, fuck up.

Thanks to Lita for being such a good sport. And thanks to Jennifer, Jennifer, and Tom, all of whom were also an hour late, and hung around and talked with me about writing and publishing for a bit. And thanks to the CLA and Westwood Borders for being willing to reschedule the event. I’ll post the details here when I have them.

Leaving early,
Charlie

Fucking Traffic

Some more thanks to Ed and Tim at Book Carnival in Orange, CA. Anyone with an interest in crime and mystery first editions should make a point of stopping by this wonderful shop. Ed doesn’t do business on the Internet anymore (He’s, “Off the Internet for life.”), but he can put you on his mailing list or answer your questions over the phone.

And yes, that was me arriving fifteen minutes late at Mysterious Galaxy. If you were there, I apologized in person. Really, I don’t make a habit of this shit. The I5 sucks. Thanks to everyone in attendance, all the store employees, and both Don Winslow and Randy Hicks, who let me share the podium with them, and who were both great company.

Smarter Than Us

Is a good way to describe William Gibson.

Read a really great interview with Mr. Gibson at The Washington Post HERE.

Me Love Me Long Time

And interview with me conducted by slang-slinging groovster John Hood at The Miami Sun Post HERE.

Reviews of THE SHOTGUN RULE at The Kansas City Star HERE.

And The Austin American-Statesman HERE.

I Won’t be Late

To these tour dates:

Friday, September 14, 2007

7:00 PM at VROMAN’S BOOKSTORE in Pasadena, CA

695 E. Colorado Blvd
626/449-5320

Saturday, September 15

12:00 PM at MYSTERIES TO DIE FOR in Thousand Oaks, CA

2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Phone: 805-374-0084

3:00 PM at THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE in Westwood, CA

1036 Broxton Avenue
Phone: 310-209-0415

Tuesday, September 18

7:00 PM at THE POISONED PEN in Scottsdale, AZ

4014 N Goldwater Blvd., #101
Phone: 888-560-9919

Wednesday, September 19

7PM at M IS FOR MYSTERY, with ZOE SHARP, in San Mateo, CA

86 East Third Ave.
650/401-8077

Thursday, September 20

7:00 PM at THIRD PLACE BOOKS in Lake Forest Park, WA

17171 Bothell Way NE
Phone : 206/366-3316

Monday, October 1

7:00 PM at PRAIRIE LIGHTS BOOKSTORE in Iowa City, IA

15 S. Dubuque St.
Phone: 319/337-2681

Tuesday, October 2

6:30 PM at MURDER BY THE BOOK in Houston, TX

This will be part of an evening long event, featuring KEN BRUEN among others, known at Noir Night

2342 Bissonnet St.
Phone: 713/524-8597