You know what I learned today? Kansas City isn’t in Kansas. It’s in Missouri.
Now I’m all for people having fun with names, but honestly? There’s a little something called truth in advertizing too….
I learned this interesting fact because I’m going to a convention down there this weekend (Memorial Day weekend.) I’m Guest of Honor at ConQuest.
And just so Kansas won’t feel sad, I’m going to be doing a reading/signing there too. It’s the Thursday before the convention (the 23rd) at Mysteryscape in Overland Park.
So, you have been warned. Grab me when I’m in the area, because I don’t know when I’ll be back again….
(Note: Please don’t actually grab me.)
Edit: Just to make it clear, I’m also doing readings and signings at the convention itself all weekend. Plus at the convention I’m going to be on a bunch of panels about writing, worldbuilding, humor, etc etc.
The main reason I’m in town is because of the convention, and if you want to see a lot of me, that’s the place to go.
(Note: “By see a lot of me” what I really mean is “See me a lot.”)
I’m doing the bookstore event for people who don’t like conventions, can’t afford them, or who are busy over the weekend.
Just to clear that up.
* * *
In other news, I did something horrible in Florida.
Or rather, I tried to do something nice in Florida and I screwed it up.
Earlier this month when I did a signing in Bradenton, we ran out of books. I felt bad about that, as some folks had driven for hours and weren’t going to be able to buy books and get them signed.
So I told people that if they wrote their names and e-mail addresses down, we’d contact them and arrange to sell them some signed books for what they’d have been able to buy them for at the store.
I passed around the notebook, about 30 people wrote down their names….
…and now I can’t find the list.
I’ve looked everywhere. It’s not in my luggage. It’s not in the store. It’s not where we were staying in Florida, or in the car we drove around in….
It’s just gone.
I feel really bad about this, and I want to make it right, so here’s what we’re going to do…
We sell a bunch of stuff in The Tinker’s Packs, T-shirts, jewelry, posters, and signed copies of my books.
Because all the money from The Tinker’s Packs goes to charity, we normally charge more than the cover price of the books. But for the folks who were in Florida, we’re going to charge the cover price and eat the shipping cost ourselves.
(I’d love to give you even more of a deal, but the books actually cost us money….)
So. If you were at that signing and you didn’t get a book, here’s what I’d like you to do.
1. Go onto The Tinker’s Packs.
2. Order whatever books you like.
3. When you go to Paypal, click on the “Note to seller” field.
(Click to Embiggen)
4. Type in “I was in Florida”
5. Type in whatever you’d like your personalization to be.
6. Complete your order.
- Note: The total will not be right.
7. When we process the order, we will refund some of your money.
If you want to buy some other stuff too, nothing would make me happier. Worldbuilders appreciates your support. But I’m afraid you’ll have to pay regular price for the other stuff.
What’s to stop *everyone* from jumping in and claiming they were at the event to get cheaper books?
First, we *will* be mailing this stuff to you. So if you say you were at the signing, then ask us to mail something to Ireland… Well… we’ll be a little skeptical.
Plus there’s the whole human decency thing. My readers have shown themselves to be cool, caring, generous folks. You’d have to be a bit of a wanker to try to screw a charity that’s trying to feed hungry kids, and my readers aren’t like that.
Right? Right.
* * *
Lastly, since we’re on the topic of the store….
We have a few new items in there, for those of you who haven’t peeked in for a while.
The newest and coolest of those are the signed copies of Beatrice’s Goat.
This is the book that first sold me on how cool Heifer International was. I like it so much I recorded a video of me reading it to Oot a while back.
The books we have in the store right now are extra-cool because they’re signed.
But wait. They’re even cooler than that. They’re not just signed by the author (Page McBrier) Not just signed by the illustrator (Lori Lohstoeter).
These copies are signed by Beatrice Biira herself, the woman the book was based on.
Beatrice has grown up since the book was published in 2001, and she’s gone on to great things. She got her BA, then went on to get her Master’s degree. (And I’m willing to bet money she got better grades than me when she was doing it.)
Suffice to say that we only have a limited number of these books. If you want one, you might want to grab it quickly.
* * *
Finally, we’re probably going to pull the calendar out of the store pretty soon, since the time for buying calendars is pretty much past. For those of you who want one as a collectable, or who are like me and tend to be forgetful about things like buying calendars: fair warning. In a week or so, we’re probably going to take it down.
But for now it’s still there, and it’s at half price.
That’s all for now, folks. More news soon.
Cool news.
Soon.
pat
44 Comments
Amiable.
Technically, I believe there is also a Kansas City in Kansas. So maybe you’re just going to the wrong one. Then again I’ve never actually been to either. So maybe they’re just an evil conspiracy by the sinister map-making elite.
Yes, Kansas City, MO, and Kansas City, KS, are adjacent to each other, separated by state lines. Kansas City, MO, is much larger though.
And Kansas City in actually the largest city in Missouri – not St. Louis.
If only they would bring me in to consult on these things. It would prevent a lot of confusion….
yes I was going to say there is a Kansas City in Kansas although it doesn’t have the blues like Missouri does!
So, a couple years ago I was able to attend a reading you did for Wise Man’s Fear here in Portland OR (it was one of the most amazing things ever). I just noticed that since then whenever I read your blog, it’s your voice I hear in my head. Kinda awesome.
There’s no point to give the name “Kansas City” to a city that’s in Kansas.
Maybe, but there are a couple. New York City and Oklahoma city come to mind immediately.
I just hope you sing this at some point. Because seriously, that’s like a golden opportunity.
I’m leaning more in this direction myself….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBj1oQYgjis
That works just as well.
This kind of reminds me of the time you got that girls phone number and lost it, then posted on facebook and actually found the girl. Hopefully this one has a happy ending too (that’s what she said) and everyone who was on the list gets their books.
Good luck!
If you happen to have any free time in KC and also like ice cream, check out this place: http://www.glaceicecream.com/
We found it on a trip there for a wedding, and ended up going something like three times in four days.
Thanks for the heads-up.
The Chipotle in the Power & Light district is pretty awesome too (assuming you’re a tacos-made-from-free-range-chickens-and-organic-produce kind of guy).
Or if local fare’s preferable, go Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue or Longboards, Wraps and Bowls.
Oklahoma Joe’s (in Kansas City, Missouri, for a truly confusing mix of states) is some pretty damned good BBQ. I don’t wanna throw around phrases like “life changing”, but it’s damned good meat. Also the restaurant is in a gas station. So it’s got that going for it. Which is nice.
The things you do for worldbuilder, and for things like this that your doing for your fans beyond giving everyone the gift of your stories is what makes you an awesome author. I’ll be able to attend the Saturday event in Kansas city, but not the thursday book reading/signing. Will you be doing a book signing as well in Kansas city on saturday? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you since I found out you were attending.
I’ll be doing a signing and an autographing (And many, many panels) at the convention itself.
“I’m doing the bookstore event for people who don’t like conventions, can’t afford them, or who are busy over the weekend.”
Another great example of how you show you care about your fans and how involved you are willing to be with them, even when it takes you away from the more important things in life such as your family. Thank you for being the awesome individual that you are.
Really looking forward to the reading/signing. Thanks so much for coming to our neck of the country!
Pat,
Bummer that the con is at the end of May. You’re going to miss this at the Alamo Drafthouse there in KC, MO.
http://lastunicorntour.com/
Peter S. Beagle is going to be in attendance and signing as well. Or you’d be more than welcome to come out to Denver. :)
So Mr. Rothfuss, this is Thursday, May 30th? I want to be clear, because I don’t wanna miss this. Getting a Patrick Rothfuss Hug is on my bucket list.
The thursday before the event, May 23rd at 7pm.
So THIS Thursday. Thought I read next Thursday. Thank you! I’m so excited. No way I can make it to the Con, so this is wonderful for me.
I know exactly how you feel. I requested the time off work for the con as early as work would let me and beyond excited I was able to get it off. Kansas city is a four hour drive, but it’s the closest he’ll be to where I live. And lets be honest, we all know it’s worth it.
You should come to Oklahoma City, we exist in Oklahoma and not other state. I know you were scheduled to be in Norman, but that’s not OKC and I was out of town… so you know… come visit.
This post, unlike your book, underwent zero proofing time. As is obvious.
We would absolutely love to see you in New Jersey…now I know it kinda smells like that one cousin whom you believe doesn’t take a shower daily, but if you can get past that we could give you a warm welcome.
Thank You for the calendar reminder. Yeah, I’m one of those guys.
I was just in the Jefferson City, Missouri area this weekend, and trying desperately to find a way to get to Kansas City this next weekend, but alas…the drive is prohibitive currently for my old man Accord. I’m excited You’re coming to this part of the country anyway. You have lots of diehard fans here. :-)
Also, Roger Miller? I’m not sure how You manage to keep getting higher on my admiration list, but probably a good thing I can’t make it to Kansas City because a big, hairy, bearded, 42 year old fanboy like myself is probably not the most attractive of fans. :-) I hope KC treats You right. It’s a cool place.
One of these days I hope you will be able to make it St. Louis as well. Might be a neat trip just in general. If you’ve never been to the top of the Arch, it’s a very cool experience.
In terms of Kansas City. If you end up the city proper and are looking for a solid burger rather than BBQ, I humbly suggest Winstead’s. It’s similar to Steak and Shake in terms of menu, but the food and atmosphere are both lightyears better.
Either way, I hope you enjoy your visit to Kansas City.
I’ve lived in KC for 14 years and until right now I didn’t know we have a CoCo Key water resort.
Oklahoma Joe’s is a good choice, as is Jack Stack or Arthur Bryant. Please, please, don’t let anyone take you to Gates for barbecue.
If you like jazz, I could recommend some good places, but the reality is you’ll probably be too busy with the con to get out anywhere.
It is cool that you learned Kansas City is in Missouri. Many of visitors never do, and A LOT of entertainers make the gaffe of yelling from stage, ” how are you doing tonight Kansas?!?”. And then we boo them. It’s sort of a running joke around here.
I’m *so* going to do that now…..
Speaking about going out of town: you should really consider Ye Olde Continent. Specifically Spain, we treat out beloved writers reeeeeally good over here (ask Mr. George R.R. about “Semana Negra”. G’head ask him!).
I am pretty pumped to see you are doing the Thursday night appearance. Mysteryscape is just a hop, skip and a jump from my house. While on the topic of cities in KC / MO, here’s a fun fact: Overland Park is the 2nd largest city in Kansas (2nd only to Wichita).
You could come to Boston and then feast on fried clams, lobster, chowdah, and some of the best ice cream on the East Coast….
Trying to do something nice and then screwing it up is one of the worst feelings in the world! Feeling for you (not literally!).
Indeed the Tale of Two Kansas Cities is fraught with conflict. Kansas and Missouri were on opposite sides in the civil war, and present-day Kansas City was the site of the “Battle of Westport” (and there was a lot of guerrilla warfare up and down the border as well). Until recently the border war reenacted yearly by the Kansas and Missouri college football teams, but following Mizzou’s ignominious retreat to another conference I think it’s safe to say Kansas has finally emerged as the victor.
Actually I still remember the heartbreak and betrayal I felt when I learned that the Kansas City Royals actually played in Missouri… I think I was 6…
Any Hatfield & McCoy stuff behind that too?
Pat, just curious. Which DJ is the “true first edition” of NOTW? Is it the one with Carrot Top “finally” doing a porno or the one with the mouth?
Although unrelated to this post, I just figured out how RSS works. Rather than subscribe to a blog as I usually do, it is now wedged in between student mail and course updates and general university stuff.
I feel a little bad for stuffing fun in with work… but I can’t. Not really.
Because why?
I get Patrick Rothfuss updates smack in the middle of everyday life.
Awesome.
Hi Pat! :)
I’m not really sure where to write it, so I hope it’s ok here. I’m almost finished reading The wise man’s fear and I really love it! But the main thing I wanted to tell you, is that the Adem’s gestures are really cool and they most of all remind me of EMOTICONS. You know, I imagine it like a way to help them communicate, and that’s the exact kind of stuff we use on internet, mails, etc. What I mean is for ex. “I’m not really feeling good :( =sad “ … huh, I suppose I’m weird… I was just curious and wanted to ask you, if this “similarity” has ever come across your mind?
Tereza, Prague
Hey not sure if you’ll see this here, but I wrote about you and your books in my Inspiration Blog if you want to check it out.
http://baxwriting.blogspot.com/2013/05/inspiration-fri-er-saturday.html
Patrick, sir,
You may have not seen the currently-viral youtube video of a 14 year old girl shredding Van Halen’s Eruption:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD_d3D25VEM
…but when I see it, and the girl’s facial expression as she plays it, all I can think of is “Tintatatornin”!