My Second Book: The Great American Dirtbags

It's about that time to officially announce that my second book, The Great American Dirtbags is printed and a real thing instead of this vision inside my mind. I'm writing this at exactly midnight, Wednesday night, April 24th, because I want to go live in the morning. I'm no night writer, not the Hunter S. Thompson type, and I don't want to turn into one. But deadlines are deadlines, even if they are your own, which are usually the easiest to procrastinate.

This book, which I am proud of, is a collection of eighteen stories and a couple poems, and the pieces range from my depressed teenage years to my current happy mid-thirty-something "born again dirtbag" days.

As a self published author you learn to hate your words, and love them again. You spend so much time editing and revising them they take on a life of their own. The only real thing that truly keeps me going are my friends, my community, the climbing and greater outdoors community. It's a crazy realization to have, but all I ever need in life is under the sun and stars. Sure, there are times to have a roof over your head, to shower, to write, to make love, to eat, to rest, but in the end I would not want to live a life without adventures in the outdoors.

So many people have supported this project, and I promise to pay it back in karma points, but maybe that's not how this whole thing works. Some people just send their time and energy and love without asking for anything return, and that's the greatest lesson I've learned through this process. And now there is this book of dirtbag stories, for you, because they happened to me, but the stories themselves are nothing without someone reading them, then they take on a life of their own, they are yours.

This spring and summer I will be traveling across the United States and Canada on a book tour supporting The Great American Dirtbags. The tour kicks off on Tuesday, April 29th at Maria’s Bookshop at 6:30 p.m., followed by the first ever “Climber’s Beer Night” at Carver’s immediately following. There will be a haiku contest, a ticketed giveaway and beer specials. On Thursday May 15th, I'll be at the Black Diamond Store in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Stacy Bare.

The Great American Dirtbags was published by Benighted Publications, and retails at $13.99. 

For media review copies please contact me directly at luke@climbingzine.com. word!