Thursday, October 1, 2009

Endless Summer – The Postcards Tour Finale

Welcome Michael Harling, author of Postcards From Across the Pond – dispatches from an accidental expat, who is today wrapping up his Kindness of Strangers Blog Tour with a guest-post here!

(And no, I didn't pay him - yet, anyway! - to say those things about my book!)

Take it away, Michael!



I started this tour just as summer was beginning, so it seems fitting to end it just as summer draws to a close and autumn takes over. It’s been fun and I’ve met a lot of great people, but touring is tiring, even in the virtual world, so I’m taking advantage of that magic we call the Internet to round up the Kindness of Strangers Tour by relying on the kindness of several strangers at once.

In a way, making my final tour stop to ten locations simultaneously seems the perfect ending for it—one big autumnal burst before quietly fading away. This tour began as a means of promoting my book, but it soon became an end in itself and took on a life of its own. Very often, I found myself having such a good time “visiting” people around the globe that I forgot to mention the book.

To date, my trip has taken me from Britain to Canada, Australia, sunny Spain, Tenerife and even back to my own hometown, ending up here in London with Marsha, just a train ride away from my home in Sussex. This is a fitting stop to end my tour on, not only because it is so close to home, but because Marsha is an author herself and HAS A BOOK COMING OUT!!!!!!

She may have already told you about it, however, so I doubt I have much new information to add, except for the fact that I have actually read the book and it is simply marvellous. And I’m not just saying that because she and her husband are putting me up, letting me drink their beer and taking me out on the town tonight. (Marsha is calling it “continuing research,” but I think she just likes to party.)

Seriously, though, 24 Hours: London is a must-have book if you live in or near London or plan to visit. It is interesting, intriguing and very readable. So go by a copy. Right now! And while you’re at it, buy a copy of my book, as well. It’s not as informative as Marsha’s, but it is funny.

I have to say, of all the adventures I might have imagined for my life as a young boy, touring the blogsphere on other people’s blogs was not a contender. But then the idea of leaving my quiet, rural life, moving to England, marrying a foreigner and writing a book about it never occurred to me, either. I’m glad and grateful for having done both, however, and although the tour is coming to an end, the adventure continues. May yours continue as well.

Thanks and Good-bye from The 2009 KINDNESS of STRANGERS TOUR
Michael Harling is the author of “Postcards From Across the Pond – dispatches from an accidental expat”

“Laugh out loud funny regardless of which side of the pond you call home. Bill Bryson move over, there’s a new American expat in town with a keen sense of humor.”
-- Jeff Yeager, author of “The Ultimate Cheapskate”

Buy the Book: http://www.lindenwald.com/booksale.htm
Follow the Tour: http://www.lindenwald.com/thetour.htm
Visit the Home Page: http://postcardsfromacrossthepond.blogspot.com/

1 comment:

Unknown said...

So all those nights out were 'continuing research'. Now I see. :)