Thursday, August 01, 2013

My new book, and mothballed until further notice



I am temporarily mothballing the Cactuseaters blog as I gear up for my second book, which is now under contract with HarperCollins. The working title is Soaked to the Bone: 15,000 Years of American Camping, and should be in your hands by 2016 I hope. I will try to update this from time to time, but meanwhile, I have embedded my Twitter feed in the right hand corner of this blog so I can at least keep you up to date about new adventures, etc.


I am contemplating a new website built around the upcoming book project. And, if you are seeking information on The Cactus Eaters, here are reviews and related links, and here is the recently updated Frequently Asked Questions link.  Meanwhile, please take a look at forthcoming issues of Catamaran for my essays about -- and interviews with -- T.C. Boyle, Lawrence Weschler, Helene Wecker, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and others.

By the way, I appreciate all of your emails, and it was fun to answer some of them the other day while hanging out at Suppenkuche in SF and nursing an enormous, frosty beer. Thank you for staying in touch. It is so weird to have a book out there and have no idea what it's up to; the book never stays in contact with me, it never calls, it never writes, and I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with it, either. So thank you for letting me know its whereabouts and whether it is getting into trouble or needs a hand-out from me every once in a while. More news and updates soon.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for letting us know. it's a good idea to prioritize and shed some less essential activities. (Sounds like advice from a stodgy 75 year old!)

cactuseaters said...

Thanks -- I agree with you. For me, part of the less essential activity is getting into the bad and very boring habit of going on to the little hit counter and checking to see how many people read this blog. Also, the Twitter stuff makes the blog feel redundant to me because most of the entries are really short anyhow. I figured I would keep this 'live' so people can still contact me if they wish.

Unknown said...

What is your new book project? Or is it a secret?

cactuseaters said...

Hi Asa. Somehow I just erased my reply to you (!) so I'll try to use some total recall here. Didn't mean to sound secretive -- the book, which is under contract with HarperCollins, is called (working title) "Soaked to the Bone: 15,000 years of American camping." I have been having some crazy and inspiring adventures and meeting all kinds of people. Having fun with this so far. Can't say for sure when this will appear in stores but i will be working on it for a while... more soon.

Unknown said...

Dan, Just stumbled upon your book at my local library here in San Diego. Love it! My son and I plan to hike the first leg of the PCT tomorrow morning. We'll tip our hats to you at the trailhead. Cheers! --David Dutcher, Poway CA (formerly of Capitola, CA).

cactuseaters said...

hi David -- thank you so much for this. And, most of all, congratulations on your looming introduction to that life-changing trail. Chances are, you will be hooked. And it's great that you're hitting the trail from the vantage point of San Diego. Again and again, I am reminded of the truly wild areas that can be found so close to our own backyards. I just love the Southern California landscape in your area-- a place that recharges my imagination, whether I'm exploring the area around Julian or hiking through a slot canyon out in Anza Borrego. Best of luck on your trip! Dan White