KENTUCKY KENTUCKY KENTUCKY

Barnes & Noble
Bowling Green, KY

August 16, 2023


Butcher Cabin Bookstore
Louisville, KY

August 17, 2023


Conquest Books
Ashland, KY

August 18, 2023


KENTUCKYKENTUCKYKENTUCKY

Man oh man, did we LOVE Kentucky. Beautiful state to drive through and explore. Being from Los Angeles (i.e. pavement and desert) it was borderline shocking to see so much green, and trees that rolled on and on and on. Just gorgeous.

Our first stop was in the town of Bowling Green, a charming place that's the home of Western Kentucky University and a very cool Barnes & Noble. There's a quaint historic downtown area that we fell in love with that featured a library store built into an old theater. I found a few books to pick up and the librarian who helped us could not have been more pleasant (and excited about my upcoming event). After buying some discount books to support the local library, we headed to Barnes & Noble for my signing event with author J.H. Markert, whose most recent book is THE NIGHTMARE MAN - a title I highly recommend.


James and I hung out for a couple hours, signed a few books, and I got to meet author David Bell and his wife Molly (also an author) while there, which was a nice bonus. It was a lot of fun to talk shop with James while signing a few books here and there, and the staff at the store were super kind and supportive. Highly recommend spending some time in Bowling Green if you have the chance.

After the event, Stephanie and I hit the road with an eye on Louisville, where I'd be doing an event at the infamous BUTCHER CABIN BOOKS with author J Todd Scott the following day.

We arrived in Louisville (which I quickly learned is pronounced Lou-uh-vull -- "say it like your drunk" was one local's excellent advice) and almost immediately fell in love with the city. Downtown was quirky and clean and welcoming. Although we didn't get to the Muhammad Ali museum (he's one of my favorite athletes ever), we did get to buy a bat from the Louisville Slugger store and museum. I had a blue one specially engraved with "BOYS IN THE VALLEY World Tour 2023" :) which will be waiting for me at home when I get back (don't worry, I'll post a photo!). 

One of the cooler elements of Louisville was driving through the areas outside the downtown area and seeing all the fun little neighborhoods, each with their own distinctive style and personality. I could have easily spent another week there exploring the different nooks and crannies of this incredible city, but the tour must go on so we landed ourselves at Butcher Cabin, said hello to owner Jenny before meeting my special guest for the evening, J Todd Scott, for pre-event bourbons at a nearby bar.

The event was so much fun and Todd did an incredible job with questions and in keeping the conversation lively and interesting. A good group of folks showed up and piled into the relatively tight space, and I had a blast signing books for folks and chatting with everyone. 




Afterward, Todd took me and Stephanie out for a meal and some drinks, told us some terrifying and incredible stories of his experiences as a DEA Agent (read his books if you haven't, they're awesome!). After one more rooftop nightcap in the famous Whiskey Row, we finally called it a night and prepared for one last Kentucky stop the following day (which would make three events back-to-back-to-back, a trend that would continue as you'll find out -- *sigh*).

We made our way to Ashland the following morning and pulled into CONQUEST BOOKS, met our hosts, the wonderful Talmadge and Courtney, and prepared to welcome folks.

As it turned out we had a very nice group show up, including Mike and Stephanie Hughes, who were kind enough to bring me a massive, fresh supply of Sharpie's (along with an awesome duffel bag of books to sign!). I did a reading, answered some questions, and ended up staying almost three hours to talk with folks and take some photos with our hosts.





Finally, after this awesome triumvirate of events, it was time to get back in the car for a long haul to the next state and the next series of stops, and some very special guests (one of whom was a surprise).


Next up:

Barnes & Noble (Richmond, VA) – Sunday, 8/20

Barnes & Noble (Annapolis, MD) – Tuesday, 8/22

Doylestown Books (Doylestown, PA) – Wednesday, 8/23 – w/ Chuck Wendig




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