The Dragon Comes Home (plus three upcoming events)
My book tour is in the books! All wrapped up. My shoes are kicked off and sitting next to my front door, and I get to waddle around my house in socks for a little while. I’ve taken up this new hobby of sleeping as much as humanly possible.
The tour was magic. There’s no better word for it. You know the sensation you felt when you were a kid and someone in a top hat pulled a quarter from behind you ear? That’s how I felt walking into rooms of cheering audiences. The world was a quarter that I didn’t know was there. I met so many wonderful booksellers, hundreds of delightful readers, and visiting indie stores in five different cities in five days. People turned out who I haven’t seen in years. I laughed so much I got a sore throat.
All the physical therapy I did in advance barely prepared me. It was worth every drop of sweat.
Along the way, I picked up some wonderful accolades. Barnes & Noble selected The Dragon Has Some Complaints for BEST NEW FICTION, out of everything released in every genre for July.
Meanwhile, I was delighted to learn I’d thawed the hearts of some reviewers at Winter Is Coming. They wrote:
“Wiswell finds the grief and emotion in his absurd premises without ever letting that grief swallow the joy. He writes about found family and healing and belonging with such earnestness that it bypasses every cynical defense mechanism one might have built up from reading too much grimdark.”
One of my favorite experiences is hearing readers’ favorite part of the book. Some people love the fearsome dragon being subjected to bath time. Some people yelled at me for my puns. Others love that one chapter that plays with structure. Some can’t get over a certain dramatic event—I’ve actually seen some readers argue in person which one was the most dramatic.
Given I’ve spent several days unable to do much more than sit up. So all of this has kept a light in my heart. Thank you all, for every word and gesture. I’m so glad my dragon is helping people get through their days.
While the tour is over, I do actually have three more appearances coming up. I thought I should give you a heads up.
Tomorrow—Thursday, July 30th—I’ll be doing an AMA on r/Fantasy. This is open to everyone around the world. It felt like a good way to make myself more accessible without destroying myself and racking up sky miles. Find your favorite keyboard and join me to talk about… well, anything you want. That’s the exercise!
Next week, on August 4th, I will be at the Barnes & Noble in Albany, at 131 Colonie Center Suite. I’ll be signing copies of The Dragon Has Some Complaints, along with anything else y’all bring with you. This will be my second time at the Colonie Center Barnes & Noble. They were so delightful last time that I had to return. If you’re in upstate New York (or just feel like a road trip), come say hi!
Finally, on August 18th, I will be at Rough Draft Bar & Books at 82 John Street in Kingston, NY. I’m joining their Night School reading series, alongside Alexa Yasemin Brahme, Jayson Greene, Jordan Landsman, and Camille Perri. It will be a night of readings, signings, and probably literary jokes. I’ve never done an event in Kingston, and am so curious what the scene is like there.
Besides that? I’ll be focusing on recovery, and on writing my next book. I’m actually about 50,000 words into my next project, and it keeps getting weirder the further I go. Do y’all like weird books?
And apparently I need to see this Odyssey movie…