The Cake Wrecks "Winter Underlined" Tour
September 8, 2011 ;)
The day has finally arrived, loyal minions! I can now officially announce our third "world" tour lineup, and make at least three quarters of you mad that we're not visiting your city! WHOOHOOOO!!!
See, here's the thing:
The thing is, we're not flying this time. With the general awful, stressful, germ-exposing experience that is flying these days - not to mention airport "security" ridiculousness - we're just not up for it.
So, we're driving instead.
And, since we only have a limited amount of time between when the book publishes and when book stores stop allowing authors to appear because of the holidays, we're not going to make it out to the west coast this time.
But - BUT - we are going to 16 cities, most of which we've never been to before! And Canada! We're going to Canada!
So without further ado, here's our tour line-up:
- Atlanta, GA 10/18/11 (Tuesday) at the Buckhead Barnes & Noble, 7 pm
- Charlotteish, NC (Concord) 10/20/11 (Thursday) at the Concord Books-A-Million, 6:30 pm
- Richmond, VA 10/21/11 (Friday), Barnes & Noble, 7pm
- Baltimore, MD 10/22/11 (Saturday), Barnes & Noble, 2pm
- Philadelphiaish, PA (Exton) 10/24/11 (Monday) Barnes & Noble, 7pm
- Hartford, CT 10/25/11 (Tuesday) Barnes & Noble, 7pm
- Bostonish, MA (Brookline) 10/27/11 (Thursday) Brookline Booksmith, 7pm
- Montreal, Quebec 10/29/11 (Saturday) Indigo Books, 2pm
- Toronto, Ontario 11/01/11 (Tuesday) Indigo Books, 7pm
- Pittsburghish, PA (Homestead) 11/03/11 (Thursday) Barnes & Noble, 7pm
- Chicagoish, IL (Winnetka) 11/06/11 (Sunday) The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 2pm
- St. Louis, MO 11/07/11 (Monday) Left Bank Books (Downtown location), 7pm
- Memphis, TN 11/09/11 (Wednesday) Barnes & Noble, 7pm
- Dallasish, TX (Fairview) 11/11/11 (Friday) A Real Bookstore, 7pm
- Houston, TX 11/13/11 (Sunday) Barnes & Noble, 2pm
- New Orleans, LA 11/15/11 (Tuesday) Garden District Book Shop, 7pm
- And Orlando. Probably. Maybe. We're working on it.
As before, our tours will include a show by John and yours truly, lots of laughs, free cake, a wreckplica cupcake contest, prizes, and an all-night rave party with your fellow wreckies. (We'll vote on whose house once we get there.) Also, I might be lying about the rave party. But I might not be, either.
We've worked very hard to ensure that every show will be free for you to attend - something that is becoming a rarity these days, since book stores now often charge for author signings. (Yes, really - and that was news to me, too.) So, bring the kids! Bring your friends! Don't make me and John eat all this cake by ourselves!
(Though if no one shows up, I totally will. And I'll wash it all down with my salty, salty tears.)
Speaking of which: bakers, if you'd like to volunteer your services for a show near you, please e-mail me! It's a great way to show off your mad skilz to local cake-lovers, and we promise to give you lots of props at the show and here on the blog. (Sorry, professional bakers only, please!)
And west coast, I'm sorry we're missing you this time. I truly am. If it helps any, it's possible we'll be doing something out your way next year, so try not to despair *too* much.
We'll be publishing separate event pages soon to collect RSVPs and give you all the specifics for each city, so 'til then, mark your calendars, and start planning those wreckplicas!
Update from john: To those of you asking about detours and inbetween stops, we would absolutely love to. But we literally don't have time. For example, on Friday the 22nd, we drive from Charlotte to Ricmond and do a show at 7pm. After the show, we get back in the car and drive from Richmond to Baltimore to get ready for a show the next day at 2. It's crazy but coordinating bookstores and dates and drive times leaves us with a slightly absurd schedule. It's a little over 6,000 miles in 34 days with about 100 hours of driving.
Also, sometimes finding a bookstore that could work with the schedule required us to go a little outside the cities. For instance, the Chicago stop is actually about 30 minutes north of the city. It's the best we could do.
And finally, to our awesome European readers, we will get there someday. Maybe even next year depending on schedule. I've always wanted to do a road trip through Europe.
Thanks and Wreck On!
john (the hubby of Jen)
Reader Comments (328)
WOOHOO RICHMOND VA!!! Hopefully I will be able to attend!
I was so ready to cry until I saw MEMPHIS!!!! Sooo happy you are coming here!
Thank you! Thank you very much!
St. Louis!! Oh my goodness, I may have to gather my little group we call The Mommy Mafia and come to see you! I am now calling my husband so he can book for watching the kiddos that day! Dialing now!!!!!!!
HARTFORD????? WAHOO!!!!!!
YAY HOUSTON! I am excited and pumped and excited and more excited.
You're coming to Pittsburgh!!! YAY!!! Can you be more specific with *which* Barnes & Noble?
So, uhm.. Which Barnes & Noble in Pittsburgh? There's kind of a few. I'd hate to be at the wrong one. Well, I put it on my calendar. I'll definitely be there. I might be late if I have to drive to all the Barnes & Noble's to find you.
Include a canoe and life vests, to get through the NorthEast.
mocking
If you were hitting Charlotte on a weekend I would totally be there, but sadly Dragoncon took the last of my vacation time. *cries* Looks like there's another reason for me to move away from Charleston. Good luck on the tour!
I know you live in Florida, and it's not all that fun to stop on your road trip near home, but WE Floridians want to play too! Whine whine whine, okay I'm done. I'm sure it will be an awesome trip.
Seconding Winona's plea...Can't you stop in Cincinnati on your way to Chicago - pleeeeeeeeeeease??
So sad you won't be coming to the west coast but I hope your tour goes really well! You always crack me up and you're on my list of sites that I check every single day. :)
I have to say I'm a bit disappointed that after Toronto you are doing Pittsburgh and then Chicago. You'd save a lot of driving time if you did Grand Rapids, MI instead of Pittsburgh. Toronto is approx. 5 hours from Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids is 2 -3 hours from Chicago.
I'll see you in Pittsburgh! YAY!!! :)
Boo! Powell's City Block of Books in Portland, Oregon (which is where I would have seen you) will miss you. But on a side note, I have several Canadian friends, so, yay, that you're going to Canada!
did you realize that you'll be in Chicago during WindyCon?
PLEASE say you're going to WindyCon..... (though you'll miss out on TESLAcon a week later in Madison WI)
Wooo Hoooo!! St. Louis!!! I'll be seeing Ben Folds on Sunday, Cakewreckies on Monday and Paula Poundstone on Saturday. I don't know if I can contain all the awesomeness that is St. Louis in November.
Heather is right - If you had time you would totally enjoy the City Museum.
Can't wait!
Let's see... Hartford and Philadelphia are each about three hours away. If I leave work two hours early, and if the sugar rush can keep me awake for the drive home...
WooHoo! Ya'll are coming to my neck of the woods in Concord, NC...can't wait!
You're gonna drive right through Little Rock and not stop. Noooooooooooo! Come on, you totally have time to do a signing here. Pleeeeeeeeeeease!
But, but. We read your websites, we buy your books, we scour bakeries for caketastrophes. Doesn't that mean there's an implied contract that you'll come to each of our cities, stop by our houses, charm our friends, cooks us dinner and sign all our books -- even books you hadn't written? (My thesaurus would be thrilled/elated/ecstatic/enraptured if you signed it...) Oh, and decorate our houses in true Steampunk fashion?
Wait. My legal team is telling me there's no implied contract. (Well, my legal team is a tabby and a lynx-point siamese, but they seem to have a lot of legal acumen. It must come from draping themselves on my books when I was trying to study.) I guess I'll have to rip up this Writ of Cakeus Corpus.
I would have loved to see you in the Boulder/Denver area. Sadly, until one of your geeky friends perfects a working transporter system (C'mon, you guys!!!) I'm just going to have to accept that you can't go to every U.S.city, followed by the rest of the world and the International Space Station.
Yet.
Except... (Eyes downcast, scuffing the floor with my toe...) You could come close if you did a webcast from one of your locations.
Just sayin...
Have fun on the tour!
Adding to the list of bummed fans... you're driving through Ohio (presumably, since it's between PA and Chicago), but not stopping for us :(
But in happier news, my two year old noticed the carrot jockeys the other day and commented that "babies don't ride carrots, that's silly!". Hilarity.
Pittsburgh people: it's at the Waterfront one! (see URL)
Not coming to the West Coast!? *bitter* Ok, let me put in my request for you to come to Silicon Valley/San Jose/San Francisco early for 2012. And to shamelessly bribe you, I am willing to personally show up early, with cake, and help set up and tear down what ever it is you bring or display. No really. Keep my email on file. I'm totally serious.
That was the fastest I've ever gone from "Huzzah!" to "Rats!".
Yes, I am here on the west coast.
I can't believe you'd give TX another go, but not make it that extra mile (okay, a couple miles) to get to the Pacific coast in So. Cal.
I'm gonna hold my breath in protest until you change your mind.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................*gasp*
Okay, fine. I'll just have to wait 'til next year, then. Harumph!
You'll be in Memphis?!?!?! I'm thrilled....beside myself....excited beyond belief!!!!
I'll be more than happy to volunteer my time with whatever set-up help you may need.
And if any other Memphians read this, drop me an e-mail! Maybe we can carpool :)
::: off to do the happy dance ::::
~Sharon (theshazz@aol.com)
REALLY!!!? You couldn't squeeze a Tampa show there before you leave or after you get back?? We are only 1 hour away. Geesh! Tossed to the curb again... :C
I will, only slightly grudgingly, wish you safe travels and that you both make it home without any near-death experiences to post. :-)
Good luck, may the force be with you, have fun!
*passes a bottle of 5 hour energy for your trip*
(We'll vote on whose house once we get there.)
Run's house.
Oh now you've done it! I'm sure all of us West Coasters are up in arms! UP IN ARMS I SAY! Why? Why would you forsake us so? Sigh... I guess I'll just have to buy myself a book to feel better and laugh at all the horribly wrong cakes!
Next time try to find it in your hearts to visit us! It's not like we are Texas or anything! John is safe here! ;)
Dear Jen and hubby of Jen,
Although i'm tsk-tsk-tskingly disappointed you won't have any West Coast stops, I do wish you both a safe trip! As someone who's caught herself falling asleep behind the wheel, I get nervous when a loved one (yes, I consider you my loved one even though you don't know me!) is about to go on a long road trip. Take care you two and have a great time spreading happiness to wreckies everywhere!
Yay!! You're crossing the border and coming to Canada! It's your first international tour!!
Now, you do realize that Ottawa is between Toronto and Montreal, right? And it's only 2 hour drive from Montreal, and 4h30 to T.O. from here? Your schedule is quite crazy, but we are the national capital and are good for the Sunday or Monday ;)
Of course, if there's no addition of our fair city to the list, I'll just *have* to drive in to Montreal since your Toronto visit is mid-week.
PS Um, on your drive north, you're in CT before Boston??? You weren't kidding when you said the itinerary was crazy!
PPS It's great that you're giving Texas another try. But seriously, Ottawans are nicer, we don't make anyone sick :)
yay Canada!
Do you know which Indigo in Toronto you're going to be at?
(I know it's only Canada, but there's lots)
YOU'RE COMING TO CANADA! WHEEEEEE! I MUST go!
You couldn't have come a little further west in Canada & stopped in Winnipeg too, hey? Oh well, maybe next time :)
Wait...you're going to average...[getting accessories calculator up]...a hunderd miles per hour?!?
[Editor's note- Bwoops. -john]
On behalf of the west coast, we still love you! Best wishes on your tour! :)
Woohoo! Toronto AND Montreal. Too bad you're not stopping in Ottawa on the way from from city to the other, but hopefully I'll be able to make one of the events. If you have any questions about either city (I've lived a long time in both), just holler!
Or if you want to... come to Ottawa and I'll treat for Beavertails!
Never would I imagine that I would get to see you on tour in our little backwater. Not a chance. However some months ago I booked a short vacation to the big TO for halloween. And I'll be there when you are!!! OMG OMG Thanks for coming to Canada.
Happy dances all around the house.
1) Seriously? You're gonna mess with Texas again?
2) Hooray for Atlanta! The after party will be at The Clermont Lounge, right?
BUMMED you're not making it to the West coast (totally understandable though, since you're driving), but I'll be looking forward to the pics and updates.
Any idea which location in Toronto you'll be at? There are a ton of Indigo stores here.
WHOOHOO, Toronto Toronto Toronto Toronto!!!! That's only about an hour from my house!!! I think - hope - wish - no, think I can make it.
See you in Toronto! Thanks for heading north.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!!! Can't wait to see you in New Orleans!!! :D
HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!
Hartford Ct. is only a 68 hour walk from the great northern suburbs of NYC so I'm getting my walking shoes ready.
To everyone on the west coast: Come stay at my house. We can walk together!!! I'll make pancakes!
Right. So, no West Coast, but you ARE going to Texas, which has repeatedly tried to kill you? How's that make sense? :D
Ok, if you DO ever come to Europe you have to come to Stuttgart, Germany. Have to. And then let me know if you want to do a show for the military. :) BUT in the meantime it looks like I will just happen to be in VA when you are! WOOT! Hopefully class will let out early that day!
YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so excited I can barely stand it.
can't wait to see you guys in DALLAS, TEXAS! woot! :D
What! You have three whole days between Pittsburg and Chacago and you can't zip up to Detroit? I would so be there!