Countdown and What’s With Egypt?

I’ve been working more than three years on my new book. It’s been a much bigger project than I imagined. You see it’s much more than writing. Because I’ve decided to break the barriers and move past the borders of traditional publishing categories, producing the book has pushed me beyond my limits. Not so much outside my comfort zone, but well beyond my resources. I’m grateful I have such great and immensely talented friends who’ve been with me along the way, especially Michael Paff, Bonnie and Doug Toth, Tim Amos, Curt and Martha Van Inwegen, Angie Walters and my brother Jonathan. There are so many more, and over time I’ll bring each of you to the pages of this blog and in my book.
Status? We hoped that the book would be at the printer this month. But complications and the scope of work has us a tad behind schedule. But I received my first set of color proofs for a few of the chapters, and they look phenomenal. I’ve also received the final okay from Kickstarter to launch my first-ever Kickstarter campaign. I will probably launch later this week.
Later this week I’ll announce the full title of the book and provide you information on pre-ordering your copies through Kickstarter and sharing pages and the book cover.

Shot while I was riding the White Desert, part of the Sahara in Egypt

Egypt.

I feel funny combining the two topics in this post, yet I can’t rightly post something here without sharing a few thoughts about the craziness going on in Egypt. I have fond memories of my time in Egypt, and even though I found it frustrating dealing with its bureaucracy (importing the bike, mandatory travel in convoys and more), my travel through the country mark many of the highlights of my journey. I made quite a few friends and acquaintance with police and military. Some I still am in contact via email. I find it disturbing that the country is in chaos and whether you believe the recent takeover by the military is a coup or not, I find that the lack of a democratic process — even the blatant reversal of a supposed democratic process – and the ensuing violence and censorship worries me. Mostly, I’m worried about those friends and wish the best for them and hope they are safe and with family and loved ones.
I watch with curiosity and tears.