Hello all! I'm not dead. I promise. I greatly appreciate the inquiries about where I've gone. I've been insanely busy with preparation for my new book, Rumble Yell. This will be released this summer, but before that there is a big ol' project that I'm launching with Kickstarter to get it into my fan's lovingly greedy little hands sooner. So with all necessary apologies for this blog not being about ships, I would like to share with you an adventure I had, which led to surely my funniest book.

Rumble Yell: Discovering America's Biggest Bike Ride.

1 week. 115 degrees. 500 miles. 15,000 riders.

One very important lesson.

RUMBLE YELL is the hilarious new book about RAGBRAI®. Finally enthusiasts, armchair cyclists, and adventure widows can live the full experience. No sweat. No lube. Just laughs.

The rollicking, true story of two men rekindling an old friendship after twenty years. Foolishly, they choose to reconnect over a hometown tradition that just happens to be the world’s biggest bike ride. 500 miles of biking during the hottest week of the year—humidity 100%, bugs 1000%—seemed like the ideal way to ‘get to know you’ again. Their plans are waylaid by a last-minute addition: an outrageous, mysterious sailor named Cheek. His presence is not only intrusive, but utterly disastrous.

The Kickstarter project has a video you'll want to see. It also features exclusive bonuses, so if you're interested in learning something new and intriguing (and want a good laugh), please support the project. Link's below:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1204685839/rumble-yell-discovering-americas-biggest-bike-ride