Right here.

My friend Nicole Lane (www.nicolelane.com) set up the following promo note for me. I am dealing with some last minute details as far as getting ready for the road. Been thinking about it, this aimless drive with a purpose. It's been a long time since I've gone far and long on the road. Those of you who have read March of Time and Skin know about my relationship with asphalt and byways... Today I was cleaning paint off the garage floor, and I thought about pulling up to some mountainous rest stop somewhere in Montana, opening the back windows of the van and reading until I fell asleep, then waking up and driving. Coffee, air, clean opened road and sky, and maybe even a more opened mind. Been letting the bullshit of life and my own fucking expectations of myself eat at me. All these words and no way to let them out for the last long stretch of time, and also the 7 month fucking winter we dealt with here in Portland. The road is just sitting there, the bars, the independent book stores, coffee houses, not to mention the people in truck stops and gas stations and road side cafes. I need to sell books to survive, but mostly I need to be back out there to survive. I tried the stable life, I tried the lawn and the routine. I tried to make myself aspire to the typical goals that maybe should matter more to me. But I can't do it. I need the movement and sunlight and cities and mountains and also new, darkened corners to thrive on. I need to punch a hole and drive through it. I leave in a matter of one week. First Seattle, then where ever the hell.

JEFF STEWART
…BOOK MEETS ROAD…

One Man's Quest to put the Blue Collar back in Fiction

Portland, Oregon -- Prolific road writer and publisher Jeff Stewart sets off on a cross-country trek across the U.S. to hand-market books. In a van pulling a trailer full of novels, Stewart with his two dogs, a flatland BMX bike, a video camera and a laptop hit the road…until the trailer is empty.

This is far more than a run-of-the-mill book tour.

‘Book Meets Road’ blog. Stewart will keep a nightly blog about the trip including photos and videos of the project. His features will chronicle the towns, cities and venues he visits; tribute the characters he meets along the way; account on inspirations, interesting people and situations that cross his path. Eventually, this blog material will form a book about the trip, in a literary survivor manual and photo journalism format. Take the trip.

Off the Beaten Track. With much success reaching out to readers on their own turf, Stewart is setting up appearances in bars, coffee houses, indy bookstores, bike shops, skate parks and other unusual venues. Potential tour partners are bands, bloggers, BMX outfitters and bookstores.

This is crazy, but smart. Why do this? Ultimately, the most important reason is to get the work out to as many people as possible. This tour will promote and sell his publishing company Rose City Publisher’s books “March of Time and Skin” by Jeff Stewart and “Meat Won't Pay My Light Bill” by Kurt Eisenlohr. Stewart will introduce new readers to Rose City’s Publishers next releases: “Dead Birds Hot,” Stewart’s upcoming short story book; Jeff Wenker’s novel “Gone Postal,” a book about the decline of the Western States, set in present tense. Stewart is also looking to meet other writers and discovering new talent. He has no timeline except to sell the remaining print run -- approximately 2,000 books. Revenue generated from this enterprise will finance the print runs of forthcoming books.

His Story. Stewart has been writing novels, short-stories and poetry for the past 20 years. Readers rave about his recently published novel “March of Time and Skin” as a “can’t-put-it-down,” raw and honest read. Stewart has been featured in media, read the Portland Mercury interview with Stewart. With Rose City Publishing, he participated in the internationally recognized Wordstock literary festival in 2008. Stewart was a featured writer in Smallpressapalooza 2009, presented by Powell’s Books and the Independent Publishing Resource Center.
Feeling the fire to publish, Stewart founded Time and Skin Media to publish his book in 2008 which has recently become Rose City Publishing. Stewart has written many un-published books, scores of poems and other writings, but hadn’t had the yearning to publish until now. A traveler at heart, Stewart has spent much of his life on the road and writing about it. He has an extensive history in BMX, including writing internationally for Ride UK BMX since 2001, plus his own 25 year history of flatland riding. Stewart is looking forward his next road adventures with his two dogs Meg and Chico...and writing about it.

Long-tail Ambition. Stewart wants to turn Rose City Publishers into a bigger publishing house. Using this flesh-to-flesh method, he hopes connect to readers and to discover new talent, paying them what their work is really worth. Stewart’s definitive goal is for Rose City Publishers to be the place artists want to be to get their work out there, and for loyal customers to await the next Rose City release, because of our content vein and high standards of quality. Eventually, Rose City Publishers will also be a multi-media venue, publishing short films and music videos.

…Sponsoring Book Meets Road…

Stewart is ultimately seeking 10k, in any increments.
Offering advertising space on the trailer and van, as well as blog credit,
Stewart is a mobile advertising opportunity.
This innovative, independent, physical hand-to-hand style marketing to target audiences will generate solid and loyal customers for everyone involved.
Anyone can be a sponsor.

The Books.

March of Time and Skin written by Jeff Stewart

An aggressive, blue collar road novel in which the young and scarred narrator takes us along on a cross-country hell ride. Grotesque and beautiful, savage and tender and relentlessly alive, March of Time and Skin is a punch in the gut that reads like an epic letter fueled by loss and the deep need to communicate. A new anthem for an unwound, unsound generation.

Meat Won't Pay My Light Bill written by Kurt Eisenlohr

...about a punk named Lupus Totten. Lupus, like the disease, yeh. A man bent on escaping the horrors, headaches and hemorrhoids of the work world. A man who would rather paint or stare into blue-black eternity than grovel at the feet of the clock eight hours a day. A man whose woman gives him the boot for just this reason. A man who then panics, takes two full-time jobs, gives up art for the 9 to 5 life, the 6 to 2 life, no life. And what occurs thereafter, the yawn and madness he encounters while trying to redeem himself in the eyes of Woman and World.

email: stewartlives@hotmail.com | site: http://bookmeetsroad.com/