THE LAST GRAND TOUR One of Kirkus Reviews’ “Best Indie Books of January”

Kirkus Reviews sent out its list of the “Best Indie Books of January” this morning and The Last Grand Tour was one of just three novels (and six books in total) on it.

You can view the whole list here and read Kirkus‘s starred review of The Last Grand Tour here.

This honor comes just 13 days before the novel’s release on January 28. On that day, Powell’s Books in downtown Portland, OR, will be hosting the book’s launch. At the event, I’ll be in conversation with the brilliant documentary filmmaker Brian Lindstrom. Brian’s latest film is the fascinating “Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill.” Click on the title to watch a trailer for it.

A huge thank you to Powell’s for hosting this celebration!

A few hours before the Powell’s event–at 3 p.m. on the 28th–I’ll be participating in a panel discussion at my old university, Portland State, called “From Manuscript to Marketplace: The Last Grand Tour’s Collaborative Journey.”

Here are the details:

Panel Discussion, From Manuscript to Marketplace: The Last Grand Tour’s Collaborative Journey

Tuesday, Jan. 28 | 3pm | FMH 302

Discussion with PSU Creative Writing alumni from local small press Korza Books and Professor Emeritus Michael N. McGregor about their collaborative work to prepare McGregor’s Kirkus-starred and highly acclaimed debut novel, The Last Grand Tour, for its release that day. Michael and the Korza staff will give attendees an inside look at the journey from manuscript to published book, focusing on the practical steps of manuscript evaluation, revision and editing, cover and page design, promotion and marketing, and more.

My co-panelists will be Korza Books founder and editor Michael Schepps, editor Molly Simas, and book designer Olivia Croom Hammerman.

Thank you to the PSU Creative Writing program for hosting us!

KIRKUS REVIEWS Gives THE LAST GRAND TOUR a Starred Review!

screenshot of Kirkus Reviews starred review of The Last Grand Tour.

The first review of The Last Grand Tour is out–and it’s a very good one: a starred review from Kirkus Reviews!

Click here to read the whole review.

For those who don’t know about Kirkus starred reviews, here’s what one author wrote about them:

“Kirkus stars are like diamonds: extremely rare. A starred review is the top of the top, a prestigious, Holy Grail that highlights books of “exceptional merit.” A starred review represents outstanding writing.”

This kind of attention is huge for a first novel from a small publisher. I’m deeply thankful to the unnamed reviewer.