New Adventure Motorcycle Travel Book to be Launched

[Travelling Sam]

Excellent - good stuff John. Many thanks. Hopefully all will go well for you - they must be a bit more used to oddball guys now
Happy travels.
Sam

Thanks Sam, will get in touch with my mate when you've got the pricing up of your latest book on the web site. Yep, hopefully the bike should be as easy to import as it was to export the old beast.

Cheers,

John

 

[SERVDAVE]

Awesome, look forward to the book launch! Couldn't make last years. Just got back from peru and the maleria tablets started to disagree with me! It wasn't pretty!

Looking foward to the new book. Hasn't been the same without one of your books on the go!

 

[Canuck]

May have to get a signed copy when I see you next (typically in waterstones!). Hope all is well and I'll try to get up to the ACE... let me know when and I'll ride up with you.

 

[Travelling Sam]

Peru is simply stunning though isn't it, but those malaria tablets... I always have a big time mental debate as to whether to take them or not. So far I always have - mind you I put my severe frontal hair loss down to the side effects of the things!
As for yours not agreeing with you, shakes, squits or mental disability? Hopefully not the latter!!!!!
And the new book? Glad you are up for one Hope you enjoy. The trouble with writing it was that I kept on wanting to be back there on the road...
All the best for now,
Cheers,
Sam

Awesome, look forward to the book launch! Couldn't make last years. Just got back from peru and the maleria tablets started to disagree with me! It wasn't pretty!

Looking foward to the new book. Hasn't been the same without one of your books on the go!

 

[Travelling Sam]

Hi Canuck,
Yup, they will be available from Waterstones in due course, but not before the launch at the Ace Cafe - I always make sure that no retailers have them on show until after the launch. Of course you can get signed copies streight from the website http://www.sam-manicom.com or from one of the presentations I do, or from Bike Shows when Les from Traveldri invites me to guest booksign.

But I hope you can snag a copy at the Ace - should be a fun afternoon and its always good to meet up.

As for riding up, I'm not allowed to this time. Tis a shame that Libby won't be joining us, but the 18th is my first day out of quarrantine and I'm not supposed to be riding for another couple of months after that. You've heard what's been going on for the last couple of months have you? Big happenings!

Looking forward to seeing you.
Cheers,
Sam

May have to get a signed copy when I see you next (typically in waterstones!). Hope all is well and I'll try to get up to the ACE... let me know when and I'll ride up with you.

 

[SERVDAVE]

It was the squits. I was so tired after a 6 hour sessions! It was not pretty! I'm certainly not taking that type again!

Peru was stunning. I always remember filling up at a mud hut fuel station in the mountains. Simply breath taking! I hope you tried guinea pig!

I'll take a book and a T-shirt if your still doing them. I good book should make you want to pack your bike up and hit the road!

 

[Travelling Sam]

6 HOUR SESSIONS!!! ARRRGH! Horrible - I know how it feels. Delhi Belly did that to me one time - no exaggerations, I thought I was going to snuff it - bet you know what I mean!

'Breathtaking'? Absolutely - its an amazing part of the world. I'd go back like a shot. But guinea pig? Well, you have to don't you. Wasn't bad if it'd been cooked properly and hadn't been hanging around for ages eh.

Thanks for the on the copy of 'Tortillas to Totems' ,and Tshirts? Absolutely. And I should have a couple more for you to choose from. Fil Schiannini and I have been working on two designs. I'm chuffed with them.

Hope the rest of the summer is kind to you.
Cheers for now,
Sam

http://www.sam-manicom.com
For pics and excerpts from 'Tortillas to Totems'​

It was the squits. I was so tired after a 6 hour sessions! It was not pretty! I'm certainly not taking that type again!

Peru was stunning. I always remember filling up at a mud hut fuel station in the mountains. Simply breath taking! I hope you tried guinea pig!

I'll take a book and a T-shirt if your still doing them. I good book should make you want to pack your bike up and hit the road!

 

[SERVDAVE]

Ha Ha, After 6 hours I had the most peaceful sleep i think I've ever had. I think I was just exhausted!

I was lucky when It came to food, never had dodgy meal. Everything was fresh and well cooked. Than I went in 2008 so I guess things have improved!

Thanks for your time, made my day having a chat with you!

Have a good summer and see you at the ace. Looking forward to it. Doesn't seem a better way to celebrate my birthday (its on the 13th) than a fry up and a book launch!

Safe riding!

 

[Roger Chatterton]

Hi Sam,
glad to hear you're soon to be back in circulation, and hope all's well with you both.
If I'm back from Ukraine and Romania in time, I'll be at the Ace- was hoping for a chat at the HU, but never mind ! Fil filled me in (ooops !) on how you were.

Take care, and see you soon, and if I'm not at the Ace, then see you sometime soon I hope. Good luck with the book - I've just been reading "Old Man on a Motorbike", and he , Simon, seemed to love Mexico, so be keen to hear your stories.
All the best
Roger

 

[Travelling Sam]

Ha Ha, After 6 hours I had the most peaceful sleep i think I've ever had. I think I was just exhausted!

I was lucky when It came to food, never had dodgy meal. Everything was fresh and well cooked. Than I went in 2008 so I guess things have improved!

Thanks for your time, made my day having a chat with you!

Have a good summer and see you at the ace. Looking forward to it. Doesn't seem a better way to celebrate my birthday (its on the 13th) than a fry up and a book launch!

Safe riding!

Yeah, you are almost unconcious after a good session eh. Sleep o' the' dead!

Sorry to take so long to get back to you by the way but I've been having another MOT by those lovely people at the NHS. Interestingly, as a result of all the tests I now know that I don't have one single lurgie lurking in me - after all those years in dodgy countries! Not bad eh.

I'm delighted you are going to make it to the launch. Good stuff, and as you say, it'll be a great way to celebrate your birthday.

See you on the 18th

 

[Travelling Sam]

Hi Roger,
Great to hear from you. really sorry to have missed you at HU - sounds like that went off really well. And as for me, well, it isn't everyday that one is lucky enough to get a kidney transplant. Amazingly lucky eh. Organ donors are fantastic people.
Ukraine and Romania? Brilliant!!! That'll be an excellent ride. Been that way before? Hope you do make it to the launch, but left with a choice - stay out on road v book launch... The road has it eh, even if it is 'Tortillas to Totems'
Thanks for the best wished on the book and Mexico? Loved it in spite of some of the madness that goes on there - makes for good reading though methinks. I think that the Mexico section is one of the highlights of 'Old Man on a Bike'. Simon is a class act by the way, if you haven't been able to meet up with him. I hear that he has a new book coming out too. I'll be looking out for that!
Hope all's well with you.
Cheers,
Sam

Hi Sam,
glad to hear you're soon to be back in circulation, and hope all's well with you both.
If I'm back from Ukraine and Romania in time, I'll be at the Ace- was hoping for a chat at the HU, but never mind ! Fil filled me in (ooops !) on how you were.

Take care, and see you soon, and if I'm not at the Ace, then see you sometime soon I hope. Good luck with the book - I've just been reading "Old Man on a Motorbike", and he , Simon, seemed to love Mexico, so be keen to hear your stories.
All the best
Roger

 

[SERVDAVE]

Yeah, you are almost unconcious after a good session eh. Sleep o' the' dead!

Sorry to take so long to get back to you by the way but I've been having another MOT by those lovely people at the NHS. Interestingly, as a result of all the tests I now know that I don't have one single lurgie lurking in me - after all those years in dodgy countries! Not bad eh.

I'm delighted you are going to make it to the launch. Good stuff, and as you say, it'll be a great way to celebrate your birthday.

See you on the 18th

No probs about the delay, glad to hear you have a clear bill of health. Must be a relief after the past couple of months!

Take it easy! Hope they let you out on your bike soon!

 

[Travelling Sam]

Hi All,
I’m getting loads of emails asking ‘what's happening at the ‘Tortillas to Totems’ Launch @ the Ace Café next weekend?’ So I thought I’d pop up a post. Here goes…

If people get there early enough they can treat themselves to one of the Ace Cafe's famous breakfasts! I shall be indulging that's for sure. Of course the Ace will be serving up their usual high standard of nosh right the way through the day.

Kick off at 11am. Steve McGill with be up on stage for a session. Have you heard him play and sing yet? The first time I saw him was at a Moto Guzzi rally where I was doing a presentation. Steve was so good that the actually had people dancing on the tables - not something that Ace would be happy about mind Nuff to say that Steve works magic with an acoustic guitar and has a superb voice.

I'll be doing a bit of a natter around 12. It'll be short though as I don't want to bore people too much

We'll be book signing right the way through, oh and we have 2 completely unique t-shirt designs that I think people are going to like.

During this time the guys are going to be selling raffle tickets. We have even more prizes in now. Well over 60.

These are the latest in:
Pacsafe 120 luggage security cage worth 60 quid from Traveldri-Plus
£50 gift voucher from Motorworks
Puncture repair kit from Two Wheel Trekkers

Mike Carter and Elspeth Beard will draw the raffle around 2pm. Really interesting those two. They will be around much earlier so people can grab them for a natter.

There will be several other well known travelly people around but I'm not spilling the beans yet. Well, they are travelling types, so who knows if they will have decided to escape during the week

The team who have worked to put the book together, Paul (Editor) Fil (Designer) Nikki (Proofreader) Iain (master of the dark arts - websitey stuff I mean) and Birgit (amazing travel companion, and hugely patient supportive person - how many versions of T2T did she have to listen through?) will all be there for people to snag and natter to. It's a great chance to find out what goes on with bringing a book to launch stage.

There are going to be several people from the bike press there too, including the editor for the new mag Adventure Bike Rider.

Oh and as a complete bonus, the UK Dune Buggie club are going to be there. I can't wait to see those cars. It's a real California connection eh.

Grant and Susan, Avon Tyres, Robert White Photographic and Metal Mule will be there with stands and there will be several other companies around for people to chat to. These guys will be there right through the day.

Steve McGill will do several more sessions during the course of the day.

Hmmm, Sam has been his usual long winded self when answering a streight forward question. Sorry about that. But it is lining up to be a really buzzy day Hope you can make it!
Cheers,
Sam

 

[SERVDAVE]

Hi,

Just a thank you to sam for organising a great day! Already started the book at its up to the usual high standard!

Safe riding!

 

[Travelling Sam]

Hi,

Just a thank you to sam for organising a great day! Already started the book at its up to the usual high standard!

Safe riding!

Hi, that's great news! I'm really pleased to hear this. I very much value you posting this - Readers Feedback is just so important. May I post your thought on the website for the books please?
All the best,
Sam

 

[Travelling Sam]

Actually, I'm wondering where the last 4 days went! Friday, pick up the van, get to the warehouse, load up, drive to drop off all the food and goodies for the Launch Crew’s après launch thank you party and then on to north London to our digs for Friday night.

Set up at the Ace Cafe kicked off a 7.30am on the Saturday morning and by 10.30 we were already selling books to some guys, who’d popped in on the off chance on their way up to the Tailend BMF Rally.

We had a few IT glitches (of course), which started off with the planned digi projector for the power point presentation not being where it was supposed to be. Thankfully, Grant and Susan from Horizons Unlimited didn’t mind me waking them up with an early morning phone call. And yes, they’d bring theirs. That wasn’t the end of that little saga though. My lap top wouldn’t recognize the projector! It took the book editor Paul Blezard, Fill Schiannini the book’s graphic designer and Grant himself to finally get all the connections made so the 240 shot, power point presentation could roll through. Thanks guys!

But that was the only big time glitch. Steve McGill set up his music kit and kicked the launch off with some of his amazing singing and playing. If you didn’t make it to the launch, he is well worth Googling. While Steve was playing a queue was forming at the book and T-shirt counter and around us floated the delicious scents of the Ace Cafe’s fantastic breakfasts.

And then we were on a roll. Outside in the sunshine, the car park was slowly filling up with dune buggies and bikes, and Avon Tyres, Robert White Photographic, Metal Mule, James Cargo, Two Wheel Trekkers and Globebusters were getting their first interested visitors. By 12 the car park was filling fast with people who had ridden from as far away as the north of England and west Wales. Plus of course, everyone from UK Gsers – thanks for coming guys. It was great to get the chance to link up with you. The attendance estimates were given to me at the end of the day as somewhere between 400 and 450 people.

Over 500 pounds was raised in aid of Motorcycle Outreach. Our thanks to everyone who donated a prize and to those of you who bought raffle tickets.

I have to admit to being absolutely shattered by the end of day. No surprise I suppose, as it was my first day out of quarantine. But it was a very happy shattered. The day wouldn’t have been such a success without all the help we have had from friends. Where would we all be with out good friends eh.

Birgit and I got back home late on Sunday afternoon, via the warehouse to drop off some books and pick up others, and then lugged all the stuff up the stairs into our home before falling in a messy heap on the sofa. But a happy messy heap

What a weekend! We are delighted with how well the day went, and we really enjoyed it. We hope you did too.

If you were one of the GSers to make it, many thanks for riding over and I hope you enjoy reading your copy of ‘Tortillas to Totems’. If you didn’t make it, well, you can get a copy from www.sam-manicom.com Let me know you are on the GSer forum by using the comments box on the order form and I’ll get a signed copy out to you.

All the best,
Sam
PS If you check oit the website for the books www.sam-manicom.com , over the next couple of days we should have pics from the launch going on. If you made it, are you there, if you didn't make it, check out the look of the day.

 

[tommymoto]

Hi Sam,

Will you be at the NEC this year?

If so I will get a copy of your book off you then.

Tom

 

[John RTW]

Hi Sam,

Just ordered your last two books, made slight mistake on the address so please refer to the yahoo email.

Looking forward to reading them,

John

 

[SERVDAVE]

Hi, that's great news! I'm really pleased to hear this. I very much value you posting this - Readers Feedback is just so important. May I post your thought on the website for the books please?
All the best,
Sam

of course, quote away. I was planning to email you once I have finished the book, which won't be to long. As usual its a page turner, very hard to put down!

its books like yours that make me realise its not such an impossible dream to load up the bike and head off! I shall be off on my own adventure in a year or so!

 

[Travelling Sam]

Hi Sam,

Will you be at the NEC this year?

If so I will get a copy of your book off you then.

Tom

Hi Tom,
Too right I will be. Its my favourite show of the year. And I've been lucky enough to have been invited by Les and Jane Madge to be signing on their Traveldri-Plus stand again. : ) I'll be there for the duration of the show, though it'll be strange this year as I won't be camping. B&B this year I guess. Got to take care of the new plumbing! It'll be strange not to wake up in the morning to ice on the whiskers : )
But snag a book from me there? Great. And you might want to keep an eye on the Traveldri website. Les is lining up several travel book authors to be there signing their books.
Catch you in a couple of months.
Cheers,
Sam