"As many of you know, my Department Thirteen book tour was called the "Too Ugly Tour" in dedication to the moment when I was turned down for a customer service job because I was too ugly ("unpresentable," was the word used to describe the facial scars I still carry from my successful 1991 battle against cancer). At the time, my wife and I were pretty hard up. My writing seemed to be going nowhere and we needed money. So to be rejected at such a difficult time was a real kick in the guts. But it was also a blessing in disguise, for if I had been hired, I may not have persevered with my writing to become the published author I am today. Sometimes the hard knocks of life are blessings in disguise. "That lesson -- sometimes the hard knocks of life are blessings in disguise -- formed the backbone of my message to thousands of students across America.  Yes, I was on a promotional book tour, with appearances and signings in dozens of bookstores (click HERE for a short video tour through the Baltimore Barnes & Noble), but this tour was more than that. It was about giving back. You see, throughout life, I have been helped countless times by the generosity of others. I am alive today not only because my team of Adelaide doctors went out of their way to help me, but because people in the Australian Consulate helped me with an overnight emergency medical visa. Someone at Qantas even furnished me with a ticket. And that doesn't count what my wife, Wendy, had to endure helping me recover, never mind that she sat alone in the hospital hallway for the entire eleven hours my operation took. My wife was -- and is -- unbelievable. Even with my 2011 tour, many Facebook friends -- people I had never met -- opened their homes for me to stay. So this tour was my way of passing on some of the goodness shown to me throughout my life. It was my way of giving to others what had been given to me, which is why I do not charge fees for my speeches. I simply want to inspire and encourage others with my personal story of not giving up when the hard knocks of life kick you around. 'So how will you respond when that happens?' I asked the students. 'What will you do when you're told you're too ugly, too fat, too dumb, too poor, too short, too inexperienced, too...whatever? Will you whine and turn bitter? Will you quit? Will you become a bully and hurt others before they hurt you? Or will you get up from being knocked back and allow that experience to make you stronger?  In my case, I made up my mind that I would not be defined by the marks the world inflicted on me, but my the mark I left on the world. "This, then, is the message I took throughout the Midwest in 2011 and this year will be taking to even more schools on my expanded tour while at the same time returning to the schools where I spoke last year for different speeches and workshops.  Working with those students was my mountaintop experience, and many of them were gracious enough to say I inspired them. The truth was, they inspired me! In all, I drove 4500 miles, starting in Houston and winding my way up through Texas to Oklahoma, Kansas/Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania (again), New York and, after a transcontinental flight, California (where Wendy joined me and we spent Thanksgiving near San Francisco).  We then returned to Los Angeles, where we were treated to a spectacular evening with LL Cool J. In all, my 2011 tour blew the top off all expectations, and 2012, with the release of my new Talanov thriller on September 1st, looks to be even better.

Staying fit on the road is not easy. For a short video of my exercise routine on the road, click HERE.	With some of my old schoolmates, who attended the warm reception given for me at Baker University, where I earned my Bachelor's Degree.	Book tour, economy class. Dinner near an Interstate truck stop.

Copyright, 2012
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