Book Cover in Chalk, 2022 by street artist David Brown. While I really enjoyed this masterpiece, the world has not yet recognized the depth of his talent.
Oath of Loyalty has been on shelves for almost two months now, and I just recently finished up the last of the tour appearances and the podcast interviews. Next month I’ll share links for all the interviews in case you missed a few segments. While I was on the road promoting the book, I met a lot of interesting people—the very thing that makes these trips fun.
Bouchercon
My tour always kicks off in Twin Cities, Vince Flynn’s home. This year, I went to Minnesota a week before the Oath of Loyalty launch to participate in Bouchercon, one of the largest writing conferences in the country. There was no lack of talent roaming the halls, and I’m not just talking about all the published writers. I also got to know quite a few people who are in the process of crafting their first novel. It was inspiring to see their passion and fun to remember what it felt like to be in the thick of that process.
While I knew Don Bentley, Simon Gervais, and Mark Greaney from our interactions online, this was the first time I’d met them in person. All are outstanding writers and a blast to hang out with.
: If you were following along on Twitter during Bouchercon week, you’ll likely recognize some of the following photos I borrowed from social media. Todd Wilkins of BestThrillerBooks.com, was one of the roving reporters who captured photos and hard-hitting conference news. David Brown, my publicist and well-known personality in the thriller world, also kept things lively for everyone back home.
I want to give a shout-out to this talented group. Left to right, front row: Connor Sullivan, Jessa Maxwell, Catherine McKenzie, David Brown, Mindy Mejia, Eric Bishop. Back row: Jack Stewart, Ward Larsen, Joe Goldberg, Todd Wilkins, me, Tom Roberts, Jeff Clark.
David Brown stepped in to do my interview for the Vince Flynn Legacy panel when Ryan Steck/The Real Book Spy had to cancel his trip last minute due to a bout of Covid. David was Vince’s publicist from the beginning, so he had a lot of fascinating behind-the-scenes stories.
I came away from Bouchercon with some new friends and a reinforced belief that thriller writers are an intriguing bunch. I’m lucky to be part of this community. Left to right: Puja Guha, Jordyn Jacobs, and Todd Wilkins.
Bookstore Events
My first signing on Pub Day was Once Upon A Crime in Minneapolis. Well done Troy Olsen for capturing this image and then outing Brad Thor’s successful attempt to infiltrate my book tour. As always, thanks to this beloved indie bookstore for the invitation.
A huge shout-out to Don Bentley for his entertaining interview at the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale. And a big thank you to Barbara Peters, book purveyor extraordinaire, for the invite and a fun dinner.
Social Media Antics
As usual, fans got creative to mark the annual return of Mitch and the gang. The Mitch Rapp Ambassador Program ramped up with readers like Kevin Chill going the extra mile to court the decision makers over at VinceFlynn.com.
There were lots of applications and hours stretched into days as fans such as Kevin Chill and Sherri Foster waited to find out if they’d been selected.
Ambassadors teased the release online with tantalizing commentary about the plot and the characters. Kris Henrik and Shawn Cross, along with lots of other people who posted photos of their pets with the book, came out in support of this release. We also saw the book in videos like this one from Jeff Clark, beach shots like Eric Reinhold’s, and backdrops featuring just about every place you can imagine. Finally, on September 13, everyone got to find out how Rapp was going to crush his enemies this time around.
Joe Smith and Sherri Foster really classed up this tour by taking the book to a fancy Texas winery and the Department of Justice.
I really enjoyed all the ways creative fans showcased the new book. This beauty is from Rod Gregg, my firearms consultant and man who has never been stumped by a gun question.
What’s a new release without a book cake? Maybe Dawn Alcorn will shoot a time-lapse video one day and show us the method behind her baking madness. Everyone loves her rendition of the book cover every year.
Ben Anderson burst onto the scene a couple of months before Oath of Loyalty hit shelves. His goal: Read the entire Rapp series in time for the new book release. This is the kind of thing writers like to see. It’s motivating to craft a universe that gets readers so fired up.
And speaking of obsessions… Olesen Family decided to reread the entire series before the upcoming 2023 release and broke down every book by number of pages before he jumped in. We now know that there are currently 8,864 pages in the Rappverse. According to his chart, he’ll have to read 24 pages a day to finish in a year.
Let’s Book A Deal returned and the stakes were high. Tom Dooley picked the right package and scored a signed Oath of Loyalty.
Fans often ask: Who would win a showdown between Mitch Rapp and Scot Harvath? We finally have an answer courtesy of this heated Roomba Rodeo match.
Debut On The New York Times Bestseller List
Seeing my name at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list was an incredible way to celebrate the first two weeks of the tour. I appreciate all the fans who bought Oath of Loyalty and helped spread the world.
And Finally, Twitter Handles
If you’d like to expand your group of friends on Twitter to include the people mentioned above, here’s where you’ll find them…
Ben Anderson: @TNBlacksmith
BestThillerBooks.com: @BestThrillBooks
Brad Thor: @BradThor
Catherine McKenzie: @CEMcKenzie1
Connor Sullivan: @CSullivanBooks
David Brown: @AtriaMysteryBus
Dawn Alcorn: @dawn_alcorn
Don Bentley: @bentleydonb
Eric Bishop: @EPBAuthor
Eric Reinhold: @usnagrad1988
Jack Stewart: @JackStewartBook
Jeff Clark: @officialJSClark
Jessa Maxwell: @MaxwellJessa
Joe Goldberg: @JoeGoldbergBook
Joe Smith: @eojhtims
Jordyn Jacobs: @WriterJordyn
Kevin Chill: @kbozarth1
Kris Henrik: @KLHDesigns
Mark Greaney: @MarkGreaneyBook
Mindy Mejia: @MejiaWrites
Olesen Family: @FamilyOlesen
Once Upon A Crime: @onceuponacrimebooks (Facebook)
Puja Guha: @GuhaPuja
Rod Gregg: @rodgregg
Ryan Steck/The Real Book Spy: @RyanSteckAuthor/@TheRealBookSpy
Shawn Cross: @ShawnCrossWords
Sherri Foster: @sherrifoster14
Simon Gervais: @GervaisBooks
The Poisoned Pen: @poisonedpen
Todd Wilkins: @zenextremist
Tom Dooley: @Duells06
Tom Roberts: @blackdogbooks1
Troy Olsen: @tolsen5150
VinceFlynn.com: @VinceFlynncom
Ward Larsen: @WardLarsen
If you’re not following Kyle, connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or his website.
