Part 5 is coming.
But I wanted to talk a little bit about my next book, since it will be here in a little more than three months.
I met a reader in St. Louis who'd started with one of my books and then worked her way through my entire list. She asked me when she would be able to get a copy of Winger. I didn't really know; all I knew was that the book is scheduled to be released on May 14.
So I looked, and I found that it's available for pre-order all over the place. Here are a few links where you can get the book:
Winger is a book about boarding school kids who play rugby. Although there are rugby scenes in the book, the book is not a sports book; it's about friendship and falling out of friendship, love, and fitting in. But I really love the game of rugby, and I coached a very good team of high school players for quite a while.
Next weekend, I'm going to attend a rugby tournament. I've really missed the game, and it's been a long time since I've seen a match. Now, the players that I coached are all grown up and scattered across the country. A lot of them still play, too, and many of them have been very successful at it. I still keep in touch with them.
It's the greatest game that was ever created by human beings, but a lot of Americans find it confusing. Probably the best way to learn the game quickly and easily is to go to a match with someone who knows how to play. You'll catch on in no time.
Anyway, here are some pictures I've taken over the years, and a little introduction to rugby terminology for you:
This is a ruck. There is a guy on the bottom of all that. And he is still alive.
This is a lineout. Our guys (in black and blue, just like the team Ryan Dean plays for in Winger) were really good at these.
This is a maul. We were good at those, too. And this game was played on a beautiful pitch in San Luis Obispo.
This is a scrum.
This is a concussion.
And this is a damn good fly half (he's like the quarterback in football) with a busted nose. We were wearing white that day because it was so hot.
4 comments:
I'm married to a rugby lover, so I've watched a lot of rugby matches and seen (or played nursemaid for) some gnarly injuries. A hooligan's game played by gentlemen indeed.
You're going to hate me for saying this, but there is a Rugby video game. It's fun.
I've played it. I suck at video games. I can't believe anyone could play that game if they didn't know how to play rugby. But it is a very cool-looking game, as video games go. My players used to play it quite a lot when we weren't outside doing real stuff, which is kind of how video games relate to life.
Hah! That's exactly how video games relate to life. And it's a really lame stand-in, but it's better than nothing for learning a little about the rules and terms.
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