Second Rudy Park book is on the way

Andrews McMeel - our publisher - just sent us the advance copies of the second Rudy Park book, and they look better than I'd imagined!

For those who don't know, aside from Candorville, I also collaborate on a comic strip called Rudy Park with writer Theron Heir. Rudy Park appears in nearly 100 papers and websites, and the first book - The People Must Be Wired - which came out last Fall, sold through its first printing in just a couple months. The second book, Peace, Love & Lattes picks up where the first one left off: Rudy's pining away for Darlene (who barely knows he's alive and resents knowing even that much about him). Mrs. Cohen, the cafe's resident cantankerous octogenarian, is at Rudy's throat. Armstrong, the cheap and greedy cafe owner is busy watering down the coffee and scamming his patrons. Uncle Mort is desperately trying to scream some sense into the cafe's apathetic, easily manipulated clientele. Randy is picking up chicks while trying to live down a reputation as a dumb jock, and Monkey is still hoping against hope for a bite of a Taco Bell taco. And an unexpected romance between two of the regulars causes both happiness and revulsion.

All this is set against our nation's year-long buildup to the war in Iraq, and there are guest appearances by Donald Rumsfeld (who tries to kick Rudy's @$$), Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft (still hiding in the pastry container, watching Rudy's every move) and Michael Jackson, among other celebs. The Rudy Park story really kicks into high gear in this book.

Rudy Park: Peace, Love & Lattes is available for preorder through Amazon.com, and will be in book stores throughout the country in just a couple weeks.

The first Candorville book will be released by Andrews McMeel in Fall 2005, followed by a second one in Fall 2006. Don't forget, anyone who writes a letter to your local paper asking them to give you Candorville will receive a free copy of the first Candorville book, and other assorted goodies - provided you send us a copy of the note, and the paper adds Candorville to their lineup within 1 year.