Okay, I’ll admit it. I have a “Wil Wheaton” as a Google News Alert. I’d say it’s an ego thing . . . but it gets triggered so rarely, that’s sort of counterintuitive. It’s actually a business thing, so I can be aware press and stuff, but I’ll be honest: I do get a little thrill when one hits my inbox.
So about a week ago, I got a news alert because I was very kindly mentioned in a brief bit about Sean Astin in the Oregonian:

You loved him as loyal hobbit Sam Gamgee in the “Lord of the Rings” films. You adored him in “Rudy.” But to you, Astin will always be the kid from “The Goonies,” a film that is widely considered The Best Movie Ever Filmed In Oregon. Hold onto your mithril, kids: Astin is coming to Portland. Naturally, you will want to show him a good time.
A Sean Astin autobiography? Well, sure. (Like you didn’t positively inhale the latest Wil Wheaton book.) Astin’s opus, “There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale,” spills the candid scoop on backstage antics during the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” and the challenges of living the Hollywood way.

(dorky bolding is mine)
I was so excited, I sent a note to the reporter that said:

I just finished reading your OregonLive piece about Sean Astin’s impending visit to Portland (“Let’s go!,” by Chelsea Cain, A&E, Dec. 3), and I wanted to thank you for kindly mentioning my book, “Just a Geek.” I’ve got strong connections to Oregon (I filmed “Stand by Me” in Eugene, and my wife is from Portland), so even though I’m from Los Angeles, I felt like I saw my name in my hometown paper. Thanks for that! 🙂
See ya, Wil Wheaton Los Angeles

She wrote me back and thanked me for e-mailing, I wrote her back again, (it’s sort of like passing notes in class, without the possible thrill of getting caught) one thing led to another . . . and she wrote a story about me that is in today’s Oregonian! My three favorite bits:

• Since the success of his blog, Wheaton has published two laugh-out-loud books and established himself as a fresh, funny and self-deprecating writer. Much of his material comes out of his life as a geek (he also pens a column for Dungeon Magazine, the must-read for D&D players).
  The Oregonian recently caught up with the ensign-turned-author for a Very Serious Interview.
• Have you ever read any “Star Trek” fan fiction?
  Just one . . . and in it, Lt. Worf traded my character, Wesley, to a Romulan for a Romulan Ale and two packs of smokes. I haven’t read fan fiction since.
  [I originally said that Wesley was Worf’s Prision Bitch, but that was ruled unacceptable for a family publication . . . which I guess I’ve just determined WWdN is not.]
• Whose work do you read to get inspired?
  David Sedaris and Stephen King are the two most influential authors in my life. They both tell stories in ways that are engaging and easy to read. David Sedaris’ “Me Talk Pretty One Day” made me want to tell stories about my life, and Stephen King’s “On Writing” taught me how to do it.

Accompanying the story is the very first mainstream media review of Just A Geek! It’s phenomenal, and includes the following observation, which made me so happy, I peed a little:

“Just a Geek” is not a celebrity memoir. It is more a collection of humorous commentaries with one essential theme: How does a grown-up geek with two step-kids, a wife, and few job prospects make a go of it?
[Wheaton’s] sarcasm, honesty, heart and ferocious gift for dialogue are a delight.

So far, I haven’t been able to effectively communicate to people who haven’t read my book that it’s not limited to a Star Trek or celebrity memoir-reading audience, and people outside that audience may want to give Just A Geek a chance. It has been the most frustrating thing in the world, and it’s severely limited the audience that I can reach. To date, I haven’t gotten any support to reach beyond . . . well, you guys who read WWdN, so I’ve had to do it on my own. I’ve felt pretty down about the whole thing recently (it’s about 90% of the not sleeping well thing), because things are not going the way I expected they would with Just A Geek, but this fantastic review is going to be a big help, and will hopefully open a lot of doors for me.