I will never complain about weather here again...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Hey everyone!
I'm home from what my husband and I are now calling the "winter storm tour." You thought it was the Winter Garden tour. Oh no. Everywhere we went, it was cold, cold, cold. Honestly, I started to think I was bad luck. We landed in Chicago, and the snow immediately started to fall. If that wasn't enough, there was an EARTHQUAKE. Really. I'm not joking. The great news in Chicago was that I had an absolutely wonderful signing at Borders--and met some fabulous women for a little party before the signing. Thanks so much to the women who drove all the way from St. Louis for the event. I was worried about you driving home, and I was seriously impressed that you dared the road trip with snow falling.
From downtown Chicago, I headed to Naperville (which, I discover now is the hometown of Evan Lysacek--as a major Olympics junkie, I find that very cool). One of my favorite independent bookstores in the country, Anderson's, is on one of the most beautiful little suburban streets I've ever seen. The Anderson employees are really special to me--they embraced my books years and years ago, well before most people even knew who I was. So, thanks to Anderson's for a fun-filled event and a great crowd. And thanks to my Anderson's mystery guest--the fabulous, generous, talented Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have discovered that Susan can literally make a booksigning fun just by showing up--I really think we should tour together. I have never laughed so much in a single day...
Then is was off to sunny Atlanta, where I had a TELEVISION interview. I should have brought my camera--that would have been the smart thing to do--but, of course, I was too nervous about the whole thing to think ahead. It wasn't just any tv, either--it was a network early morning show. Good Day Atlanta. I was worried about all of it--where to look, what to say, how to respond...oh, let's face it, I was worried about how I'd look at eight in the morning in High Def. :) Thank God, there was a make up artist who worked some early morning magic and even better, the host of the show, a lovely woman named Karen, actually GUSHED about the book. She immediately put me at ease by saying that she intended to skim Winter Garden and ended up reading it all at one sitting and crying... Phew!
By the time we left the tv station, the radios were started to predict snow. That's right. Snow in Atlanta. The storm of the decade was the line passed around. Again, we were bad luck. By the time I went to the signing, the predictions had increased, and once again, I want to thank the gutsy women who dared to drive into town. I'd especially like to thank my Mystery Guest--Emily Giffin. It was incredibly cool to get to meet her. She was great! If you haven't read Emily yet, look for Heart of the Matter coming soon...
They closed the Atlanta airport about thirty minutes after our plane took off...
From Atlanta, we were off to one of my favorite cities in the world: New York. There, I got to spend some time with the fabulous, talented, passionate, intelligent people who publish my novels. I am so lucky to be a part of this team, honestly. I've been in the business a long time, and I can't tell you how rocking it is to be published by people who love books as much as I do. I also had one of my best ever event signings on Long Island. A big crowd, great women, unusual questions--lots of fun! And yes, it was snowing!
After New York, my husband and I went to the airport again. Once again, we were seconds ahead of a storm. It was snowing in Detroit and Ann Arbor, but by now we hardly cared. We had a fun lunch with the "team" from Borders--and what's better than a bunch of women talking about the books we love? I had a blast. I also had a GREAT signing at the Borders in Ann Arbor. So thanks to everyone who showed up!
When we got home, it was sunny and 57 degrees. Let me say that again: sunny! I will never complain about our weather again. Okay. That's probably a lie. I no doubt will complain again--when the mist and rain and gray go on forever, but I hope I remember that its COLD in the rest of the country during the winter. But even with all of the bad weather and delayed flights and shivering moments, I have to say that it was so fun to meet so many of you. Honestly, I have the best readers in the world. We're so much alike. So often, I could talk longer than we actually have. I guess that's what the blog and facebook is for. Many of you mentioned on the road that you read the blog but didn't post. Dive in, I say! Join the firefly conversation. :)
Those of you who read this blog enough to know me, must know that I was on tour during a terrible time for me. LOST was on. Survivor started. And the OLYMPICS. Am I the only one who is an absolute Olympics junkie? I literally love the show and can't get enough of it. I laugh, I cry, I dream. Mostly, I cry. When Shaun White did his amazing, unbelievable "victory lap" with his secret jump--cried. When Apolo talked about the hard time he put his father through--cried--and then he skates like a champion--cried. Lindsay Vonn, fighting past pain to kick ass--cried. Johnny Weir, skating the program of his life, to music that moved me--cried. Yeah, you don't want to watch the Olympics with me. :)
In a stream of consciousness way, here are my pop culture thoughts for the missing two weeks. The survivor "heroes" are disappointing me...LOST is exactly what I expected and I LOVE it. I don't worry at all that they'll screw it up and I am willing to follow them anywhere, because they're telling a killer story and originality takes a commitment...I can't wait to watch Apolo skate again tonight...I totally love the Alice in Wonderland trailer and will be first in line to watch the movie...and just for the record, my personal choices for Best Pic for the Oscars are District Nine and Inglorious Basterds. Both were original, different, and relevant. What are your choices?
Finally, thanks to all of you who bought, talked about, blogged about, and/or recommended Winter Garden and True Colors. In all my years in this business, I have never felt so...embraced by readers. It's awesome to see how much people are loving Winter Garden. As you know, it's my favorite book so far, and I love discovering that I'm not alone in feeling that way. Thanks to all of you, I currently have three books on the New York Times list. At once. I still have to pinch myself when I hear that news. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Now, I better run, because the Olympics are starting. :) In the words of the great Aerosmith, I don't wanna miss a thing.
One last question---what are you reading now?
Aloha---
Kristin
