Day 5 – Los Angeles, pt.2 & Day 6 – flying

A note about author wranglers:

Did you know there was such a job? The proper title is “media escort”. Karen, who is helping me in LA, calls herself an “author schlepper”. Their job is to pick up the befuddled, confused author at the airport and drive them all over the city, get them to events on time, keep them fed, hydrated and awake, and cope with the weirdnesses that crop up in this line of work. I bet all author schleppers could write their own books. I’ve had fantastic schleppers on the West Coast – Tina Mandt, Sharon Chabon, Larry Lewis and Karen Hebert. I just wish they would come home with me and schlep me to the dry cleaners, the grocery store and Wawa. Maybe if I had a full-time schlepper, I’d get my library books returned before they are overdue.

To anyone taking the new SATs today – I’m sorry. I hope it wasn’t too bad. I once heard that the worst predictor of a kid’s chances at college success is the SAT. If you don’t do as well as you’d like, remember that.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com Enjoyed Friday night gridlock driving through Los Angeles last night, but Karen is such a pro, she got me to Vroman’s on time. Lots of teachers turned out and a few kids, and Karen Madden, author of the new book Gentle’s Holler. (Hello Lucy and Nora!)

Image hosted by TinyPic.com I can’t tell what’s smog and what’s fog here. All I know is that it’s hard to see anything. This is what it looks like to the left out my window.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com This is what it looks like out the right. The ocean is out there someplace.

Back to the airport in a little while, then I catch a plane for Detroit. Back to cold. Back to snow. Back to gloom.

Thank goodness. All this sunshine messes with my head.

24 Replies to “Day 5 – Los Angeles, pt.2 & Day 6 – flying”

  1. what is this sun of which you speak ??

    i just wish spring would hurry up and get here !

  2. what is this sun of which you speak ??

    i just wish spring would hurry up and get here !

  3. what is this sun of which you speak ??

    i just wish spring would hurry up and get here !

  4. Last night at Vroman’s

    It was great to meet you at Vroman’s last night. I’m posting anonymously because I’m not sure about the whole user-name password thing. I’ll look into it later. My name is Tricia and I was one of the teachers in the audience. My eighth graders love your book Speak. It’s hard to keep it on the shelf…literally. Two or three copies disappear every year, and I keep replacing them. That’s probably not as good as having it banned, but it is something.

  5. Last night at Vroman’s

    It was great to meet you at Vroman’s last night. I’m posting anonymously because I’m not sure about the whole user-name password thing. I’ll look into it later. My name is Tricia and I was one of the teachers in the audience. My eighth graders love your book Speak. It’s hard to keep it on the shelf…literally. Two or three copies disappear every year, and I keep replacing them. That’s probably not as good as having it banned, but it is something.

  6. Last night at Vroman’s

    It was great to meet you at Vroman’s last night. I’m posting anonymously because I’m not sure about the whole user-name password thing. I’ll look into it later. My name is Tricia and I was one of the teachers in the audience. My eighth graders love your book Speak. It’s hard to keep it on the shelf…literally. Two or three copies disappear every year, and I keep replacing them. That’s probably not as good as having it banned, but it is something.

  7. Schlepper?

    Haha what a weird word that is! I wish I had a schlepper too, sounds very convenient! … I always forget to turn in library books too …
    Take care and keep up the great book talks ya do!
    Caitlin

  8. Schlepper?

    Haha what a weird word that is! I wish I had a schlepper too, sounds very convenient! … I always forget to turn in library books too …
    Take care and keep up the great book talks ya do!
    Caitlin

  9. Schlepper?

    Haha what a weird word that is! I wish I had a schlepper too, sounds very convenient! … I always forget to turn in library books too …
    Take care and keep up the great book talks ya do!
    Caitlin

  10. Hee. What I wouldn’t give for a full-time schlepper! If I only had one, maybe I could find the time to actually read those overdue library books. 🙂

  11. Hee. What I wouldn’t give for a full-time schlepper! If I only had one, maybe I could find the time to actually read those overdue library books. 🙂

  12. Hee. What I wouldn’t give for a full-time schlepper! If I only had one, maybe I could find the time to actually read those overdue library books. 🙂

  13. from lucy and norah

    hey laurie…niice lj…i had soo much fun on friday meeting you and your creations at vrowmans…i just wanted to let you know how much i totally loooved “speak” and “catalyst”…and so far “prom”..!..oh yeah and it would be cool if you checked out my moms site, http://www.kerrymadden.com…you showed my mom how easy it is to speak in public and not be a nervous wreck.. haha, have a great time on your book tour. see ya..

    norah says hi..

  14. from lucy and norah

    hey laurie…niice lj…i had soo much fun on friday meeting you and your creations at vrowmans…i just wanted to let you know how much i totally loooved “speak” and “catalyst”…and so far “prom”..!..oh yeah and it would be cool if you checked out my moms site, http://www.kerrymadden.com…you showed my mom how easy it is to speak in public and not be a nervous wreck.. haha, have a great time on your book tour. see ya..

    norah says hi..

  15. from lucy and norah

    hey laurie…niice lj…i had soo much fun on friday meeting you and your creations at vrowmans…i just wanted to let you know how much i totally loooved “speak” and “catalyst”…and so far “prom”..!..oh yeah and it would be cool if you checked out my moms site, http://www.kerrymadden.com…you showed my mom how easy it is to speak in public and not be a nervous wreck.. haha, have a great time on your book tour. see ya..

    norah says hi..

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