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Book Tour Day 9 Report, Short Version

It is 10:15 pm and I am eating my dinner in my hotel room, preparing to go to bed. Why? Because I have to be up at 3:30am to catch the 4am shuttle for an obscenely early flight that is completely necessary if I am going to make all of my events in Houston tomorrow.

I will provide more photos and details later but here is the short version:

My flight this morning was an early one, too, so I ate the Road Warrior’s Breakfast of Champions: a Powerbar and fruit.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic It was so pretty, it inspired a haiku.

Fuel
Sublime breakfast food
Oatmeal Raisin Powerbar
Carbo-hydrate me.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Yum.

The plane was a couple hours late, but Derry Wilkens, The Amazing Publicist, is psychic and she just knew that would happen so she arranged for it to occur on a day when I had some free time to kill.

I met a lot of very nice people and signed more than 650 books. Seriously. My author schlepper counted for me. I really want to tell you everything, but I have GOT to get to bed, so it all has to wait until tomorrow. Or maybe Friday, because tomorrow is freaking insane.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Thank you, St. Louis.

TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE

Disgustingly early flight to Houston, TX. Much drooling on self on plane.
Arrive at airport. Change to dry shirt.

10:30 AM Signing at Alief Hastings High School (not open to public)

Sponsored by Blue Willow Bookshop
14532 Memorial Dr.
Houston, TX 77079
281-497-8675

Grab lunch on the road.

1:30 PM Signing at St. John’s School (not open to public, either)

4:00 PM Signing at Brazos Bookstore (OPEN TO PUBLIC!!!!!)
2421 Bissonnet
Houston, TX 77005
713-523-0701

Dinner with librarians and teachers. Guaranteed to be more refined than what I am eating right now.

After dinner, drive to Austin. Check into hotel. Sleep like death.

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Book Tour Day 8 Report, In Which The Author’s Hand Complains

What is a stock signing?
A. An opportunity for author to quickly drop by a bookstore and sign all of her books.
B. The above plus a chance for the author to run around the store and find all her books.
C. Both of the above plus the chance to meet all of the booksellers in the store who have joined the Game of Find-The-Books-I-Know-We-Ordered-Extra-Because-She-Was-Coming.
D. All of the above plus drinking a large cup of complimentary coffee at each stop.
E. And using the bathroom.
F. And enjoying a store-wide celebration when the books are found.
G. Then a record-setting speed-signing because 90% of the time allotted was spent in the Game.
OR H. A common feature on a book tour which frequently causes the Author to discover each and every ligament and tendon in her right hand and wrist.

We did four stores in two and a half hours. I don’t know how many books I signed. But I got my exercise, which was good because in my fantasy version of the book tour, I was working out in the hotel gym every morning and so far that has not happened, not even once.

My last day in Michigan went by on fast forward (or at 78 rpm, for those born before 1963).

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Book Tour Day 7 Report & Sarah Dessen is a Classy Dame

Sleep is magical, don’t you think? By the time I crawled into bed last night my eyes had rolled up into my skull and I had to fumble to turn out the lights. I fell asleep with my hand on the light switch. I probably woke up the entire floor with my snoring. I know I woke myself up.

Before I recount yesterday’s events, I have to point out that my friend and fellow YA author Sarah Dessen is a classy dame. Sarah is a huge North Carolina fan. Huge. And I love my alma mater, Georgetown. Sarah graciously let me bully her into accepting a public bet on the outcome of the UNC/Georgetown basketball game in thr NCAA tournament. And, of course, UNC lost. Which means Georgetown won. ::dances, pumps fist in air::

Sarah is a good sport and lived up to the conditions of the bet. But the truth is, she didn’t really want to make it in the first place. In fact, she might be thinking that she jinxed her team with it. So to honor her, I’m going to send a copy of TWISTED for her public library, too. And I sure hope she is pulling for Georgetown against Ohio State.

Now, after a great night’s sleep and a disgustingly healthy breakfast, let us return to the scene of yesterday’s crimes.

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Book Tour Day 6 Report – Ohio friends are the best

Short entry because it’s late and the day starts early tomorrow.

It did not start early today, thank goodness. I enjoyed a lovely breakfast, read my book, talked to family members and chilled until it was time to leave for Dayton. When I got there, I was shocked to see an actual crowd. On a Sunday. The bookseller was happy, the author was happy, the readers were happy. Happy, happy Dayton.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic This is just one section of the crowd, The Extreme Readers Book Club from Ross, Ohio. Thank you Jen Rettig and Alyssa White for bringing the group!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic I was moved to tears by these two, Sue and Georgina Grant. I met them 19 years ago when Sue’s family and mine moved into the same neighborhood. Our girls played together for years.

After Dayton, I hopped in the car and headed for Columbus, Home of the Movie Version of Speak. I was certain that few people would come out. I mean, come on – a Sunday night? During March Madness? With the event held in a high school? I had low expectations and felt bad for the bookseller.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Once again, Columbus came through for me. We had 125 people who wanted to spend their Sunday night with me. It was a magnificent audience (waves hi to the kids in the back row) and I wound up talking for more than an hour. bananagirl19 posted about the presentation on her LiveJournal. Many of the people there were teachers. One was Ann Laubach, who I grew up playing with as a kid in Syracuse. (Small world, eh?)

“But,” you exclaim in wonderment. “How could that be? The Georgetown/UNC game was playing. How could you have missed it?”

Once again, my LJ friends came to the rescue. toomuchtv37 had her mom texting her throughout my presentation. Every ten minutes or so I would point to her and she gave us all an update on the score. I talked and talked and signed a lot of books and the game was tied at the buzzer. And my girl toomuchtv37 kept me up to date. And, then? And then! She came up to me with the glorious news – Georgetown won!!!!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Bless you, toomuchtv37. Bless you, and your mom, and modern technology. Hoya saxa, indeed.

TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE

12:00 PM
Speaking at Lapeer West High School (not open to public, sorry)

Sponsored by:
Halfway Down the Stairs
114 E. 4th St.
Rochester, MI 48307

7:00 PM
Signing at Southfield Public Library (yay! open to public!)
(event location) 26300 Evergreen Rd.
Southfield, MI 48076

Sponsored by The Book Beat
26010 Greenfield
Oak Park, MI 48237