I’m just about two weeks into my whirlwind Book Tour for HERE, HOME, HOPE so I thought it would be a great time to blog about the exciting adventures on the road.
So far, stops have included: Malibu, West Hollywood, Capitola, Piedmont, Sacramento – and tonight, San Francisco.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
1. You can never guage how many people will show up at a book tour stop, nor can you tell if those who show up will buy the book. BUT, you will meet fun, new friends.
2. Turkeys are wild in Sacramento. Yes, in the neighborhoods, gobbling and the like. And they’re huge. And they scare me.
3. Bill The Oyster Man from Santa Cruz has a huge heart and more stories about oyster and catfish farming than anyone on the planet. True.
4. It doesn’t matter how many announcements the community relations person at the bookstore makes over the loud speaker just before your booksigning, only people there to see you will come over. The rest of the shoppers will glare at you.
5. The Santa Monica Barnes & Noble is huge, with a very large, very important looking author presentation room. (scary!)
6. The Summer Kitchen Bake Shop in Berkley is considering placing HERE, HOME, HOPE on display next to Kelly Corrigan’s LIFT. I believe it’s meant to be as I need a reason to go there and eat some more amazing food.
7. If you serve wine at a book signing party, the questions get much more interesting.
8. Bookstores and book people rock. It’s a great community.
9. While on a book tour, I feel compelled to explain my 2 star review on Amazon.com, even though it is my only one. It is haunting me, clearly. My publicist tells me to stop it, but I cannot.
10. The hours before a book signing provide many angst-ridden moments; the hours after, fond memories for a lifetime.
Thank you to everyone I’ve met along the way so far. A special thank you to: Room at the Beach, Chevalier’s Books, Barnes & Noble Santa Monica, Capitola Book Cafe, Barnes & Noble, Arden Fair in Sacramento and Book Passage, Ferry Building San Francisco. Next week, the HERE, HOME, HOPE book tour heads to Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, where I’ll bring you more highlights from the road. And if I’m in your neighborhood, please come on by and let’s talk about books!