THE BOOK TOUR (caps intended to create a sense of gravitas) for The Homeowner’s Guide to Greatness is well underway and I have been having a blast. Here’s what’s happened so far…
First stop was The Book Loft in Columbus, Ohio. This independent bookstore is located in the historic, cobble-stoned section of Columbus called German Village.
This 32 room store is a veritable labyrinth of literature and the courtyard/entrance way outside (just behind me) is charming, to say the least.
I liked the look of this sign:
…and this display:
Fortunately, despite threats of rain, we were able to do the reading outside – there was a podium! And a microphone! And a cute Red Sox fan! What more do you need? (Well, other than a rapt audience, check, and a good laugh track, check, again.)
Kindly locals (and I wasn’t even related to all of them!) lined up to get their books signed. Thank heaven I spent all those hours as a teenager perfecting my autograph…
Thank you to Russ Iler and the staff of The Book Loft, all of whom made it a great experience.
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Next stop was ML Gifts and Accessories, one of my favorite shops here in Nyack. I love the vibe of this whole store, which sells funky jewelry, cute clothes, and unique housewares – it is really one of the best stops in town for gifts. Their downstairs room was perfect for this festive book party and owner Maria Whittingham could not have been a more gracious host.
Here are the books, on deck, and my brother trying to subtly sneak into this pre-party pic:
We put out some edibles to sweeten an already sweet deal:
I’m telling you, they were eating it up!
Thank you to Sara and Nora for your support!
The crowd swells:
I read four of my favorite selections from the book:
Careful to take my time and enunciate:
Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate! And special thanks to Maria and the rest of the staff at ML Gifts and Accessories who helped to make this such an unforgettable night.
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The most recent stop was this past weekend, at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This was a wonderful full-circle experience for me, since I worked at this bustling bookstore for the summer of 1994, between my junior and senior years in college. This was back when I was first falling in love with books and thought that someday I might like to be…a writer. The owners, Steve and Barbara Crane are very dear to me.
Here is a snapshot of me and Steve out in front of Browseabout 18 years ago. To say that Steve is a jokester is a bit of an understatement…
I was happy to sign books during one of the busiest times at the store: 8-10 AM on a Sunday when it seems like everybody in town is coming through Browseabout to pick up their paper, get some coffee, or buy a new book to read on the beach. This also happens to be before the meters start running.
When Steve (in the foreground) told this customer that I worked at the store 18 years ago, the customer claimed I must have been only 8 years old when I did so:
Here’s my reaction:
All set for morning of signing:
Yes, I did choose my skirt in order to match the book. The fancy silver pen I am holding was given to me by Rob on our first Valentines Day together, three and a half years ago. He told me it was specifically for me to use for signing my future book during my future book tour (sniff sniff, he really believed in me.)
I was delighted by how many people came through and showed interest in the funny side of home-ownership.
Some of these people own several homes. One man told me that he’d been scraping a mysterious grease splatter off his kitchen walls just before he came over. This was a jovial crowd: one guy shook his head regretfully about home-ownership. He said, “If I only knew then what I know now!” And one woman told me that just that morning they heard a loud bang in their house and couldn’t figure out what the sound was until several hours later: the chain on a large decorative piece of stained glass hanging on their window had come loose and the piece had slammed against the sill.
The following customer was a good sport for agreeing to do a set-up photo shoot with the author. We were instructed to act natural, which is guaranteed to look awkward (me, not her):
I was straight-up thrilled that The Fly Guy (the star of a a super cute picture book series by Ted Arnold) stopped by to say hello. I’m not sure if he’s a homeowner or not, but, wow, was he is an impressive creature:
Seems that my cameraman a.k.a. Heart-throb a.k.a. The Most Supportive Human on Earth, Rob, was also pretty pumped about The Fly Guy:
Thank you to the Browseabout crowd and to Steve and Barbara Crane for making this a very meaningful and fun experience!
Finally one more thank you: To the Newark Post in Newark, DE and Katy Bowman for publishing this great interview about the book and the Browseabout event! Read it here: Newark Post Online.
Whew!
I appreciate everyone who has come out to support this momentous book release! If you missed these events, don’t despair, you can get The Homeowner’s Guide to Greatness on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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Categories: Around Town, Shelter
your reaction to your being 8 yrs old 18 years ago is priceless!!!
In case it isn’t clear from the photograph, this concept really cracked me up. 🙂
you’re so POP U LAR!!!! congrats!!! glad you’re having a blast.
Oh yes (insert exaggerated toss of the hair), I am feeling quite pop u lar (I like that “spelling” btw.) It has been a bit of a whirlwind – now it’s time to sit in a chair and get back to writing new stuff! If only I had a stylishly refurbished rocking chair…know anyone who does? 🙂
teehee! yessssss, but i also know of someone with a fabulous book nook, reading chairs and surfer table, SO….! love the exaggerated toss of the hair. i hope you do it every book tour. 😀
How exciting! That bookstore courtyard looks like a beautiful spot.
I also worked in a bookstore in 1994 while in university. I wasn’t 8 years old, either. (I was 9.)
Well, we were quite the young bookstore prodigies, weren’t we? ha!
Yes, that bookstore is great, inside and out!
Now I really wish I still worked at my old job. I would have totally interviewed you for a segment on our channel. 😉
How kind of you – Let’s go back in time! I’m waiting for your call! 🙂
I had a live radio interview this Monday and it was a hoot! 7:05 AM and I had some seriously scratchy morning voice despite getting up early and singing in the shower in order to wake up my voice, ha!
Wow wee!!! What an exciting time!!! Congrats on your book!
Thanks so much! This month has been very busy! It will be nice to sit down now and get back on the blog routine 🙂
Looks like a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing the experience.
Thank YOU for coming along for the virtual ride Paprika!
What a thrill! …. to get to meet all these wonderful people. YOU’RE FAMOUS!!! Not only famous but funny and sweet and deserving of all this good fortune. You must have been squealing on the inside to see your beautiful book lined up and displayed like that with people waiting patiently to buy it. OMG, it gives me goosebumps. Of course the cookies and the fly guy probably put you over the top! (giggle) Rob looks so proud and the silver pen made me go awwwwww. (but if he’d forgotten the pen I know you have about 20 pencils in the bottom of your purse!)
Congrats… this is a great time in your life! Soak it up and enjoy the ride.
Thanks so much Stacey. Yeah, I’ve pretty much been “squealing on the inside” and, okay, also on the outside (I have no shame) for the last few months. And I can’t think about that silver pen without tearing up: it took me a long time for Rob and I to find each other, but wow. He has really helped me make this book dream come true. The pen is from Tiffany’s which neither Rob or I are huge fans of, in general, but it has a very sleek Nambe-ish look to it. And yes, lotso pencils on deck just in case, ha!
Like blogging, this book (the writing/the publishing/now the promoting) has been a crazy “I’m going to put myself out there” kind of experience. Every step has been equal parts nerve-wracking and thrilling. The best aspect has been experiencing it with new friends and old! 🙂
So awesome!! I hope you capitalized on all the opportunities to demand book-diva, published-author special treatment… Fancy, bedazzled pens? Bottled water? Dried fruit?
My best friend and her boyfriend self-published a book… and I’ve been really surprised at the opportunities they’ve been offered to promote it. There’s a really strong support network for independent authors! And I think communities are really interesting in supporting local talent. Looks like you had a ton of fun, and got to meet a lot of wonderful people!!
Doh! I think I dropped the diva ball – I really should be requesting weird things at each event a la Mariah Carey – like a basket of cute puppies. 🙂
Yes, friends, family, acquaintances and people I’ve never met have been incredibly supportive. There is something nice about getting behind a grassroots effort…
Thanks V.E.B.! 🙂
Jocelyn! This is quite the THING! 🙂
How awesome that you could do a tour, and especially to hit one of your favorite book shop memories. I LOVE full circle stories. (The pen too – such a sweet statement of faith 🙂 (what a guy!)
I’m just so happy for you, I hope this book is a big success and that it motivates you to get going on Part 2. 🙂
Thanks so much Suzanne! Yup, there’s nothing like full circle and nice husbands 🙂 Sounds like you caught yourself a great fish too!
Part 2? Maybe! 🙂
I love the FlyGuy! Does FlyGuy fly to other locations? I could use him in a few photos…I need to bring Rob with me as my tour photographer – these pics look great, and you are so very photogenic! (It might be all the smiling you were trained for in figure skating, ok – full disclosure – I might have googled you and I might have read something from a former blog…) Congrats and as I was witness to the reading you gave in Nyack, I can personally say that you did an excellent job enunciating! Well done!
xo RRY
RRY: Don’t know if Fly Guy does fly to other locations. I’ll say this: he can’t “fly” through a bookstore without an escort and knocking down several books along the way. I think it has something to do with his extreme girth and some issues with vision. But other than that, we found him to be quite affable.
Thank you for providing a great laugh track at the Nyack reading! 🙂
Can’t see much of your brother in that picture, but he appears to be extremely good looking & intelligent.
No comment. (A certain mother who you just might happen to know, taught me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.)
Well, this has been a long time in coming and dare I say a bit over due:-) Nobody deserves it more than you. When they say it’s all about the journey, that is only half true. Very cool and what an exciting time in your life. Lots of lovelove.
Agreed: the journey is great, but sometimes the destination is pretty sweet as well! Thank you for your support along the way 🙂
How wonderful! And exciting! You, author, you : )
Aw shucks, kicking the dirt sheepishly…Thank you publikworks!
So exciting! Congrats to you!
Thank you! I feel like a movie star. Except without the movies…or the limos. Or the millions. Ok, I don’t think it’s anything like that but it has been fun.
This is so great and very cool! Congrats!
Thanks D&D! 🙂