This Week

I have been writing plum beans in my head all week.  It has been a marvellous, magical, swirled with honey week.  I did my first reading in Washington DC.  My parents were there.  My sister's best friend since they were two was there.  My sister's best friend since they were two's mom was there.  The preschool teacher who taught them when they were two was there.  My favorite history teacher from high school was there.  And people I did not know were there!

I was nervous.  My knees knocked.  My heart bumped.  The room tilted and off we went.  People asked wonderful questions.  Smart, thoughtful, insightful questions.  My mother cried and tried to pretend it was hay fever in February.  My brother and sister's preschool teacher took photos.  There were posters!  In the window; in the store!  We got to keep two of them and Barnes and Noble asked me to sign the rest for them.  "Really?"  I asked.  I have to stop doing that.

That is the reflection of my mom taking the photo...

Noah was first in line!

And then it was off to New York.  We walked in the door of Borders at 57th and Park and saw:

Right inside the door!

And my knees knocked and my heart bumped and the room tilted and off we went.  The two lovely men who organized the event came and found me and showed me how the microphone worked and were so utterly lovely.   They had read it, as had the store manager and they all said wonderful things.  I was so touched that in a building full of books they had read mine.

And people came.  Lots of people.  Old friends, blog friends, new friends, writer friends, sixth grade friends, friends of friends, Vday friends, and people I had never met before.  My brother and his fiancee sat in the second row and my mom and my sister sat in the first.  I took my glasses off so everyone was fuzzy.  I read and everyone asked questions and it was fun.  I had expected terror and got fun instead.  How wonderful.

Signing books!

And then, one of my favorite authors, Sharon Kay Penman, put up the kind, generous, thoughtful interview she did with me... more about that tomorrow...