Girls, books, and cribless nights
I returned from tour Saturday and thanks to my generous husband fell into a nap, followed by an all-day stupor. Sunday I went to bed early and slept straight for 10 hours. It's Wednesday and I still haven't unpacked. I don't know where my make-up is. I can't seem to get a grip on the routine again. Vacations are often like this, but book tour is especially exhausting. So good, but draining too. I've been contemplating why this is. There are some obvious reasons, like 5 hotels in 9 days, getting up at 7 am and returning to the hotel at 11 pm, driving through eight states, not to mention traveling with a two-year-old! But it's more than that.
I'm not a very good saleswoman. I don't like "touting my wares," and I'm bad at it. So I don't try. I've gotten a little better than the first few years, when I wouldn't even mention my books when I gave talks. I've learned that people usually want to hear about them a little. But when I go to an author event, I don't want to hear someone read from their book. I want them. I want to feel like I know them, have a personal interaction, hear stories that make me laugh or think. So when I do events, I try to do that, give my energy to every person I meet. When I do one book event at home, by the time I'm done, I want to curl up and go to sleep. On tour, I usually do 3 per day. Somehow I keep going and going, but when I can, I crash. I still feel crashed now.
I often hesitate writing things like this, because I know it can sound complainy, and I don't mean that at all. I am so honored to get to tour, to have a publisher willing to invest in me, to get to go to these amazing bookstores and schools and libraries and meet readers (and potential readers!). But this blog is for honesty, and you should know, book tour is not glamorous.
Since I brought my two-year-old (out of necessity), I also brought my awesome neighborhood babysitter Kayla, age 15, whose amazing parents let her come along and miss school. Poor Kayla. I think she found firsthand that book tour isn't as glamorous as it might sound. She was so WONDERFUL! And kept Maggie in truly blessed spirits.
I need to finish my tour account! I'm sorry I don't have better photos. I hauled my huge ol' deluxe camera along and it stopped working, so I just managed to snap a few lame-o cell phone shots, and I kept forgetting to use it. So bummed I didn't get a photo with the Exquisite Corpse team. They were all so great. How fun is it to love Kate DiCamillo's books all this time and then discover that she is just as fabulous in person?
Wellesley Booksmith (MA) took me to this amazing all girl private school, grades 6-12, the older girls having the option to board. An idea that intrigues me to no end. A boarding school! How story-worthy! Awesome girls. I have noticed that girls at all-girl schools tend to be more confident in speaking out, asking and answering questions. What do boys do to us? Here's a photo of a display the bookstore had up. My publisher made these amazing pamplets about my books with a q&a and such, but they freak me out. They have my huge photo on the front! I had to get a picture because I find it so bizarre.
That evening I did a chat for Wellesley at the library. I met so many memorable readers but got a photo of this family. Awesome mom brought her five kids. The youngest (I wrote down their names somewhere so I wouldn't forget...then I forgot where I put it) rushed me and said, "I'm such a huge fan!" He was like one foot tall and had more energy and spunk that ten adults on their best day. His eight-year-old sister was equally zealous. She has read goose girl and princess academy 30 times each. This is what I'm talking about, people! How can you not love these kids! Even the toddler was chewing on books. Praise the mom.
Here's a photo of two lovely girls I met at the National Book Festival who came back for seconds in Boston! Lovely gals.
Moving on to Hartford, CT, I attended the NECBA dinner (New England Children's Booksellers Assoc). I love speaking to booksellers. Great senses of humor, great passion. I got to present with the likes of Shaun Tan (who I admire so much) and Mo Willems (who inspires me to do prat falls). I don't have any photos of this! I got to meet Mo's daughter Trixie again in DC. Cutie. Her mom told me she's read rapunzel's revenge about 75 times. (Mo said "80 cachillion.") Clearly a child with discerning taste! The next morning we took Maggie to Hartford's Science Museum, which is awesome.
On to Madison and the fabulous RJ Julia. I don't get to see many sights on tour, but I get to know bookstores, and such a great way to travel. R.J. Julia is a beautiful store where you just want to spend hours and hours. We drove to NYC that night and stayed at a JFK hotel before flying out the next morning. They were out of cribs so I had to put Maggie in a cot. Um...it went okay...you know, night crying, trying to keep her in bed and out of the bathroom, waking up to hear a thump on the floor and a cry of pain and bewilderment. But home again now! And she's safely back in her nighttime barred prison.
Thank you to Bloomsbury and all the wonderful bookstores. I'll be back on the road again in November, to Balitmore, DC, and Philidelphia. See you then! (and now back to working on my secret project...ooh, I am such a tease! I can reveal by the end of the month, I think.)