A Saturday on book tour
Tomorrow I will be in Baltimore at the Enoch Pratt Library. If you can, please join me there. And now, a recap of my Saturday…
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4:50—wake up when people in the adjoining room thoughtfully watch early morning cartoons half an hour before intended alarm clock klaxon. Repress temptation to pound on wall, instead take shower, brew tea-facsimile in coffee pot, carry box of excess possessions down to front desk to arrange for UPS shipping. Will probably find box on doorstep upon return, at cost of far more than contents worth.
6:30—walk over to O’Hare United terminal, dodging buses and taxis. Coffee.
7:30—plane takes off
7:35—fall asleep
10:15—wake up to sound of landing gear coming down
11:00—meet rental car, tell GPS where we need to be. GPS believes itself to be in Illinois. Coax it into reconsideration and set off for Westport.
1:00—have mouth-watering hot pastrami on rye, coleslaw with a sweet and sour dressing, two kinds of pickles, and a Dr Brown’s CelRay in Gold’s Deli in Westport. Best meal I will have on this trip, I am convinced.
2:00—talk to 60 people in the Westport library, who ask good questions and buy every book the bookstore sent.
4:00—more coffee, along with mammoth cupcakes shared between Friends of Russell
5:00—drive back to LaGuardia, return car, check in, talk to daughter, who says there was an email from friends in DC asking if I was coming, which I neither received nor answered. Phone them, no reply. Wonder if I will be sleeping in car tonight, decide not to worry.
7:40—plane takes off
7:45—author falls asleep
8:30—landing gear drops, author wakes up, hunts down the day’s second hire car, breaks sad news to GPS that it is no longer in New York, set off.
10:00—arrive at house of Sherlockian friend, who found out I was coming twenty minutes previously. Fortunately they are sensible types who keep the guest room made up. Bless friends, drink tea, meet room, throw out multiplicity of small brown cats, write blog post about a day that covered five states and half a dozen forms of transportation.
11:35—fall asleep.
The glamorous life of a writer…
Crazy, crazy schedule, isn’t it? I get tired after a trip to the supermarket!
As for the cupcake portion of the day, we went to a new (to Westport) bakery a block from the library that specializes in cupcakes called Crumbs. There were four of us, so Laurie (wisely) suggested that we get an assortment and sample some of the many flavors. We got chocolate raspberry, fudge chocolate with chips, caramel apple, banana-strawberry and peach. Even eating only a quarter of each one, we couldn’t even get to the peach flavored one! It was lovely sitting and relaxing on a perfect spring day. Newbies Pam and Susan were a lovely addition to he FOLs.
I am very grateful to have seen Laurie twice on this tour. I will never get to have lunch with Charlotte Bronte (although…I have visited her home in Haworth) and I will never buy Will Shakespeare a pint, but I am thrilled that because of the graciousness of this very much alive and thriving author, I can see her in person now and then. It makes the reading of her works all the richer for me.
–Marjorie
Wesport Library was a blast. Many interesting questions, the GPS story a larf! Thanks to Kelly for the great insite into the world of publishing. Language of Bees is an absolute page turner. Thanks!
Rori
Hmmm…perhaps a B&B for Book Tours would not go amiss……free lodgings and chatting with nice readers. Plus lots of tea. With proper cups and pots and whatnot.
Safe journey.
(Also, just finished LANG. Will read promptly again. Possibly will re-read entire series again. I adored it.)
Sounds like a fun time!
Laurie, I always enjoy reading about your adventures. You are so sensible to sleep when sleep is available. I always find myself talking with seatmates or being a bit too keyed-up about ‘getting something done’ on plane or train. Poor GPS: glad you are sensible and kind with it about its disorientations.
Thx for keeping us in the loop. Loved your post on May 2, sharing it with friends.
Wow, that’s a very busy day! I’m sure there’s a little time free for more coffee too 🙂