I just completed the first leg of my book tour. It was wonderful and exhausting and enormously memorable. I suspect I’ll forget the horrendous travel, the layovers that lasted 6 hours, and the swollen feet and tired legs. But I will never forget the incredible people I was privileged to meet. From Cincinnati, to Chicago, to Milwaukee, to Wichita and to Augusta, I had the opportunity to talk with book lovers and share life experiences and our love of the written word.  Though I don’t yet have all the photos from the events, I wanted to post the ones I do have. I also wanted to say a big fat THANK YOU to everyone who made me feel so welcome. You are friends, and I thank you for your many kindnesses.

 

 

I had a joyous time at Watermark Books in Wichita. All the attendees were terrific. Here is a picture of me with a group of women I’ve been Tweeting with for quite some time. Oh, were they ever fun! From left to right: Terri, Jennifer, Deena, Beth (me), Dani, Deb, and Pam.

My dear friends Marie and Don (shown in the photo below) drove for over 1 1/2 hours to come see me at the Next Chapter Book Shop in Mequon, Wisconsin, and a new friend, Mary (a terrific book blogger I met online) came with her daughter, as did a lovely writer friend, Christi Craig.

The event at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati was a big hit, and it made me so happy to look out into the audience and see so many friends.

My sweet friends (Lynn shown on the left and Margaret on the right) came to see me at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville. We really made a great memory. There was a wonderful group of women from a Chicago book club that came to Naperville too, and I’ll put up those pictures if they send them.

And lastly, for those of you who know my love for historic buildings and my former career in interior design, this is a photo of the lobby at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. It’s beyond fabulous!

On Thursday evening, October 21st, I was welcomed with open arms to the beautiful cities of Lancaster and Lititz, PA. This was a very special fundraising event sponsored by the The Council of Friends of Lancaster County Public Libraries and Aaron’s Books. Held in a beautifully restored building that was once a cork factory, the event was, from begging to end, a remarkable experience.

 

As the attendees arrived in the annex of the ballroom they were greeted by glorious floral arrangements and the aroma of Oletta’s freshly baked cinnamon rolls which were made from scratch by the chef of the Cork Factory Hotel. Following an hour of gaiety and socializing, the attendees took their seats. I was stunned to see how many people showed up to hear me speak and to support this worthy cause. It was an honor to be a part of such a grand occasion.

 

Sam and Todd Dickenson, owners of Aaron’s books, had a huge table set up with towers of my newly released paperback, and Mary Ann Heltshe-Steinhauer, the Community Relations Manager for Lancaster Libraries gave me a warm and lovely introduction. I had the amazing opportunity to speak to a room packed full of book lovers, and I made many new friends. Thank you to everyone for giving me such a wonderful page in my own Life Book … I can’t wait to return to Lancaster and Lititz for a long weekend of antiquing and relaxation!

 

Below are two short videos (many thanks to Dr. Karen Monroy who did the filming with her iPhone), and some still pictures of the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I began my hardcover tour on January 9th, and it’s been an amazing experience. I’ve had the the opportunity to meet book lovers from Boston to Florida, and from Savannah to La Jolla. Each city, each event, and each person I meet touches my life in a unique and memorable way. To say I’m grateful for the experiences is an understatement. Below are some pictures of my journey.

And here I am with my girlfriend Marlane at Barnes & Noble in Cincinnati

 

 

Event at the Hudson Library & Historical Society  -  sponsored by Liz Murphy (shown on left) owner of The Learned Owl

 

Family!

With Page and Pallette bookseller and friend, Emily Bell. We had a blast!

 

With Jill Hendrix, owner of Fiction Addiction in N.C.

 

 

With Kathy Roberts (Bermudaonion’s Weblog) Kathy is now a terrific girlfriend!

This is a shadow box that my dear friend, Suz Percival from Naples, Florida, made for me!  Inside is a quote from my book (when Miz Obee pilfers marbles off the game board at the nursing home), and there’s a picture of Savannah where CeeCee walked on one of her many journeys through downtown. And yes … those are real marbles!  I just love this and will cherish it forever. Thank you Suz!

Here I am with my girlfriend Welenia Foster in Savannah!

We had a fabulous time together and I’m looking forward to seeing Welenia again.

 

 

This is a picture of my girlfriend, Gigi, and me at the ALA Conference in Boston.

 

 

 

And this is my girlfriend Mary (she and Gigi are friends and drove in to see me)

 

 

 

Friends! (L to R) Shawnee, Shauna, Steve, and Marlane

 

 

More friends! (L to R)  Sally, Suzie, Lori

 

 

Fun in Marietta, Georgia!

 

 

Author event in beautiful Hudson, Ohio

 

 

And here I am at the American Library Association Winter Conference

with Dawn, the owner of the popular book blog, She Is Too Fond Of Books

 

 

Here I am in Alabama at the Page and Palette Bookstore

with truly great Southern gals

 

 

This picture was taken at Books & Company in Dayton, Ohio on the night

I learned that Saving CeeCee Honeycutt had just become a New York Times bestseller

 

 

This is my friend Lesa who came to my author event in Plano, TX. We had a terrific time!

 

 

Here I am with Lesa Holstine who hosted a wonderfulevent for me in Glendale, Arizona

called Authors At The Teague. Lesa and I

have become great friends and I’m sad that we live so far apart.

 

 

This picture was taken at a charming bookstore in Southern Pines, North Carolina

called The Country Bookshop

 

I spent a wonderful afternoon in Los Angeles, California at the Ladies, Lunch, & Literacy Luncheon

 

 

This picture was taken at my author event in the gorgeous Mercantile Library in Cincinnati, Ohio

 

 

My new friend, bookseller Emily Bell at the 2009 SIBA Trade Show