You can listen to Elton here.
So I've finished my book tour, and my summer is pretty much over. On Monday, I will begin prepping for my fall classes. And So We Die, Having First Slept has made it to the beach and the Redwoods and a few famous gardens, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and dallied in coastal coffee houses and chic art galleries alike.
My last stop was Flagstaff, Arizona. Though I already did a little Q & A post, I thought I'd answer a few lingering questions (at the end). First, Flagstaff! The highlights . . .
I'm just going to tell it like it is. I loved Bright Side Bookshop. It's great. I hope they'll have me again. I love Flagstaff. I'd like to move there, frankly. I had a nice (modest, but nice) crowd. Here's the honest part: I think I was slightly off. I do!
See that photo above? Jenifer Anseth took that one (she's my second oldest friend in the world, and she showed). Jenifer has been misspelling our name for decades now, but I totally forgive her because SHE SERIOUSLY CAME TO MY READING FROM PHOENIX!
But back to the photo. Notice that I look like I know what I'm doing.
I seriously was inarticulate and--FOR SOME REASON THAT I WILL NOW OBSESS ABOUT--a tad nervous.
Well, I think I know the reason. Of course I know the reason.
First, it was the end. I had a ton vested in this book. Guys, I need to confess. THIS NOVEL MEANT SO MUCH TO ME. I will paraphrase a fellow writer, but I won't name him. He read an early copy, and he said, "I get the feeling that writing this must've cost you a lot." And I will say to you now: It did. Its life has been rough. And Bright Side Books was a last hurrah.
Second, this crowd was from such a crazy array of epochs in my life that I kinda felt a bit schizophrenic! I mean it! Which "Jennifer" would show up? Am I so duplicitous? Triplicatious? Quadruplitous? Let's listen to The Verve now: "Bittersweet Symphony."
I'm a million different people, from one day to the next.
Tim kinda cued in early to my awkwardness and he stepped in humorously, but I fumbled around a lot too. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PROSE ITSELF WAS STUNNING, I WAS A BIT OF A WEIRDO.
Still, I do want my audience to know that I was honored to have that experience with you, and I hope you love the book. Here are some of the people present . . .
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Tim and Daniel work together, and Daniel and Carol kindly came to my reading--this was totally great, except for the fact that now Tim's coworker will know that Tim's wife is a little cuckoo. |
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And then we walked around. My family is dog-obsessed. |
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Little Library in Flagstaff! |
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Our final stop was the Grand Canyon Deer Farm, and I gotta tell you: I LOVED IT. |
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Look at these dolls! I had to change my shirt because I had deer saliva all over it, and my shorts were wet too--but this was the best part of the whole thing. I love deer! |
Hi, friend! Thank you, Reader Person, for liking my book.
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And, yeah, the Book Tour is over--but I did just get this review!!! |
Jenifer might have been the first person to truly leave me speechless. She found a line in the book that I freakin' wrote, and asked me what it meant. I think I tried to B.S. In all honesty, the answer was true--but I should add this: SOMETIMES WRITERS WRITE STUFF JUST BECAUSE IT SOUNDS GOOD.
I'm hesitant to expound on certain topics. I've had several readers ask me to explain the Sappho stuff. Why is Sappho included? Is this important? I'm hesitant to explain myself here, but I'll say a few things. Brett, the protagonist, is nicknamed "Sappho" in college. Sappho was an ancient Greek poetess whose verse is amazingly passionate--and all that we have to know her. We really don't know much about Sappho at all. We only have her words.
And Brett is called Sappho. I chose to thread this Sappho-thing throughout the novel because I'm intrigued by the idea of how we become what we are. How might the naming be formative? Prophetic?
And who is Sappho?
Similarly, Brett's early life (my husband always wonders about this) is there for one reason: what might it say about her current life? How do our pasts speak about our presents?
Then, Jay asked about my process. Tim answered! Ha! I'll spare you the details, but . . . My process is that thing I do to write the freakin' book. It's what I do, what I'll keep doing, what I can't stop doing.
Thank everyone for going on this trip with me!
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