Working Days

One of the advantages of planning your own book tour is control. I like control. I planned two days of signing in Ocean Shores, WA and two days of school visits in Seattle … but in between I tucked two days of quiet time. It was bliss.

On Monday morning I visited the Ocean Shores Interpretive Center. The center is closed on Mondays, but Walter Weed (he of the 140 mile book-fetching journey) invited me and my traveling companion (she of the fabulous TRACKING TRASH photographs, Betty Jenewin) for a private tour of the facility. I learned a great deal about the natural history of this area, picked up some trinkets for the kids, and paused several times in the bookshop to stare at my books on the shelf. Walter had made a sign that read: “New! Signed by the author!” It was very … surreal.

The rest of Monday and all of today were spent working quietly in my room. That’s right, working. Quietly. In my room. I loved every minute of it. (Bit of a geek, aren’t I?) I managed to sort and transcribe my notes from the weekend, cleared my overflowing email box, finished up some correspondence that I had been putting off, and got a good jump on the research for a new book project. I felt so good about what I accomplished that I treated myself to a long walk on the beach and a movie in the cinema next door to my hotel … both days. (People drive their cars on the beach here, and so I shared the beach with cars, trucks, vans, horses, and other beachwalkers. Crazy! And I love, love, loved Walden Media’s movie version of Katherine Patterson’s BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA; WILD HOGS made me laugh.)

Life on the road ain’t so bad, although I am ever-so-slightly, truly-but-don’t-tell-anyone sick for home. I miss my little ones!

Tomorrow I head north to start two days of school visits. More soon …