|
Click
here to see the complete list of Express
stops. Hope to see you on the road! |
Monday, June 27th, 2005 Leg 1 draws to a close! Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make it a roaring success, both on the front lines, and behind the scenes. Over 6000 miles logged - yowza! 17 states 18 booksignings 15 stock signings 5 media appearances (not counting newspaper mentions and stories) 69 displayed photos (countless dozens more comin' in a full album soon!) Friends made: innumerable Cost: phenomenal Worth: priceless A popular question we're asked on the road is, "What are you finding the most memorable about the Express tour?" Lori: "The wonderful people we cross paths with. Old friends and new, the genuine warmth and fellowship we're being shown is humbling and touching. While we travel often, we normally don't talk to many people between point A and point B, you know, beyond the gas station attendant and the McDonald's cashier. But this tour...well, every smile we've been given, kind word shared, will linger on in my mind and heart long after the tour has concluded." Tony: "Spending uninterrupted time with my beautiful wife Lori." Lori: "Aw, isn't he sweet? I think I'll keep him.<vbg>" Sunday, June 26th, 2005 Listening to: Mellow jazz Where we are: Mt. Prospect (Chicago), IL Stopped at Border's up the road (thanks, Mike!) Just when we think welcomes can't possibly get any warmer, Linda of Mt. Prospect Borders and her crew go and prove us wrong! I mean, wow. Linda and Micky had already read Sofie and had nothing but praise for our hardcover debut. Then pretty Joana joined the group, and the circle grew from there, laughter and smiles and free coffee samples and baklava setting the jovial tone for our visit. Wonderful Maria Contos and I have been emailing back and forth on the possibility of Sofie being selected for reading by her mystery group. It was a pleasure to finally meet her in person! Especially considering she couldn't make our closer Naperville signing the night before because of Greek church commitments, and drove from Joliet to see us in Mt. Prospect instead. She shared the great news that Sofie has been officially selected and had us sign the books for her group members. (So, are you going to give Tony's Famous Baklava recipe a shot, Maria? Perhaps it will put you in 1st place next time.<vbg> Kali orixi!) On-line pal Barb Hicks also encouraged Stacy to come out for a visit. We're awfully glad she did! Stacy is a gem. As for Linda and her gang...you guys totally rock! Saturday, June 25th, 2005 Listening to: The World is Flat author Thomas L. Friedman on NPR Where we are: Peoria and Naperville (Chicago), IL What a fantastic restaurant VOP in Peoria is! We meet A Little Romance group leader and librarian extraordinaire Kathy Hendrickson and her partners-in-crime Bev, Helen and Kelly there for a bite and a chance to catch up before our one p.m. speech at the Lake Library. It's hard to believe our last visit with them was in September of 2001. The group is celebrating their 10th anniversary later this year, and the library itself is celebrating its 125th anniversary! To say the environment is celebratory is grossly understating things. We'd like to think that we've come a long way speech-wise since our last visit, but any thought of official protocol flies quickly out the window as we find ourselves chatting and interacting with the group as if we're members. Before we know it, time has come for us to head out for our three hour drive north to a Chicago signing later in the day. But we get pics of our visit and graciously accept gifts from Kathy commemorating the library's anniversary (Tony and I are still fighting over the great paperweight! Of course, I don't let him near the beanie Lion labeled "It's All Greek to Me." Kelly agrees to see us on our way back to a highway without significant road construction, and on the way arranges for us to stop at a Borders where Danielle has copies of Sofie ready for us to sign. We arrive in Naperville in time to shop around for a hotel for the night, only to find that all the rooms are taken because of a Sox game later that day. So we drive straight to the Barnes & Noble instead. What a fantastically quaint town Naperville is! Despite the heat (and boy is it hot!), residents stroll down the walk, a great many of them stopping in to Barnes & Noble for refreshment and to say hi. We find marvelous Mary F and her daughter already waiting for us (what a nice surprise!), and soon after Sherry Waddle comes by bearing a gift of Frango chocolates (yum!), and new fellow TrailBlazer Marie Donovan and her sister, and Kelle Zeiher Riley (Kelle is a 2005 RWA Golden Heart finalist in the short contemporary category! Congrats, Kelle! We're pulling for you), and Donna and her date stop by for a hello that lasts well into the signing. Of course, Chicago is almost as well known for its Greek community as it is for its jazz, so it's no surprise that we meet and chat with several residents of Greek extraction. Of special note are Maria and Niko, who are out with friends and who we immediately click with. What fantastic people! If this couple is any indication of the rest of the Chicago Greek population, we are so there! Wow! What a whirlwind visit. To everyone who spoiled, er, I mean came out to see and chat with us and help us celebrate Sofie's debut...well, a simple thanks seems to fall criminally short of the mark. Friday, June 24th, 2005 Listening to: Kokomo by The Beach Boys Where we are: Kokomo and Indianapolis, IN Today we hit the road a little later than we planned. That and orange barrel delays caused us to overshoot our timed stop at Don's Books in Kokomo for a baklava drop. We enjoyed visiting with manager Robert Holtz and Eric, chatting about our favorite books and the book biz and the upcoming Harry Potter release (I've decided I want to be J.K. Rowling in my next incarnation). Afterward we head to Indianapolis for a scheduled signing. Barbara Smith of A Romance Review comes by and visits with us throughout the signing. We love spending the extended time with her as we meet and greet and sign books. Our plan is to drive to Peoria tonight and check into a roadside hotel, but we're so mellow we end up stopping in Champaign, which leaves us with an hour and a half trip to Peoria tomorrow. Ah, well... Thursday, June 23rd, 2005 Listening to: Motown Favs Where we are: Warren (Detroit), MI It seems fitting that we're visiting The Paperback Outlet now, seeing as it was during our last visit with them on December 5th, 2003 that our agent Robert Gottlieb sold the first two Sofie titles to Forge. Ownership may have changed hands, but Annie and Gay have maintained the warmth we've always felt during our visits, and previous owners Betty and Fred Schulte even stop in for a hello and a hug. This group...I don't know exactly how to describe them. Long stretches of time may go by between meetings, but we always feel as if they're longtime friends and we just talked to them the day before. Bad Barb Hicks (those at Writerspace.com and our Friends loop know who we're talking about!), brought her niece and nephew Nataia and Kadeem out, and Terrific Tee (Teresa), had her daughter Tabitha with her. Then during the last half hour of the group meeting after store hours, our younger son Tim dropped in so we could show him off, making for an atmosphere that felt more like a family bbq than a booksigning. Afterward we went to a nearby Chili's for dinner with both our sons Tim and Tony, where we watched the first half of the last game between the Spurs and the Pistons. We love you guys! Monday, June 20th, 2005 Listening to: Jeff Daniels' CD Purple Rose Where we are: Ann Arbor, Michigan For the past couple of weeks we've been trading fun emails with someone named Suzie Weber discussing our visit to the Wolverine state. Living just across the border in Ohio we are, of course, Ohio State Buckeyes fans (Go Bucks! Sorry, it's a tourette's thing.<vbg>), and love to indulge in the whole Go Bucks! Go Blue! debate, even though we couldn't tell you who actually won the last game, much less the score of it. We were looking forward to meeting Suzie in person at our Ann Arbor signing at the Borders on Washtenaw. And, I have to say, doing so far surpassed our happy expectations. While she didn't deck herself out in maize and blue as she apparently wanted to, she did come bearing gifts (the above-mentioned Jeff Daniels CD wrapped in maize paper and tied off with a blue ribbon -- yes, the same JD of acting fame and a Michigan hometown boy -- and a lifetime supply of Jiffy mixes, apparently manufactured locally), as well as a LOL sense of humor that immediately endeared us to her. But I'm getting ahead of myself. When we first arrived at the store bearing our latest batch of baklava, wonderful Borders District Marketing Manager Gail Hammill warmly welcomed us, setting us up in the back of the store where two readers (Joyce and Julie), were already waiting. We plied everyone with Tony's famous homemade treat -- the more we give away, the less we eat! -- then settled in for a nice chat that, unsurprisingly, took a hilarious swerve when Suzie arrived (we found out later that her husband Biff was hanging around in the background waiting for her to finish, which took awhile. Hey, we had jokes to trade and laughs to share). And so the next hour and a half passed in a blur. In fact, we're wondering if it truly happened at all. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you! Sunday, June 19th, 2005 Watching: Satellite Greek Channel Antenna Where we are: Home! Toledo, Ohio Dorothy was right in that there's no place like home. Since we returned to the Express so late last night (see previous post), we stay another night at the KOA campground off I-70 and head home at seven the next morning. We find a message from our older son Tony waiting to wish his dad a Happy Father's Day, and no sooner do we unpack the car than our younger son Tim drops in bearing gifts and hungry to hear of our adventures. We couldn't have asked for a nicer welcome home! Boy, have we ever missed him and our kitties and our satellite TV and DSL. ;> At just before two, we head to the local Barnes & Noble for our first local signing to find MVRWA chapter mate and pal Janet Rau already waiting for us! Marvelous Marilyn settles us in then one after another nearly all our MVRWA chapter buds come out: Rita, Nicole, Barb N and Barb H, Robin, Beth (aka Elizabeth Vaughan, whose first book is also out from Tor this month! Check out Warprize by clicking here), Jennie, Sharon Harbaugh of Munchkin Book Shop, Joy (we loved meeting her dh), Denise Lynn Koch (her next Harlequin Historical Falcon's Love is out next month! Check it out by clicking here), and Doc Roz (ooooh, how we've missed you!), and the signing comes to resemble a chapter meeting. Rita brings us a wonderful basket filled with all sorts of travel stuffs (my fav is the bubbles!), and Nicole presents us with a fantastic gift bag that holds a therapeutic pillow (Tony's aching back thanks you, Nic!) and enough Nescafe coffee to keep us in frappes for the duration of the tour. Of course, the instant sisters and cohorts-in-crime Marty and Riley arrive, happy chaos ensues and I'm sure everyone inside and outside the store wonders what's going on. They bring along niece Brianna who is an out-and-out sweetheart and a beauty to boot. And Makis stops in, edging around the group and probably wondering if he really wants to leap into the fray. He does, and we're awfully glad he's there to help us rejoice in this very special day. Warm and humble thanks to each and every one of you for helping us celebrate, guys! Saturday, June 18th, 2005 Listening to: Greek singer Paxhalis Terzis CD (my fav!) Where we are: Cincinnati and Troy, Ohio What a day! First, we head the hour south down to Cincinnati to meet up with Barnes & Noble CRM and longtime pal Linda Keller. We're early so we share coffee and chat awhile until Daphne Weddig (she's also prez of the Ohio Valley RWA chapter), stops in. I swear I wouldn't have recognized her had I passed her on the street! She's dropped almost 100 pounds and looks absolutely amazing. Bravo, Daphne. A little while later, our publicist Patricia Rouse comes in bearing tasty cookies she picked up the night before when she got lost in Kettering and stopped into a country store to ask directions (only Pat could get lost and still find time to shop - lol!). Her parents Evelyn and Ray Rouse come by, finally giving us the op to meet a couple we've heard so much about. They are every bit as charming as we expect them to be. In fact, I've decided we're going to officially adopt them as our parents. After the signing, we meet Pat and her parents at nearby Panera's, where we grab a couple of bagels and get a chance to visit some more before heading the hour back north to Troy and Around About Books for our next signing. We leave a good few minutes before Pat. Imagine our surprise, then, when sometime later on I-75 she goes blowing by us! We would never, ever, have figured her for a speed demon, but there you have it. Yep, yep, yep, Pat was born with a lead foot. As result, we arrive early for our rendezvous with Sue Cantrell, the owner of Around About Books, to find her among one of the most welcoming and sweetest people we've encountered, not just during this trip, but ever. And her associate Mike is every bit as disarming. Diane and Sally are waiting for us (they also attended the happenings at Books & Company last night). Sally brings pics of her father's sheep. (Yes, I said sheep. It's the cutest thing! For years her parents trained sheep to pull a small wagon and have appeared in parades and at fairs and the like. As soon as I get a chance, I want to scan in the pic she gave us to share with you.) Then who should walk in but Kevin Beard!!! We probably shouldn't have been so surprised since he lives and works up the road from the bookstore, but Kevin is...well, Kevin is like family to us and unfortunately the only time we get to see him is at Romantic Times events. So we're overjoyed to see him here! We meet and chat with many wonderful people, including but by no means limited to Chuck Fox and his wife and two sons (football is soccer, guys ;>), and Becky and Anne and...the list goes on! The next two hours are a blur of activity during which we squeeze in a tour around the two-story store that I decide I want to move into, resident ghost and all. (Sue's considering arranging a mini-reader conference sometime in either the fall or spring, so keep your eyes peeled for more details! Trust me, it's sure to be a blast. These guys are great.) Afterward, we all meander to a wonderful Chinese restaurant down the street (I'll have to get the name from Sue. Delish!), where we close the place. Sue's other associate David joins us later along with Mike, and we enjoy the wonderful company as much as the food. It's been awhile since we've laughed that much! If it's true that laughing burns a lot of calories, we easily lost five pounds despite the huge amount of food we consumed. We can't wait for our next visit! Friday, June 17th, 2005 Listening to: Take Me Home by John Denver Where we are: Kettering (Dayton), Ohio We're home! Well, all right, we're not home home, but we are in Ohio, three hours away from my favorite coffee cup and my luxurious bathtub and soothing oils. While we've traveled extensively, this is the first time we've driven so far in such a short amount of time. Hmm...actually, that's not entirely true. We did the Route 66 thing years ago in our customized van. Only then we didn't have to worry about squeezing into conference duds and putting on makeup (me, not Tony<vbg>). Or have any concerns about speeding semis pushing us off the road when the wind's blowing just right, which seems to be all the time. We arrive at Books & Company to find attendees waiting. We're not late, but we fear we are. We also haven't prepared anything official to talk about. But one important skill that this experience is teaching is how to speak off the cuff without missing a beat or fear that we'll be run out of town on a rail. Reassuring, that. It wasn't all that long ago that we were rendered speechless by a roomful of third-graders (of course, third graders are known to strike fear into the most courageous of souls). All right, that was some thirteen years ago, but it seems like yesterday. Sharon Roth and and her Greek-American cohort-in-crime Christina have created a relaxing atmosphere and prepared a Greek spread including black olives, stuffed grape leaves and feta, which is perfect next to Tony's baklava. Jenny has come out! Bringing with her her beautiful daughter Emily (hope I'm spelling that right). Diane, as well, is here with reader friend Sally (these guys leave us ROFL after the signing whenwe chat). Karen and her daughter Charissa are also there (Karen brings an entire bag full of our books for us to sign! From our very first Constant Craving, to Sofie, we're humbled and touched by her loyalty to our books). Tonya and Pat Rouse are also there, as are welcome others, turning the event into a smashing and heartwarming success. Afterward, we head to Damon's for a bite with Pat and invite Christina and Tonya to stop by when they finish up at the store. We have a great time visiting into the night... (We haven't had steady internet access, so please come back for links and a more complete log Sunday nite or first thing Monday morning!) Thursday, June 16th, 2005 Listening to: Greek singer Gonidis (Eho petaxi mazi sou - You give me wings) Where we are: Knoxville, TN We're quickly learning that there are some places the Express wasn't meant to go. Like television stations that are located on the top of tall hills accessible only through winding, narrow roads. Thankfully in Birmingham we didn't have the Express with us, leaving it instead at the campsite. But here... Let's just say I haven't heard that much inventive Greek profanity since...well, since my mother-in-law, bless her heart, passed away over four years ago (have I told you she's the one who taught me Greek? Aha! Bet you thought Tony was the one doing the cursing). We park at the bottom of the hill at the CBS's Volunteer TV station and climb the hill to the station, wishing someone would have told us to bring along rappling equipment. But the instant we meet wooly Chef Walter, well, everything falls wonderfully into place. This is the first time Tony's fixes baklava live. Well, he actually doesn't fix it on the spot, we bring along a fresh batch and an uncooked batch for him to show how to cut it into those neat little diamond-shaped squares. Truth is, we have such a good time chatting with Chef Walter that the baklava is barely mentioned. It is, however, devoured by station personnel afterward.<g><g><g> Next we head to WBIR-TV NBC's Style with Moira Kaye on the other side of I-40. We're late, so we park in a bank's lot across from the station and as we're signing in, we read a warning at the bottom of the sheet that cautions of the risk of being towed if we park where we did. Marvelous producer Rob Lloyd calls the bank and buys us some time, but not much, so we rush to tape an interview with beautiful Moira that would have been live, but the show is pre-empted by the US Open. Before we can blink, we're done, snapping pics, then rushing for the Express before the bank can figure out how to tow both Elvis and the Express. (The piece is set to air on Friday.) Later that afternoon we head to Barnes & Noble on Kingston where John warmly welcomes us. No sooner do we sit down than Knoxville longtime pals Leanne and Donna come out bringing with them friends Kerri and Marlene, and Vera and her granddaughter Laura from Cover-to-Cover come to visit (Lynn's ill and we later find out Laura comes down with a fever -- well wishes to you both!). Over baklava we all play catch up and Tony and I sign copies of Sofie and before we know it, it's time to head back to the Express to grab some much needed rest before leaving for Dayton at five the next morning. (We haven't had steady internet access, so please come back for links and a more complete log Sunday nite or first thing Monday morning!) Wednesday,
June 15th, 2005 Tuesday, June 14th, 2005 Listening to: FM
87.7, the live radio feed of Fox 6 Holy Toledo! What a day. The whirlwind of activity begins early in the a.m. as we ready ourselves for our first live TV appearance with fabulous Janice Rogers of Fox 6's Good Day Alabama. Bearing a fresh batch of baklava, we arrive twenty minutes early and hang out in their green room (okay, it's their refreshments area, which is perfect considering the baklava, and we meet the other personalities and guests and producers and ply them with the Greek sweet) for a while before our turn comes up. We arrive feeling a bit antsy, but by the time we sit down with Janice on the set, we felt right at home. Well, okay, sort of. I mean how at home can you feel in a studio with bright lights highlighting the zits that wouldn't pop, and cameras showing every last piece of baklava you snuck while no one was looking? Our warm and hearty thanks to everyone, from Randy the producer and Mickey the weatherman to weekly segment stars The Angler (cockroaches as bait? Yikes!) and Jerri Beck, we end up having a great time and coming away with a new appreciation of how those little people on the TV screen end up there. (We also decide that we really need to amp up our diet program. Guffaw.) Next up, our signing at Crosshaven Books. Owner Marie Pearson is a gracious host, setting out an appetizing buffet with wine and punch and creating a very comfortable atmosphere. Already there is reader/writer Kerri, who drove from Montgomery with her husband and daughter to visit with us. Wow! It was a true pleasure meeting and chatting with her (we're going to hold you to your promise to come out of lurkdom, K!), and the same goes for another husband-and-wife team Larry and Susan, who stuck around for most of the signing and with whom we enjoyed talking at length about the industry and books and life in general (good luck with...well, you know<vbg>). Carla of the local RWA chapter Southern Magic also stops by with reader friend Sandy, and Rose come sout as well. It was great seeing you all! But the following story I'm going to share is nothing if not kismet... In the morning, Janice at Fox mentioned this great restaurant owned by a local Greek. The Fish Market, she says, is the place to go in Birmingham. She wrote out the address for us and asked us to tell owner George Sarris she sent us. We say we don't know if we'll have the time, but we'll try to make it out. Tony has two batches of baklava to make for a Knoxville TV appearance Thursday during which he'll demonstratie how to make his famous sweet. From that moment on, it seems everyone we come into contact with mentions the Market and George, up to and including those who come out for our signing at Crosshaven. It's fate that in the last fifteen minutes of our signing George's daughter Dorothy walks into the store, having seen a newspaper piece on Sofie and us and wanting to come out and buy a book for herself and another for her father. "Come, come to the restaurant." "We'll try, but no promises." So we're in the Express later, Tony has the baklava made although not cooked, and it's eight o'clock (the restaurant closes at nine). Should we? We do. We drive back downtown from Hoover to find the restaurant parking lot packed and we go inside...and receive the type of Greek welcome we have Sofie gush about in book 2. It's like a coming home of sorts when you happen across a Greek who comes from the old country. We expect a quick hello. Instead we're ushered to a table and spend the next few hours in George's warm company, trading stories of life and work and belly laughs and enjoying fantastic wine and food. We're glad we came. (In the Birmingham area? Check out The Fish Market at 611 21st Street S, and ask George what goes into making the perfect sandwich. You won't regret it.) As we drive back to the Express, we listen to the Pistons win game three over the Spurs (yes!). We’re refreshed, happy, and prepared for our next stop in Knoxville…and looking forward to a return trip to Birmingham to visit what feels like old friends... Sunday, June 12th, 2005 Watching: Pistons v. Spurs (Go Pistons!) Where we are: Madeira Beach/Sarasota, FL Later... They are storks! I can't believe it. I mean, here I am thinking how much the garbage-picking birds look like storks, and it turns out they are. Hmm...maybe they get their start delivering garbage before they're promoted to baby carriers.<g> What a quaint and picturesque area Sarasota is. Especially St. Armand Key, where indy bookseller Circle Books is located. And Paulette and John look right at home there in the store, chatting with customers and tending to us. (Paulette's daughter is marrying a Greek this September in Thessaloniki! And her first granddaughter is a mere 6 months old. Warm congrats to you and your daughters, Paulette.) Thanks to you both for making our visit memorable! Now, off to Birmingham for our Tuesday morning appearance on "Good Morning, Alabama," and signing at Crosshaven Books... Sunday, June 12th, 2005 Listening/watching: wiener dog racing segment on CBS & squirrels and stork-looking birds getting into the neighbor's garbage (I try to chase 'em, but I fear I'm outnumbered in this fight) Where we are: Madeira Beach/Sarasota, FL Tony's making another batch of baklava, battling the air conditioner for control over the temp in the Express. Last night, after a nice, long nap to recover from our trip from Charlotte, we headed to the beach, marveling at the cloud formations to the NW that are the remnants of Tropical Storm Arlene over the panhandle. As we stroll through the choppy surf, we watch the sun set on yet another day in this fascinating trip. Tony would like to move down here to Florida. Me? I don't know. I fear I'm a little set in my ways. While I love visiting, think the area is beautiful, and gape at all the amazing wildlife, I feel...I don't know, almost like I'm visiting another planet. I mean, everything is a little too unfamiliar. In Ohio, you have to keep the garbage secured against raccoons and opossums and cats. Here, squirrels and animals and birds I don't recognize are the ones to guard against. Not to mention gators! I don't look forward to seeing the later up close and personal anytime soon.<g><g><g> More after the signing... Saturday, June 11th, 2005 Listening to: WXYB 1520 AM Where we are: Tampa, FL After the signing in Charlotte last night we immediately hit the road for the nearly 600 mile trek to Tampa. Taking only an hour and half nap south of Jacksonville. We arrive after our overnight run with only moments to spare for our 2 p.m. appointment for a live radio interview with Sotirios Agelatos of WXYB 1520 AM. Since the station broadcasts entirely in Greek, Tony takes center stage, extolling Sofie's many virtues. We learn that the Tampa area Greek population runs in the neighborhood of 150,000. Yowza! That's a lot Greeks. We look forward to getting out and meeting many of them. Question of the day: Why does Florida, which has mild weather all year round, decide to schedule road construction in June? So far, this is the only state we've run into significant orange barrel delays. Yikes! Friday, June 10th, 2005 Listening to: Where we are: Charlotte, NC What a skyline! I don't know what we expected, but it certainly isn't the very cosmopolitan city of Charlotte. Towering skyscrapers serve as a stunning backdrop to a sprawling, modern and sparkling clean city that wows us. What wows us even more is the staff at Joseph-Beth. Valerie and McGee are more than friendly, as are the wonderful people who come out for our talk and signing. We enjoy their company so much we stay longer than we intend, even though we have a grueling trip ahead of us, the Express parked outside ready to race for the next stop in Tampa. The store is new (opened about two months ago) and bustling with customers. Valerie is a Cincinnati transplant. McGee's wife Emily also works at the store and is drop dead gorgeous. The Greek-American couple (dh is Greek by marriage), gives us an op to indulge in one of our favorite pastimes by discussing life in the U.S. as a Greek-American. And Sherry and Jack remind us of ourselves in their easygoing closeness (we encourage them to write). We thoroughly enjoy the visit and look forward to coming back soon! Thursday,
June 9th, 2005 Wednesday,
June 8th, 2005 Tuesday,
June 7th, 2005 Monday, June
6th, 2005 Sunday, June 5th, 2005 Listening to: Greek singer Makis Xristodolopoulos Where we are: Astoria, Queens, NY - Sofie's stompin' grounds Ah, what better way to spend the early afternoon than in Astoria Park, right under the Hellgate Bridge? Nevermind the daunting sound of the bridge name. This park is a piece of heaven nestled up against the East River. From the lush green hill you can gaze across the roiling currents at the Triborough Bridge, and just beyond the stunning Manhattan skyline. It's warm, so families are out, couples, everyone enjoying the day under the canopy of the bridge and lush trees. Later in the afternoon, we head to Aktina radio to sign the books they gave away as part of their annual fundraiser last weekend. We expect a quick in and out, since Elena is broadcasting live. Instead, we're welcomed with open arms by both the host and her daughter Carolina, and pulled in to speak live about Sofie and the tour and music. Somehow the experience feels like a very nice visit with longtime friends. For dinner, we head to meet our Forge editor Melissa Singer and her brilliantly beautiful daughter at Stamatis on Broadway. Yowsa! We didn't have enough room on the table for the countless dishes we ordered...and ended up taking half back to the Express with us. If not for the hour and a half we spent trying to get through the Lincoln Tunnel into Jersey, this would have been the perfect day... Links Aktina - Check out details on how to support this non-profit station! Saturday, June 4th, 2005 Listening to: singing New York, NY (and hoping Sinatra isn’t groaning too loudly at our off-tune, yet heartfelt rendition) Where we are: Where else? NYC! We finally arrived, a good day after we initially planned, but none the less excited. Our room at the Westin rocks. I’m not usually a fan of contemporary design, but they’ve done an amazing job here. Every line flows into the next and the Art Deco motif is tasteful and comfortable, two words I normally don’t use to describe with the design. BEA Our first official Sofie Metropolis signing! We don’t know what to expect, so about two hours before we're scheduled to seat ourselves in the area affectionately known as “the chutes”, we visit the section. Debbie Macomber’s line snakes out and around her aisle. Tom Wolfe’s line is also enormous, and since you have to have a ticket to get a book signed, I sneak up one of the empty chutes on the side of his line and stand and gawk at the eccentric icon. I wonder at the way he warmly speaks to each reader, shaking his or her hand, posing for pictures. BEA personnel tell those who've been waiting for over an hour that they are running out of time, and that there can be no more than a simple autograph, but I think someone forgets to tell Tom, because he continues to encourage personal contact, in fact, he seems to come alive as a result of it, as if the affection of the reader is not only returned, but returned tenfold. What a true gentleman! On the flipside, we also see several empty aisles, with authors looking around hopefully for someone to approach them. And we guess that's how our signing will go. I mean, these types of events are so about the heavy-hitters, like Tom Wolfe and Debbie Macomber, and despite our 30 series romances, and our first hardcover, we’re still relative newcomers. Our signing is scheduled during the last session of the day at 4:30 and by then the expo begins to empty out, everyone pretty much dead on their feet from walking the humongous exhibition floor. But we couldn’t be more wrong! Being last also means we have the time to sign a half hour longer than our scheduled time (can you believe we close down the place), and we sign non-stop, our line never ceasing due to a ton of very generous, curious readers – both known to us and unknown – and the tireless efforts of personal author publicist Pat Rouse, and Forge publicist Melissa Broder. Longtime friend and reader Latesha Ballard makes out! Our only regret is that we don’t get to spend even more time with her and others we meet and have the privilege with whom to talk. In a word…wow! The experience is humbling to two people from Toledo and tiny Smila, Greece. Later on, we head over to The Supper Club for the annual BEA Harlequin party where we get the chance to catch up with our ed Brenda Chin, and buds Leslie Kelly and her dh Bruce, Karen Drogin aka Carly Phillips, Vicki Lewis Thompson and her daughter Audrey, and Mort aka Maggie Shayne! It’s Sunday morning now, and we’re still pretty much gob-smacked. On tap for today is a visit to Aktina radio in Astoria, and dinner with our Forge ed, Melissa Singer. It’s supposed to be, as Tony would say, “scorchers”. We can’t help but feel as if the high temp (it’s supposed to hit 90) reflects the heat Sofie is generating! Friday, Jun 3rd, 2005 Listening to: Howard
Stern channeling the runaway bride: "They cut my hair!" It's damp, drizzly and dreary...and we couldn't be happier! We're flying down I-80 toward the BookExpo America in NYC, towing our Baklava Express, and taking in the lush green of the mountains and looking forward to the two and half weeks of road stretching before us. We didn't have the chance to give the ole girl a trial run before beginning the tour, so we're a little anxious, mostly because we don't know what to expect when. I mean, why use insecticides when our trailer seems to be catching every insect in the known and unknown universe? Bug carcasses all over. Anyone got a chisel? We stop to get gas (holy cow! Who knew towing a house would take so much fuel? Obviously someone much more astute than we are), and wonder if we can see renowned Punxsutawney Phil now, or if he's released and recaptured so he can come out again next February and tell us whether or not we'll have six more weeks of winter. Probably he's in a cage being ogled by tourists, but we decide to pass on the experience, though the convo he inspires is engrossing. I mean, what happens if Phil should go missing and Sofie should be wheedled into finding him by a superstitious aunt who's convinced we'll have permanent winter if he's not recovered? Okay, obviously it can't be Phil, himself, that Sofie would have to find. Maybe an Astoria or Queens equivalent? Astoria Bob has a certain to it, don't you think?
|
Available
now! |
