by Sandra Gulland | Jun 8, 2008 | Adventures of a Writing Life |
It’s Saturday, I’m in Philadelphia, and I’m one week into my tour. I have more energy now than when I started. In fact, I could get used to this. I’ve seen lots of Connecticut by car, flown from New York to Boston, and gone by train from Boston to Philadelphia.
I’ve signed a zillion books at bookstores—called “signing stock”—and my hand hasn’t given out. I’m a Sharpie fan! All through Connecticut, store clerks would ask, “Do you have a Sharpie?” (Not, “Do you have a pen?”) Kelly Bowen, my publicist would laugh: “She’s got one.”
One clerk didn’t understand that we were there to sign books. He handed me a copy of Mistress of the Sun. “Have you been waiting long for the new Sandra Gulland?”
“I’m Sandra Gulland, and yes, I’ve been waiting long.” It made my day.
Trish Todd, my publisher, warned me that book sales were down throughout the country and that turn-outs might be sparce. There seems always to be enough, though, and invariably there are a few present who are huge fans, who make it all worthwhile.
by Sandra Gulland | Jun 5, 2008 | Adventures of a Writing Life |
I’m in New York, the Big Apple. Tonight is my NY reading at the Barnes & Noble near the Lincoln Center (7:30, 1972 Broadway)—the one with the huge room for events, big enough for rock groups, and too big for the likes of me. My hard-working publicist, Kelly Bowen, has warned me that of all the events on this very long one-month tour, this is the one likely to disappoint.
I walked by that store yesterday and the photo of me on the poster made me look like a burn victim. Oh well.
At least it’s no longer threatening to rain—according to CNN, that is, but not according to the dark overcast sky from my hotel window.
I don’t mind small crowds, in truth. There are always a few avid fans, and it’s moving to meet them.
I’ve yet to work out the logistics of my gown. The skirt wrinkles, which I hadn’t planned on. Yesterday I bought a Jiffy Esteam—a clothing steamer. (It works like magic! How did I ever manage without it?) Today I need to find an extension cord, because although there may be an outlet in my improve dressing rooms, they are rarely set close to where I can hang the skirt.
By the time this 4-week tour is over, I hope to have all this worked out.
Image from BibliOdyessy.
by Sandra Gulland | Apr 28, 2008 | Adventures of a Writing Life |
Mr. Seat by the Window calls out and waves to all the crew. “Hey, Joe! Nice to see you!” He obviously lives on WestJet — which, I can attest, is a perky sort of airline (superior, in my view, to grumpy Air Canada). I quickly dig out my earplugs and open a book. I think of Alexander McCall Smith, who writes on airplanes. I think of Margaret Atwood, who writes poetry on tour. “What else is there to do?” They are the gold metal winners of the tour circuit. I’m just aiming to get through it in one piece.
I begin a list of survival gear: iPod, earplugs. I will need a purse/backpack that fits under the narrow aisle seat I now favor, something sturdy I can put my feet on (given that the seat heights are too tall for me, designed for men). A shawl and slipper socks for when it’s cold; a layer I can slip off when it’s hot.
I’ve chosen an excellent novel for travel — The Book Thief — but it’s too fat. I need a slender yet engaging book. I remember traveling through Europe with War and Peace, tearing off pages as I read them, returning home with a few pages and the back cover — but I don’t want to do that with this book. This is a book to pass on.
Image from BibliOdyessy.
