Book Tour

Giving readings of Burned: A Memoir across the country: first at Bird and Beckett Bookstore, my local San Francisco Glen Park haunt—filled to the brim with friends, colleagues, students. In Conn. at R.J. Julia Bookstore, I was introduced by the director of an organization that deals with childhood trauma(Clifford Beers). The room was filled with friends of my step-daughter's—therapists—family—an old high school friend. In NYC at Borders Park Ave.—a big sign in the window with the picture of my book(a matchbook) and a display case. My editor, agent, publisher all sat in the audience—my sister(who lived the story with me) in the front row. Sat. night at Book Passage in Marin, the day after Isabel Allende read there. What do I feel? That instead of worrying about how the book is doing—looking at the amazon stats go up and down—that I can finally take in this honor—to have gotten to this place—to walk out of Book Passage with a box of thank you notes embossed with my name(a gift to all the authors). That I can savor the get-togethers before the readings—the drinks afterward—the fact that my husband has faithfully come to all the readings even though I am reading the exact same passage and keep asking, “How was it? How can I make it better next time?”
This Thursday I go to Kepler’s in Menlo Park—welcoming places where the years of labor have landed me—This story that has been unraveling for so many years can now fit in my purse—the perfect size paperback. Burned: A Memoir is out in the world.

Before Publication--Making "cold" calls.

With my publication date looming, I'm trying to do something everyday to work toward "promotion." I have a publicist I've hired part time and a publicist at my press who are both great. But I still do something every day myself.

My book is about my parents, severely burned in a gas explosion, and how the whole family coped. So Friday I took the plunge and called a Burn organization. The woman who answered from the development office, believes I have a unique perspective as the child of burn survivors. I have learned lately that the whole family is now called "burn survivors," actually a great comfort to me in understanding the pyschology of my young and now much older life.



She'd love to have me speak in September. Just like that. Of course she wants more information as I was just a disembodied voice on the phone. But she is already thinking, wheels spinning--who to invite, and this was a "cold call"--a group I found on the web. It is my first foray into the world of Burn survivors--My book will move from the "literary" work that I have honed for numerous years--changing words, point of view, making the "characters" who are my own family more complex, working on transitions. These words might move into bigger worlds, touch more people, perhaps even help someone. After all, my mother, completely facially disfigured, went back to work as an editor for the American Journal of Nursing and lived until 91. The point of this blog: when trying to get your book out into the world, make the calls--and you never know who will pick up on the other line.

Monday I'll make some more calls .