A Southern Missive

Wow, what a week! Probably the most intense and busiest I’ve had since I decided to be a full-time writer. (Well, almost full-time. I still teach some university classes). I guess my last post was Tuesday night. After teaching my university classes Wednesday, I drove to Jefferson, Texas where I was the featured author/speaker of the evening for the Friends of the Library there. This is a super group–large in number, excited and supportive of literacy and the library there. Wonderful folks. We met at the historic Excelsior House Hotel. You can read more about this really cool place here: http://theexcelsiorhouse.com/

I left the Excelsior House about 8:45 p.m. and drove to my parents’ house in Kemp, Oklahoma. I snatched a few hours’ sleep and was at the Honey Grove schools by 8:15 a.m. I made 6 presentations Thursday, three at the elementary school (3,4, &5th grades) and three at the middle school (6,7, & 8th grades). Long day, but I had so much fun. The music portion of my program seems to be especially popular with both students and teachers. Some of the teachers told me that they heard the kids singing some of the songs we did throughout the day: “Come Back, Katie,” “Cindy,” and “Goober Peas.”

This morning, I’m at Panera’s Bakery and Deli in Sherman, Texas. They have great wireless and coffee. In a few minutes, I’ll begin my signing at the Books-A-Million here. As usual, I’ll try to stay until the books are all sold. I still can’t believe that all my Books-A-Million signings have been sell-outs (or close to sell-outs). I’m trying hard to build up a good circuit for my book signings. I think by next year, the way things are going I’ll have a circuit of 200-300 stores. Enough to keep any writer busy.

Tomorrow, I’ll be at the Hastings Bookstore in Mount Pleasant, Texas. From there I’ll drive back to Louisiana and recoup and regroup for the next week’s round of activity. My next post will likely not be till late Saturday night.
It’s been a brutal schedule, but if you know me, you know that I love my work.

Today, starting at 7:30 am, I was at the Assumption Parish Media Center where I presented my Jim Limber/Civil War Program to the gifted middle-school students. Then, I went across the street to the high school and presented the same program to the gifted and talented students there. The quality of the gifted students and the hard pwork of the gifted teachers truly amazed me.  Tonight, I was the featured guitar/vocal entertainment for the Assumption Parish Friends of the Library, and I also made a Jim Limber presentation to them, as well as previewing my soon to be published with Pelican, Stories of the Confederate South.  Overall, it was a great day for  sales and and because of the many talented and interesting teachers, students, and friends of the library I met. I returned home at 12:45 am, tired, but too wired to go to sleep. I must retire soon however, as I have college classes to teach tomorrow and then must be on my way to the Friends of the Library in Jefferson, Texas. I will take my laptop (which I realized has my whole life in it now, and the lives of some others!) but I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to post between now and Saturday night.

I must say that no one can cook like people in south Louisiana.  I ate way too much. But how can one turn down that good food? And also, folks there are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.  My book work is going well: I just received confirmation of the three signings in the Mobile area with Books-A-Million. I’ll post more on my signing schedule later.

To say I’m feeling overwhelmed is understatement; litotes is the term we use in the study of Anglo-Saxon literature. A day’s worth of work to do in the morning hours, an afternoon of teaching at the universities, a long drive to Assumption Parish after I finish my night class.  And according to the weather channel, I’ll likely be doing that drive in the rain. I like rain–if I’m not driving or walking in it.  Anyway, the thought of rain (it always drives me inward) reminded me of a poem I wrote some time ago. I thought I’d include it with this post.

Rain

It’s raining today, as
Forecast by the experts,
Drizzle and showers
That will turn to snow by Christmas.
We know what rain is,
And we know there’s all kinds–
The kind that dampens the
Spirit till its brittle and mildewed,
Soaking, relentless rain,
Chilling the skin till the heart is cold,
Pounding the pavement of our lives
Till it’s slick with tears and we slide
Into ruts and ditches others have dug,
I never liked the rain . . .
Till I saw you walking in it today,
Head held high, eyes sparkling
Like little green-tinted rainbows.
An umbrella shielding you
From the sky, but not from my eyes.