Lifescapes

Alamogordo Library

                                                                                 This is the view from Ginger Too's front window as we head for Alamogordo, on the other side of those mountains.

Debbie asked what happened to Ginger One, who drove me all around Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. We had to part company in Kansas City, before I caught a plane to Phoenix. Ginger Too was waiting for me in Phoenix. I'll say goodbye to her in Denver and fly home. These tours are usually some combination of driving (mostly) and flying (as little as possible). Not that I don't like to fly. But the weather is crazy, planes are full to the gills, and baggage gets lost. I'm happier when I drive.

And when I drive, I get to see sights like this view of the dazzling White Sands.

It was a very full house in Alamogordo. Here are a few of the lunch bunch. The lady in black is Iris, who brought a huge basket of China's books for signing. See it there, under her chair? So nice to meet you, Iris!

The Mountain Book Club provided lunch for everybody (what a generous thing to do!) and gave me a full take-along plate. Here we are, lining up for the lunch table.

   













And here's the article that appeared in this morning's Daily News. Thanks, Bev, for the great coverage! And if you folks in Alamogordo are still looking for signed copies of Dagger, you can order them here. Your purchase will benefit the Story Circle Network.

Las Cruces Library

The last time I was in Las Cruces, it was a small town. Not any more. I got caught in rush-hour traffic driving to a Barnes & Noble to sign stock, then got lost on the way to the library. But only temporarily, and not very. Las Cruces isn't that big. Yet.

Not a large crowd tonight, but interested and attentive, especially when I told them there would be a quiz afterward, and that I would collect their papers. (Some are getting ready to take notes.)













JoAnne Coakley, who came to Las Cruces via Montreal, and I.





















Mike (from Coas Books) and Mark (librarian), two very cool guys.

























I'm really sorry I missed the Whole Enchilada Festival (by several months). Memo to self: come back to Las Cruces in October, and bring China and Ruby. This is their kind of place. Definitely. China will bring her red cowboy boots.

I'm getting close to the end of the road, figuratively speaking. Tomorrow, Alamogordo and Albuquerque. Then I'm taking a day off to see daughter Robin and her husband Jeff. Then Colorado Springs, Denver, and Boulder. And home--although once I'm there, I have a week of Texas events. But I get to sleep in my own bed every night, which is a welcome thought.

What Wildness!

Yesterday was great fun all day.

The afternoon at Singing Winds Bookstore was followed by an evening at the lovely Tucson home of Connie and Bob Spittler. Connie and Bob hosted a potluck dinner for several of the contributors to What Wildness is This, the book that I co-edited for Story Circle Network and the University of Texas Press. Here's the potluck bunch. From left, Liza Porter, Nancy Linnon, Nancy Mairs (seated), Connie Spittler, and moi. It was a great evening, with good food and companionship--especially the part where we signed each other's books. I've admired Nancy's work for years, and taught several of her books, but this was the first time I've had a chance to meet her.











Today, I drove across the desert from Tucson AZ to Las Cruces NM. Are you riding with me? We saw scenes like these.













































These are the Dragoon Mountains, where the Apache chief Cochise held out against the U.S. Army. He is buried somewhere in these rocky fortresses beyond Council Rocks, a maze of granite boulders and balanced rocks, with pictographs on some hidden rock faces. I'm afraid that the word "awesome" has lost something of its power lately, because of the way the kids use it. But these rocks and mountains and the vast, wild spaces of open desert are truly awesome, awesome, awesome.

Singing Winds Bookstore, Benson AZ

This is the road to the bookstore, taken through the windshield of my "new" rental car, Ginger 2. Yep, you're right.It's a real ranch road, through the desert. Singing Winds (a famous and absolutely unique bookstore), is located in a ranch house, on a real ranch. And this is the only way you can get there.




Yep, it's a real ranch.

But I knew I had come to the right place, because I found this sign.

Inside, you can see that it truly is a bookstore, and a wonderful one, at that, with an astonishing collection of books about the Southwest. I didn't dare linger near these bookshelves. Dozens of books might have leapt out of their places and into my arms. (You know how some books just want to go home with you.)

I didn't expect much of a turnout (Sunday afternoon, waaaay off the beaten track). Wow, was I wrong. By the time everyone got there, we had over a hundred people, too many to fit into this room.















See those plates on people's laps? There was food, and even entertainment! When he sang Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville," I felt right at home.

Moi, with Winn Bundy, who owns this remarkable bookstore. (Don't miss it, if you're ever traveling in the Tucson area.) Many thanks to her, and to the people at the University of Arizona's School of Information Services and Library Science, who organized this grand shindig.
















Am I having fun on this book tour? You bet!

Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

      Ah, yes, the garden. You just have to see it, that's all. But before we get to the garden, here are Virginia, Judy, and Lynn, settling in for our talk at the Wildflower Pavilion.
















Wish I'd gotten a photo of Ron (from Poisoned Pen, who brought books), who is very good-looking and strong, too. He had to be. He schlepped boxes of books from the parking lot. But he didn't have nearly as many to schlep back to the van, which was good, for those of us in the book business. If you missed this weekend's signings, you can find signed copies of Spanish Dagger at the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale.

And now, a few more photos from the garden, without commercial interruption.

Mesquite Library, Paradise Valley

When I got up this morning, this was the view from my hotel balcony. Ahhhh.... I didn't bring my swimsuit, but just looking at this pool makes me think that today is going to be a good day in Paradise.














Off to the Mesquite Library, but there was a slight problem. I went to the wrong side of Paradise Valley. (It wasn't Google Map's fault. It was mine. I entered the wrong address.) But not to worry. Patrick, the librarian in charge of today's event, talked me through the traffic (on our trusty cell phones) and straight to the library's front door. Here are some of the library gang, enjoying a warm, bright morning on the library patio, while they waited for their author, who was only a few (well, maybe 10) minutes late.

And here's Patrick (that's Brooke, on the left), helping with the book sale. Patrick is working on his master's degree in Library Science. I'd give him an A+ for helping me get where I was supposed to be today. Special thanks to him, and to Ron at Poisoned Pen, who brought books. And to all those who left their gardens on a beautiful Saturday morning to come and meet an author.

    

   





















And yes, it's a very good day in Paradise. But unfortunately, it is a very baaaad weekend to be going anywhere in Phoenix, since there are major major road closings on the major major freeways. I took a detour to get to the Desert Botanical Garden, and discovered that everybody was taking the same detour. Major major traffic jam.

But on to the Botanical Garden.....and a delightful afternoon.

Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale AZ

From chilly and wet to warm and dry. This sturdy native beauty, proud as you please, is growing outside my hotel. Don't get me wrong--I like Kansas, and Oklahoma, and Texas. But it's nice to see the sun again, after two weeks of gloomy skies.

The Poisoned Pen is one of the best mystery bookstores in the country. Every time I've been here, the store has been full, and last night was no exception. Here are a few crime-scene photos.

It's always wonderful to meet Friends of the Books who enjoy the Robin Paige and Beatrix Potter series, as well. The PP bookclub read Death at Blenheim Palace recently, and brought their books for me to sign. But most people came for Spanish Dagger. (I hope you didn't stay up all night reading, guys!) Doesn't this look like an inviting bookstore?

























And to those of you who have written to inquire about the Round Rock, I can tell you that it is on its way to its new home in Texas via USPS. If it arrives before I do, Bill promises to send a photo, so you can see that it's safe. To Leslie, who asked: it's about the size of a largish grapefruit and weighs maybe 8 pounds.

Today, the Mesquite Library and the Botanic Garden. I'm not expecting a big crowd, because this weekend is the Arizona Book Festival, so all the bookies will be hanging out there. So I'll just take it easy, enjoy myself, and take photos of the garden for us. See you later.

Johnson County Library, Waldo Community Library

Two libraries today, plus the lunch bunch at the bookstore, so it was a busy day. Here are some photos from the evening at the Waldo Library. I forgot to take photos at the afternoon event at Johnson County Library. Duh. But it was fun, especially the conversation afterward with the young lady who has written an archeological mystery set in Utah. You go, girl--I wish you luck. Let me know when your book comes out!

Steve Woolfolk and Alicia Ahlvers organized the evening at the Waldo Library, and made it a special occasion. Isn't that an impressive poster? Cookies and lemonade and an enthusiastic crowd--all the makings of a great evening. Thanks, Steve and Alicia!

Lou (third from right in the photo below) and her husband (to her left) drove over from St. Joseph. They're old friends from several book signings in the area, and it was a pleasure to see them again. I love it when I see people taking notes (see the two folks on the left). Reminds me of my teaching days. I always tell people when I get up to talk that I'm programmed for 50 minutes. It's kind of hard to get me to shut up before the end of the "class hour." This was a wonderfully attentive group. And if you peer through that window in the back, you'll see that the evening is bright. We had sunshine all day, for a change!

From old friends to new, in the photo above. Gregory (a teacher), Troy (with his back to us--he's a fan of the Brother Cadfael series, but was willing to give China Bayles a read), and Margaret, who came with her camera. (Margaret--and anybody else who has taken photos--Peggy will post them in our online tour scrapbook. Email them to her at mmoody1@austin.rr.com.)

And another interesting thing happened at last night's event. I got to meet Pablo, from Roundrock Journal, a blogger friend. He brought me--ta da!--a round rock! I was taken aback, as you might guess, because nobody has ever given me a round rock before. And when I say round, I mean round, as in perfectly, gorgeously, uniquely, rotundly, spherically round.

This perfectly round rock presents a mystery, doesn't it? Two mysteries, in fact. Where did this come from and how was it formed? You'll find some clues here. Many, many thanks to Pablo for introducing me to this natural wonder, which will find a place of honor on my desk, to remind me that nature is rich in mysteries and that life (and the blogosphere) is rich in friends. And that you never know what's going to turn up on a book tour.

However, I may need some help in getting my round rock through the x-ray machine at the airport. I hope they don't think it's a bomb. Maybe I'd better mail it home, huh?

Heading for the airport today for a flight to Phoenix. I'll be at Poisoned Pen tonight in Scottsdale. Hope to see you there! 

I Love a Mystery Bookstore

                        

You know it's got to be a mystery bookstore when you walk in the door and see this gruesome bundle of bones.

This is I Love a Mystery in Overland Park, KS, a wonderful store that caters to fans of all kinds of mysteries.

Whether you're interested in cozies or hardboileds, police procedurals or historicals, there's a book (or a dozen!) here for you.

       

                  And look who's here! It's Nancy Pickard, one of my favorite authors and a real inspiration to me when I started the China Bayles series almost 20 years ago. Her latest book, The Virgin of Small Plains, is up for both the Agatha and the Anthony awards for Best Novel of 2006. Congratulations, Nancy! And thanks for coming out today. You made the day very special. Nancy is on the left in this photo, with Linda, Nadine, Juliette, and Mary (I think it's Mary. Please correct me.) We had a great lunch bunch, and I loved every minute of it.















And this is the gang that keeps the store going and handles special events like the lunch today and the two library events in the afternoon and evening. From top left, clockwise, Maggie, Becci, Karen, and Audrey.

I hope you're getting the idea that a book tour is not a solo performance. Sure, I'm the one who stands up there in front of the group and talks about books and reading and writing and such things. But behind the scenes, Peggy and Catherine helped with the arrangements, booked flights, handled media, and posted information on the Internet--all that important stuff. And at every event, there's a great team like this one, managing the book sale, handling refreshments, taking care of publicity. It's a group effort all the way. Thanks, gang!

Lawrence KS

From Topeka, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump (figuratively speaking) to Lawrence, home of the Raven Bookstore, which is co-owned by Pat Kehde and Mary Lou Wright. If you've never visited this mystery bookstore, put it on your list of things to see. Now. All your favorite mystery authors appear on the shelves there, and most of them have visited at one time or another. Here are three wonderful Raven-people, from left, Mary Lou, Pat, and a store helper. (I meant to take a photo of the store but forgot. Maybe Pat will send me one, and I can post it here.)

Lawrence is also the hometown of an important mystery author, Sara Paretsky. I've been talking about her work, and the work of other major mystery writers, in my conversations at libraries along the route of my tour. Sara, along with Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton, Nancy Pickard, and Carolyn Hart, is an important innovator in mystery fiction. Her next book, Bleeding Kansas, is an historical mystery that looks back to the time just before the Civil War, when this part of Kansas was in flames. It's hard to imagine now, but in the early 1860s, quiet Lawrence was the fiery site of a number of political murders. The town was settled by abolitionists and was an important stop on the Underground Railway. It was the target of attack by fervid pro-slavery men like William Quantrill and the 400 Missourians who burned the town in 1863.

But that's all in the past, thank goodness. Last night was all about books and reading. This is Nancy, one of the audience at the library. She's a freelance writer and one of China's best friends.




















And this is Kaare, a poet, just to prove to you that guys do (sometimes) come to these library talks. Gotta be honest, though. The readership for China's mysteries is largely women, and the audience is usually overwhelmingly female. I wonder if that's true of mystery readers in general.

Next stop, Kansas City: I Love a Mystery Bookstore and two libraries.