Originally Posted: August 7, 2010
Wow–it’s taken me a while to stop my head spinning long enough to write about the book launch last week… It was one of those extremely rare, magical moments in a life where everything actually goes right, where the pieces come together and you feel as if you’re being raised up in the gentle palm of the universe…
The magic started around noon, as I was sitting on the examination table in my doctor’s office. I was feeling blue in my little paper dress (the kind that opens in the back, revealing your whole tush), having just discovered that I need to schedule a minor surgery (nothing serious). My kids were at home waiting for me to return; the house a mess; it was one of those steamy, oppressive New England summer days when the air clings to you like a sticky gym sock. In short, I wasn’t feeling very celebratory, and wasn’t sure how I was going to get in the mood for my reading that evening…
Just then, my sister, who lives in Indiana, called on her cell and asked if she could help me get in better spirits for the evening… It turns out she was on her way from the airport–a complete and delightful surprise! We got a sitter and spent the day together shopping, getting our nails done, having lunch–things we haven’t done without children for at least a decade.
The reading itself was spectacular. Over a hundred people crowded into the Odyssey bookshop in South Hadley–the very place where I first worked hawking paperbacks (and dreaming about writing one) the summer I moved to Massachusetts from the west coast, over twenty years ago. Standing at the podium in front of so many friends, family members, students, old teachers, fellow writers, I felt supported and buoyed in a way I’d forgotten was possible. The energy in the room was palpable, electric, and it fueled me as I read. The bookstore ran out of books, but luckily I had an extra box in the back of my car. I signed for over an hour.
Huge thanks to all who came out on the 28th to make this a memorable night. No matter how the book does, I will not forget being surrounded by the love and support of my community!
Posted by: Dori