Girls, books, and cribless nights

I returned from tour Saturday and thanks to my generous husband fell into a nap, followed by an all-day stupor. Sunday I went to bed early and slept straight for 10 hours. It's Wednesday and I still haven't unpacked. I don't know where my make-up is. I can't seem to get a grip on the routine again. Vacations are often like this, but book tour is especially exhausting. So good, but draining too. I've been contemplating why this is. There are some obvious reasons, like 5 hotels in 9 days, getting up at 7 am and returning to the hotel at 11 pm, driving through eight states, not to mention traveling with a two-year-old! But it's more than that.

I'm not a very good saleswoman. I don't like "touting my wares," and I'm bad at it. So I don't try. I've gotten a little better than the first few years, when I wouldn't even mention my books when I gave talks. I've learned that people usually want to hear about them a little. But when I go to an author event, I don't want to hear someone read from their book. I want them. I want to feel like I know them, have a personal interaction, hear stories that make me laugh or think. So when I do events, I try to do that, give my energy to every person I meet. When I do one book event at home, by the time I'm done, I want to curl up and go to sleep. On tour, I usually do 3 per day. Somehow I keep going and going, but when I can, I crash. I still feel crashed now.

I often hesitate writing things like this, because I know it can sound complainy, and I don't mean that at all. I am so honored to get to tour, to have a publisher willing to invest in me, to get to go to these amazing bookstores and schools and libraries and meet readers (and potential readers!). But this blog is for honesty, and you should know, book tour is not glamorous.

Since I brought my two-year-old (out of necessity), I also brought my awesome neighborhood babysitter Kayla, age 15, whose amazing parents let her come along and miss school. Poor Kayla. I think she found firsthand that book tour isn't as glamorous as it might sound. She was so WONDERFUL! And kept Maggie in truly blessed spirits.

I need to finish my tour account! I'm sorry I don't have better photos. I hauled my huge ol' deluxe camera along and it stopped working, so I just managed to snap a few lame-o cell phone shots, and I kept forgetting to use it. So bummed I didn't get a photo with the Exquisite Corpse team. They were all so great. How fun is it to love Kate DiCamillo's books all this time and then discover that she is just as fabulous in person?

Wellesley Booksmith (MA) took me to this amazing all girl private school, grades 6-12, the older girls having the option to board. An idea that intrigues me to no end. A boarding school! How story-worthy! Awesome girls. I have noticed that girls at all-girl schools tend to be more confident in speaking out, asking and answering questions. What do boys do to us? Here's a photo of a display the bookstore had up. My publisher made these amazing pamplets about my books with a q&a and such, but they freak me out. They have my huge photo on the front! I had to get a picture because I find it so bizarre.

That evening I did a chat for Wellesley at the library. I met so many memorable readers but got a photo of this family. Awesome mom brought her five kids. The youngest (I wrote down their names somewhere so I wouldn't forget...then I forgot where I put it) rushed me and said, "I'm such a huge fan!" He was like one foot tall and had more energy and spunk that ten adults on their best day. His eight-year-old sister was equally zealous. She has read goose girl and princess academy 30 times each. This is what I'm talking about, people! How can you not love these kids! Even the toddler was chewing on books. Praise the mom.

Here's a photo of two lovely girls I met at the National Book Festival who came back for seconds in Boston! Lovely gals.

Moving on to Hartford, CT, I attended the NECBA dinner (New England Children's Booksellers Assoc). I love speaking to booksellers. Great senses of humor, great passion. I got to present with the likes of Shaun Tan (who I admire so much) and Mo Willems (who inspires me to do prat falls). I don't have any photos of this! I got to meet Mo's daughter Trixie again in DC. Cutie. Her mom told me she's read rapunzel's revenge about 75 times. (Mo said "80 cachillion.") Clearly a child with discerning taste! The next morning we took Maggie to Hartford's Science Museum, which is awesome.

On to Madison and the fabulous RJ Julia. I don't get to see many sights on tour, but I get to know bookstores, and such a great way to travel. R.J. Julia is a beautiful store where you just want to spend hours and hours. We drove to NYC that night and stayed at a JFK hotel before flying out the next morning. They were out of cribs so I had to put Maggie in a cot. Um...it went okay...you know, night crying, trying to keep her in bed and out of the bathroom, waking up to hear a thump on the floor and a cry of pain and bewilderment. But home again now! And she's safely back in her nighttime barred prison.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and all the wonderful bookstores. I'll be back on the road again in November, to Balitmore, DC, and Philidelphia. See you then! (and now back to working on my secret project...ooh, I am such a tease! I can reveal by the end of the month, I think.)

Comments

[Shannon Morris]

You are superwoman!! But even superwoman deserves to crash and sleep 10 hours at a time.

[Amanda Norr]

I understand bookstores as well. I have to find one where ever I go, even if it is just a section in the gift shop. In fact, I always buy a book to remember where I went. Glad you had a good, but exhausting tour.

[Enna Isilee]

You may not like showing off your wares, but you certainly connect with the people talking to you. I just barely wrote a paper about events that changed my life, and you can be sure that my first interaction with you was in it. Plus, I'm still enthralled each time you speak. (Your presentation at the Forest Born Party was FANtastic, and I'm not trying to be biased. ;) )

[Meredith]

Jealousy of everyone who got to see you! But I just finished Forest Born last night and I loved, loved, loved it! Just wanted to let you that you are appreciated!

[Chelsea]

Wow that is A LOT but you know we're all happy you did it. I wished I lived whereever it is you're always going, but I won't give up hope! Someday I'll meet the amazingg author who created Razo ;)

[Madison]

Philadelphia! I love Philadelphia!

And I will be at either the Haverford event or the Fairless Hills one; I can't manage both :( but I'm going to one!

[Samantha Stewart]

Okay, it sounds exhausting but TOTALLY AWESOME! Good luck getting your life back. It's terribly inspiring to know that there are people like you in the world, successfully doing what you do!

[Lindsey]

I just found your blog so this isn't about your book tour. (I'll read it when my two year old takes a nap).
I just finished Forest Born (it helped me survive watching a neighbors two kids for three days) and like ALL your books it was worth savoring but I couldn't help but gulp it down.
I can't wait to read these books to my kids.
I recommend you to EVERYONE. (I worked at Borders so I like to think I made a dent in your book sales :).

[Je Reve]

I am so jealous of your babysitter...
Thanks for the post! I'm hopping you come back to the West coast again soon! (My family and I were on vacation when you were in SF, CA, last summer. I nearly ran back home when I found out.)
Thanks for the post and going on the promenade among you're loving fans!

[nikkimantyla.wordpress.com]

Welcome back! We missed you around the neighborhood, and it was fun to wave at you across the room last night at our favorite bookstore. I love your honesty in your posts, always. Thanks for deglamourifying the writer's life so all of us wannabes know what we're in for!

[Matt]

That "awesome mom" and family is my Sister-in-law. The 8 yr. old girl told her mom that morning (w/o even knowing you were on tour), that if she could meet any celebrity, it would be Shannon Hale. She's not exaggerating when she says she's read your books 30 times either. I've never met a family that reads as much as they do, and they (and my wife included) are huge fans of yours. They were thrilled to meet you!

[Jean]

Definitely approve of parents that introduce their children to books at a young age-books can be good teething items. So glad that the tour went well, unlike the poor mishaps of the couple that tried to go on tour for the Cake Wrecks book/blog. We keep meaning to make it to one of your local events and we'll keep trying. Curse this recurrence of flu/cold/cough season! (If only curses really would work on illness....)

[Meredith B.]

I have several pictures of you with the Exquisite Corpse team from NBF. I will email them as soon as I finish with work > grab a bit to eat > get home from small group > drop my car off at the mechanic's. Okay, so maybe first thing in the morning! :-) Post a warning response if the email address on the contact page is a bad address to send jpg attachments to.

[Shannon M.]

Phew. I'm exhausted just reading this. Thank you so much for taking the time to share, and seriously, if there's any way I can convince you to come back to Cali let me know. (PS I"m not ashamed to beg)

[MamaBug]

Welcome back!

It sounds like you had a fantastic time!

PS...did you hear about Dixie?

[Kathleen]

Even if it wasn't glamorous, it's so cool that you took the babysitter with you! It sounds like the start of a story.

[Annie]

You aren't complainy at all, Shannon. I love your books, and I hope you catch up on sleep : )

I would write a longer comment, but I have work...

So I love your books ever so very very much, and hopefully you hsave many book tours and recuperations in your future. Or maybe not recuperations... maybe you won't need them : )

[Christen]

Take a well-deserved nap! You definitely earned it. :D

[Miss Erin]

Wow. You're amazing. :)

(dying to hear about the secret project...)

[Laurel Arnold]

Shannon, this is the mom of 5 that met you at the Wellesley library. Thank you thank you for your warmth and generosity. You gave my children exactly the experience I was hoping for when I decided they should meet you. I know you must have been exhausted, and yet you spent 10 minutes with us and made my children feel wonderful and special and brilliant, not to mention making me feel like a fantastic mother. We will always remember meeting you.

I didn't even know you were in town until the event had already started that day. I was reading squeetus blog when I saw that you were here in Boston. It was 6:15 and the event had begun at 6:00. No matter that it had already started, that it was 30 miles away, or that it was a school night. We were going to meet you! And I am so glad we did. My kids still glow when they tell friends about it. The next morning as soon as we got to the bus stop, my 5 year old announced to the other children there, "We met Shannon Hale!" I'm sad to say they didn't know who she meant. Thanks for a wonderfully memorable experience.
P.S. I really love Forest Born.

[Katie @ cakes, tea and dreams]

Sounds like fun, even if it was exhausting. Welcome back!

[julie]

sounds like a busy time and its interesting for me to find out that book tours are not fun. Hope that you find your make up and I totally understand not being able to find a thing. Beautiful pictures.

[DaNae]

You just keep showing up everywhere. Is Shawn Tan sitting down, and who are you about to take a bite out of?

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6700827.html?nid=2788&source=link&rid=1379562130

[Ruby Diamond]

Secret Project!?! Woohoo! And I feel with you on the crib thing. We took a day trip and the lack of crib made the 2 hours surrounding naptime very tough.

[twitter.com/jessiepoet]

wow! sounds like a great time!

[ave]

It may not be glam but it still sounds like fun. I bet the babysitter was just thrilled to be part of it all. I love hearing author talks, I heard Chistopher Bohjalian one year at a library conference, he was hilarious. I bet you were awesome.

[Libbi]

You are superwoman!!! That sounds so awesome; I wish I could've come. But no, I was stuck in school. Which right now isn't that bad, because I just won an award for having the best short story in my class! And since I'm in AP English, does that mean... am I the best writer in the grade? Sorry this isn't about your post, but I just need somewhere to brag since I can't do it at school or at home. Man, if this is how it feels to have people like your writing, then I can't even imagine what it feels like to seel a novel, or to win a Newberry. Shannon, you are one talented and lucky woman. You inspire me so much!! And for the record, the short story was fantasy. :)

[Zehra]

I'm so jealous of Kayla!! I would gladly have taken her place!

[Corinne]

You're coming back to my Baltimorish neighborhood soon! Can you please be sure to announce where you'll be so we can come??? :)

[Melanie]

Do you really have a daughter named Maggie? And is Maggie short for Margaret? And did you name her after Elizabeth Gaskell's heroine in North and South, Margaret Hale (who happens to be my all-time favorite heroine)? If so, you just skyrocketed off the top of the "coolness meter"!

[Sam]

Sorry it took me awhile to say so, but thanks again for coming to our school! The girls LOVED meeting you (as did I).

I also tried your "set a fairy tale somewhere new" exercise with my 8th grade writing club the next day, and it was a smashing success.

Take care, and I hope you're home safe and sound by now! There's only so much touring a girl can take.

--Sam