When I Came West (Part Thirty-three)
Weeks have passed since I've had time to blog about the progress of the new book.
Why?
Simply because I have been busy with all the other aspect of marketing, including two book events, scheduling interviews, setting up appearances in Colorado for this spring and summer, sending out flyers to fans who don't receive email, and following up on leads for other places that might be interested in carrying my memoir, and, most important, filling orders that have come directly to me. I have been keeping my webmaster busy by sending her all the responses I'm receiving to the book (which will be posted on this site) and she is keeping me busy with requests to provide introductory material for several new e-books in progress. The publicist and marketing expert at the University of Oklahoma Press have been very good about working with me on book signings, shipping books wherever I need them to go, posting information on their website as well as on Face Book and other social media sites. And, perhaps best of all, my ever-patient and ever-encouraging husband has served as my chauffeur and traveling companion on the road trips.
Over Valentine's Day weekend we drove north to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to meet with a fellow musician about upcoming gigs, then to see family, then to the Layland Museum in Cleburne, Texas, for my first book event. Bettye Cook met us with one open arm (her other shoulder had been dislocated in a fall) and a huge smile. The day was cold and windy, and that didn't bode well for having people leave their cozy homes for an afternoon presentation. Still, ladies arrived with flowers, coffee and punch, homemade goodies, and plenty of curiosity. A few gentlemen also attended, so we had a small but very appreciative group for my reading from and discussion of When I Came West. Plus, since the event was advertised as a Valentine Day Gallery Sunday/Romance of the West, we convinced my husband, W.C. to play his guitar and sing several love songs. Though the event was over by 3:30 p.m. our stay in Cleburne continued with a Sweetheart Special gift certificate to the Caddo Street Grill where we enjoyed cocktails, salads, rib-eye steaks, potatoes and vegetables, and strawberry shortcake. Then we retired for the evening at the lovely historic Reed home where we visited with the homeowner, Wilma, and Bettye Cook. In the morning, before our early departure, Wilma was in the kitchen to provide us with an old-fashioned breakfast of orange juice, grapefruit, bacon, eggs and croissants with apricot preserves. On our drive back to Llano one of the things that W.C. and I discussed was how our lives are constantly enriched by the people we meet and the places we are honored to visit.
