Day #3

Got up at 5am to catch a flight to Phoenix. Made it here by noon.

FUN FACT ABOUT PHOENIX: It's really hot.

National Car Rental gave me a GPS, but a different kind than I was using in Colorado (that was a Nextel, this is a Navman.)

I'm no techneophyte, but the Navman made no sense at all. I was twenty miles away from the car rental place when I realized the problem wasn't me---it was my unit (insert genital joke here.)

Basically, the GPS was stuck in demo mode, and the little triangle I thought was me was actually a simulation, going down roads that I wasn't on, making turns that I didn't make.

So I'm stuck in the desert with a bum GPS, with no idea of how to get back to the car rental place, because, hey, no GPS.

I did eventaully make it back, and the National rep wasn't sympathetic at all to my plight (I spent twelve years in the service industry, and this girl was a waste of carbon.) I wrangled a new GPS, got it working, and finally made it to my hotel by 2pm.

Time to start the drive-bys.

Barnes & Noble in Phoenix on Camelback, signed 3 hardcovers, 4 paperbacks.

Barnes & Noble in Phoenix on Metro, signed 4 hardcovers, 5 paperbacks, sold 1.

Waldenbooks in Phoenix on Metro, signed 3 hardcovers, 5 paperbacks, sold 1.

Waldenbooks in Phoenix on Bell, signed 4 hardcovers, 11 paperbacks, sold 1.

Borders in Phoenix in Fashion Park, signed 3 hardcovers, 6 paperbacks.

Borders in Phoenix on Cactus, signed 3 hardcovers, 6 paperbacks, 2 CDs.

Borders in Glendale on Bell, signed 3 hardcovers, 2 paperbacks.

Borders in Scottsdale on Mayo, signed 1 hardcover, 7 paperbacks.

Barnes & Noble in Scottsdale on Indian Bend, signed 4 hardcover, 9 paperbacks.

Brentano's in Scottsdale on Cameback, signed 10 hardcovers, 10 paperbacks, and was told that a women came in ten minutes before I did and bought both books. Sorry I was late lady, but the store was in a mall, and as I mentioned before, fate rolls the dice and chooses to make me park as far away as humanly possible from the store location. And the malls in Arizona are even larger than the malls in Colorado. I swear, in one mall I walked at least 70 miles. I grew a beard in the time it took to go from Sears to JC Penny.

So ten signings today, for a total of 35 in three days. Someone call the Guinness people.

Better yet, some give me a pint of Guinness.

I have ten more tomorrow, which should be easy, since I have all day. I'm doing an event at 7pm at Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, which should be fun.

Once again, my publisher has put me up at a nice hotel. And once again, I haven't had time to enjoy it. Speaking of publishers...

TOUR TIP #16---Let your publisher and agent know how the tour is going. Be upbeat and positive. My publicist told everyone at Hyperion how I was doing, which can't hurt their opinion of me. When you make an effort, don't make it in silence.

As for the recent comments pertaining to my sanity, I don't think working hard at something I love is crazy. Getting published is a tremendous opportunity, and the best way to acknowledge such a gift is to work hard to prove it wasn't all just luck.

Which is why I've given up sleep, and tattooed my publisher's name on my forehead. In reverse, so I can read it when I look into the mirror.

Until tomorrow...