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By a Spider's Thread tour |
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The Deliberate Tourist Here we go again. The tour for BY A SPIDER'S THREAD -- ninth book, eighth in the Tess Monaghan series -- starts June 29th and continues through August. My loyal, supportive publisher underwrites and organizes my travels, for which I'm grateful. 
But it wasn't so long ago -- 1999, to be exact -- that I did this all by myself, often with Sujata Massey at my side. From Saratoga Springs to Kalamazoo, from New York to Houston, I put a lot of miles on various rental cars, going where anyone would have me. I've never forgotten those who welcomed me in my do-it-yourself years, especially Bonnie and Joe at the Black Orchid in New York, Mary Alice and Richard at Mystery Lovers Bookshop outside Pittsburgh. They were there from the first.Anyway, I decided a few weeks ago that it would be instructive to remind myself just how much work goes into organizing even the tiniest leg of a tour. Plus, I wanted an excuse to visit some old friends. So, while the amazing Suzanne Balaban and Rachel Fershleiser did the official tour, I was allowed to put together an unofficial one. I see no reason to make a distinction here between who did what -- unless something goes badly, and then I'll take the blame, for it surely will be mine. It has long been axiomatic in publishing that the only writers who want to tour are those who don't. While I acknowledge that it's harder than it looks, I'll never complain about the rigors of touring. It's nice work if you can get it, as Gershwin wrote, and I try to remind myself that every day. Tuesday, June 29th, 6 p.m.: BALTIMORE -- Mystery Loves Company, 1730 Fleet Street. Wednesday, June 30th, 7:30 p.m.: BALTIMORE -- Barnes & Noble, the Avenue at White Marsh. Thursday, July 1st, 7 p.m., COLUMBIA, Md. -- Borders, 6151 Columbia Crossing (just off 175). Wednesday, July 7th, Noon, SEATTLE -- Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry Street. Wednesday, July 7th, 7:30 p.m., LAKE FOREST PARK, Wash. -- Third Place Books. Saturday, July 10th, 2:30 p.m., THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Mysteries to Die For, 2940 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Monday, July 12th, 7 p.m., LOS ANGELES -- the Mystery Bookstore, 1036-C Broxton Avenue. Tuesday, July 13th, 7 p.m., PASADENA -- Vroman's, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Wednesday, July 14th, 5:30 p.m., SAN FRANCISCO - Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building. Thursday, July 15th, Noon, SAN MATEO -- M is for Mystery, 86 E. Third Ave. Friday, July 23rd, HARROGATE, England. Interview with American Guest of Honor, Karin Slaughter. Monday, July 26th, 7 p.m., BALTIMORE -- Pikesville Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, 1301 Reisterstown Road. Tuesday, July 27th, 7:30 p.m., NORTHERN VIRGINIA/D.C. -- Borders Bailey's Crossroads, 5871 Crossroads Center Way Wednesday, July 28th, 6:30 p.m., PITTSBURGH (Oakmont) -- Mystery Lovers Bookshop, 514 Allegheny River Blvd. Later, I'll provide more complete listings for these dates: Sunday, Aug. 1st, Browseabout Books, REHOBOTH, Del. Monday, Aug. 2nd, Bethany Beach Books, BETHANY BEACH, Del. Wednesday, Aug. 4th, BOWLING GREEN, Ohio. (Library event.) Thursday, Aug. 5th, Aunt Agatha's, ANN ARBOR, Mich. Saturday, Aug. 7th, The Mystery Company, INDIANAPOLIS. |
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