In San Antonio, on the TAYSHAS panel, Susan Schilling asked what we do when we are not writing.
We are, in our own ways, living.
Nina LaCour remakes whole rooms, top to bottom. Dana Reinhardt pursues the immediate results—the appreciable outcomes—of cooking. Andrew Smith has not, in fifteen years, missed a day of running—wherever he is, wherever he goes, he heads out into the weather. Blake Nelson learns as much as he can (in sometimes funny ways) about people.
When I am not writing (and most of the time, I am not writing), I do many things that I am not particularly good at. Building objects out of clay. Raising seedlings into buds. Dancing the tango with my husband. And, also, sometimes all-consumingly, turning my nearly 100-year-old house into a home.
This past November, I began a quest to refinish my kitchen. To replace the broken things. To up the ante on the colors. To generate new light and life. It was a fraught proposition from the get-go—famously horrific weather, disappointing contractors, a leaking roof, delays, unforeseen expenses.
This morning she stands. Whole at last, complete.
I am, when I am not writing, living.
If it weren't for Tamra Tuller, there would be no
Small Damages, nor would there be the Berlin novel,
Going Over. If it weren't for Chronicle Books, I would not have just spent an enriching two days in San Antonio, a city I have longed to see, among Texas librarians, who (rumor has it, and so it seemed to me) are among the very best in all the land.
Were it not for Susan Schilling, I would not have joined Dana Reinhardt, Andrew Smith, Nina LaCour, and Blake Nelson on the footwear spectacular TAYSHAS panel.
Were it not for the Texas Tea, I would have not
finally met Justina Chen in person.
Were it not for a certain signing, I would not have found my best elementary school friend standing at the start of a line, waiting for me. Oh, my!!!
Were it not for a Chronicle dinner, I'd not have chilled with talented authors/illustrators K.A. Holt, Jeff Mack, Lizi Boyd, and Molly Idle; guests Renee Sanders, Debbie McComb, Sherri Bell, Ty Burns, Sheila Acosta, and Lynn Butler; and Chronicle stars Tamra Tuller, Sally Kim, Stephanie Wong, Anna-Lisa Sandstrum, and Jaime Wong.
Were it not for San Antonio itself, I would have never seen the Alamo, walked along the river, found my way to a secret cove, or peered into the wax museum.
We owe so much of our happiness to other people and well-loved places.
I am home. I am grateful.
I am grateful, too, to the incredible bloggers who kept the
Going Over blog tour alive in my absence. And so, a few days late, I wish to thank:
ForeverYoungAdult, for asking me great graffiti questions, for posting such a beautiful review of the book, and for Tweeting out while I was airplane bound. That's all
here.KidLitFrenzy, for asking fantastic questions about the
Going Over research process—and about my favorite indie bookstores. That's
here.
Tales of a Ravenous Reader, for letting me talk about truth. That's
here.
Like all the bloggers on the
Going Over tour, these offer a chance to win a signed book and the audio book, among other things
Lots of gratitudes today.
