Day: June 25, 2010

I’m planning a new kind of book tour this year, a Rolling Rose interactive book tour. Maria and I are driving out using bookstore events, Facebook and the blog to talk about “Rose In A Storm,” out October 12, take photos, talk to dog people. I’ll post the schedule each day, and then meet people, write about what we discuss, take photos and upload them. Publishing is changing, and so are book tours. I think the traditional notion of getting on airplanes and heading out around the country is  one tool, but there are others now. Including this site, and social media.

I like the idea of combining all of the available media – bookstores, traditional media, FB, Twitter, the blog and my truck. Let’s see what happens. The book tour begins in mid October, still being firmed up. Heading for Books and Co. in Dayton, Northshire in Manchester, Red Fox in Glens Falls, N.Y., the Half Moon Library in Clifton Park, and Joseph Beth Booksellers in Columbus and Lexington, Ky. Also heading for Washington, Virginia and Boston. As the dates and events are firmed up, we will post them on this site and they will be on the Random House website as well.

I’ll be piling Izzy into the truck with Maria and we will head out into the country, blogging as we go. One highlight will be a joint appearance at a bookstore in Virginia with author  Rita Mae Brown who has long written about dogs and cats, among other things. I’m excited to be appearing with her.

I went out to check on the animals today and Lulu and Fanny came rushing down, very eager to get their  bit of carrot. The black flies are receding, now the big black biting farm flies are out, tormenting farm animals. Got to get some spray for the ladies. I’ve never quite understood nature’s plan for bugs.

Had a busy day planning life. Trying to figure out health care, to merge different things with Maria, trying to sort out finances, finish my short story collection. A friend ask me if it was possible to live simply in America any longer, and cheaply – sometimes the same thing. I said it seemed that was getting harder to do.

I love seeing Frieda grow and settle into the farm. I call her Queen Frieda,and right now, she is lying at my feet while I write this. She has a great, loyal heart and she is very much a working dog. She is not aggressive, but nothing comes near the farm without her vocal and focused attention. I kind of like that. I don’t like using dogs to scare people, but I can’t imagine the farm being better protected or more closely watched.

And she is such a sweetheart. She loves to come and press her head against my knee or sit with me while I take photos. I am very lucky to have her in my life. Rose rules the pastures, but Frieda is the Queen of Bedlam Farm. Hard to believe she languished in a shelter crate for more than six months before Maria took her home.