Got up at 4 a.m. to read the Steve Jobs biography – it is excellent – and catch up on the blog
The blog is my muse, my inspiration, the grounding for my work, my life. It is a marketing tool, yes, but so much more than that, it is a living memoir, an integrated book that continues and has a life and following of its own. It is the story of my life, punctuated by stories of my life – Maria, the dogs, Simon, spirituality, photography, the search for love and life and beauty and meaning in the world. I see this on book tours, as people from everywhere talk to me about the blog and what it means to them. Although I do not show much emotion, I am told, I feel it. The blog is the intersection of technology and creativity and personal expression – a liberating and empowering tool.
One of these stories has been Rose and her Imaginary Squirrel. Rose has had much work on the farm, been through many evolutions, but since that morning nearly eight years ago, Rose has never forgotten to check for the squirrel she saw up that tree when we first came to Bedlam. She checks it still, a focal point for her drive and sense of responsibility. I hope she gets him one day, at least to grab onto her tail. Her pursuit, like Simon’s bray, is a call to life for me.
I enjoyed the talk at Odyssey last night and am excited about taking the ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard for my reading tonight there. My publisher wasn’t sure about going to an island in October (I’m going to the store where the President gets his vacation reading) but I have a good feeling about it. And I hope the skies clear so I can get some photos.
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We are underway with the Battenkill Books Holiday campaig for “Going Home.” Passed the 500 mark and shooting for 1,000. Steve Jobs said think high and you will get there. Connie Brooks is offering free videos and notecards with purchases of the book – 518 677 2515 – and she tells me she has just figured out Paypal and inserted it on her website, so buying books for the holidays will be even easier. I will be in the store on December 2, in the afternoon, to meet people, sign books and take your calls. 2 p.m. Check in later.