Now begins the crazy time. For the next month, I am traveling, speaking, or giving interviews at least one a day, sometimes more. My voice is already gone, I’m already tired, I’ll miss the farm, and I will not be able to do my work for a long time. I really hate that. I am grateful to have a book tour, eager to battle for my novel, glad to meet the people who read my blog and books and see my photos. That is special. But it is a crazy and disruptive time, far from my life, hours of driving, talking, interacting. I will be glad to get home and get to work, as I am glad to get out there and fight for my work.
The first phase of a book’s life is the oddest. You wait to see how it is received, and sense if it is selling or not. The book is being very well received (somewhat more controversial than I would have expected) and I gather it is also selling well. I can now leave those concerns behind. The second phase is mustering the focus and energy to talk well about my ideas, to get them out there and make it worthwhile for the good people who come to meet me and hear my ideas. That is a very special and rewarding thing, and I love it. Then comes the practical side – eating well, getting laundry done, moving a border collie around the country, feeing him and exercising him, fending off people who bring dogs to readings, fighting fatigue, taking throat lozenges, drinking tea, trying to sleep. Getting clothes cleaned, Izzy groomed, the car serviced, bills paid. Worry about the farm, and the water and the donkeys and the other dogs left behind.
Was in a restaurant last night and at the bar were three people who were talking about me and my farm. They came to the farm and sat there for an hour waiting for me to come out, and they were annoyed that I wasn’t there. I shook my head. Life is a mixed blessing.
Anyway, I am thinking about handling the crazy time. I will meditate in the morning, and at night. I will not read the news or listen to it. I will get several books and e-books together to read on the trip. I will focus on making sure that I treat teach interview, talk and reading as if it were the first and only, so that noone ever leave it feeling I am sick of it, tired or bored. I will not be any of those things. It is magical to get to talk about your work to people who care about it. And I will look ahead to November, when I will be holed up in my office, looking out at the donkeys, surrounded by four wonderful dogs who much admire me and my work.