I had the best time in St. Louis. I did a signing at my friend Mary Pillsbury’s store in LaChateau across from Frontenac Plaza. Her store is totally elegant, and her jewelry is just divine.
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| Mary’s store is mentioned on page 335 of Make, Take, Murder |
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| Isn’t Mary’s store beautiful? So elegant.
That same night I went to Pudd’nhead Books in Webster Groves, where I met with my friends and longtime fans: Stephanie, Christine, Candy and Linda. They have been coming to see me at Pudd’nhead for the past three years. How phenomenal is that? I really appreciate them taking the time to visit with me. Stephanie has already read Make, Take, Murder twice! |
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| Left to right: Stephanie Koenig, Christine Schuetz, me, Candy Brown, and Linda Burmeister. |
And the surprise of the evening was two new fans, Jeannie and Mary. It was fun to meet them, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Later, I went out for dinner with my good friend Karen DG. She’s been a great help with my books, as she’s a super editor. Very precise. We got caught up despite the fact that the restaurant we chose had a REALLY, REALLY loud band.
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| Okay, I look weird, but it was the end of a long day! I’m with Jeannie Boettcher and Mary Shasserre |
The next day, I signed at Dream House and Tea Room. We had sold so many books at Mary’s and at Pudd’nhead that we had to take orders from the women who came to hear me. Judy Macher owns the Dream House and Tea Room along with her partner Tracy. I have many fond memories of the place as my mother and I used to go there for lunch.
After my signing, I met with my dear friend Dana C. We walked around the Chesterfield Mall to get our exercise. Dana used to be my Jazzercise instructor, so we always try to include a bit of sweat in our meetings. Okay, I was sweaty and she glowed! Then she helped me plot Book #6 in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. I value Dana’s opinion. She’s a friend and a fan, so she told me what she wanted to have happen–and that matters. Sometimes we authors get too cute for our own good.
Tomorrow I go to O’Fallon, Illinois, to visit my friend Ann Farnen at Scrapbook Factory.
Does it count as a book tour if you mainly visit with old friends? I hope so. Because to me, that’s the best part!