Laurie Sandell's Blog, page 372

Great turnout at Powell's!

[image error]The reading went really well: We sold books, the seats were filled and the presentation ran without a hitch. Kudos to Powell's for making it all run so smoothly; I was thrilled. On top of that, many of the friends I made in Portland last summer came out. And many of those people brought their friends. The best moment of the reading came when I was signing books: A little girl approached my table with a book in her hands and shyly asked me to sign it. I turned to her mother and said, "You should

TONIGHT: Reading at Powell's Books

[image error]First reading of the book tour is tonight–and happens to be taking place in my all-time favorite bookstore. If you've never been to Powell's before, you are missing out on one of the great literary experiences. They call it a "City of Books" for the reason: The place is gargantuan, with nine color-coded rooms, 3,500 sections and more than a million new and used books. To that end, let's hope Portland readers come out and I'm able to fill the space! Either way, I'm determined to enjoy this readin

The book is mentioned on Page Six today

[image error]In the Sightings section. Please…I'm a private citizen, and have a right to privacy. If you've been camped outside my hotel, PLEASE disperse; the other guests didn't come here to deal with this spectacle. As for the paparazzi, I had no idea there were so many of you in Portland: Who are you generally following here? Please keep in mind I'm not a regular driver, and it's scary to be edged off the road while being chased by photogs. I will be reading tomorrow night at Powell's, YOU WILL GET YOUR S

Reading at Powell's Books Tomorrow

[image error]My first reading is tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm, at Powell's City of Books (Burnside) in Portland, OR. Since my reading involves a projector, audio, a screen, and various cables, I'm going to take my Virgo moon self over the store tomorrow morning to make sure everything works. If it doesn't run properly, I may well have to be hospitalized. Today, I'm taking my first hike of the trip and meeting up with an old New York friend and his preggers girlfriend for dinner. I'm also (thankfully) moving h

My dog looks like an Entenmann's donut

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photo by Kelly Wilkinson

[image error]I had to take a quick detour from blogging about the book tour to point this out. Is that uncanny or what?

Loving Portland, OR, even though I haven't left my room

[image error]This would be the view from my room if the Ace Hotel hadn't put up a permanent window shade. I had to sneak my hand around the back of the shade to take this photo. This place is bizarre. Tonight I'm meeting up with either my friend Craig Thompson, who wrote one of my favorite graphic novels of all time, Blankets, or my super-cool friends Sylvia and Geoff, who I met last year when I subletted Sylvia's apartment for a month. Portland is just that kind of town: you meet people everywhere and actua

The gang's all here in Portland

[image error]I flew in early this morning with my friend Carole, who happened to be going to Portland, too (she's giving herself a one-month writing retreat). Violet insisted on coming along, too. Now we're hanging out in the hipper-than-hip Ace Hotel, while Carole waits for her ride. I stayed at this hotel the last time I was in Portland, and I remember being charmed by the photo booth in the lobby, and the Stumptown coffeeshop right next door. But this time around…I don't know. My room is part college dorm

It's book tour time–I'm heading West

What a day. Woke up at 5:00 am and appeared on Good Morning America. You can see it here, if you'd like. Then I did an interview with Red Magazine, which is based in the UK. Then my Jezebel interview appeared online. (Did I really tell Doree Shafrir I wasn't capable of love? Can I take that back? Just kidding, I loved Doree's interview.) Then my book went to #368 on Amazon! Needless to say, it's 9:35 pm now, my flight is at 9:00 am tomorrow and I still haven't packed. Guys, you'll have to forgiv

I'll be on Good Morning America tomorrow morning

[image error]Sometime between 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM. I'll be cool as a cucumber, cause that's how I roll. No anxiety here: No worries about insomnia, or hard-hitting questions, or deer-in-the-headlights reactions, or the fact that I don't LIKE to wear bright, solid colors. No fears about getting made up like a Kabuki dancer, or developing a twitch, or replacing every intelligent response with the word "um." Nope. This is old hat for me. Tune in!

Lefties: We're in our right minds

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photo amybsells

I'm proud to be a member of a club that includes this guy. I especially love looking at photos of Obama signing things into law, his hand cramped into a claw, his arm awkwardly curled around the top of the page. You see, we humans weren't designed to be left-handed, and though I'm glad I didn't grow up in a time when I would have been forced to be right-handed, it's still a constant challenge to live in their world. Chair-desks are configured incorrectly, so-called "left-handed sc