The Wrap: Stages on Pages in NoCal!
The good: I just got back last night from the Stages on Pages NoCal tour, and OMG it rocked!
SaThe bad: I’m under a bunch of deadlines and about to head out of town for a trip, so I don’t have time to expound in detail on its awesomeness. I’ll just say a few things:
1. I. Love. Stages on Pages authors. Seriously — I could hang with Stasia Kehoe, Gretchen McNeil, Kim Culbertson, and Katherine Longshore all day and night. I also love Stages on Pages pets. Specifically, I’ve started a highly illicit love affair with Kim’s dog, Maya.
2. San Francisco book people rock. Big time. I met incredible people at the Belmont Library (where the spread of giant strawberries was to die for), at the Center for the Arts (where we got to do our schtick in a fabulous black box theater), at Towne Center Books (where the Q and A flowed as freely as the wine so graciously provided to us as we spoke), and at Book Passage (where one teen boy gave the best dramatic reading from POSSESS ever). I’m so thankful to everyone who took the time to host us, see us, and chat with us. Every visit along the tour was just spectacular.
3. The area surrounding San Francisco is a treasure trove of great towns! Who knew Nevada City looked like a slice of Miner 49-er Americana, and had such an incredible candy shop and wine tasting room? Who knew Pleasanton totally lived up to its name, with it’s Main Street U.S.A. look and feel? Who knew late night, post-appearance In’N'Out Burger could taste so, so good? (Oh wait, I knew that last one already.)
4. There’s nothing like hearing an author read their work to bring it to life. I’m reading GILT now, and while I’d have enjoyed it no matter what (I’m a big-time Henry VIII junkie), it’s hearing Katie’s voice in my head that brings an added impish life to Cat Howard and her friends, and enthralls me that much more. Similarly, since I’m OCD about reading authors’ works in chronological order (even if they’re not a series), I bought Kim’s SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD at our first appearance together. Yet when I heard her read INSTRUCTIONS FOR A BROKEN HEART out loud, I was roped in so completely that I think I’ll have to break my rule and dive into it first.
Here are some pictures, as shot by Miss M, cub photographer for the event:
Wine tasting in Nevada City with Gretchen and Stasia
Our happy band in Grass Valley: Kim, me, Stasia, Katherine, and Gretchen
Stasia with her cover... look at it closely... do you think the guy looks like Ashton Kutcher?
Katherine Longshore with her delicious book, Gilt
It's like Gretchen's headshot -- love this pic. And it shows her new book, TEN!
I swear, Kim is DELIGHTFUL head-on... we just didn't get a great single shot of her.
Kim reading from her book -- head-on now, but a little blurry (she's not blurry in real life, honest).
Reading from Populazzi and trying not to swallow the microphone...
Apparently I was emoting a little when we spoke at Book Passage...
If you were at any of the events, thanks so much for coming! If not, thanks for checking it out here! Stages on Pages will be sweeping the midwest in fall 2012, and likely heading to the mid-Atlantic in spring 2013, so stay tuned for more dates!
