A lively group of people …

A lively group of people attended a book party given for me by J. Carol Goodman in Morristown, NJ, on October 21st. I read several excerpts from Madam and answered questions. The response was truly gratifying. My thanks to Carol and to everyone who bought a book. I hope they like it as much as I enjoyed sharing it with them.

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I’ve just returned …

I’ve just returned from a week in Missouri. I visited my old friend, Dr. Rosalie R. Pratt, in West Plains and my friend and storyteller, Lynn Rubright, in St. Louis. Rosalie and I wrote the book, “Elementary Music For All Learners, started MEH (Music Education for the Handicapped), ran five international symposia together, and traveled many times throughout Europe and behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980’s. She has always been an inspiration to me and, even though her health is deteriorating, keeps writing and editing in her field of Music/Medicine. She has also written an historical novel about Mozart and I’m encouraging her to publish it. Such courage and spirit in the face of great physical odds and constant suffering is an example to all of us who take our own good health for granted. Rosalie is one of the greats!

Lynn and Robert Rubright welcomed me to their charming home in Kirkwood, MO, and
together we plotted our strategy for marketing our respective books. Believe me, it’s not as much fun as writing, but a necessary evil if you want to get your book to an audience! Lynn’s book, Mama’s Window, is reviewed on her website link. I had the privilege of watching her work with a group of third graders, who had all read the book and were eager to find out more from the author. What a lively session it was! I also spoke to them about my travels, briefly, and found the same enthusiasm and interest in the world at large that they expressed for Lynn’s characters living in the swamps of the Mississippi Delta. It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm of these youngsters, and watch an expert, like Lynn, draw out their emotions and their observations as they learn more about the world.

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What a wonderful weekend …

What a wonderful weekend this was! I had my first book signing at Goldfinch Books in Maplewood, and the crowd was large and appreciative, buying almost all the books on hand (that is, mine…the store has plenty of others!) Laura Huemer, the owner, was celebrating her two-year anniversary of ownership and seemed especially gratified that we had such a good turn out for her occasion, as well. She had baked small cookies in the shape of yellow birds (perhaps a goldfinch?) that were gobbled up in short order. The balloons were still flying, however, when I left.

I was especially flattered by customers who weren’t previous acquaintances, but who had read Madam and come in to have me sign it. Men as well as woman thanked me for broadening their view of the world and inspiring them to ”take off and see what was around the next corner.”

Watch for the article in this week’s News Record. Jeff Cummins talked with me at length after the book signing, asking me a great many probing questions about why I travel as I do and what I’ve learned about my life during these various world trips. He did a lot of digging and I’m eager to see what he writes.

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