So I just returned from the California leg of my book tour, which included three readings, two TV appearances, one newspaper interview, one party, and one bad cold that kept me whining all the way through and which magically disappeared as soon as I got back to Seattle.

Somehow I managed to buck up when it counted though, and there is a simple explanation for that, which is that I love the spotlight. I am also so thrilled when anyone at *all* shows up for my readings - be it 8 (like it was in San Francisco) or 50 (like it was in Mountain View) that I want to make my listeners happy. I get pretty nervous before the readings, showing up at the bookstores at least half an hour early for no good reason (since no one in the audience shows up until 5 minutes beforehand or twenty minutes after the thing starts!) and pace around, applying and re-applying lipstick, and worrying I will forget how to talk altogether, though I have been doing it since age 2.

Once the thing gets rolling, I’m pretty good after the first few minutes or so, and by the end I’m usually feeling bathed in a warm glow. That’s why I especially like the Q&A portion of the evening and the book signing. If you ever come to one of my readings, you should definitely get me to sign your book because I will shower you with luv!

Here I am bestowing luv on my audience in Berkeley. By the way, Black Oak Books was a blast. I loved the friendly staff, the receptive audience, and the rickety, wooden feel of the place. I expected it be snobby, but noo…they made me feel like a star.