It's a little after seven, and I have retired to my lovely hotel room here in Oklahoma City for a quiet evening of writing and resting.
I normally get up very early, but this morning was an exception. I slept in, I was so comfortable, and nearly missed the delivery of my room service breakfast. I did a radio interview at 8:45 this morning, and then my friend Carol Smith (from Nancy Berland Public Relations) drove me to Norman, where I did a TV interview at Riverwind Casino. (YES!) It was fun, but I didn't win.
On the way back, we stopped by a Super Target and I bought coffee, a mug, etc. They never give you enough coffee in hotels. :) I also managed a stop at Coldwater Creek, which is one of my favorites.
I hope to see my aunt Arlee and cousin Becky tomorrow--they live in Ada and love horses even more than I do.
And so, to Blue River, to see what Tate and Libby are up to.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tweets and Twitters and Facebooks
My goodness, life is complicated for the technically challenged. Every day, in-box is jammed with invitations to be somebody's friend, somewhere. Some of the names are familiar--my brother's, for instance--but many are strangers. All I need to do is upload a picture, design a background, install a soundtrack...
OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little...
Until this trilogy is finished, I probably won't be facebooking (is that a verb?) or tweeting.
I'm still in Cheyenne--my book signing is tonight at 6, at Barnes and Noble. I hope you'll come by if you're close enough. Tomorrow, I head on to Oklahoma City, another of my favorite places to visit.
I'll spend the day writing--fine by me. I'm loving this story, although it has been one heck of a steer to rope and wrestle to the ground, to put it in rodeo terminology. Ever the optimist, I figure this means it's extra special good.
Tweet on, twitterers. I'll catch up with you later.
OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little...
Until this trilogy is finished, I probably won't be facebooking (is that a verb?) or tweeting.
I'm still in Cheyenne--my book signing is tonight at 6, at Barnes and Noble. I hope you'll come by if you're close enough. Tomorrow, I head on to Oklahoma City, another of my favorite places to visit.
I'll spend the day writing--fine by me. I'm loving this story, although it has been one heck of a steer to rope and wrestle to the ground, to put it in rodeo terminology. Ever the optimist, I figure this means it's extra special good.
Tweet on, twitterers. I'll catch up with you later.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Early Morning TV
I arrived at KWGN Channel 5 at six this morning, made up and ready to talk books. It's always fun to visit a news room--I get a particular kick out of the weather person standing in front of a blank blue or green screen, showing where the high-pressure areas are, and so forth. It took me a long time to realize that the commentator can see the temperatures, etc., on the monitor. :) Duh.
I chatted with Ann Lauricello, who has interviewed me before. She's a gracious professional and makes the whole experience very easy.
After the interview, my friend Debbie Korrell and I stopped off at the Village Inn for breakfast. I'll be shooting the breeze with Dave Chaffen on KGAB AM 650 at 9:07--how's that for precise? Once that's done, I'll be working on "Tate" and taking the occasional shopping break. :)
Cheyenne is calming down, since Frontier Days officially ended yesterday. One of the promoters told me they have two weeks off before they start planning for 2010, and I don't doubt it. It's mind-boggling to think of all the work that goes into this famous rodeo.
It's a good one, folks. If you've never been to Cheyenne Frontier Days, you ought to give it a try.
I chatted with Ann Lauricello, who has interviewed me before. She's a gracious professional and makes the whole experience very easy.
After the interview, my friend Debbie Korrell and I stopped off at the Village Inn for breakfast. I'll be shooting the breeze with Dave Chaffen on KGAB AM 650 at 9:07--how's that for precise? Once that's done, I'll be working on "Tate" and taking the occasional shopping break. :)
Cheyenne is calming down, since Frontier Days officially ended yesterday. One of the promoters told me they have two weeks off before they start planning for 2010, and I don't doubt it. It's mind-boggling to think of all the work that goes into this famous rodeo.
It's a good one, folks. If you've never been to Cheyenne Frontier Days, you ought to give it a try.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Dateline: Cheyenne Frontier Days
This is not only the first chance I've had to write this blog, my friends, it is the first chance I've had to get online. I wanted to send off a few words to you about my experiences before getting back to work on "Tate".
I attended the rodeo yesterday--it is one of the most famous in the world--"The Daddy of Them All"--and a lot of the riders' names I heard were names I recognized from the National Finals in Vegas.
The weather was perfect--at least in the morning. Partly cloudly, partly sunny, and not too hot.
In the early afternoon, my friends from Barnes and Noble, Linda and Joann, set me up in a tent-type place to sign books. It was a lot of fun, and I saw some special friends--most notably Kim Gates and her handsome family of cowboys. Little Landon (he's four and as handsome a cowboy as you've ever run cross) and I have a lot of fun visiting. We met up in Denver, at a book signing, and have stayed in touch.
I sold quite a few books and met some readers, old and new, but one thing about this business--it will keep you humble if your head starts to swell. A popular band was supposed to play as soon as I was finished, so a lot of couples in western clothes crowded into the place, drinking beer and politely waiting for me to leave. :) One guy asked me where the ATM was--I'd spotted it earlier and pointed with a grin--and a very nice lady even went so far as to explain her disappointment that I was there and not the band. They had charted their vacation online, she said, and this was their anniversary, and they expected to find a band and some dancing and instead they got me. I wished her a happy anniversary and told her the band would start up soon, but she looked uncertain. :)
Now lest you think anything about that gets me down, you're so wrong. I smile every time I think about it--makes a much better story and besides, it's the truth.
Here's another truth. I was dead-tired from travel the day before, etc., and a pounding rainstorm started up, so I skipped the Kenny Chesney concert. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I had free seats, and I skipped it. Kenny's on my iPod, after all, and anyway, the older I get, the less star-struck I am, and the less I like huge, noisy crowds.
I came back here to this lovely hotel and had a nice dinner and went to bed early.
It was heaven.
On Tuesday, July 28, "The Bridegroom" comes out. I'll be doing a special launch signing at Barnes and Noble, here in Cheyenne, starting at 6 pm. If you happen to be riding this part of the trail, I'd love to see you there.
Today is a pretty quiet day. I plan to spend most of it right here in the hotel, working on "Tate". I'm bubbling with new ideas--in fact, I've got way more ideas than time, actually, so I'd better get saddled up and onto the range.
More tomorrow. Hopefully, it will amount to more than my staying in the hotel all day.
:)
I attended the rodeo yesterday--it is one of the most famous in the world--"The Daddy of Them All"--and a lot of the riders' names I heard were names I recognized from the National Finals in Vegas.
The weather was perfect--at least in the morning. Partly cloudly, partly sunny, and not too hot.
In the early afternoon, my friends from Barnes and Noble, Linda and Joann, set me up in a tent-type place to sign books. It was a lot of fun, and I saw some special friends--most notably Kim Gates and her handsome family of cowboys. Little Landon (he's four and as handsome a cowboy as you've ever run cross) and I have a lot of fun visiting. We met up in Denver, at a book signing, and have stayed in touch.
I sold quite a few books and met some readers, old and new, but one thing about this business--it will keep you humble if your head starts to swell. A popular band was supposed to play as soon as I was finished, so a lot of couples in western clothes crowded into the place, drinking beer and politely waiting for me to leave. :) One guy asked me where the ATM was--I'd spotted it earlier and pointed with a grin--and a very nice lady even went so far as to explain her disappointment that I was there and not the band. They had charted their vacation online, she said, and this was their anniversary, and they expected to find a band and some dancing and instead they got me. I wished her a happy anniversary and told her the band would start up soon, but she looked uncertain. :)
Now lest you think anything about that gets me down, you're so wrong. I smile every time I think about it--makes a much better story and besides, it's the truth.
Here's another truth. I was dead-tired from travel the day before, etc., and a pounding rainstorm started up, so I skipped the Kenny Chesney concert. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I had free seats, and I skipped it. Kenny's on my iPod, after all, and anyway, the older I get, the less star-struck I am, and the less I like huge, noisy crowds.
I came back here to this lovely hotel and had a nice dinner and went to bed early.
It was heaven.
On Tuesday, July 28, "The Bridegroom" comes out. I'll be doing a special launch signing at Barnes and Noble, here in Cheyenne, starting at 6 pm. If you happen to be riding this part of the trail, I'd love to see you there.
Today is a pretty quiet day. I plan to spend most of it right here in the hotel, working on "Tate". I'm bubbling with new ideas--in fact, I've got way more ideas than time, actually, so I'd better get saddled up and onto the range.
More tomorrow. Hopefully, it will amount to more than my staying in the hotel all day.
:)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tomato Report
My deck garden continues to delight me--but I must confess that my Tomato Tree doesn't look like the ones on the infomercials. :) (Not yet, anyway.) It's still relatively early, so the tomatoes are small, though plentiful, and those that have ripened have immediately been eaten--by me. There have been some green peppers (2) and several yellow squashes, which are delicious.
I have a special journal set aside for gardening notes--things I want to remember next year--things I've learned. Things that worked, things that didn't.
My zinnias are just gorgeous--I plan to raise a lot more of them in the future. I love cut flowers, and zinnias last and last--and last.
I continue to work on "Tate", and I'll be heading out on my tour for "The Bridegroom" on Friday.
Busy, busy, busy!
I have a special journal set aside for gardening notes--things I want to remember next year--things I've learned. Things that worked, things that didn't.
My zinnias are just gorgeous--I plan to raise a lot more of them in the future. I love cut flowers, and zinnias last and last--and last.
I continue to work on "Tate", and I'll be heading out on my tour for "The Bridegroom" on Friday.
Busy, busy, busy!
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