Apparently, it is my lot in life to go for months and months with no idea on a subject for a blog. Then one day, I wake up with four of them. I don’t understand my brain.
That being said, let’s talk about my recent trip to Provincetown for Women’s Week. Have you ever been? It’s a wonderful time, filled with women, entertainment, and most importantly (to me), books. It’s one of the few times during the year where I get to work and play at the same time. Like the GCLS each summer, Women’s Week always consists of some of my very favorite people—readers and writers alike—and these gatherings are the only opportunities I get to talk to them face to face, with nary a keyboard in sight.
It’s an eight-hour drive for me, and this is the second time I’ve done it alone. Vacation time (or lack thereof) was the deciding factor for Bonnie to sit this one out, so I drove it myself. But I had my new Accord and the iPod, so there was much singing and good gas mileage to be had. I stayed in a condo rather than a room this time, and my roommate was the illustrious Melissa Brayden, fellow romance author, who turned out to be the best roomie a girl could ask for. I fed her. She gave me cinnamon whiskey. We solidified our friendship over a very expensive flat iron. She even smiled (sort of) when I decided that her wake-up call would be me cheerfully jumping on her bed bright and early each morning telling her it was time to get up. She loved that. She did, too.
I am not one of those people who craves nearness to water. I like it. I like it a lot. But I’m just as happy in the mountains. That being said, Provincetown has a little more charm because it’s on the water; it really does. You can walk down Commercial Street, shop a little, stop into Womencrafts for a reading, grab a cocktail and a snack, then stroll down to the water and just…breathe. I did that many times, something about the wind blowing off the water, the blue sky, the sunshine, and the salt air…it was so peaceful.
I want to say thanks to Womencrafts and all the women who work there. Next time you’re in P-Town, stop in and say hi. Tell them I told you to. It’s a great little shop filled with colorful, fun, women-created merchandise and lots of books. I did several signings there during my stay and met tons of readers. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who stopped in to see me. Your support means more than you know.
There were also some great readings. Fellow author and PR whiz Lynn Ames set us up at Napi’s restaurant for a morning reading with me, Melissa, Lynn, Marianne K. Martin (reading from the brand new and long-awaited “Tangled Roots”), and Wynn Malone. We had almost forty women in that audience at 9:30 in the morning, which surprised all of us. I read from my current novel, “Olive Oil & White Bread.” The GCLS also had some gatherings and hosted readings as well as author chats. In that venue, I read from my upcoming novel “Zero Visibility.” It was the first time I’ve given any peek at all of it, and I got some fantastic feedback. That’s always a nice feeling.
The night before it was time to return home, I spent some quiet time on the dark beach with two of my closest writer friends, Melissa and Rachel Spangler, and we talked about life and wishes and what we needed to leave behind us and what lies ahead. It was emotional and cathartic and just…good. (And there was a fox! On the beach! What?) And now I’m home, working feverishly to put the finishing touches on “Zero Visibility” so I can get started on the next project. As with all my writing trips, I came home all pumped up to get to work.
Time to do that…
(photos courtesy of Melissa Brayden and Lynn Ames…)
You had a great time I think 😉
thank you.