I got up today WAYYYYY too early, the clock radio playing country western music that was actually pretty good-but then the knocking started. I had ordered room service to be delivered at eight and suddenly my toast was ready. I threw on my long black skirt to look decent, but apparently only looked funny with it on with a t-shirt and bed head, because the woman delivering the breakfast laughed. And I still gave her a tip.
I managed to get lost in the three blocks I needed to walk to the University, but, luckily two jiffy lube guys were standing on the corner having a conversation while half-heartedly rocking jiffy lube signs back and forth at the commuters. They pointed me back the way I came and showed me where I was supposed to turn. The campus was beautiful, on the other side of the river.
An interesting sculpture made with found metal.
More buffalo!
I located the correct building, walked through the maze of offices and studios and met
Beth the engineer and
Cherie Newman, the program host of THE WRITE QUESTION. Cherie and Beth were charming, Cherie a great host, so it was a entertaining (for me, at least) half hour. Cherie will edit the interview so that it sounds as if I am alone, talking on the radio. Her questions will not be aired, I was instructed to answer accordingly. She adds music and sounds as well, so it will be interesting to hear how it turns out.
Afterward I returned to the room then with map in hand explored downtown Missoula a bit, locating the Fact and Fiction Bookstore. (Great bookstore!) I met Barbara Theroux and she gave me a Missoula paper with a good review of Turpentine in it-full color picture of the cover. I took it to a coffee shop where I happily read it munching on a tempeh and tomato sandwich. I broke my moratorium on new clothes purchases. It was just too cold not to have pajama bottoms. I went the cheap route and got sweat pants.
As my turtlenecks were still dripping water back at the hotel- (but now that they are hanging on the airduct, they are approaching merely damp), and all I had was a turtleneck shell, which means it looks like it keeps you warm but it doesn't really, I found a scrunchable jacket on BIG sale, I got it too.
Back at the room, I put my cards for my talk into order, wrote out a new introduction (this changes every time I read, as do the segues) and took a nap with Ellen on in the background.
I woke up, groggy. Groggy quickly shifting to nervousness. I got dressed, looked over my notes, and went downstairs and had a wee dram of Balvenie while re-reading passages in the book, walked to the bookstore.
This is Barbara Theroux who knows writers and the writing world like nobody's business. She was smart and funny and made me feel welcome. There weren't a huge number of people in attendance,it was a chilly night, one of the first really autumny-winter-threatening Montana evenings, so not only was I relieved that anyone came out instead of hunkering down at home, but I was thankful they were such nice people that did. I had a very good time. By the end of the reading, questions, chatting afterward, I knew people's names, I saw a sister of a friend of mine that I hadn't seen since we were kids and it seemed it wasn't only me that had a good time, or they were very good actors, and polite, too. Plus, the second editions were at the shop. There must be some selling?
I went to a Mexican restaurant after. A watery tostado nortena, a good beer with lime, and mariachi music was pretty good. Tomorrow I can sleep in.
