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For links to all of my #ImSadBookTour posts, see I'M SAD Book Tour 2018.
I'M SAD Book Tour 2018 (DAY 3 - Philadelphia, PA): B&N Fairless Hills, Holy Trinity, Snyder-Girotti Elementary, St. Mark's School, A Surprise Encounter in MA
(Last updated June 19, 2018)
With librarian Rita Raudenbush at Holy Trinity School in Morrisville, PA
In my previous post, I talked about I'M SAD launch day near Richmond, VA with bbgb bookstore, Ridge Elementary and Bettie Weaver, as well as the travel glitch at the end of the day. Happily, I did eventually get to my hotel (yay) and got four hours sleep before I woke for my 4 am pickup in Washington:
The drive was a couple of hours to the first school of the day in Morrisville, PA, and the driver and I found a diner near the school where I could grab some breakfast. I met up with Pietra Dunmore outside Holy Trinity School. Pietra was my media escort for the day:
I'm always grateful when I have a media escort during a book tour. A good media escort does more than just drive you around. They also:
- Make sure you get to places on time and help keep you on time.
- They usually are already acquainted with the schools I'm visiting, or know the right questions to ask when we arrive.
- They help with or ask about book pre-order info, help with signings.
- They take photos and also ask about permission to share the photos (different schools had different policies).
- They're friendly, fun and good company.
Pietra was all of the above. I also found out that she's and up-and-coming YA writer! You can find out more about Pietra Dunmore and her work at her website.
Talking to students at Holy Trinity School in Morrisville, PA.
Thanks to Holy Trinity, Snyder-Girotti and St. Mark's School for the warm welcome!
Q&A at Snyder-Girotti Elementary in Bristol, PA.
Mary Gesualdi (Reading Specialist at Snyder-Girotti) and Debbie Carr (B&N Fairless Hills).
Signing pre-orders.
Despite only having had four hours sleep the previous night, I had great fun at all my presentations in Philadelphia! The enthusiasm and energy of the students, teachers and librarians were a huge factor!
Pietra also did a wonderful job looking out for me. There was no time for lunch, so she bought for me (and had some herself) while I was signing pre-orders at the last school, and I scarfed this in her car on the way to the Philadelphia airport.
When I arrived at my hotel in Boston that evening, I ran into Kate Messner in the lobby!
Kate was also doing book promo events, to celebrate the launch of her new middle grade with Bloomsbury, BREAKOUT. She had just come from her event at An Unlikely Story, a bookstore I was going to be visiting the following night with Michael Ian Black! Both of us were super-tired, so we said good night.
When I got into my room, I was too tired for dinner. Soooo tempted to just crash and get ready in the morning, but I forced myself to say away a bit longer so I could prep for school visits the next day. I was mentally patting myself on the back up to now, having gotten through the day with only four hours sleep -- I am fuzzy-headed and prone to making stupid mistakes when I am tired but YAY, I had gotten through the day!
And that's when I discovered that I was missing my laptop power cord.
No, that can't be. I must have just stuck it in the wrong place in my bags.
I looked through my bags again.
And again.
I wasn't tired anymore, I was panicked.
I texted Pietra, but she hadn't seen my power cord, said she would call the schools the next day to check. I called Jeff, who talked me off the ledge. Don't let this ruin your trip, he told me, and also located an Apple store that was on the route between my first and second schools the next day. My first school presentation was scheduled to start before the Apple store was open.
I texted my Boston media escort, Janice Byrd, to ask if we could drop by the Apple store after the first school and she said yes.
Biut what was going to do about the first school? My laptop was totally out of power.
Then I noticed the Bettie Weaver good luck blue bird out on the bed, where I had been dumping stuff in my frantic search. It helped remind me to put things in perspective (something else I tend to forget when I'm super-tired), that there was nothing else I could do except try to get some sleep.
Things would turn out fine, I told myself.
And they did, and you'll see in the next post!
CONTINUED in Day 4 (Boston, MA): Wellesley Books, MacArthur Elementary, Codman Academy, An Unlikely Story with Michael Ian Black.
For links to all of my #ImSadBookTour posts, see I'M SAD Book Tour 2018.