Now that I've had time to rest (since my booksigning in Victoria) I'll catch you up.
My husband, daughter and I started our journey from Edmonton to Victoria on September 14th...at 7 p.m. We stayed at the Canadian Lodge in Valemont--a very nice, affordable room. We were already exhausted!
The next day we drove through to Vancouver, then missed the ferry by about 5 minutes. We had to wait 3 hours for the next one! Finally we made it across, then followed my father's directions to his house. Now my dad is a retired Warrant Officer, and a computer whiz. He has been responsible for top secret military programming. Shhhh.....
But try to follow his directions?!! We have yet to find the exit he adamantly states is marked: "Sooke/Colwood". (It simply isn't there....but try to tell him that!)
We finally arrive my father's house. His wife, Dianne, greets us in a frenzy of activity. "Are you hungry? Are you too warm? Are you too cold? How was your trip? Do you want a drink?" Yes, give me a triple rum and coke please!
In a crazed moment of 'practicality', I caved to my husband's suggestion that we stay at my father's house to save unnecessary expense. So for the next 2 nights we slept on a futon in the livingroom...with Jessica (14) across from us on the other couch. Have you ever slept on an old, worn futon? The kind that has been sat on one too many times? When I pried my sore, tired muscles from the concrete slab that was supposed to be a mattress, I could barely walk. Two nights on a futon that I swear left imprints of metal strips across my body.
On the third day, Dad and Dianne apologized again for the sorry state of that futon, then my father innocently said that they had a foamy in the storage room that we could use on top of the futon.
I could have strangled them both!
The foamy was almost 5 inches thick...and the last 3 nights I cursed my father's obvious case of 'old-timers'.
Just wait until they come to visit...I have a pool table they can sleep on!
Oh, excuse me. I was supposed to be writing about my book tour, wasn't I?
On the 16th, I visited some Coles and Smithbooks stores (ones I was not appearing in)and they purchased copies of both books for their stock.
Okay. On the Friday...the 17th, I was treated royally by the staff of Chapters in downtown Victoria. All-you-can-drink cappuccinos and coffee from Starbucks! Yum! The manager gave me an optimum location, close to the entrance, and next to the cashiers.
The response from the customers was awesome. Some were excited that I was a Canadian author. Some were happy that I was from Edmonton. And some were proud that I am a BC-born gal. All in all, the poeple I met were wonderful--from Ash, the teenage girl with the blue hair (and her friends), to the couple from Scotland and the couple from Australia.
Now the woman who raced by me at full speed (probably thinking I was working for VISA), I never had the chance to talk to; she was a blur. But she did give my hubby and I a good dose of comic relief. And the man who gave me my business card back??? Thank you. A real sweet lady took it.
The best part of my Chapters signing was being reunited, after 12 years, with my best and dearest friend from high school. When Lisa walked in (I had been expecting her), I honestly didn't care if I sold another book that day.
Maybe I'll tell you more about Lisa later.
When my signing was over, I was a bit disappointed with my sales. Until I spoke to the manager. Apparently in Victoria (and Van Isle) there is so much competition with author signings that most authors are lucky to sell 1 book for $10.00. Across Canada, Chapters/Coles/Indigo managers have told me that $100.00 in sales is considered quite good....$150.00 + is exceptional. (Last fall I was selling 20+ copies at $520.00 in sales!)
That Friday at Chapters I sold only 5 copies (WS and DI) ($130) and the managers were ecstatic...the last few local authors to appear had sold 0! Chapters took 5 additional copies for their stock!
The next day, I appeared at Smithbooks (Tillicum Mall), where I sold only 4 ($104), but they took 4 more copies. I lost my voice by the end of the day. Despite the fact that this was my lowest sales ever, the people I met here were super! Simon, the man who talked to me for over 20 minutes seemed fired up and ready to write when he left, one man and his wife made two trips and finally bought Divine Intervention, and then there were the teenage girls who really made my trip worthwhile.
A group of 3 girls came giggling up to my table and shyly asked for my autograph. They were probably about 14, same as my daughter. They seemed to know who I was and all about Whale Song, my first novel. (Hmmm....I wonder who paid them to say all that??) One of the girls' name was Sarah Dickerson. I remember her name because the main character in Whale Song is Sarah Richardson. These girls were so thrilled to have a business card with their names, a message and my signature, that I was in awe. Ten minutes later I bumped into them in the washroom. They seemed stunned that I would be there...until I smiled and said, "Even authors have to pee!"
You can imagine their laughter at that! And mine. Ten minutes after that, the 3 girls brought 2 more friends to my table for an autograph. When I said goodbye, shook their hands and told them they had made my day, one girl held her hand by one cheek and said, "I'm never going to wash my hand again!" LOL
THIS is a reward for writing! And in many ways it is WHY I write! Not for the adoration from fans but for the knowledge that I have impacted someone's life in even such a small way as providing them with an entertaining read. It is my mission! My passion! My passionate mission...to touch a reader, to make them feel something through my characters, plots, stories. If I can accomplish this, then I have written something that is truly worth reading!
The following day, I had a sore throat and raspy voice, and I had to cancel a last-minute boksigning at another Smithbooks. I also did not make it to Bamfield as was planned...but that's okay. I can save those two events for the next time I visit Victoria.
And next time...
we're staying in a hotel!
P.S. As a writer, you can write off travel expenses accumulated for promoting or researching your book. Hmm....maybe next time my Divine characters will have to travel to Hawaii!)
~Cher
