Copper Star is being read by 27 book clubs this fall, to-date! Many of them are scattered across the country, quite a few are part of churches, and I’m going to attend the ones that are in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I can’t wait for those get togethers! I’ve noticed that people read books in such varying ways; each one gets something different from the book than I might have expected. And which character they’re most drawn to is different, too!

Who would have thought Aunt Martha is a favorite?!

So much fun!

Yesterday afternoon, I took Dad along with me on a bunch of saved-up errands. He hopped in the car, pleased to be going…well, anywhere. He patted my big dogs (they take their greeting job very seriously) and away we zoomed.

My thoughts were far away after just receiving an e-mail from my agent that a publisher rejected my proposal (grrr!), so I wasn’t talking much. Dad couldn’t come up with a full sentence but he kept trying to get a conversation going.

Finally, he said, “So, I read your…um…”

“My book?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes!” he answered, so proud of himself. “Took a week.”

I knew not to ask him questions about it, only to supply comments, because his reading comprehension is pretty well gone. But we had a fun conversation!

And I was blessed.

Twenty-seven publishers rejected Dr. Seuss’ first book, And to think I saw It on Mulberry Street, because it was a little too bizarre.

Eventually a publisher took a chance, and the rest is history.

All in all, Dr. Seuss published forty-eight books and sold more than 250 million copies.

Not bad for an author who, when at a loss for a good rhyme, would simply make up a silly new word to fit.

source: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees

Check out my interview with Craig Hart, founder of Christian Fiction OnLine, and also known as the man who leaves the World’s Funniest Comments on my blog:

http://sweatshoppe.blogspot.com/

One of the most surprising aspects of my dad’s bout with Alzheimer’s disease is how it has flip-flopped his relationships.

For as long as I can remember, my dad was in a hurry and very pre-occupied. If you wanted to spend time with him, you followed him, like a duckling behind a duck.

On Saturday mornings, my younger brother and I would be tossed in the back of our Ford Country Squire station wagon (complete with fake wood paneling!) to accompany Dad on his errands. (Actually, I think the reason was to get us out of our mother’s hair. My older sister and brother, like most teenagers, slept til noon.)

That was the pattern for as long as I can remember…I trailed behind Dad to spend time with him. And even if he was sitting still, his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about work, mostly. He owned his own business, and it was the kind of industry that was hit hard by economic cycles. Despite his optimistic nature, Dad could never relax.

But now? Now Dad wants to tag along on errands with me. I try to save up a bunch of them just to give us something to do together. Just to use up his surfeit of spare time.

Dad is content to be a passenger and ride along in my mini-van (which, my kids tell me, is equivalent to a Ford Country Squire. Not cool.) Six months ago, Dad liked to go into stores or dry cleaners with me. Not now. He just sits in the car, like my pups do, happy to wait and watch people walk by.

The other day, when I dropped him back at his Board and Care, his face fell in disappointment. “Aren’t there any other errands we can run?” he asked.

For some reason, that makes me sadder than almost any other part of his Alzheimer’s.

This is an actual sign posted in a coastal town in Oregon. Just in case you weren’t sure which direction to head, they are graciously directing you away from the ocean.

When standing at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City on a clear day…what five states can you see?

If you said New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, you were right!

I just joined Shelfari to connect with other book lovers. Come see the books I love and see if we have any in common. Then pick my next book so I can keep on reading.

http://www.shelfari.com/invite/v5geMLpU6-M2VNw7XzT9MA

There are a couple of stores in my local area that are stocking Copper Star. They order ten or more at a time and run out quite quickly (a good problem to have). So I zip in to the stores now and then to monitor the quantity of books and give a gentle reminder to the owner that it’s time to re-order.

My kids have helped in the monitoring process this summer. Without even having to tell them, they know to keep a low profile and just to pop into a store, look casual, do a quick book count of Mom’s book, and zip out.

The other day, I asked my husband to count a stack of books in a store while I ran to the post office.

Big mistake.

Steve, an accountant, walked into the store, and in a loud, loud voice (he’s a former lifeguard), announced: “I’m here to count up the copies of Copper Star!”

Three staff members dropped what they were doing to help him. He even asked if there were any books hidden behind the countertop or in the back storage room. The three staffers, now worried, looked everywhere to confirm the count.

Steve returned to the car, triumphant, like a hunter returning with prey, because he accomplished the task.

I was mortified.

Steve works for a consumer products company. When they do store checks, he explained, it’s important to have a complete inventory count.

I told him that a novel is very personal and it’s important for an author to act cool. I tried to make him understand that a novel is not the same thing as laundry detergent. He looked puzzled.

Steve is no longer part of my monitoring staff.

Actually, Tricia Goyer’s computer was having a bad day on Friday, so today is the day that I’m popping in on her blog: www.triciagoyer.blogspot.com