“I remember one year my friend Carpenter and I had books out on the same day. We talked about it all summer. We each had modest expectations. I had modest expectations for his book; he had modest expectations for mine . . . Finally the big day arrived and I woke up happy, embarrassed in advance by all the praise and attention that would be forthcoming. I made coffee and practiced digging my toe in the dirt . . . Then I waited for the phone to ring. The phone did not know its part. It sat there silent as death with a head cold. By noon the noise of it not ringing began to wear badly on my nerves. Luckily, though, by noon it was time for the first beer of the day. I sat by the phone like a loyal dog, waiting for it to ring. Finally, finally it rang at four. I picked up the phone and heard Carpenter laughing hysterically, like some serial killer, and then I became hysterical, and eventually we both had to be sedated.”
(c) Anne Lamott
This is the fourth year in a row I’ve posted this excerpt from BIRD BY BIRD on my publication date. It may seem disingenuous, given that my current book has arrived in the world with quite a few reviews and lots of Internet attention. But it still feels true.
I had to break another pattern this year — I’m not at the Book Crossing in Brunswick. As noted at the website, I’m not touring much this year. My launch will be at the South Coastal Library, near my parents’ house. My mother volunteers at the library. As ever, there is some suspense about attendance. It could be anywhere from five (my family members) to more.
I’ve been doing a “link-a-day-slutathon” to celebrate publication date, but I’ve failed to include all the links here. I’ll try to get them into hypertext later today. For now, you can cut-and-paste these links into your browser:
www.lauralippman.com (Tour info and contest)
http://www.jungleredwriters.com/2010/08/melody-is-familiar.html (Blog on music and writing.)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bs-ae-lippman-interview-20100815,0,2173265,full.story (Profile by Michael Sragow)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/15/AR2010081502511.html (Nice review by Patrick Anderson)
http://www.murderati.com/blog/2010/8/16/id-know-laura-lippman-anywhere.html (A conversation with Alafair Burke)
http://mdmorn.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/817102/ (Interview with Maryland Morning’s Sheilah Kast)
Congratulations, Laura! I’m only sorry that I have to wait for my signed copy from MLC to arrive (and, as usual, my husband will grab it first so I’ll have to wait still longer until he finishes it; fortunately, he reads fast).
saw the WaPo piece y’day thanks to @roncharles. break out the bubbly. awesomeness abounds. and i would much rather read abt your book today than abt nearly anything else.
kudos, laura.i look forward to reading WTDK. i hope that your curtailed ‘tour’ will still include DC.
//karen
<insert coffee> i meant IKYA, not WTDK. arrgh.
//karen
I picked up the book today (Borders). Here’s hoping I will be at the Baltimore signing. I now have all of your books in hardcover except the first three that came out in paperback (lent them out, never got them back).
I’ve read I’d Know You Anywhere and know it’s going to be a big success. It’s about a woman who overcomes adversity and gains strength. I think it has a great last line, as well. I’ll miss you not being here, on tour.
The Lamott quote is a =perfect= tradition. Hope your toe doesn’t wear out from all the digging in the dirt while the praise heaps up. Congrats on the addition to the expanding oeuvre.
Congratulations! I’m meeting up with Karen Olson later today, and I’m not sure what we’re doing but it will definitely include a stop at a bookstore (probably Sherman’s, in Boothbay Harbor) to buy a copy of <i>I’d Know You Anywhere</i>.
Congratulations!
Congratulations! I absolutely loved it.
Although I’m sad that I’m working during your only Baltimore signing.
Lamott’s quote reminds me why theater has it all over publishing in terms of “openings”. Opening night in the theater arrives and there are gifts and parties and hoopla, no matter what. The review part comes later and if the notices are outstanding or disastrous, you still have the happy memories of the opening night.
We already know that your opening night/pub day for “I’d Know Yor Anywhere” is a big hit. Congratulations.
I love that quote. And have memorized it, word by word by bird…
I hope this is your best pub date EVER!
We will miss you in Oregon. I shall carry one of your paperbacks in my purse today by way of celebration. I will buy the new one at Powell’s next time I venture north and raise a glass in my son’s bar to your continued success. We long-time LL readers have our traditions as well!
Well, I typed up a page – maybe 450 words – and THEN reviewed the rules and, really, Rule 3 is simply insuperable; I’m DQ’ed.
But suffice it to say, the Allen County Library is a genuine local treasure, and it has been a boon to my whole family over the years (and years), and the community supports it quite well….darn it!
Brian,
I appreciate your integrity. Diane, another poster here, is in the same boat. However, I might do something similar with independent bookstores, so all is not lost.
Congratulations!!
One more reason for me to be sad about no longer living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Boy, would I love to be in Oxford on the 21st.
Well, upon further review, I was thinking that Rule 2 might possibly allow one to try to win one of the signed books for one’s local library, even while Rule 3 clearly precludes getting LL herself to come to our library; and therefore I thought “what the hell”, and sent in my DQd entry anyway. (I labored for a solid 8 or 10 minutes on that essay, doncha’ know?)
In any case, even if my interpretation of the second half of Rule 2 is incorrect, and we canNOT go for one of the signed books, still – I cannot bitch. (the first half of Rule 2 unambiguously disallows that!)
Really, To the Power of Three is the book that really turned me into a �buy on sight� LL fan. My wife bought me the collection of short stories (Hardly Knew Her, I think was the title, but we shall not cheat and look it up), which I read in much the same way one might eat potato chips; that is to say � comfortably, happily, and somewhat thoughtlessly. To the Power of Three (along with other LL books) did something else; it casts a spell, and induces just enough low-level stress that one wants to keep reading, but not too quickly (for fear of what’s coming next). Plus, the ending captures a wonderful (not to say sad) sense of how fleeting youth and life are�.good stuff
Congratulations Laura on your release!
Missi here, one of your Long-Time Readers!
I’ll never forget that night when I first picked up one of your books (Balitmore Blues) at a Country Inn and Suites lending library. The kids were fighting, my then husband was acting an ass but I didn’t care, I was immersed in your book. I couldn’t put it down!
Now, I am fortunate (LuCkY!) enough to have got ahold of an advance copy (Editors read) of ‘The Power Of Three’…I’m hoping to have you sign it for my library of Laura Lippman books!