Who would have guessed promoting a book involves doing audio and/or video podcasts in cities half a world away from yours? Getting up before dawn to do makeup and hair and ensure you’re somewhat awake so you can follow the interviewer’s questions and train of thought. And when it turns out they don’t know where they’re going, you’re prepared to artfully jump in and redirect the conversation. 

Fortunately, I learned how to do that a long time ago.

Earlier this week, during two different podcasts, something about my story caused each interviewer to start crying. “I was supposed to meet you, today,” one of them said through her tears. “Thank you.” 

In that moment, I felt such a responsibility. I’m not sure what I said, but it was something like, “Then I’m grateful I was here this morning.”

I do remember thanking God for putting me where I was needed. 

The MAYA BLUE book tour shouldn’t be any different than the podcasts and recording the audio book: An awesome, emotional experience. While I was recording the book, I got choked up and started crying, reading a passage I didn’t expect. I pulled myself together for two or three words, then lost it again. Neither one of the producers on the headphones with me said anything so I kept reading. When I finished the segment, it was a long time before any of us said a word. Then in a soft voice, the producer, who’s been doing Audible books for two years, said he’d never heard anything so genuine and moving, and with my permission, he wanted to leave it just the way I recorded it. I agreed, but I haven’t listened to it. Right now, I’m not up to it. As a friend who saw me later that afternoon said, “You look drained.” And I was.

Here is my book tour schedule, just some of the cities where I’ll be doing in-person book events. I’ll continue to update the list, but for now, if you’re anywhere near one of them, please go online and check them out, and put one of them on your calendar to attend. One of them, the Half Price Books Flagship store in Dallas, requires you to buy a ticket in advance—the price of the book and for the bookstore to host the event—so please bring your friends and your bookclubs and buy your tickets ASAP.

If you’re in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, please don’t leave me sitting alone in an empty bookstore! I know famous, NYT best-selling authors who’ve had this happen. How awful!

My biggest hope is that I get to meet most of you. After all this time, I would be thrilled to put a face with your names. Then there are people like the woman from Sullivan Cliff Gardens. A decade ago, she came to an event, hoping to meet me. I didn’t know this at the time, and literally it was a “Hello. Goodbye” as she came in the door and I was leaving. Fingers crossed she and “Miss Kelly” can make it to one of my events in New York City.

If you’re interested, here’s a link to my author website. You can read a few of the reviews about MAYA BLUE, and I’ll keep it updated with my book tour schedule.