Just spent a week on the road doing readings for The Sound of Songs Across the Water. Here are some shots of the events.
First up was the hometown shop, Powell’s Books on Hawthorne. We had a terrific crowd, full of writers and otherwise curious and friendly folk, and I wore freakishly purple pants. I began by butchering the first song, “If the River Was Whiskey,” but apparently only David Lane noticed. Then I read Chapter 1, which took 13:52, according to my iPhone. Then—and this was the best part—came the Q&A. I guess because so much of the crowd were writers, the questions were interesting and plentiful. I got to talk a lot about craft issues involved with the book, which is always fun. Q&A ran for about 40 minutes! Then I played “Araby,” without too many mistakes, and we were done.
My son got to come see me play/read, which was pretty spectacular. I love this shot of him smiling (second kid from left), watching Daddy. The book is dedicated to him, which makes me feel just a tiny bit immortal.
Then I flew down to the Bay Area, where I got to read at the remarkable Why There Are Words series in Sausalito. I was honored to be in the company of so many excellent writers on this night, and even happier to be able to catch up with old friends Peg Alford Purcell and Cass Purcell.
Finally, down the coast we went to Los Angeles, where I got to read at my old neighborhood store, Skylight Books in Los Feliz (left). Another excellent crowd full of old friends from my L.A. days. It was a blast to play and read for everyone, and we sold a pretty good number of books here, too.
All in all, my first reading tour was a big success. Can’t wait to hit the road again…
Here’s a conversation I had recently with my friend