A Good Day

Don't you love days when the sun shines down on you and the stars have lined up in your favor? I could just break out in a 5th Dimension song ... "When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets...”

You get the picture.

I met John Hart last night, author of THE KING OF LIES, at a cool- hip new bookstore in Kernersville, NC called Shakespeare & Co.

John's work is hot. Very hot. He's on the NY TIMES bestseller list, and about ten other bestseller lists. Every good thing (other than Oprah) has happened to him. He's sold the foreign rights to 8 or 9 countries. It's being made into a movie and this is just his first book!

It took him 11 months and 2 weeks to write this book, working at it every day. He quit his job as an attorney and just dug in. Talk about talent and luck working together! Wow. After many rejections, John landed a contract with St. Martins Press for this book and two more. He talked for over an hour about all the great things happening to him as a result of his hard work. I'm anxious to dig into his book myself. (Here's a tidbit ... the book's original title was Ezra's Wake, but of course as Publishers tend to do, they changed it.)

When I first walked into the bookstore, it seemed half the room knew me! They've seen my book, obviously. Two women had my book in their hands. One lady bought four of my books. Isn't that the coolest? I was humbled and amazed at the same time!

So, I sat and listened intently to his presentation. Then the line formed for John to sign books. I held back on purpose. I wanted to be the last book he signed. I wanted to talk to him and not feel I had to rush through getting my book signed because someone was waiting behind me. The room was full. Unbeknownst to me, John Hart had already read the back of my book while he waited to be introduced. By the time I got up to him, he knew who I was. And we talk. Wow. There's nothing like networking ... It was a great conversation.

Then I arrived home to this blurb in my email:

"Reading Southern Fried Women makes me think of Tolstoy. What you and he have in common is an absolutely genuine feel for the history and region that you come from." --Hannelore Hahn, Executive Director, International Women's Writing Guild, New York City

"Aquarius ... Aquarius...”

Blessings to you and yours.