Looking Back on My First Book Tour

After traveling more than a thousand miles through five different states to promote the latest Keltin Moore novel, my greatest reaction to the trip is a feeling of gratitude. I'm grateful to Aaron Volner for orchestrating the stops along the route. I'm grateful to the friends and family that graciously gave me a place to stay along the way. I'm grateful to the library branch managers, book store owners, and event organizers that were willing to take a chance on a largely unknown author from the Pacific Northwest. And I'm especially grateful for all of the new fans and friends that I gained while on the road.

I wonder if perhaps readers are a little spoiled in the Pacific Northwest, with so many authors and writer communities in the region. This certainly didn't seem to be the case in some of the more rural areas that I visited on the tour. More than once, I'd be chatting with someone at my signing table and they'd have a sudden realization that I was the author of the books laid out in front of us. They would get so excited! I remember one sweet new fan who bought all four of my books and then was delighted to find out that not only was I planning on signing all four, but I was personalizing each one. She was so thrilled, she had to run and tell her husband about it!

There were other folks who seemed equally uncertain about how to take me, if not quite as excited about it. One man in Salt Lake City took ten minutes deciding whether to buy The Beast Hunter. He'd pick it up, read a random page, set it down, ask a question, pick it up, read a page, etc. Eventually, he decided to buy it from me to save himself the extra cost of ordering it online and paying for shipping. 

"Great!" I said, taking one of the books and opening to the front page. "Would you like it autographed?"

He eyed me suspiciously. "Does that cost extra?"

I suppressed a smile. "Of course not."

"Well, ok then."

 "All right," I said. "Would you like it personalized?"

"Does that cost extra?"

Despite a very few exceptions, everyone that I met was friendly and enthusiastic to have me among them. While attendance at most events was modest, those that came were always excited to be there, and that's what counts. One bookstore owner in Rock Springs went so far as to give me one of her handmade window displays "to remember them by". I'll certainly remember all of the wonderful people I met on the road, and I look forward to doing another book tour in the future.