I’m back after a relaxing — if chilly – holiday weekend, part of it spent promoting Saving Gracie. In fact, my overnight trip to Missoula was one of those serendipitous instances where, publicity-wise, the moon and stars aligned.

 

Missoula is 165 miles southwest of Great Falls and always fun to visit. My husband, Steve, accompanied me on the spectacular drive there Friday afternoon. First stop: the studios of the local NPR station, KUFM, where I taped a 30-minute interview with Cherie Newman, host of “The Write Question.” Cherie told me she usually prepares a half-page or so of questions to ask authors. After reading Gracie, she jotted down two full pages of questions and comments. The interview will air sometime in late July or early August. I enjoyed meeting Cherie and before leaving I even got to tape a station announcement. Check out Cherie’s blog at http://www.thewritequestion.blogspot.com

 

Then it was off to Fact & Fiction bookstore for a book-signing and discussion about puppy mills. Missoula is a real writer’s town, and store founder and manager Barbara Theroux does everything she can to publicize local books. The Missoulian newspaper had graciously mentioned the book-signing on the cover of their lifestyles section, and shortly after 5 p.m. we had enough customers to warrant a discussion. At 7 p.m. we held a second talk to accommodate a later gathering. Barbara had me sign the remaining copies and the next morning, when I popped back into the store, she still had them front and center next to a poster featuring a cover of the book. That’s what I love about independent bookstores!

One of the people who dropped by Fact & Fiction was Lindsay Abernethy, a law student at the University of Montana who has started an Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter there. She invited me come talk to her colleagues this fall, which I’m happy to do.

 

Whenever we can squeeze in a reservation, Steve and I stay at Blossom’s, a Craftsman-style Bed and Breakfast on the east end of town. The following morning we indulged in a spread of homemade granola and yogurt, a potato/egg/cheese frittata and homemade sugar doughnuts with couples from Minneapolis, San Diego and Bristol, Rhode Island. As breakfast was ending, the gal from San Diego happened to notice some of the postcards for my book on Blossom’s desk and asked about them, unaware that I was the author. All three couples wound up buying a book!

 

Word of mouth is so important for book sales and the Missoula trip couldn’t have been more successful. Next stop: the Country Bookshelf in Bozeman at 7 p.m. July 20.