I’m officially halfway through my US Book Tour for THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET and it’s surpassed my expectations! Every bookstore has been delightful, I’ve had several readers drive 6 hours to see me—which I can’t quite believe—and I don’t even feel jet lagged! It’s been so wonderful to finally see my book in stores over here and to meet so many incredible readers and booksellers. And it’s been great to get all the chocolate!
I posted a reel on instagram that included a video of me, four hours into a drive, having resorted to Kit Kats and WHAM! to pass the time. Since then, at least one reader per event has brought me excellent quality chocolate for the car journeys so I always have some on hand! And to everyone who’s asked me since I posted this video - yes, the hairdryer has been great!
Driving through America has been super fun also. It’s funny how so many things can be similar to my life in Australia and so many things can be different too! I’ve made a list of my Aussie observations so far if you scroll down a little lower.
And everything is going well at home—my daughter is baking cakes for my son, so I may find I’ve been fired from the position of mother by the time I return and he’s adopted his sister as his mum instead!
I have 6 more events to go in the US and would love to see you at one of them if you live nearby. Or even if you live 6 hours away—apparently for several very dedicated readers, that’s not too far to come, which makes me feel very special! Here’s where I’ll be over the coming 10 days:
Greenville, South Carolina: June 9 at 7.30pm
Books Over Drinks with M. Judson Booksellers
Richmond, Virginia: June 10 at 6.00pm
With Fountain Bookstore
Pawley’s Island, South Carolina: June 12 at 10.45am
Lunch at Caffe Piccolo with Litchfield Books
Vero Beach Book Center, Florida: June 15 at 5pm
Fernandina Beach, Florida: June 16 at 12.30pm
Literary Luncheon with Story & Song
Venice, Florida: June 18 at 6pm
The Island Bookshop
Everyone speeds! We’re so used to speed cameras on every corner in Australia that most people don’t dare to drive over the speed limit. My husband is constantly telling me that he’s going at least 15km/h over the speed limit and everyone is passing him! He can be a bit of a leadfoot, so the speeding culture doesn’t bother him!
We have dead kangaroos on our roads, you have dead deer everywhere! So. Many. Dead. Deer. I will never be able to watch Bambi again.
What is it with those Cracker Barrel billboards by every roadside that say “Not Pictured: World’s Best Pancakes” alongside a photograph of bacon and eggs? Am I missing some kind of joke? The bacon and eggs pic isn’t all that appetising, so if they do make the world’s best pancakes, why wouldn’t they show them instead? I don’t get it!!
Speaking of billboards, is there an abundance of motor vehicle accident lawyers in the US or have they all just taken out billboards? They have billboards everywhere!
Where are all the teakettles? I know that many Americans use stovetop kettles rather than electric, but I’m sure that when I’ve travelled in the US in the past, the hotel rooms have had electric kettles. But this time, no! Which is very sad for this tea addict who can always taste traces of coffee if I use the in-room coffee dispenser for hot water.
Everyone is super helpful! Staff at stores go out of their way to help. Every time (and there’ve been quite a few!) that I’ve stood in a grocery store, looking around to see which aisle might be the one I need, a staff member has approached me to ask what I’m looking for and has then walked me to correct aisle to make sure I find what I want. I don’t think I’ve ever been approached by a staff member in a grocery store in Australia when I’ve appeared lost! So thank you to all the staff for helping this occasionally lost Aussie!
You fry things I never imagined could be fried. Fried pickles? And fried cheese? Wow! I haven’t tried either of these and I’m not sure that I will!
Can someone tell me what a Hoosier is? It sounds like a pair of hosiery gone wrong!
What I’ve Been Reading: We’re in the car driving long distances each day so I made sure to download a nice, long audiobook. I chose Project Hail Mary and it’s good so far! Much funnier than I imagined. I’m not a big sci-fi reader but I’m completely caught up in Ryland Grace’s plight in space.
What I’ve Been Watching: I started watching the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale on the plane and I’m nervous about where it’s going to end up! I want it to be a brilliant ending for an excellent series but right now I’m not sure. Nick has just done something drastic that doesn’t seem entirely in character - it’s expedient for the plot, but it’s inconsistent with who he’s been so far. I hope they don’t keep prioritising plot over character! I’ll let you know what I think once I’m done.
If anyone wants to grab a bargain price on one of my backlist books, THE RIVIERA HOUSE is on sale in ebook right now in North America only for just $1.99!
And thank you BookTrib for including THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET in your roundup of what to read in June!
Right, I have a plane to catch, so I’d better go! See you in South Carolina!
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