On Thursday, I was in 4 different states in my first hour of travel: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland & Pennsylvania. By the end of the day, I'd added New Jersey & New York. For a Montana girl, that just seems crazy--Montana alone is a good day's drive & all the states around it are pretty decent-sized, unless you cross over that bit of Idaho. So, 6 states in a day--& if I'd started earlier & wanted to drive longer I could have done the whole trip in a day, which would have added North Carolina & Tennessee to the mix--is pretty amazing. You have to be doing a heck of a lot of driving to get 6 or 8 states, where I come from. Or, where I came from. Right now I'm very happy coming from North Carolina!
I stopped in Bethel for car snacks--to my leftovers I added green apple white tea Snapple & a Reeses peanut butter cup. I'm noticing a trend on this trip: white tea & junk food.
Saratoga Springs is a great town. Vibrant downtown with lots of shops (one said "office supplies & hats" which certainly attracted me. I bought a little suede beret.) & tons of restaurants. I just got back from a crepe restaurant with my roomies & a couple other friends.
WFC is a great con, although this one has an inadequate bar. That's really the best place for the editors & agents & writers & artists to do business. I did talk to Jane Yolen & she steered me to a new agent, so that may be in the works. Also, one novel is confirmedly in the hands of another editor & another editor is expected to be heard from in a couple of weeks (alas, work avalanched her & she couldn't tell me by this weekend, but that's okay) & Suzuki England has indeed flown over the airwaves into yet a third editor's camp. Plus a friend of mine who's a great book doctor gave me great insight on another novel, The Song of Lizzie Whispers, which makes me excited to take another crack at that. It shall be interesting.
So many great people here--& I got a call from an uncle from Billings, Montana, who is going to be in Charlotte of a week while I'm in New York & Ohio. I might be back in time to catch him. Hope so!
So now I've swummed in the pool & been locked in the vault at a crazily-configured (it just goes on & on--you could set 3 fantasies & a mystery or 2 in it & still have room for a romance) bookstore. The wi-fi is driving me a little batty, flipping in & out, so I'll deblog for now. Besides, I have to get ready to do my reading. I'm going to tell people to go next door to hear Catherynne Valente if they haven't yet! (She's one of the people we gave the Tiptree Award to.)
Blog alternative:
93. Wrap something in something & eat it. I'm thinking lefsa or crepes or tortillas, although you could use a lettuce or cabbage leaf.
