It’s now been four and a half months since Fire Music was released on April 9. Last fall and winter when I looked ahead to that date, I made the mistake of assuming I’d then just dedicate several months to promoting my book, and life would cooperate with that. Silly me.
On Fire Music’s release date, my husband was in the hospital. Rory is normally a strong and healthy man, but in 2024 he was in and out of medical rooms—including the surgical floor—from February through July. I helped him through the ongoing hospital turmoil in whatever ways I could. But book promo? How do you do that from a doctor’s waiting room?
Yet Rory, in spite of his weariness, found ways to encourage me forward. Between hospital stints, he came to my book launch and gave the opening welcome. When summer came and our grandchildren began to arrive, he welcomed them as well.
Later he also welcomed my writer friend Cynthia Beach when she came here from Michigan. In the midst of the craziness, she and I went out and did book events in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
In time, my exhaustion lifted, and Rory healed. He is truly well now. In fact, as I write this, he is replacing boards on our front porch. I thank God (literally) for my husband’s health, and I’m also grateful that we’ve come through this season with a deeper appreciation of what it means to back each other up.
Now, after all the ups and downs that we’ve had, the VERY GOOD NEWS is that we will soon go to the Midwest together, where Rory will be with me as I do readings and speaking engagements. I’ll do some of these events with my friend Roberta Hartling Gates.
Roberta will present her new book Number 12 Rue Sainte Catherine: and Other Stories, an excellent collection of literary short stories set in Nazi-occupied France. Some events I will do with Cynthia Beach, who’ll share her gripping novel The Surface of Water. My one solo speaking engagement will be in Cleveland with a wonderful group of Hungarians that I met when my first book came out.
It’s a packed schedule, but it will be a joy to share the busy week with Roberta and Cynthia. If you live near any of these places, please come! We would love to see you there. Or if you have friends in these places, urge them to come, because we’d be delighted to meet them!
The Schedule:
Wed., Sept. 11, 7:00 p.m.—Connie and Roberta at The Book Cellar, Chicago
Thurs., Sept. 12, 4:30 p.m.—Connie and Roberta at The Pile Bookstore, Berwyn, IL
Fri., Sept. 13, 1:00 p.m.—Connie and Roberta at Flossmoor Book Club, Homewood, IL
Sat., Sept. 14, 2:00 p.m.—Connie at Cleveland Hungarian Museum, Cleveland, OH
Mon., Sept. 16, 5:00 p.m.—Connie and Cynthia at J.C. Wheeler Library, Martin, MI
Tues., Sept. 17, 7:00 p.m.—Connie and Cynthia at Plumfield Books, Ada, MI
