Quick Update + You Tell Me Thread
Giveaway and where to catch me at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend!
Hello! I’m just about to head out of town to one of my favorite book festivals — the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books — and this will also mark my first time on a plane since the pandemic began. Cue travel anxiety, pet separation anxiety, overpacking (yes, I do have bandaids, I style myself as the mom of every festival), and ack! (Yes, we will be wearing our masks.) Also, excitement! I’m so delighted to be returning to this one.
If you happen to be in the LA area, I’ll be moderating this fabulous panel and signing my new books and chit-chatting after. You can get tickets at the festival website.
Other than that, we’ll be trying to have fun and not obsess about how the dogs and cats are dealing with their various sitters. (Which include house ones, so think again thieves—also all we have are books and you can borrow them if you ask nicely.)
LWR Update!
We launched a newsletter of the Lexington Writer’s Room’s own — occasional updates only. PROMISE. You can read about our new space and even shop or browse our wishlists for both new items and potentially donated ones in our first post. THANK YOU to everyone who has donated, spread the word, and bought items already!
Over to you!
It’s about time I got my act together and did a giveaway of the Match Made in Hell books as a set for y’all. If you’ve already got one or more, don’t worry, you can designate another winner… So, to win signed copies of these books: :: jazz hands::
Please comment with the worst date you ever went on! We need these stories in this dark time. I have one of my own, which I will share when I announce the winner. Let the games begin! As Christopher always says: Many things make better anecdotes than experiences. Share. Away.
More soon, and say hi if you’re at the festival!
G
Quick Update + You Tell Me Thread
We used to hang out in Denny's in Benton Harbor, MI when I was in high school. We'd drink loads of coffee and hang out for hours and hours because it was 24 hours... I dated this girl, Aaron, who was pretty lukewarm to me the whole night. We saw a movie and then went to dinner at (you guessed it) Denny's. The waiter HATED me. We ordered and waited awkwardly for an hour and a half. No conversation the whole time. Finally, the manager came over. He apologized and said our meal was on the house. I tried to hold her hand on the way home and it wasn't happening. Longest night of my life.
Bad date... I guess the worst date (it was sort of a date) I ever went on was when I was supposed to be set up with a guy for the Derby one year. A large group of people gathered to go to the infield of the Derby (yes, the infield!), and my brother and his girlfriend thought it would be a good idea to set me up with this guy. "We were perfect for each other," they said. The guy in question was so stoned the entire day that he couldn't even carry on a conversation. I talked to him ONCE, and then never again, even though he tried later in the evening at a post-Derby party.
The story does have a happy ending, however. I met my future husband that day. And yes, I met him in the infield of the Kentucky Derby of all places.
Have fun in LA!! I just signed up to join The Lexington Writer's Room and subscribed to the Substack for updates! When you get back in town, I would love to meet for coffee and talk Writer's Room and yoga!