Yeah–that’s what got me through.  That, and the amazing people who actually came to an OUTDOOR book festival located on a CEMENT SIDEWALK beside a BRICK BUILDING on a day when the temperature was in the high 90s and the humidity was approximately 15000 %. Here I am, and if you think I look bad now, you should’ve been there later, when my nametag somehow got stuck in my armpit.

As you can see, even my Faithful Fox had had it. Still, thanks very much to the intrepid Harriet, indie book store goddess, and all her helpers in their pretty purple sundresses.

Cheers, too, to my friend Laura Walter, who took the photo and looked especially fetching in her we-are-about-to-encounter-kryptonite sunglasses and cute baseball cap. Jeers, however, to the man who stood beside my table busying himself with his deluxe phone.  I had a sneaky hope he was about to show me  a nice review of one of my books, and smiled up at him encouragingly.  Instead, he intoned “97 degrees” and showed me the numbers to prove it. 

More soon…