the day that was: Melissa Firman, George Shaw, Small Damages, Truth

I began a blogging conversation with Melissa Firman of The Betty and Boo Chronicles so long ago that I can't remember the first prompt, the earliest words.  Melissa and I share many things—proximity (at least until a transfer took her west), friends, a love for our children, a love for books—and the first time I actually met Melissa was on a bitter cold night, when she came to a talk I was giving about the impact of place on my work.  She came bearing books, my own.  She has built, over time, an embarrassingly generous Beth Kephart library.  Even as she does so many things, for so many others, and even as she keeps her Facebook friends abreast of the special people in her life.

And so Melissa's words today, about Small Damages, are the words of one who has read an oeuvre with great care.  They are the words of someone who has carefully, patiently watched my work evolve over time.  Reading Melissa's blog post was, to me, akin to reading a scholarly piece.  I learned so much and became so absorbed in Melissa's thinking that it wasn't until the end that I remembered that she was writing about me.  This post was so exceptional that my publicist, Jessica Shoffel, sent an email earlier:  Making sure you saw this one.

I share Melissa's words at the end of a day of many emotions.  We honored our George Shaw this morning at a beautiful service in which grandchildren read, a son eloquently remembered, and family and friends and neighbors knit tight.  How proud George is, looking down, on his gigantic community.  His son referred to George as an extraordinary ordinary man.  My own son, sitting near me in the pews, said later that that is the best kind of man. 

After the service and lunch I came home to read Handling the Truth one last time, for it is bound for copyediting soon.  I'll never quite forget the note Lauren Marino, my Gotham editor, wrote last night to tell me that we are entering the book's next phase.  Having just sat here today and read all 61,000 words through again, I hope it is all right to say here that I am so at peace with Truth.

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This touched me

Paths cross.  A blog post finds a blog reader, and the writer finds the reader, and a friendship begins.  Melissa is one of the first people I met out here in the land of blogs, and she has kindly become a real presence as well, finding me at talks or blogger conventions, stepping into the quiet chaos of my world.

This post, on her wonderfully eloquent The Betty and Boo Chronicles, touched me deeply.  She called it, "I've Been Seeing Beth, In All the Most Surprising Places."  It returned to me some of my past.

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Scenes from the Book Blogger Convention...

which was so well run, so informative, and so rippled through with companionable energy:

The Javitz Convention Center.  Yours truly flanked by the gorgeous Natasha (Maw Books Blog) and the stunning Nicole (Linus's Blanket).  The faithful attendees, of the very last BEA week day, after the very last session, as seen from the very last seat of the Author/Blogger Relationship panel discussion.  Yours truly with the one and only Lenore.  Yours truly with the always-kind Melissa of The Betty and Boo Chronicles.  And never last and never least:  The fabulous Amy of My Friend Amy (in person!) as well as the very dear and intelligent Wendy of Caribousmom. 

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Heart Full

I have said this before; I grow redundant.  I don't go looking for reviews of my work.  I don't Google my name, I don't check Amazon ratings, I learned the hard way:  One gets burned.  When a new book comes out, I grow especially nerveless—make fewer trips around the land of blog to protect myself from happening across something I was not meant to see.  Like Georgia in The Heart is Not a Size, I have learned, after all these years, how to manage my anxieties.

Again and again, however, goodness finds me.  Earlier today, a blog comment pointed the way to Solvang Sherrie's kindness.  A few days ago, I stumbled upon these words by S. Krishna (and felt ashamed for not saying thank you sooner).  Just now, while posting my Tinker review on Facebook, I encountered this (oh! goodness!) from dear Melissa of Betty and Boo.  Around my house and in my files are vestiges of other kindnesses.  They are not (will not be) forgotten.


Thank you.

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