For all of you who have been asking if I will be coming to your hometown for my LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT book tour, here is a tentative list:

San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Detroit, Milwaukee, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Chicago

We will also add cities if there is a demand, so if you have a venue in your town that invites authors, let me know! 
 

Now that I have finished the first draft of LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT, I am on to my next project, losing the baby weight. My baby is now a year and a half  years old so I’m not sure how much longer I can call the souvenir pounds from pregnancy “baby weight.” I used that excuse for about seven years after my first two but this time, I am determined to move faster! Writing is not the best career for losing weight…a lot of sitting, interrupted by breaks to get a snack.

Wish me luck! It’s easier to write a book than to lose weight…

I just got back from spending a week in Wisconsin and Iowa. That was my first time in that part of the United States. It’s another country! Having lived in California for almost thirty years, I am used to dense housing and crowded roads, not vast open spaces with corn fields. It was absolutely fascinating! I spent almost a week with Kathryn Koob, one of the former hostages in Iran in 1979. I’m writing a story about that experience. Let me just say this…Kathryn is an AMAZING woman who chooses to live life without hatred or resentment.  It was an honor to get to know her.

I am certainly looking forward to going to Dayton now. I know for a fact that there is one person there waiting for me, Mary. Hi Mary!

I just returned from the first ever Carmel Writers Conference which was a big success. I love discovering new writers at these events. This time, it was the poet James Ragan. LOVED him. I also heard Irshad Manji for the first time. That’s one bold chick.

If you ever have a chance to attend a writers conference, go! Your really do leave feeling smarter.

I leave for Wisconsin next week. I will be speaking at the university in Madison. (Have I mentioned that I love Wisconsin extra sharp cheddar?) You know what will be in my suitcase on the way back…

I will also be going to Iowa. More on that later. In the meantime, keep reading! I’m in the middle of a book by Lolly Winston. Wish I had more time to read.