I just returned from a trip to beautiful Concord, New Hampshire. If you have never seen New England in the fall, add that to your bucket list. The light there is beautiful and compared to California, there is no traffic.

On my flight home, guess who I sat with on the airplane? David Sedaris. What are the chances of ending up on the same plane as one your favorite writers? Needless to say, it was the best flight ever. And yes, he is very funny.

I am getting ready to leave again before Thanksgiving. This time, I will be going to Virginia Tech and will also be taping a Meet the Author program for Fairfax County. That’s when an author is interviewed live and students from all over get to ask questions. I can’t wait!

From Virginia, I will go to Florida to speak at University of Tampa and then I will be the keynote for NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English. I have been wanting to be their keynote for about six years. Did I mention that teachers make THE best audiences?

I have some other exciting events on the horizon. In January,  I will be participating in the first ever Iranian American Leadership Conference for Women which will take place in California. In March, I will participate in Tina Brown’s Women in the World Summit, in New York.

In the meantime, I am working on a tween novel. No, it is not about vampires.

Be well, and read on!

-Firoozeh