My Ruby Slippers FAQ

Q:  What inspired you to write My Ruby Slippers?

A:  I started with a list of 13 addresses, which my mother had written in my baby book.  They were of all the houses I’d lived in before I turned 9.  When I was in my twenties, mostly out of curiosity, I set the intention to one day go back and see them all.  I’d been too young to remember half of the places I’d lived, and all that moving suggested a story I didn’t know.  Then I raised a family, went to graduate school, started a career…and the trip didn’t happen.  When my parents died in 1999, my daughters were mostly grown, and I decided that now was the time.  Meanwhile, I had become very interested in what it means to have a sense of place, so that idea shaped the journey.

Q: Were there any surprises in writing it?

It occurs to me that you may not have seen this gorgeous cover.

The Summer Tour: Are You On It?

The road is calling, and here’s the calendar so far (updated 5/27/11):

Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 6 p.m.  Barnes & Noble, 1260 Churn Creek Rd., Redding, CA

Saturday, June 4, 2011.  3 p.m. Eugene Public Library. Downtown, Eugene, OR

Friday, June 10, 2011, 7 p.m.  Elliott Bay Books, 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA.

Thursday, June 16, 6:30 pm, Sandpoint Public Library, Sandpoint, ID

Friday, June 17, 12:30 pm, University of Idaho Bookstore, Moscow, ID

Sunday, June 26, 4 pm, Big Hat Books, Indianapolis, IN.  Fundraiser for Indy Reads.

June 27-July 27: BLOG TOUR (stay tuned)

Thursday, June 30, 6 pm, The Community Library, Ketchum, ID

Wednesday, July 13, 6 pm, Book Worm, Omaha, NE

Saturday, July 16, 2-4, Barnes & Noble, Overland Park, KS.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011, Noon. Lindsborg Public Library, 111 S. Main St., Lindsborg, KS.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 7 p.m. Watermark Books,  4701 East Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS.  With paintings by Charles Sanderson.

Thursday, July 21, 2011, 7 pm.  Rockwell Public Library, 5939 E. 9th, Wichita, KS.

Friday, July 22.  Jackrabbit Hollow Books, Peabody, KS. Time TBA

Saturday, July 23, 2011, 2 pm, Hays Public Library, Hays, KS.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 5 pm, Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO

Thursday, July 27, 2011, 2 pm, Public Library, Montrose, CO

Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7 pm, Book Soup, 8818 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles

If you’re in or near these whistle stops, keep your eyes peeled.  Here on the My Ruby Slippers blog, and on my website, you’ll find updated information as events get nailed down.  If you “Like” My Ruby Slippers on Facebook, you’ll get updates sent right to you.

The My Ruby Slippers Book Trailer

Happy to announce my book trailer!  Created by Frederick Marx.  Music by Adam Schiff.  Enjoy.

My Ruby Slippers Goes on the Road

My Ruby Slippers: The Road Back to Kansas will appear in print in March 2011.  And in June, I’ll be taking it on the road with my traveling companion and husband, filmmaker Frederick Marx.

We’ll be stopping in at local places, celebrating local cultures, showing movies on the side of our trailer, and doing readings along the way.

We’ll also be filming our journey, interviewing people we meet, taking the pulse of this moment in American life.

The great traveling road show begins in California, winds it way up through Oregon and  Washington, east into Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, and down into Kansas and beyond.

To book a whistle stop, give a holler in the comments.  I’m happy to appear at your local bookstore, coffee house, library or living room.

And watch this site for My Ruby Slippers news.