Thursday, May 28, 2009

Charleston, tonight. Pawley's Island tomorrow.

The Bootylicious Tour is heading to barefoot territory tonight: In Charleston at Blue Bicycle Books, 5 to 7 PM for the Spoleto Party Series. I'm excited to be in Charleston for Spoleto-- an historic city drenched in art! I'll be bringing along a boot planter, becasuse it's hard to keep the planting soil in a flip-flop.
Info here:

Thursday May 28
Blue Bicycle Books

Book Signing
5-7 pm
420 King St.
Charleston, SC 29403
843.722.2666
Blue Bicycle Books


Tomorrow: I''ll be speaking and reading at a luncheon I'm really looking forward to for Litchfield Books on Pawley's Island. The Moveable Feast will be held at Carefree Catering on Hwy 17 South. Here's more info about Litchfield Books:

Friday May 29
Litchfield Books

Moveable Feast Luncheon
14427 Ocean Hwy Unit G
Litchfield Landing
Pawleys Island, SC 29585
Litchfield Landing
Pawley's Island, SC
Pitchfieldbooks.com
litchfieldbooks@worldnet.att.net


Monday, May 25, 2009

On Zen donkeys and bookstores

Scroll on down to see a picture of a zen donkey.
I'm heading to the Queen City tomorrow, boot planter in tow, where I'll be signing books at Park Road Books: Tuesday May 26,
6:30 pm, Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road, Park Road Shopping Center, Charlotte, NC 28209, Tel: 704-525-9239 Park Road Books

And, as promised, here are a few pictures from last week's Bootylicious Boot Tour stop at McIntyre's Fine Books mcintyresbooks.com, in Fearington Village, near Pittsboro, NC. It used to be a dairy farm, and now it's a community and village. What I love--besides McIntyre's, which is an excellent bookstore that always has a crowd for readings--are the belted cows and this... zen donkey. Sunbathing in the mud, here, have you ever seen a more content creature, dwelling in the now?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Scenes from the Bootylicious Booktour

I've got so many sole-ful experiences and photos to share from the ongoing Bootylicious Booktour, it's hard to know where to start. I know, I know. The longest journey begins with one step. One boot at a time.

So, from my visit to Quail Ridge Books--one of the most dedicated bookstores around-- in Raleigh last week, a few pics. I gave the bookstore a boot planter, pictured here, with succulents and a plant called "Jamaican Rope."

And speaking of cool names...While in Raleigh, I stayed a hotel called The Velvet Cloak. Named after the chivalrous Sir Walter of course, but it just sounded deliciously euphemistic. I'll meet you tonight at the Velvet Cloak-- that's the kind of text msg or tweet that might get you in trouble. Come to think of it, it's also the perfect name for some gorgeous dark rose.

Don't want to clog up the bandwidth, so I'll post just a few pictures every day. Tomorrow-- McIntyre's Fine Books.



Quail Ridge in Raleigh

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Book Launch Party Tonght!

Book Launch Party Tonight with free food and adult beverages. Also live music--Celtic bluegrass. If you're in the area--Upstate, SC-- drop by, hang out, chat, celebrate. Because what else am I going to do with all this hummus and wine? And chocolate and crabcakes and fruit and cheese and beer?

Book Launch and Signing Party for SECRET KEEPERS
Tonight, 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Wine, beer & hors d'oeuvres
Metropolitan Arts Council
16 Augusta Street [across from Smoke on the Water, and beside the Lottery office]
Greenville, SC 29601

Books available for purchase at the party, courtesy of The Open Book
This event is open to the public, so please bring a friend!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Lic, cool and gleaming



After being on the road for a few days, I'm drained, and would like nothing better to do than put off the backlog of emails, thank you notes, guest blogs, readers guides, and event follow-ups just a little longer-- and spend this splendid day in the garden. Weeding, planting seeds--Love Lies Bleeding, Hyacinth Vine, more lettuce. Most urgent of all is taking out leggy Johnny Jump Ups and pansies and kale in the flower box and replace with some eager summer annuals.

But after the birds raised a ruckus, I saw we had a visitor who's living--temporarily?-- in the flower box. We've nicknamed him Licorice--Lic for short. He's...well, cute. Look at those beady eyes. You know I'm a fan of Mary Oliver's poem, The Black Snake ["He is as cool and gleaming as a braided whip"] so I'm flattered.

I guess I'll wait a while to replant the flower box, and get to work. Thanks, Lic. For cracking the whip.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Stepping Out...in Atlanta


I'll be reading from SECRET KEEPERS in Atlanta, at the Decatur Library tonight. Hope to see you there!

Monday, May 18
7:15 pm
Decatur Literary Festival

Hosted by Georgia Center for the Book
Decatur Library Auditorium
www.georgiacenterforthebook.org

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Malaprops Bound

On growing vegetables in my front yard, writing in the South, and SECRET KEEPERS: It's in today's Greenville News article by arts writer Ann Hicks: The Secret is Out

I'll be at Malaprops today at 3 pm in Asheville, NC, for the "Writers at Home" series, reading along with Marc Fitten, author of the highly praised debut novel, Valeria's Last Stand.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

On The Road again...

I'm on the Tarheel leg of my "Bootylicious" booktour this week--sorry for the puns, I can't help myself...it's foot in mouth disease...aarg...there I go again-- heading to three MAGNIFICENT bookstores. Hope to see you there!

Thursday, May 14
Quail Ridge Books & Music

7:30 PM
3522 Wade Ave
Raleigh NC 27607
(919) 828-7912
quailridgebooks.com

Friday, May 15th
McIntyre's Fine Books & Bookends

2 pm
2000 Fearrington Village
Pittsboro, NC 27312
mcintyresbooks.com

Sunday, May 17
Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe

3:00 PM
"Writers at Home" Public Reading
55 Haywood Street
Asheville, NC 28801
Tel: (828) 254-6734
info@malaprops.com
www.malaprops.com

Monday, May 11, 2009

And the Winner is...

The hardest part about conducting a contest is drawing just one winner. This must seriously depress the lottery folks. After the hoopla of someone winning 80 million, looking at all those crestfallen faces and spent scratch-off cards sort of takes the air out of the ol' balloon.

I do have a winner to announce: the winner of the Seedy Characters drawing is:

Andrea Ingala
from North Attleboro, MA

My mom picked Andrea's name from the big ol' floppy hat, and she'll be receiving a free, signed hardback copy of SECRET KEEPERS, along with a number of my favorite seeds--including Amaranth "Love-Lies-Bleeding." Congrats, Andrea.

For all those who entered the Seedy Characters contest--from Pennsylvania, to California; from Georgia and the Carolinas, to Texas and Minnesota and Oregon... from all over the land...THANK YOU. I wish I could send each of you a consolation prize. Some big, lush beautiful plant-- like a huge Angel Trumpet--or some heirloom tomatoes. Or SECRET KEEPERS: the home version board game. Like on the old gameshows-- Matchgame and Password.

I will be having more contests, though. And I hope you'll enter. Hope you'll find SECRET KEEPERS a great read, too.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Seedy Characters Contest: update

A quick update on the Seedy Characters Contest: for those of you who entered by midnight on Friday--and what wonderful souls you are!-- I'll announce the winner on my blog [and email you personally] later tonight. Don't mean to string you along--heh heh-- but the person who is choosing the name from the hat is not available until later today.

After Mother's Day dinner, I'll have the important, impartial name-picker--my Mom! Of course!-- delve into the big 'ol straw garden hat and choose the winner.

Meanwhile, Otto has taken his duties seriously, and guarded the names in the hat as they've grown into quite a pile.
Stay tuned!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Green Thoughts: These Deaths are Stingless

Advice from The Bard, himself, on my rain-soaked, weed happy patch of front yard:

Now 'tis the spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted;
Suffer them now, and they'll o'ergrow the garden,
And choke the herbs for want of husbandry.
--2nd Henry VI, II(3)31


Well, but first there's writing to do. Not to mention blogging. And reading. The NYT obituary section remains a favorite of mine. Weird, maybe, but packed with the most fascinating tales. Ah, the arc of the well-lived life! Take today's notice about Eleanor Perenyi, baroness, gardener, who never finished high school, lived in Connecticut, and left behind a treasure: Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden, "widely considered a classic in garden writing."
An excerpt:
“When will the final curtain fall?” she wrote in an essay on autumn in “Green Thoughts.” “Heavier dews presage the morning when the moisture will have turned to ice, glazing the shriveled dahlias and lima beans, and the annuals will be blasted beyond recall. These deaths are stingless. I wouldn’t want it otherwise. I gardened one year in a tropical country and found that eternal bloom led to ennui.” [my emphasis]
Reminder: As if you needed it. The "Seedy Characters" Contest ends tomorrow at midnight. Scroll down to see you can enter. Good Luck!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Seedy Characters Contest: four more days

If you'd like a chance for a free signed hardback copy of Secret Keepers, along with a "seedy character" package of seeds from my own garden--including Amaranthus, Moon Flower Vine (pictured here), and Hyacynth Bean Vine (and if you don't plant, you can always give them away...and Mother's Day is imminent you know)-- email me: 1) your name 2) your mailing address and 3) in the subject line of the email write "Good Blog Contest." Email me at mindyfriddleATgmailDOTcom by midnight on Friday, May 8.

I'll have a disinterested party choose a name out of a big ol' floppy straw hat and that name could be yours. I'll post the winner's name on my blog. Good luck!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Contest: Secret Keepers & Seedy Characters


Tongue Orchids. Love-Lies-Bleeding. Soul Shines. Secret Keepers. Read all about it on A Good Blog is Hard to Find where I'm guest blogging today.
"The call," by the way, is an assigned topic for the month-- how writers found out their first novel was going to be published.
And freebies! Find out how to win your free signed copy of Secret Keepers and a package of my favorite seedy characters.

How I got the call? Funny you should ask. I'll tell you...a few paragraphs down. You can also find out how to win a "seedy character" package and a free signed copy of Secret Keepers. Scroll on if you like. Or take your time and read about the inspiration behind Secret Keepers, my second novel, just out this week from St. Martin's Press... continue reading.
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