My signing in Scottsdale last week was lovely. Better than lovely. Perfect. Even considering that I felt like the butt of every blond joke I’ve ever heard because I swooped in … only to find the store empty. I was an hour early. It was entirely Verizon’s fault. But I could hardly carry my cell around, pointing to its clock to prove it. Yep, my cell phone got the AZ time wrong when I landed in Phoenix. Apparently the Blackberry folks who programed the phone forgot that AZ doesn’t switch to Daylight savings when the rest of us do. Silly me, I believed IT, rather than the bedside clock in my hotel. (Said to self: “Hmm, you’d think a hotel of this stature would have remembered to set the time right.”)

The great thing about arriving an hour early, though, was  that it allowed a weary traveler (moi), to yak a bit with the great folks who run the bookstore, sit in a place that I truly believe replicates a bit of heaven (at least the bit of heaven I’d like to go to) surrounded by BOOKS and all things book related. I was graciously shown to a high-back wing chair in a  quiet spot, given an icy bottle of water, and allowed time to soak in the atmosphere of this delightful, well-known store.

Then, to my delight, I was introduced to someone I’d known only through Twitter — Lesa Holstine, book blogger, tweeter, and book lover, who was kind enough to stop by, and will include the Poisoned Pen event in an upcoming blog post. What an incredible woman she is! I would have missed our visit entirely if I hadn’t arrived early.

It was also a joy to meet Irene Ziegler, author of  Ashes to Water. I could have listened to Irene’s presentation  throughout the evening. Even her spoken words were lyrical, literary, and engaging. I hope our book tour paths cross again sometime.

Joanne Hamlton-Selway led our book discussion that night. She did a great job tying in two vastly different books and including all the guests in the Q & A time. I also enjoyed visiting with the book lovers who turned out on such a hot, hot night. (109 in Scottsdale that day.) Brave souls, these.

As for the tub. I stayed in a gorgeously restored 1950’s hotel, the Valley Ho in Scottsdale.  A Jacuzzi style tub was the focal point of the room. After the signing, that and a glass of Pinot Grigio was all I needed to complete my vision of heaven. Sigh.

Blessings of love, joy, and peace …