Ozzy & The Situation

I've made it to St. Louis! I caught an early flight out of Chicago this morning, did a library event this afternoon, then was taken to dinner at the Blueberry Hill Diner--a rock 'n' roll type diner that will be hosting the one and only Chuck Berry in their "Duck Room" on Wednesday night. Too bad it's Saturday! Plus, it's already sold out. Go Chuck, go, go, go! Now a little tour insight, for those of you who may be curious: The publishing house uses a driver to get the author to their events. (Can't trust us to know where we're going!) Sometimes this is a car service--a black "town car"--most commonly used for those early or late trips to or from the airport. Sometimes this is the region's sales rep--the person who is very familiar with the area and the book stores and your books. Sometimes this is an "escort" - someone from a private company that drives you to the venue, stays through the presentations, and helps process the books as they get autographed. The car service is nice, but there's usually little conversation between you and the driver. The sales reps are fun because they work for the same company you do and there's always tons to talk about. And sometimes you go on wild adventures, getting lost, or whatever, and it's all okay because, hey, you were yakking and laughing and nowadays you just turn on the GPS and get back on track. But so far on this tour--except for trips to the airport--it's been all escorts. Escorts are all different. Some have big personalities, some are rather quiet. Some drive SUVs, some drive BMWs, some dress up, some don't, some meticulously vacuum their car, some don't...but they've all had a huge variety of people sitting in their passenger seat, and although, as professionals, they never "dish" about other clients, they will, if asked, share the positive things they've experienced while transporting "stars." And I like to ask! So here are a few things I've learned so far this trip: Ozzy Osborne is the sweetest man you'd ever want to meet. "The Situation" is very polite. Everyone--including J.K Rowling--has had dismal attendance at signings when they're first starting out. All little nuggets, I think. Anyway, that's it for today--off to check in at home, then get some sleep. It's been a long day!