Oh, the places you will go . . .

I’ve not been to Machu Picchu, Peru nor the Galapagos Islands, but my book has! A dear friend and her husband take an exotic trip every summer around the time that my books release, so being the dear friend that she is, Linda tucks my newest title (The Hatmaker’s Heart this year) in her luggage and takes it on adventures that I will probably never have. China. Africa (twice!). And this year to Peru and Ecuador. I love her for it and was teasing her about taking a picture in some of these lush locales. This time she did, and what a grand adventure they had!

IMGP0049

Ah, what’s a trip to South America without checking out the coffee? Doesn’t having a cuppa here sound divine?

IMG_1340

I believe the natives are snubbing their noses at great literature!

IMG_1402

All I can say is WOW! Only a true friend would take on the extra weight in her tote bag to carry a book up the steep incline to the top of the world at Machu Picchu! I can only imagine what the view was like from here.

IMGP0059

Aren’t Linda and Duane having fun? I can’t wait to hear all their stories and see more of their pictures. What a delight to take this mini-vacation with them.

It did start me to wondering, though, about the life of my books that I will never know. Like releasing a butterfly from your palm, once a book is out there, it’s impossible to know the flight plan, the destinations beyond my comprehension. I’ll never know whose hands might one day hold my book and crack the spine, be swept away into the imaginary worlds I’ve created. I’ll never know who might smile from a phrase on the page or wipe a tear because of my words. I’d like to think that my books take people on adventures they might not have known were it not for the words I’ve scribbled. It makes me tremble a little not knowing, but it’s also fun to fantasize the places my books will go.

Thanks, Linda and Duane, for sharing your adventure with me! I can’t wait to hear where you’re going next year!