Raarrrr! Red Robin brings out the animal in me, and my Uncle Rene Genesse.
Reno and Sparks, Nevada, November 5-8, 2009
It’s true. Some people were actually born in the Biggest Little City in the World—Reno, Nevada. I was born there, at St. Mary’s Hospital on May 29, 1973 at 7:38 AM. The weird thing is that I'm totally not a morning person.
Seriously, at the end of my book tour, I got to go to the place where I lived for five years, and then visited every holiday and summer for most of my youth.
Seeing my cousins, and old friends, was such a cool experience. I have the pictures to prove it (link below). When I was in Reno/Sparks, I also visited two schools, Marvin Moss Elementary, which went really well, and Swope Middle School—a truly amazing experience for me. At Marvin Moss, the writing workshop was really good, and the kids were so smart. They came up with a brilliant story about a blind girl with seeing-eye dog with supernatural powers. The story had it all. The kids get an A+.
My next stop was Swope Middle School. Several war veterans had just spoken about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan to the whole school (right before I came). For the first time ever at a school visit, I told the students a true story about how a Dragonlance book saved a soldier’s life. Tracy Hickman (the co-author of the book) told the story at a conference I attended, and I won’t repeat it here; but suffice it to say, books have a power that can truly save lives, which is why Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weiss were given the soldier’s medal, earned by him for bravery in combat. My visit to Swope was an amazing cap to my book tour. I gave one of the best speeches of the tour and I’m so happy I pulled it all together for the students.
The next day I had lunch with family and friends, then a book signing at the Reno Barnes and Noble, where I was the guest of Swope Middle School’s book fair. It went so well. Lots of kids came from Swope and Marvin Moss. I signed the last of my posters and had a big line. It was so great, and the dinner with family afterward was excellent. There was mayhem and fun at the dinner, and I got to hang with a cousin I hadn’t seen in many years. It was a wonderful night.
The very best thing about writing books, and going on tour has been seeing friends, family, and meeting the fans. Those connections matter a lot to me, and I met some amazing people. What I really hope is that I inspired the people I met along the way, because they inspired me.
Here’s the link to the pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162043&id=583339135&l=05fc4c3950
Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
www.paulgenesse.com
No comments:
Post a Comment