Ready to hear about PHASE 2 of the Revenant Road Trip? (Phase 1 here: New York City launch party and quick picture of me freezing my booty off while driving through the Appalachians).

Well, to get from New York City to Lexington, Kentucky, Kim and I had a LOT of driving to do. Especially since we got lost LOADS of times. Getting lost is kind of a specialty of mine, and I hadn’t realized before that Kim is pretty good at it too.

It looked like this much of the way...

So we took our time *cough* driving the 720 miles, pulling over to sleep a few hours in Cumberland, WV, and occasionally stopping off at fine establishments like this to scarf down our meals.

Blackmail photo. (Kim is my chef friend whose brownies were on Oprah. She's not a fan of fast food.)

Once in Lexington, we drove straight to Morris Book Shop to see Alison, who has been a friend on the internet since long before DIE FOR ME, yet who I had never met in real life. I signed a stack of books at Morris and then Alison took us out for coffee and stories, giving both Kim and I parting gifts of Heads Off & Split, a book of poetry by local Lexington poet, Nikky Finney. (Which I can’t wait to read!)

Alison and me outside of Morris Book Shop

After that, Kim and I did a quick costume change and then it was straight to Joseph-Beth Booksellers, where the extremely capable Erin had everything set up and ready for the event.

Poster-sized Kate

Stacks and stacks of swirly Kates

After introducing the book, I read the Pere Lachaise cemetery scene from Chapter 6 and then answered questions from the audience.

It looks like I'm saying something really important. (Either that, or I'm doing The Robot) Photo: Lori Tincher

A very enthusiastic crowd had turned out for the event, including several folks I already knew from blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

My favorite part of events: meeting my readers!

It was a special treat to meet high school librarian, Lori, who was one of the people who suggested a Lexington stop to me on FB. She brought her nephew, Layne, with her as well as a whole bag full of locally-made candy and candles. I felt totally spoiled. And then, after I signed stock for Joseph-Beth (yes – there are still signed copies stuffed with bookmarks available at the store! 🙂 ), Erin gave me a copy of Gail Carriger’s SOULLESS, which she had been raving about. Another must-read to take back to Paris in my suitcase. (Which now weighs 100 pounds.)

Me with Lexington fan, Layne. (Note bag of Lexington-themed presents to left.) Photo: Lori Tincher

Afterward, Kim and I took our hosts, Josh and Margaret, to dinner at an amazing restaurant and then crashed in order to ready ourselves for our Lexington-Birmingham drive the next morning!

To be continued…