by Kelly Pickerill
Howard Frank Mosher was at Lemuria last night signing his new book, Walking to Gatlinburg. Though this was one of Lemuria’s more modest events, such a good time was had by us booksellers speaking to Mr. Mosher about his book tour and his new book that I wanted to share it with you.
Walking to Gatlinburg is about a young man named Morgan who journeys to the South from Vermont during the Civil War to find his brother, a doctor in the Union Army who has gone missing. As Morgan’s chasing down his brother, he’s being chased himself by a band of escaped convicts who are desperate for something he’s got in his possession. Along the way to Gatlinburg, he meets several eccentric characters, including a weeping elephant and a woman who lives in a tree. He also meets a young slave girl, Slidell, whose mystery and beauty captivate him and who may hold the answer to why he’s being pursued. Mr. Mosher told us the story that inspired him to write Walking to Gatlinburg, and then was eager to tell us about his next book, which he happened to be researching at the very moment he was chatting with us…
He’s going to write a book about his book tour! He’s driving around the country in his beat-up sedan, popping into around 100 indie bookstores. Ours was one he was really looking forward to, he said; he’s been here for some of his earlier books, and always loves exploring our store. I enjoyed getting a sneak preview of some of his adventures — he told me a few nights ago his car broke down when he was ten miles from a stop on his tour, with thirty minutes to go till the curtain opened. He unloaded his equipment, including a slide projector and a tripod screen, and hitchhiked to the bookstore. Of course he was ignored by the first 200 or so motorists, but when he was finally picked up, the truck driver who gave him a lift shook his head in disbelief the whole way to the bookstore, thinking his publisher was making him hitchhike to his events! After the event last night, I checked out Mr. Mosher’s blog and found that he gave me only a small taste of the antics he’s been involved in.
One of the best things about meeting so many authors is talking to them about books. Writers are book lovers just like us, and it is such a treat to get to talk to them about their adventures in reading. We have a wonderful time at all of our events; even when the attendance is not ideal, getting to make the connection between a book and the fascinating person who wrote it is great fun.
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