Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Web Site Still Down

I was hoping to announce my revamped web site is up and running. But it isn’t, not quite yet. What’s worse, you can’t visit it in its old configuration. But by the end of this week, it should be available in all its glory.

This past Saturday I went to Raymond, Minnesota, to give a talk at their public library. The little town is about two hours west and north of the Twin Cities. They did their best, handing out brochures and putting up signs, and even got me a big front-page story in the weekly Raymond-Prinsburg News. (Yes, Prinsburg.) But the librarian warned me that “people in Raymond just don’t turn out,” and sure enough, they didn’t. I gave my talk to her, her assistant librarian, and one other person. Such is the life of a mid-list author.

We had some violent weather in the Cities over the weekend. A tornado ripped through the suburb I live in, mere blocks from where we live, and another – or perhaps it was the same one, lifting up and then touching down again – on the near north side of town, uprooting big trees, smashing cars and unroofing houses, actually killing two people. Times like this make me start to think about living somewhere else, somewhere that doesn’t have tornadoes. But where? If it’s not tornadoes, it’s hurricanes, and if not hurricanes, then earthquakes, or blizzards, or drought, or tidal waves. I don’t think there’s any safe place.

On the other hand, winter seems to have finally loosened its grip. We had a final frost warning just last week, but now the tulips and daffodils are finished and the lilacs are in bloom. Soon enough, we’ll be complaining about the heat.

12 comments:

Carol S said...

How disappointing about the turnout for your talk; I certainly would have been there. Hope your publishing house takes them off the list for future author visits.
Good luck finding a place to live that doesn't have natural disasters (I have made that same hunt before!). We had storms last night here around OK City but thankfully no tornadoes; maybe later today, weatherman says. After seeing Joplin and hearing about Minn. tornadoes, I had the storm shelter cleaned up and the important papers packed and ready to jump in last night. We had a tornado hit 1/2 mile away two years ago, not fun.

Julie said...

Been there, done that. The question I most dreaded after a signing was, "How many books did you sell?" Sometimes the answer was gratifying, but sometimes the less said the better. As Carol S says, I'd have been there.
And this spring the weather in Indy has been, well, not boring. My next chore is go pick up the limbs that are down all over the yard. And potential for more rain/storms later today.

signlady217 said...

Glad you're all OK. My in-laws are in Big Lake and Savage, MN, and in Wichita KS. My folks are in Little Rock and surrounding communities and in Memphis, and we're in NE MS. This weird weather has a lot of people freaked out, I know.

Monica Ferris said...

Why is it, I wonder, why the transition from winter to summer brings tornadoes down about our heads, while the transition from summer to winter doesn't?

Monica Ferris said...

I will be more careful about posting signings and talks in Oklahoma and Indiana - an other places, really - to encourage attendance.

Betty Hechtman said...

Monica, I thought about you when I heard about the tornadoes in your area. I'm glad you're okay.

I'm sorry about how your event turned out. I was on a panel at a library that turned out about the same.

Streaming said...

I hope the tornade didn't get to you and you are ok.Take care of youself.

Monica Ferris said...

Carol S, are you all right? The news is reporting dangerous tornadoes in your area!

Carol S said...

We survived again last night. Tornado was tracking about 6 miles north of us where it tore up the west end of Guthrie, OK. It was a scary evening for all around OK City and the state.

Ellen said...

It's not scary weather (I hope!) but Monica's new web site seems to be up. No guarantees, because it takes a while for the address change to propagate through the system, but it's up here in Minneapolis.

Monica Ferris said...

WEB SITE NOW UP! Go to Monica-Ferris.com to see what's new. Easy to navigate, lots of interesting pictures, sample chapters, stories, appearances.

Terri Thayer said...

Libraries are so supportive of mystery authors, but sometimes the crowds just don't come. It's too bad. I've had that experience too.

Glad you're all right. These tornadoes are frightening. Hope spring arrives in full force soon.