I got up at 4:45 AM to head to the airport.  Fortunately, over the past couple of days I had packed everything, a suitcase (clothes, granola bars and nuts, hand sanitizer), a duffel filled with (very heavy) bookmarks and newsletters, my compter case, laptop loaded with all the files I’m working on, and Kindle loaded with the books I’m reading.

Rebecca went with me to the airport, flying out for a four-day conference of her own in San Francisco.  (She often goes along on all or part of the tour, but this time the schedule is just too rough.)  On the flight to Seattle, I managed to answer (but not send…backward airline regulations, grrr!) 19 emails to take care of various business items while I’m gone—final editorial comments on several Blood Lite 3 stories, some planning for Writers of the Future in May, correspondence with my agent and Tor’s publicist.  Then when I got off the plane at about 10:30, I was ready to focus on the tour.

Brian was waiting for me in the baggage claim area, busy working on his laptop—he’s up to page 450 on his final edit of The Sisterhood of Dune.  He was energetic and ready to go (he had done 9 dropby signings yesterday in the Seattle area).  Our author escort, Joy, pulled up at the curb after I had reclaimed the baggage, and I sat in the front seat because Brian wanted to keep editing on the laptop in the back seat.  (He works even more intensely than I do, sometimes!)

We drove off to do two dropby signings on our way to our lunchtime appointment, a talk and booksigning at Google Headquarters.  Brian’s daughter Kim met us at the second store and accompanied us, helping us with the signings and the Google appearance.

Dropby signing at Borders

At the sprawling Google complex, we passed through security, were met by Tim, our host, who treated us to lunch in the fabulous Google cafeteria.  It was a quick, but delicious meal, and then we headed off to the auditorium to give our first talk for Hellhole.  We had to collaborate on that as well, doing a lot off the cuff; we talked and answered questions for about an hour, then signed books, before heading out to do two more dropby signings in central Seattle, then went to The Signed Page, a mail-order bookseller, where we signed 50 Hellhole hardcovers.  Shawn Speakman, of The Signed Page, filmed an interview with us for suvudu.com, which has already been posted.

“Please Don’t Send Me to HELLHOLE!”
Google auditorium

Google crowd for signing

Next stop, to the hotel (4:00 now) where I checked in, took my bags to the room, then hurried to Brian’s room for a 4:15 phone interview on The Dragon Page podcast with Michael Stackpole and Michael Meninga (it’ll be posted soon).  We left again at 4:45 to do a final dropby signing, then an early dinner so we could make our 7 PM signing and talk at University Bookstore.

“Please Don’t Send Me to HELLHOLE!”
Duane Wilkins of University Bookstore in Seattle

Duane Wilkins, at the University Bookstore, has hosted the launch of many of our collaborative books (nine so far, I think).  They sell a lot of our books and have been very supportive.  Brian and I were pleased to see many familiar faces in the crowd, some of my past attendees at the Superstars Writing Seminar, fans who had driven all the way from Spokane, as well as Brian’s daughters Julie and Kim, Frank Herbert’s best friend Howie Hansen, and some fans who had brought charity-auction items for Japan relief.  After the talk and signing, Brian and I finished autographing the remaining copies of all our books for University Book Store (yes, you can still order signed copies from the University Bookstore website), during the flurry Shannon Flowers from Seattle Geekly interviewed us for their podcast (being broadcast tonight, I believe).

fans at University Bookstore in Seattle

Afterward—after five dropby stores, three interviews, a lunchtime speech, a mail-order signing, and the formal signing…not to mention getting up so early—I ddn’t have the energy to go out carousing, but Brian and his family went for coffee.  I got a good night’s sleep to recharge for Day 2.