Like a Rhinestone Cowboy...

I've been getting cards and letters from people I don't even know.

Okay, that's not exactly true. But lately I have been getting Facebook friend requests from total strangers, which kind of baffled me. Remember, I now have a one-month-old son, so baffling me is easy these days. Ask me a question, and my first word will be, "Um..."

Then there'll be a 5-10 second pause.

Then I'll say, "So..."

Then I'll pause again. I may even randomly leave the room.

Then I'll ask you to repeat the question. Possibly from the other room.

2+2. These days, I question whether or not the answer is actually 4.

Seriously, 22 is a totally reasonable answer to this.

So anyway, I'm easily baffled - this we now know. And eventually, I figured out the influx of odd friend requests. I was probably getting these because I wrote a book, a few people have actually read it, and this is what they do if they like it. They understandably want to link up to whatever author, musician or artist makes a positive impact.

I was not so prepared for this. So here I am now, scrambling to oblige all comers.

See, I am by nature a private person, yet achieving my goal of becoming a published author has put me in a very public place. I have absolutely no complaints about this, but I've also struggled to tiptoe the privacy tightrope. Just what can I share that allows an audience into my life, while simultaneously not wholly compromising my family's privacy on such an open forum as the internet?

To continue swiping the words of Glen Campbell: "There's been a load of compromisin' on the road to my horizon." So in an effort to accommodate those I haven't yet met who wish to befriend me, I've succumbed to professional pressure, and have created a Facebook Author Page. Because truly, you're nobody until you're somebody on Facebook. And even then, you're still pretty much a nobody. You're just a nobody on a much more public stage.

So please consider joining in on the Facebook fun - there should be some sort of badge linking to the page over on the right. Here I will try to keep everyone current with blog posts, reviews, events, contests, idle chatter about 80s culture, my secrets to maintaining health and sanity while sleeping two hours a night, and so on and so forth. From time to time, I'll probably also even give away Thank You For Flying Air Zoe swag. Some of it might even be useful!

For example, in the tradition of Nike's amazing Air Jordan's, here is a peek at my primitive handmade Air Zoe's:

(NOTE: Special thanks to Old Navy for their sponsorship. They don't exactly know they're sponsoring my career, but I'm sure they'd appreciate it.)

The above pic is a snapshot of my very first author table at last Saturday's Book Fair at the fantastic Firewheel Books and Beans in Everett, WA. I hope to chat more about the event in a future post, but if ever you're in downtown Everett, do stop by for great coffee, vinyl records, and excellent hospitality.

And FYI, these limited edition Air Zoe flip-flops come with a 90 minute warranty. Act fast - these won't last long!

No really, I'm pretty sure the stickers will fall off by September at the latest.

Do stop by the Facebook page if you have a moment, and as always, thanks for flying!

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