Letters Books Paradise Author Events Readers Photos Reviews Press Home   Happy 2006….. Are you ready for a funeral like no other? My third novel, Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral is being released on January 31 and that's the focus of my world. I took a deep breath New Year's Day and am diving head first into plans for a nationwide tour that will take me to almost all of the cities in Annie that my new characters visit. I'll start out here in tundraland -- Wisconsin, happily head south to Florida, cruise back to Chicago, and Minneapolis, take a big bird down to New Mexico, then to San Francisco and after that, Seattle. Watch my events page for details and if I am visiting a city near you I do hope you will come by and see what this funeral is all about. I also hope to do another tour in June in my old Jeep through the heartland and into communities, towns, smaller cities and all the places where Annie had connections and where many of you live. If you want to arrange an event in your town e-mail me and I'll get out the map and see what I can do. And to make this book, its lively characters, and their amazing adventure even more interesting I am beyond pleased to announce that Annie has been optioned by a major Hollywood producer who has tremendous passion for my work and words. Stay tuned for details which I will share as they develop. Is this cool or what? I've been playing the "Who Will Star in the Movie?" game for weeks now. Help me out on this one -- Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Diane Lane, Diane Weist, Jane Fonda -- well, read the book and you can play too. Annie's story is one that I think many of you will love. I really wanted to write about loss and love and grieving in a way that celebrates relationships and yet allows us all to grieve. And loss, as you know, can mean many, many things. So many of us are taking care of elderly parents and attending funerals of friends and relatives we have loved who still nestle in our hearts. So many of us need to know that it's okay to celebrate a life at the same time we grieve about the loss of it. Annie Freeman surely knew all about that and she leaves quite a gift for a group of women who were all very important parts of her fascinating life. And then there is the fun part. The remembering. The toasting of life. The connections we make that never die -- ever. Well, for crying out loud, which you will do, read the book and join the funeral. I'm strapped here to my computer until I leave, plotting out a new book, stretching my ruptured disc, helping my son work on college scholarships, celebrating my daughter's 16th birthday (Oh my gawd…!), looking for shoes for the 2006 high school Twirp dance, writing political columns, reloading the bird feeder and hoping to see you along Annie's funeral procession route. Bottoms up. As Always,
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