So I had my suitcase in the hall, along with my clothes and travel goodies. I’d squeezed in all my appointments so I could be on an airplane today for the “Fight for the Future” Tour. That name proved to be all too accurate.
Delta emailed me two days ahead of my flight that was to be today to say my plane to Atlanta was cancelled. I called them and the recorded message explained with the high volume due to the storm, they had hired more people to answer calls. My call was outsourced to India after a “three to four hour wait” (it ended up being two and a half hours).
This epic “crippling” storm is hitting exactly the area I was to tour where they are warning people to hunker down.
Ice accumulation will knock out power for hundreds of thousands of people and litter roads with fallen tree limbs and downed wires. In addition to the weight of the ice on tree branches and power lines, gusty winds at times will also add to the widespread power outage threat – weather.com
See people abandoning snow-covered cars on the highway in Charlotte today: https://vine.co/v/M7B1LXbBF0d
So my sincere apologies if you were hoping to meet me. Believe me, I am very disappointed not to meet you. I was looking forward to the events, seeing author friends in two states that I have never visited before.
The Malaprops signing for tomorrow has been cancelled. I am mailing signed bookplates and swag to the four bookstores. Assuming it’s safe on one of the three remaining stops left in that area, local Meagan Spooner & her writing partner Amie Kaufman, (These Broken Stars) and perhaps local Jodi Meadows (Incarnate), would love to see you! And you will want to meet them. Just call the bookstore that day to confirm.
Stay safe, everyone.
Update: Our cancellation at Malaprops was covered by Publishers Weekly:
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Ashville, N.C., tried to keep its regular hours, but closed at 2p.m. on Wednesday ahead of the snow storm. Thursday it opened two hours late and closed at dark. The cold was also a problem, and the store canceled its Mystery Book Club meeting on Monday night because of it. Weather forced it to cancel its Sci Fi YA panel yesterday as well, which was to have included Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman, authors of These Broken Stars; Jodi Meadows, author of the Incarnate series; and Lissa Price, author of Enders. Bookseller/book buyer Caroline Christopoulos described yesterday as ‘reflectively quiet’ and said that business was ‘quite slow.’
