Kicking Off Our Paperback Tour in a Good Way

We’re kicking off the paperback book tour of Following Atticus in a way that’s near and dear to our hearts.

When we were given an opportunity to decide how to launch the paperback we wanted to do something special to help a worthwhile organization.  Therefore we are teaming up with Laura Lucy of White Birch Books and Virginia Moore of the Conway Area Animal Shelter on a fundraising dinner for the shelter.  It takes place on August 7 and starts at 6 pm and will take place at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in North Conway. 

Laura, Barb, Jane, and Karyl, the lovely ladies of White Birch Books, will be on hand to sell Following Atticus and we will be on hand to sign them.  Better yet, White Birch Books is going out of its way to one again help the shelter by seeing to it that the animals will receive a portion of any book that is pre-ordered through them.  They had a similar arrangement for the hardcover launch last September and they raised quite a bit. 

The following was taken from the Animal Rescue League of NH – North press release:

Tom and Atticus have been very supportive of the Animal Rescue League of NH – North, most recently helping the Conway shelter raise money to help Scruffy, a little Shih Tzu found abandoned in a box on a hiking trail in the White Mountains. Tom recently rescued William Lloyd Garrison, an older Schnauzer, from the New Jersey Schnauzer Rescue Network. “In thinking of how neglected Will was when we adopted him, and about how Scruffy was heartlessly left behind, I’m reminded how fortunate we are as a society to have organizations that save and rescue animals from dire situations,” Tom commented.

Tickets are $50 per person, and for a special price a limited number of VIP seats are being offered to sit with Tom, Atticus, and Will at their table on a first-come first-served basis. There will be a raffle that evening for two framed and matted, limited edition prints of the poster of all 48 of the 4000-footers that the duo climbed. The prints are signed by Tom, Atticus, and map artist Kathy Speight Kraynak.

We’re thrilled to have Will helping to kick off our tour this time around.  It will be the first opportunity many have to meet the newest member of our family. 

For more information on this event and to order tickets please call (603) 447-5605 or e-mail vmoore@conwayshelter.org. To pre-order books please contact White Birch Books at (603) 356-3200.  We’ve also been told that the Red Jacket Mountainview Resort is offering a special price for those who want to stay overnight.  I know they are going out of their way to help the animals at the shelter as well. 

In the coming days we’ll be announcing where else we’ll be appearing on tour.  But first I have to say that when the economy went down the drain a few years back, author tours were one of the quickest things to be cut in cost-saving attempts.  We were honored to have a tour last fall, but to have a second tour for the same book is beyond exciting.  We are looking forward to getting out on the road again and visiting with many of you at your local independent booksellers.
 

I know there are a lot of people who will tell us they want us to come to Chicago or North Carolina or Miami, but it’s not that simple.  Our publicists at HarperCollins hear from bookstores that really want to host us and who will go to lengths to make sure we have a well-attended event. So keep in mind that when you see the list in the coming days, it’s been carefully thought out by our team.  Second, because I won’t fly Atticus on a tour and we drive everywhere, there are certain limitations to where we will go.  More on this in the near future.

But fear not, even if we are not coming anywhere near you, you can still pre-order a personalized autographed and pawtographed paperback copy of Following Atticus through White Birch Books at (603) 356-3200 – and a portion of each sale will help animals in need.     

Following Atticus and Scruffy bookmark to be given out at dinner.