Peg Kehret Blog

What a good week this was! It began with a “dedication presentation,” one of the most fun things I get to do as an author. I don’t tell anyone who a book is dedicated to until it’s published. Then I give the first copy to the honoree. This time, I changed the rules a bit because Runaway Twin is dedicated to my dear friends, Jenny and Jerry. I don’t have copies of the book yet but I wanted to tell them about the dedication while their niece was in town visiting. Kirsten is an elementary school librarian who regularly recommends my books and I knew it would be exciting for everyone if I made the presentation while she was here. I used an advance reading copy, which is an uncorrected proof of the book, but it had the cover and the dedication page. Jenny and Jerry were pleased and excited, Kirsten took many photos, and I had the most fun of all.

I finished my new book - all except the title which I’m still working on - and sent it to my editor at Dutton. She likes it a lot and so do the rest of the staff so that one is now scheduled for 2010. No matter how many books I publish, I’m always on pins and needles when I submit a new manuscript as I wait to hear back, and I’m thrilled every time when I learn that the publishers like what I’ve done.

Rosie, my latest rescued cat, got adopted, and it’s a perfect home for her. She will be the only pet, and an indoor cat. The woman who adopted her is a wonderful, down-to-earth person who has always had a cat, and I’m ecstatic that she chose Rosie. Someone else had come to see Rosie two days earlier but I felt uneasy about that situation and decided it was not a good match. This time, I have no qualms.

I’ve also had fun visits with friends this week. I went with Jenny and Jerry to our small county fair where I particularly enjoyed watching a demonstration by the Boeing Company’s bomb-sniffing dogs. I had lunch and a good chat with Marilyn one day; breakfast and some snooping in thrift stores yesterday with Ron and Mark, two of my player-piano buddies. Tonight Larry and Myra Karp are coming for dinner, along with their daughter, Erin. I don’t see Erin often but her husband is out-of-town this week so she decided to come along. Erin is a fellow cat-lover and one of my favorite people.

The one unhappy event this week was the announcement that Lindon Books is closing. I’ve had a link from my web site to this store for a couple of years, offering autographed copies of my books. That link is being deleted. I’ve done many events at Lindon Books over the years, and the owners, Robin and Brianne, have become friends. Having their wonderful, small independent book store go under is a terrible loss to my community and to me personally.

To end this on a happy note: a new friend now resides in my dining room. When Robin told me they’d be selling everything in the store, I immediately asked, “What about the moose?” Every year at Christmas time, a huge stuffed moose was part of their window display, and I had always loved him. When Robin said the moose was for sale, he came home with me. I do not have a large house, so finding a good spot for a four-foot-tall stuffed moose was not an easy task, but I did it. He fits perfectly in my log home.

Today I am wearing my Disney World 1999 T-shirt, a souvenir of Brett’s tenth birthday trip.

My parents took each of my children and my brother’s children on a special trip when that child turned ten. As soon as we had grandkids, Carl and I knew we wanted to continue the tenth birthday trip tradition, and we had great fun planning those excursions.

Brett was first. I was invited to speak at a conference in Orlando the week of her tenth birthday, and that seemed a fine destination for a child. It was also a way for her to see me in my professional role. We had so much fun that a year later when I returned to Orlando for my first Florida Young Reader Award, we took her with us again.

Chelsea’s trip came next. She liked country music, so we spent several days in Branson, Missouri, seeing all the shows, including the Radio City Rockettes.  We took Eric, our wildlife watcher, on a cruise to Alaska. I’m not sure which he liked best - our visit to a raptor rehabilitation center or the unlimited buffet meals on board ship. Mark, our baseball fan, went with us to see the Seattle Mariners play in Los Angeles, where we ended up on TV as we cheered for an M’s homerun. My son, Bob, taped the game, so I have a video that shows Carl, me, and Mark clapping and yelling at the ballpark. Of course, since we were in L.A., we also went to Disneyland.

The tenth birthday trips are a special bond. When Eric comes to visit, we use my Alaska mug. When the Mariners play in L.A., Mark and I look at the TV screen and find where our seats were. When the Rockettes came to Seattle, we all went to see the show that Chelsea had enjoyed in Branson.  And if anyone says, “Orlando,” even in a TV commercial, Brett and I look at each other and say, “Let’s go!”