Some New Friends

I made friends at the bookstore the other night. It was the perfect setting too. Cool spring night, Grimaldi's perfect pizza for dinner, Old Town Scottsdale, and a breeze coming through the bookstore's open door. It was the perfect place to talk books, share ideas and make friends. Author CJ Box told great stories, applauded US as readers, and made me feel like we could be buddies! CJ Box writes a mystery series based in Wyoming featuring a game warden, Joe Pickett. I have never read any of his books but I'd heard lots of great things about him and figured that Rich would like him too, so off we went to meet a new friend!! The crowd was full of questions and CJ Box catered to us all. Wyoming, as a setting, actually becomes another character in his books, and those from Wyoming seemed to flood the audience. It seems that everyone there had either been there or was from there. (We had traveled all across it two times this summer so we felt like experts ourselves!) I loved the story that he shared about a comment that he got on his blog one time from a woman who ended up being Gary Cooper's (the actor)daughter! She had been introduced to CJ Box's books and felt that the main character, Joe Pickett, was a lot like her dad; a man's man and one of intelligence and integrity. She had just figured that no one wrote about guys like that any more. His publicist contacted her and they ended up meeting. Chuck (we're friends now, ya know!) said that he sat in awe of her the whole meeting! What a personable guy! I can't wait to try his books now.
I also met another friend; the woman sitting next to me. We talked forever. I loved learning about her journey to Arizona and her discovery of self. I left the store wishing we had exchanged phone numbers. Next time I will follow that inspiration!! I went out to the bookstore with my best friend and came away with even more friends - and a few books too!!!!(don't tell!)