I'm back home from the US tour. I had a wonderful time, but it's unbelievably good to see my womenfolk again, and to sit in my own comfy little office, writing blog posts and books.
I tried to break the jet lag in one go, which meant staying awake throughout the day. When I couldn't stay awake any longer, at 9pm, when I'd been awake for 45 hours, I collapsed and slept for 10 hours. It seems to have worked though because I feel more or less normal.
I nominate these awards from the trip:
Best public transport system while on tour: the Seattle buses. Especially the cool way they turn into electric trams in the tunnels underneath the city. Why doesn't every US city have these?
Best intercity trip: the Amtrack from Ann Arbor to Chicago. Comfortable, cost-effective, and incredibly convenient.
Best Airline: Frontier Airlines. Flew with them from San Diego to Detroit. They have real people at real check-ins! No machine replacements for people! Staff who seemed genuinely happy to be there! Totally crushed both United and American. Well done, guys.
Best coffee and muffin: Bakery, (that's its name) in San Diego.
Best non-private-friend place to stay: Inn at Michigan League in Ann Arbor.
Career highlight: the ancient mystery panel at Bouchercon.
Weirdest moment: every time I walked into a store and saw my book on display. A huge thank you to "M" is for Mystery, the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Mysterious Galaxy, Aunt Agatha's, and Centuries and Sleuths.
I tried to break the jet lag in one go, which meant staying awake throughout the day. When I couldn't stay awake any longer, at 9pm, when I'd been awake for 45 hours, I collapsed and slept for 10 hours. It seems to have worked though because I feel more or less normal.
I nominate these awards from the trip:
Best public transport system while on tour: the Seattle buses. Especially the cool way they turn into electric trams in the tunnels underneath the city. Why doesn't every US city have these?
Best intercity trip: the Amtrack from Ann Arbor to Chicago. Comfortable, cost-effective, and incredibly convenient.
Best Airline: Frontier Airlines. Flew with them from San Diego to Detroit. They have real people at real check-ins! No machine replacements for people! Staff who seemed genuinely happy to be there! Totally crushed both United and American. Well done, guys.
Best coffee and muffin: Bakery, (that's its name) in San Diego.
Best non-private-friend place to stay: Inn at Michigan League in Ann Arbor.
Career highlight: the ancient mystery panel at Bouchercon.
Weirdest moment: every time I walked into a store and saw my book on display. A huge thank you to "M" is for Mystery, the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Mysterious Galaxy, Aunt Agatha's, and Centuries and Sleuths.