I met Christie Vilsack, the First Lady of Iowa, today. Actually, I’d met her a few years ago when Teen’s National History Day project advanced to the state level…but I didn’t really talk to her then. And Teen met her again a couple years ago when he participated in a book group that she attended. Today we actually talked to her! She was in town for RAGBRAI and she had a scheduled appearance at the Coralville Public Library (my home away from home). I thought I should go down and introduce myself because…two nights ago I got an e-mail from a librarian in West Des Moines…apparently, this librarian is working with Christie Vilsack on her online book club for middle school students. And they chose my Do You Know the Monkey Man as one of the August selections!
Christie told me she hadn’t read it yet, but she bought a signed copy at Prairie Lights yesterday and was planning on reading it on the way home. But then she was with Senator Dvorsky and his family yesterday and found out it was the Senator’s wife’s birthday, so she gave her my book as a birthday gift. Since she didn’t have a copy anymore, I gave her the copy I’d brought. Hey, it was the least I could do! Christie will go into middle schools all across the state and talk about my book…I like that she has a signed copy from me.
THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!