Fall 2019 Fierce Reads Tour Recap!
October 18, 2019 | 3:00 PM
Fall 2019 Fierce Reads Tour Recap!
By Team Fierce Reads
We've got good news and we've got bad news
Bad news first, of course.
The bad news is that the Fall 2019 Fierce Reads Tour is OVER.
The good news is we have an interview with our four tour authors about their time on the road! Keep reading to see what authors Sara Faring (The Tenth Girl), L.L. McKinney (A Dream So Dark), Katy Rose Pool (There Will Come a Darkness), and Margaret Owen (The Merciful Crow) have to say!
What's your favorite tour memory?Sara Faring: On our last night, after a hilarious and poignant event at Nashville literary paradise Parnassus, we all went to Martin’s Bar-B-Que and lined up for the best brisket, mac and cheese, and ribs I’ve ever had. We were all floating a little bit—the travel can start to make you a little loopy, but we all felt so lucky to be a part of that week. My cheeks hurt from smiling. I’ll never forget that night—full of good music, food, and conversation. I even picked up a t-shirt that said “we [pig snout shaped like a heart] BBQ” on it. My Argentine relatives would approve.
L.L. McKinney: The Spell Check cosplayers! It was the last night of the tour, and a lot of amazing things happened before that, but it totally made the trip. Also, free books.
Katy Rose Pool: When we all sang along to Lizzo on the way to our Chicago event (I think it was Chicago!) Maybe also the fantastic dim sum lunch we had in Houston.
Margaret Owen: A lot of the tour is one big happy blur, but I’d say it’s between seeing a friend who I hadn’t seen in years, and the giant plate of poutine in Ann Arbor.
What's one thing you wish you'd known before heading out on tour?SF: You know those super cool boots you want to wear for the very first time across America? They’ve got metal in their heels, and every single airport metal detector is going to be so angry about your sartorial choices.
LLM: To pack a set or two of clothes specifically for travel. Traveling in the clothes I had planned to wear that night got real old real quick, and so I used my extra “just in case” outfit for travel.
KRP: I mainly just wish I had taken more pictures! The week went by so fast and I wish I'd taken a little more time to document it.
MO: To bring more traveling clothes! I packed a couple different outfits for the events themselves, but didn’t think about having clothes for the plane each day. My comfy hoodie was VERY janky by the time I got back to Seattle.
Who's the first to show up—and the last?SF: First: our... collective hunger? Is it safe to say we were the most ravenous tour group ever, probably because we stopped in cities with such excellent food options? Last: L.L. McKinney’s signature sweet cocktail—she loves her cocktails sweet, and we love her for it. Except it sometimes really confuses bartenders ("you want... sugar water?").
LLM: It honestly varied. I was the last to show up sometimes, and the first to show up others!
KRP: Sara and Margaret were probably the most punctual. The last person to show up—probably me! If I wasn't grabbing a drink at the hotel bar before the event, I was likely a tad late, either because I'd forgotten to put on my earrings, got lost in the labyrinthine hotel, or had some sort of makeup mishap.
MO: I can’t tell you who was the first to show up, because I was pretty consistently the last one, haha!
What's your favorite fun fact about your fellow tour authors?SF: Elle loves those aforementioned super sweet cocktails and deviled eggs, two choices I couldn’t respect more (can we please go on a deviled egg tour of America?). Katy is—no surprise here—an expert world-builder who will help you work through complex book issues any time of day, even on an airplane, when you’re really doing it to distract yourself from flight anxiety. Molly has a witty comeback for just about anything and a tendency to accidentally order the most delicious item on any menu, so please just follow her lead when ordering. All three are impossibly kind-hearted.
LLM: All of us apparently love Halloween, fall, and spooky times!
KRP: Whenever we go out to eat, Elle always asks the waiter for the sweetest cocktail on the menu!
MO: If everyone’s answer isn’t the story about the poisoned tomatoes I’m going to be very disappointed. Don’t ask me, ask Sara!
That's a wrap!
We can't wait for the Spring 2020 Fierce Reads Tour—follow along on our social media (@FierceReads) or sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the who and where of next year! And until then, maybe check out The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring, A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney, There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool, and The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen.
