Just ordered the big breakfast with a side order of wi-fi at McDonald’s in Marshall, IN. Cool and clear this morning. I can now check “slept in a Walmart parking lot in an RV” off my bucket list. We would have gone to a camp ground but they all start shutting down this time of year so Walmart and truckstops become defacto rest areas for the RV set heading south.

I’m struck by the enthusiastic greetings I’ve received at every bookstore I’ve gone to whether they were in Canada or the US. And the staff seem really taken with my parents. I guess it’s not everyday an author rumbles up in a big RV with his folks.

Highlight this morning – stood out in traffic to guide the rig back out of gas station after we fueled up with diesel. I am happy to report I did not back my dad into a telephone poll. Missed it by a good seven inches.

After seeing the crazy snowstorm that went through New York and the eastern seaboard I’m not complaining about Canadian weather again! It’s been beautiful here in southern Ontario. Perfect fall days.

Yesterday was a looooooooooong day. Visited 6 Chapters & Indigo stores – Oshawa, Kennedy Road in Toronto, Milton, Guelph, Waterloo and Kitchener. I have ties to most of these places. I was born in Toronto, my brother went to the University of Guelph, I did my Masters at Wilfrid Laurier in Kitchener-Waterloo. Received a wonderful reception at every store. The staff across the board were very nice and incredibly professional. I signed all the books they had finally settling on my disposable fountain pen as the best one for writing. Each book has a little message in elvish in it, too. You’ll know what it means once you see it.

We covered around 400kms which I think equals 2,000 miles or something when you make the conversion 🙂 Today, I’m in London and currently sitting in a Starbucks attached to the Chapters bookstore. Kendra of the coffee and pastries section, was a huge help in getting me connected so that I didn’t have to attempt writing all this on my tiny Blackberry. Thank you, Kendra!!!!

Donna was a saint on the book side rounding up all the copies of the series for me to sign.

Earlier today I was in the Coles bookstore in Argyle Mall. You can follow them on twitter @colesargyle  I urge you to do so as they are currently working to get their lease renewed so they can stay there and keep serving the reading public. It’s a great store with absolutely wonderful staff. My parents go there all the time and they’ve treated them well each and every time. A special thanks to Cathy for choosing Ashes of a Black Frost as her staff pick. Also great to meet manager Sandy and Mel, dressed as a fallen angel for Halloween. I thought the wings meant Victoria’s Secret model…

In parent-son news, I haven’t been disowned. We have not one, but two GPS systems working as we chart our course and thus far my mother still spots the turn off signs before the satellites. I suggested we shoot her into space to help with the navigation, but the look on her face suggested that was a no go. My dad thought it was funny.

My access to my blog won’t be regular as I travel, but I’m tweeting my fingers off to keep everyone updated on what’s going on. If you aren’t following yet and want to keep up with the adventures of author and parents as they load the RV and head south for the winter, pop over to Twitter and follow me at @cevansauthor  In Facebook news, I’m just 51 fans away from hitting a big milestone – 1,000!  To celebrate, the 1,000 person to like my Iron Elves page gets the satisfaction of being the 1,000th person to do so…but I think it’s entirely possible there is another contest in the offing. Stay tuned. The secret found in the Lost Library is pretty cool and will be revealed soon.

Cheers from the road!

Chris

Other than the cold snap, (which I’m playfully tweaking my homeland about) I’m having a terrific time. I realized this is my first real vacation this year. But let’s be honest, going to bookstores to meet fans and sign books is not work. This is fun.Every time I set foot in a bookstore no matter where I always feel a sense that I’m coming home.

Lest anyone think I’m only focusing on big chains, I visited two independent stores yesterday – Greenley’s in downtown Belleville where I met proprietor Tammy Grieve. The store is quite large and has an entire second level that’s not obvious when you look at it from the street. Very neat and organized. In the afternoon I went to Novel Ideas on the main strip in Kingston. For those who don’t know Kingston, it’s a university town which means when you see all the students walking down the street you suddenly remember you went to school a loooooooong time ago. They looked like kids. Did I look that young when I was 19? Anyway, Novel Ideas is another wonderful independent bookstore and well worth a visit.

I really enjoy visiting stores and saying hi and getting to know the people that work there. They’re readers, book lovers, and they’re the folks on the front line fighting for our society’s literacy rate. I often ask what they’re reading because odds are it’s going to be something interesting. That’s why (if you’ve ever wondered) why I go out of my way to get names and cards and mention them on my blogs. They aren’t likely to show up in acknowledgements, or get a shout out at an awards show, but they are indispensable and make bookstores the haven they are for fans of the written word.

In other news, I bought my parents a new GPS for the trip. This one has a bigger screen and more functions. Now I just need to find out how to search for routes to the nearest place with a senior’s coffee discount and my dad will be thrilled.

I’m in “holy cow I forgot how cold it gets” Canada thinking all those jokes about the Great White North have a grain of truth to them after all. Guess my blood has thinned over the years living in the deep south. So far, my trip has been fantastic! Met a great friend, Anna, who moved from Brooklyn to Mississauga and surprised me with early birthday presents, and got a chance to hang out and talk with Regai at the Chapters in Ajax. Regai keeps building sites safe (or at least can tell you why something went terribly, horribly wrong afterward 🙂

Before I forget, S&S Canada just posted a blog post interview I did with them:

http://simonandschustercanada.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/qa-with-chris-evans-author-of-the-iron-elves-trilogy/

Fun family dinner with my parents and aunt and uncle at Canadian institution Swiss Chalet (which admittedly sounds like it should be a Swiss institution). Been over a year since I ate at one of them. I apologize to anyone offended by the sounds I made while eating, but oh, baby, that chicken…

Huge thanks to Manager Eric and Pablo at the Chapters in Etobicoke where I signed all the Iron Elves books they had.

Thanks, too, to Christine at the World’s Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto for helping me as I signed their very impressive pile of Iron Elves books. If you’ve never checked out the store you really should. It is impressive! And the sci-fi and fantasy section is spectacular which is due in large part to the efforts of Jessica Strider. You can check out her blog at http://scififanletter.blogspot.com/

And another big thanks to Meike at the Indigo in the Eaton’s Centre. It’s just a couple of blocks from the World’s Biggest Bookstore.

Oh, and we were diverted while driving downtown by the Occupy Bay Street protest which I didn’t mind as I think it’s an important issue to redress the insane imbalance in wealth around the world. Not sure I’m all the way with Robin Hood on this, but the capitalist system is clearly tipped too far in one direction right now.

Ok, end of politics, back to books. There is just something about being in a bookstore that seems to bring out the best in people. I’ve been meeting the nicest, most helpful folks you would ever want to encounter. Had a long, fascinating talk with Lance at the WBB about military history. He’s a bit of a mirror image in that he’s American and moved up to Canada to work.

Lot’s more to come so stay tuned.

Chris and Regai inadvertently plugging Starbucks in the Chapters in Ajax

It’s easy as you get older to let your childhood sense of wonder get shuffled to the back of the closet as you focus on the seemingly endless array of adult responsibilities that come to dominate your time. Growing up is natural and necessary, but I’m finally understanding that it doesn’t mean one also has to grow old. I’m not even sure I’m prepared to say I’m a geek or a nerd for loving fantasy anymore. I didn’t think I was when I was fifteen, and you know what, I don’t really think I am now. I’m just someone who enjoys the adventure a good fantasy can offer.