Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Arizona Libraries


Not sure if you can enjoy the great panorama of White Tank Branch Library.
You can play spot the Sylvia in the photo. Outside there's a park full of my favourite cacti, the Saguaro.

I also visited Tombstone Public Library as it was right next door to the Wild West show and we had 15 minutes to spare.
I find librarians the best source for local tourist hotspots, they can tell the truth about restaurants etc, where as government tourist people have to remain unbiased. They know the history of towns better and plus they like books and are often thrilled to meet a writer.


The librarian at Tombstone was exceptionally friendly and asked for a business card, promising to buy my book as well as my traveling buddy Gisella Sherman's.

I also visited Phoenix Pubic Library to thank the "Ask the Librarian" for all their previous e-suggestions on what books are set in Arizona. When you respond to same, there's no inbox to accept your thanks. That librarian wanted to know if I was hoping to "break into the U.S".

"No," I answered. "I've written for 25 years and lots of my books are in the U.S. Just not in this library." She took my bookmark to order Last Chance for Paris but I'm sure, as an urban librarian, she was a bit jaded, perhaps even besieged by budding (or ageing)writers.

But the library was gorgeous with a pond in the middle and wide open spaces throughout.

All three libraries were worth the mini detours.

Bringing Up Piggy

While I'm known for writing about Beauty the dog, in Arizona we went horseback riding 'cause I love horses. Mac, my steed, apparently has been on TV as bounty hunter Dog's ride.

Well, Mac, I'm a bit of a celebrity myself as I've been on Sonja Dunn's television show reading from Bringing Up Beauty.

For the trail ride I brought my shockproof, waterproof, dustproof camera (love it!) but sadly it is not idiot proof. I left the camera on after downloading so there was no battery left and hence no riding shots of me and my fellow cowboys.

My husband only took photos with his high-potential-for disaster camera before the ride when all the farmyard animals befriended me. As I was patting an Australian shepherd puppy, this pig came up and nuzzled me for attention. I felt like a barnyard Cinderella when the chicken came up from behind to check me out.