I’ve been on book tour for The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and indeed, I’m still on book tour! Come see me at an event if you have an evening.
Many amazing things have happened to me on this book tour, and when I have a moment to catch my breath, I plan to write about a few of them. I think of the many babies in baskets I have encountered (and the one cat in a basket), the spectacular islands of Washington, the Fikry-reading Sasquatch in Anacortes, etc., etc. I have bought more books than I will be able to read in my lifetime, been stuffed with pie, lefse, cupcakes, Orca-shaped cookies, and love, seen numerous friends, chatted with booksellers of every taste and constitution (quite a few A.J. Fikrys, as is probably to be expected), met readers ranging in age from toddlers to 80+, and yes, visited twenty or thirty bookstores, each delightful in her own way. (I do not know that I will ever tire of visiting a new bookstore.) And the tour is not quite half finished!
However, the reason I write you tonight is because of an event I did earlier this week at Books Inc. in Alameda, CA. A reader handed me a letter along with a bar of admirably dark chocolate. The letter concerns the Anya Balanchine books, and it answers a question that many of you have been asking me for months (and that I have promised to answer for months): namely, what DOES Win’s acronym mean in In the Age of Love and Chocolate? She was VERY close — all but three words. My corrections are in black ink. 
So clever! I’m so glad you posted this. I never figured out the whole thing and I didn’t think I could love Win anymore than I do!
Thanks for sharing!
I have notice… in your writing its so fluffy and good like similar writing skills to Christopher Moore in a way.. I think that is the author I am thinking of hopefully! I have been a fan since Elsewhere and will continue to be please continue to write.
I have a gripe with you, Ms. Zevin. I missed not one but TWO bus stops because of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. It added an unwelcome 10 minutes to my already long commute home. Shame on you for drawing us so intensely into the life of A.J. Fikry and away from our mundane rituals!
Actually, thank you for sharing it with us. It was a delightful escape.
Hello Ms. Zevin my little sister is a huge fan of yours! Is there an address I can mail a copy of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry for an autograph? She is turning 16 in December and I would love to be able to give it to her as a birthday gift.
Gabrielle,
My name is Kate Buffington and I am the Coordinator of the Writing Center at St. Paul’s School for Girls in Brooklandville, MD. We are looking for an author to visit our Middle School in February or March of 2015. Many people here are big fans of yours!! I would love to know if you are available during this time to come and visit our school! Please let me know about your availability and rates. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon!
Kate
kbuffington@spsfg.org
I just finished reading The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry as our private country club’s Book Club selection for December, and wanted to THANK YOU for writing it. I loved it.
Ms. Zeniv,
Just a note to thank you for the lovely gift of AJ Fikry….I loved every character, I love every word, and I wanted to weep at the wonderful way it ended. Thank you, Thank, you.
Dear Jennifer, You are so welcome! And thank you for reading! —g.
And I forgot to say something very important…one of my best friends died of a glioblastoma in September….I KNEW she could understand me right to the end, and I KNEW that the answer to everything was love. You did a beautiful job with that.