Duct Tape: It's Not Just for Houses Anymore

This may seem like a funny title for a blog on book authorship, but---sadly---it will all make sense by the end. See, a few years back (I always say a few years because I am too lazy to stop and figure out exactly how many) my sister Noni was writing a book. Took her forever, too. To tease her, I went home one evening and wrote a book just so I could tell her, "Oh, I wrote a book last night".

Of course, hers was a full-length book and mine was a short children's story, so it wasn't quite the same thing! Anyway, after we collaborated on improving the story a bit, "Rahab's Promise" was published.

(Which is available on Amazon and as an ebook and in fine book stores everywhere. In case you were wondering.)

And that is how I found myself heading down to Glendive on Monday. The Adventist bookmobile was coming through and I was going down to sign a few copies of the book so the bookmobile lady could have them on hand. Oh, and Noni was sending signed copies of her two books also ("Peter: Fisher of Men" and "Malchus: Touched by Jesus" which are available on Amazon and as an ebook and in fine book stores everywhere. In case you were wondering.)

It was only two days after my birthday, so it was kind of my Happy Birthday Date with myself. I would get to dress up in something nicer than shorts and a grubby T-shirt and go do something professional. What fun! Tiggy was coming along to keep me company, so I picked her up at the school, then headed back by my house to do one more check on everyone before I headed down.

We turned onto my road and started over the bumpy gravel towards home.

And then my door fell off.

The van's sliding door had fallen off the other day while my mom had it. She got someone to come and put it back on, but it wasn't fixed yet and couldn't be opened. Well, it opened itself, and now I had a helicopter van---you know, the kind where you can sit in the doorway for quick and heroic exits. Only that wasn't the best kind of van for a 6 hour round trip.

Tiggy and I wrestled the door back into place there by the side of the road, then she sat in the back and held it on so we could make it back to the house. And then----yes, then---the world-famous- author-on-her-way-to-a-book-signing duct taped her door shut. Sigh.

I actually did a very nice job (I think, anyway) and the door held perfectly all the way to Glendive and back. But it did take a little of the professional glow off my day!