DEAR FOLLOWERS,

Hi, there, followers of my blog. You were two and now you are five. YOU ARE WELCOME!

I can't post tonight but I've got some stuff piling up here, so tomorrow there should be new material. Oh, wait! here's a photo of my driveway, leafing out. You can see the house beyond and Thomas the Cat in the foreground:

Gorgeous, isn't it? I wish I could name all the different hues of green I see outside. (I also wish I weren't allergic to oak pollen.)

As long as I've opened this window and am typing, I do have one more thing to report: yesterday I drove to Valdosta, GA, for a reading/signing of the new book, THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokoftaand when I got there was surprised to see what a large space the Valdosta Daily Times gave me, announcing the reading, including a photo of me, and a picture of the book. What interested me most, however, were the questions my interviewer, Dean Poling (author of Waiting for Willie and Cowboy Boots and Pony Tales, asked. Try this: "With exception of young Maggie Rider who seems like a bridge from one era to the next, this book's characters seem to have a dual quality of being timeless while their time's running out. None more so than the tragic Gus. Not giving too much away, is it fair to say Gus represents the mystery of Florida's past and that when Maggie discovers Gus's mystery, one era ends and a new one begins?"

Sometimes the critics enlarge one's reading and Dean's question reminded me of that; not that I know the answer to his question. I did respond, though: "I think the reader decides that; really, I do. The book means whatever the reader takes it to mean."(And it will be that way until writers can stand over the shoulders of each reader and tell him or her what was intended.)

After the reading, my friend Mary Alice Warren and I met Haley and Barry Hyatt of Valdosta for food and drink at a charming place that allows its patrons to eat reclining on couches rather than at tables if they choose. I hope I get to go back to Valdosta soon. It's a charming city and I'm near certain I spent time with two of its most charming citizens.