I've been on my book tour for one day and one month, and it has been unlike any 31 days in my life.
I've certainly never learned so much in 31 days, although the month I learned long division was fairly educational.
So many clichés apply: You can teach an old dog new tricks. We can escape the bubble that is Hollywood. People should talk to strangers.
I'm all a Twitter over social networking. I have thousands of new "friends" via Twitter, Facebook and MySpace; and my e-mailboxes are overflowing with good wishes. (My dog has also received thousands of emails. I promised I'd say thanks for her.)
Alas, another venerable Hollywood institution, the fan mail service, is obsolete. It wasn't that long ago that I remember women with names like "Darlene" and "Lu Ann" forging autographs for celebrities from the basements of the studios, networks and their respective warehouses. Fan mail would come in by the truckload, and Darlene, Lu Ann and their helpers would get a few cents per photo to write "Best wishes" and imitate a very large and legible version of the star's name in a color that was supposed to be the celebrity's favorite color.
I hope those nice women saved their money, because there's no place for them in social networking. There's no forging, no faking, no inventing new favorite colors. Everyone who tweets, emails, comments, friends or pokes knows too much about me for some stranger to make up a reply or try to guess what I'd say.
My husband had a great talent for having a pulse on pop culture and anticipating what the public wanted. I can't imagine what he could have created if he'd had the advantage I do of being able to communicate one-on-one with thousands of people, all of whom have something they want to convey.
Book promotion and publicity are still new to me, and it's incredibly exciting. Telling my "Stories from Candyland" has provided an amazing way for this shy person to interact with people I never would have had the chance to know. Thanks, "friends," for your stories and for sharing your spaces and faces.