Julia Scheeres Blog

I was on tour in Seattle last week - what a gorgeous city! It was my first time there, and the weather was perfect, with clear sapphire skies over the Puget Sound and the leaves turning brilliant orange and red. From the 73rd floor of the BofA observatory, you could see all the way to Mt. Rainier and the Cascades. After sampling the local honey apples, and blackberry honey at Pike Place Market and eating fresh fish for every meal, I was ready to move up there from San Francisco.

One of the places on my itinerary was 3rd Place Books, a funky bookstore/coffeehouse/cultural center where I did a reading. It's a happening spot. At the same time that I was reading, there was an author panel on the other side of the spacious store. The bookstore was another reason to fall in love with Seattle.

Never thought I'd be blogging, but here goes. Jesus Land came out on Oct. 1 and has gotten great reviews, which I'm happy about - everything from Essence to GQ to Entertainment Weekly.

Last Thursday I had my first reading at a Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books in San Francisco. I was extremely nervous and rehearsed for my hubbie several times before the event. It was easier than I expected. A big group of friends from the San Francisco Writer's Grotto showed up and provided encouragement, as did a glass of California chardonnay. In the end, it felt more like a celebration than a test. All I had to do was to remember my brother, and what I was feeling during the scene I was reading, and these measures translated into a powerful rendering of the events, two decades later.