COPPER GIRL Blog Tour: How Copper Faucets, Neil Gaiman, and a Rainy Night in Portsmouth Led to Copper Girl

I’m happy to share my blog with my good friend, Jennifer Allis Provost, as she shares one of her adventures that led to her awesome book, COPPER GIRL.

So here’s what happened:

It was 2010, and Neil Gaiman was touring for the tenth anniversary edition of American Gods. Being a huge fan of all things Neil, I had to go. Unfortunately, the closest stop was Portsmouth, NH, which is about two hours away. Which means, I needed to enlist a co-conspirator.

Enter Trisha Wooldridge, owner of the blog you are now reading. Being that she’s also a die-hard Neil fan, she was game. So I picked her up, enjoyed some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had (in Worcester, MA, of all places) and headed north. During the drive, I fished a bracelet out of the center console; it was green marble with a copper clasp. I gave it to Trisha (hey, she paid for lunch) and commented that copper was my favorite metal.

Once we reached Portsmouth we met up with another writer friend, one Justine Graykin. After dinner at a British-themed pub, we trekked over to the Music Hall, listed to Neil speak, read from American Gods, and be interviewed by the local NPR affiliate, and scored some signed hardbacks.

Right now, you’re wondering why I’m telling you all of this, and what this possibly has to do with Copper Girl. Patience. It’s coming.

After the event at the Music Hall was over, Trisha, Justine and I went to a local restaurant (for the life of me, I can’t remember the name of it – Portsmouth Brewery, maybe?) for drinks and dessert. (Side note: the common theme to all of my and Trish’s adventures seem to be drinks and dessert.) We hit the bathroom before we left, and let me tell you, that was one of the nicest ladies’ rooms I’d ever seen. It had granite counters, a terra cotta tile floor, and the most gorgeous copper sinks and faucets. While washing my hands, I remarked again that copper was my favorite metal.

“You keep saying that,” said Trisha. “Maybe you should write a copper story.”

And, I did.

The point behind my ramble is this: I was lucky enough to be with two creative individuals, talking and laughing and generally going on about the sorts of things I don’t normally get to talk about, like my love of Charles Dickens, and  literary tropes, and why libraries don’t have more funding than the defense department. I had the opportunity to be exposed to Trisha and Justine’s creativity, and I borrowed a bit of it.

Take away lessons:

Creativity does not exist in a vacuum – if you isolate yourself, you will never open yourself to new ideas. Place yourself with other creative individuals, and soak up their brilliance.

Inspiration is everywhere – even in a bathroom sink.

Have drinks and desserts with friends often – you never know where it will lead you. And, um, chocolate.

Want to win a Token replica from Copper Girl? What about a gorgeous Copper Girl T-Shirt based on the beautiful cover by Lisa Amowitz? How about a $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Certificate? Check out the raffle below!

Back cover matter:

Sara had always been careful.

She never spoke of magic, never associated with those suspected of handling magic, never thought of magic, and never, ever, let anyone see her mark. After all, the last thing she wanted was to end up missing, like her father and brother.

Then, a silver elf pushed his way into Sara’s dream, and her life became anything but ordinary.

Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MTBiNjRkMDYwN2U2MWZjNzBmNmM4YWEwNTEyODI0Ojg=/

Author bio:

Jennifer Allis Provost is a native New Englander who lives in a sprawling colonial along with her beautiful and precocious twins, a dog, a parrot (maroon bellied conure, to be exact), two cats, and a wonderful husband who never forgets to buy ice cream. As a child, she read anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a set of encyclopedias, but fantasy was always her favorite. She spends her days drinking vast amounts of coffee, arguing with her computer, and avoiding any and all domestic behavior.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jennallis

Follow me on Twitter: @parthalan

http://jenniferallisprovost.com/

http://jenniferallisprovost.blogspot.com/