Meanwhile, back at home...

As I take a break from my trips south
for my third book, I am at home in
time for my second book,
A Little Fruitcake: A Childhood in Holidays,
to return to book stores. Readers of
A Little Fruitcake will discover
why I'm so interested in small town
festivals--my own roots are in a town of
2,000 people in rural Maine, which is the
setting for the book. The 12 stories
in this book are all set around Christmases
as I battle with my grandmother and the
rest of my clan over how Christmas
should be. A Little Fruitcake was a Today
Show holiday gift pick last Christmas
but, as a seasonal title, has been hibernating
ever since. Now that the holidays are here,
it's available again, and I'm back to spreading
the word. It's a good glimpse of my affection
for small town traditions and my sense of
humor, both of which I hope to bring
to the new book.