Tupelo to Jackson to Montgomery to Troy

Sorry for the long delay in updating. Things have been crazy out here on the road.

Our next stop was in Oxford, MS, where I spoke at Ole Miss and read at Square Books. I still can’t believe that we were able to get these gigs on my schedule. Ole Miss is one of the most prestigious English writing and literature institutes in the country, and it was an absolute honor to get to lecture there. Meanwhile, Square Books is one of the most renowned independent bookstores in the world. Such a thrill seeing my books in the store’s window when we arrived!

Without question the best part of being in Oxford— and Oxford, by the way, has undoubtedly been the best stop on the whole tour— was getting to visit Papa Faulkner’s grave. Being a huge fan of Southern Lit, I’d been wanting to visit Faulkner’s grave for quite some time. Faulkner being a notorious Bourbon drinker, this is how his grave is memorialized:

In Tupelo we arrived just in time for my signing at Reed’s Gumtree Books— undoubtedly the coolest name of any bookstore in the country. And living up to its cool name, they have one of the coolest booksellers in the country handling their events. Her name is Emily Gatlin and trust me, homegirl is fu-nny. After our event, we ended up at Emily’s house, where I signed the store’s stock at her kitchen table.

Among the many highlights of my time in Tupelo was getting to meet my literary agent, Mary Beth’s, family, as Mary Beth is a Tupelo native. In Tupelo, I was able to speak to both the youth and the adult service at Calvary Baptist Church. Wonderful people and wonderful times. Many thanks to Greg Morgan for organizing the event for me.

After Tupelo, it was on to Jackson.

Jackson was a great stop because it allowed me to stay with my buddy Collin, one of my best friends in the world. I lectured at Mississippi College on Monday and spoke at their chapel service on Tuesday.

After Mississippi College, we quickly shot down to Fairhope, AL where I got to sign at another one of the most prestigious independent bookstores in the country: The Page and Palette. We were only able to stay in Fairhope for two hours, because we had to get on the road for Montgomery, where we stayed with another of my buddies: Survivor heartthrob Bobby Jon Drinkard. I was on both the CBS and NBC affiliates in Montgomery the next morning…

… and then spoke that evening at Troy State University. Bobby Jon introduced me at the event, which was a real treat for me.

This morning we leave for Snellville, GA, where I will read and sign at the Borders at 7PM. Then, it’s finally back to NC, where I will roll into Charlotte and read and sign at the Huntersville Barnes and Noble at 7PM on Friday. I’m looking very forward to seeing old friends from Lake Norman and very excited about meeting some new ones.

The California leg of my tour begins on Wednesday the 10th.

Share on Facebook