Yesterday morning I watched a robin bathe itself in our bird bath. It splashed itself with the water over and over. Shook out its feathers and perched on the lip of the bath in the sunshine.

By the time the bird flew away I was nearly in tears. There was something deeply moving about this small creature taking a moment of pleasure. I realized that I had a part in the bird’s moment of peace by refilling the bird bath each day.

Right now, I am that robin and each kind word, each review, each time someone tells me something new about my book, I feel myself dipping into the water of the bath and shaking out my feathers. You are the ones who are filling up that bath each day. Thank you!

This has been another great week for me, beginning with a quick visit to New York City to read at Sunday Salon NYC. My thanks to Sara and Nita (wonderful hosts!), to my fellow readers (all fabulous), and, most of all, to everyone who attended for providing such a warm audience. Danny Goodman kindly posted some photos of the event.

Tuesday night, a dream came true for me when I got to see The Avett Brothers. I’ve loved their music since the first time I heard it seven years ago. Their live show exceeded my high expectations. My hands are actually bruised from clapping. My husband reluctantly joined me but left the show a fan. A thrilling night.

My promotional efforts for Echolocation are winding down, but this next week is going to be a big one.

On Tuesday, I’m going back up home to upstate New York, where I’ll be reading at SUNY Plattsburgh. I’m already feeling emotional about it because it’s a coming back to where my writing life began. It will be a miracle if I get through the reading without crying. For more details, please read this wonderful feature in the Press Republican: Plattsburgh State Alumna Returns with Debut Novel.

On Friday, April 27th, I’m thrilled to be lecturing at Clark University. My lecture will be unrelated to Echolocation. Instead, I’ll be speaking to a fiction class about flash fiction, which was the focus of my master’s thesis.

Friday night begins the Newburyport Literary Festival. I’ll be heading over to the Dinner with the Authors where I hope to hang with Victoria Barrett, Andrew Scott, Matthew Quick, and Alicia Bessette.

On Saturday, April 28th, I’ve got two events at the festival:

Authors and Editors: Working Together, Saturday 1:00 PM, Unitarian Universalist Church

What is the relationship between author and book editor? How closely will you work with an editor before your book is published? What is the process from acceptance to publication? What’s the difference between an independent and a traditional publisher? Ann Kingman of Books on the Nightstand will moderate this panel of authors and editors from independent and traditional publishers, including author Matthew Dicks and his editor Brenda Copeland from St. Martin’s Press and author Myfanwy Collins and her editor Victoria Barrett of Engine Books.

And:

Echolocation by Myfanwy Collins Saturday 4:00 PM, The Book Rack:

In this stunning debut novel, Myfanwy Collins lays bare the hearts of three lost women called together by their own homing instincts in a season that will change their lives–and the place they call home–forever. Echolocation is literary fiction at its finest. Listen to Myfanwy Collins read from this harrowing tale of love and loss.

If you are in the area, I do hope you’ll drop by the festival. There are tons of events for young and old. It’s a reader’s paradise. I’m so proud to live in a town that not only sustains two independent bookstores but also hosts this wonderful, vibrant festival.

As always, thanks for reading.