Sunny Sydney!

As I mentioned in the previous post we have flown back to Sydney in order to attend my daughter Kelly's graduation art exhibition. We are all enjoying a bit of a break (and some lovely summer weather) in Sydney before we head back on the tour at the end of this week!

Ciao Milano!

We are in rainy Milan - our last stop for this leg of the tour. Saturday will see us flying back to Sydney for a short stay, to help our youngest daughter Kelly celebrate her graduation from the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales. We will only be there for less than a week before we head back to the United States and the second half of the tour. But what a wonderful place to say farewell to Europe…Italy, one of our favourite countries in the world!

After having a break yesterday (and a spot of retail therapy, which always does the trick!) it was back to work today with a full schedule of Italian media starting with an interview for the “Daily Media”, a local newspaper that focuses on communications and media. To follow I spoke with a journalist from another newspaper “Il Giornale”, also distributed here on a daily basis, and then an interview with a weekly women’s magazine “Freek”.

After a quick, but always delicious, Italian lunch we continued work with a meeting with “ANSA”, a media agency based in Rome. (In Italy the majority of Television and news media is located there). I followed this with a taped interview for the national television programme “Mediaset”. The crew also flew in from Rome. And my final interview for this section of the tour was with “Foto CULT”, a monthly photography magazine.

Tonight, some relaxation - dinner with friends who live close by; what do you do in Italy…eat…everything is so delicious. Our family are great pasta lovers, especially Steph, who has been reveling in sampling some of the local specialties!

Our Day as Hamburgers!

As you may have guessed already, we spent today in Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany. It was a very quick trip though as we flew in from Munich early this morning and left late this afternoon for Milan. I have never been to Hamburg before, so it was a shame we couldn’t spend more time there. We had a busy day of German media that included interviews with journalists from three separate newspapers; “Bild der Frau”, “Die Welt” (I have posted a photo of the journalist Inga and I above) and “Hamburger Morgenpost” - as well as a radio interview with local station NDR 09,3 and an interview and photo shoot with Germany’s largest photographic magazine “Photographie”. We were lucky because the hotel was situated by a beautiful lake in the very center of the city so we were able to take some photographs outside (even though it was freezing). Definitely a place I would like to come back to!

Munich.

We have just had a fantastic couple of days in Munich but sadly we are flying out tomorrow. Yesterday we had a well-deserved day off which Kel and I spent relaxing and walking around the city center admiring some of the beautiful architecture. Stephanie was a little more adventurous and went to explore one of the many famous castles in Germany; Neuschwanstein Castle which was one of the homes of King Ludwig II. I saw photographs of her day, and am a bit jealous…it looked incredible! The sense of history in Europe never ceases to amaze me. There was even snow around the outside of the city which was especially exciting seeing as we are from Australia!

But today it was back to work with a busy schedule of German media. First thing this morning I had an interview and photoshoot with “Bunte” which is Europe’s largest people-magazine that sells over one million copies each week! Next I spoke with a journalist from Austria’s “Woman” magazine, and then another journalist from a daily newspaper called “Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung”. To end the morning I had a taping for a German news channel; “RTL Television”. It was a very productive morning, and all the people that came to speak with me were so kind and had such insightful things to say about the book.

We then had lunch with our publishers here at a very delicious restaurant. It was so good in fact I don’t think I will be eating dinner tonight because I’m still full! To end the day I had a signing at Hugendubel, which is a German bookstore chain. They are very popular here, and are similar to Borders or Barnes and Nobles in America. I was really happy with how it went. It is interesting to do signings in countries where I don’t speak the language, but it is amazing how some things can always be communicated.

Amsterdam.

Unfortunately today we depart Amsterdam after a very short stay of just two nights. This was my third visit to the city, having been here on previous book tours. I love Amsterdam – it has it’s own unique character - truly like no other city in the world. The amount of bicycles is incredible and I hope that next time I’m in the city I have some time to hire one and join the locals (Steph had the afternoon off yesterday and did exactly that).

Yesterday was a full day of media at our hotel, which overlooks one of the many beautiful canals. In the morning I started with a taping for a well-known Dutch TV programme called “Shownieuws”. For those living here I believe that the interview will air on Monday 19 November. Next was an interview with the “Telegraaf” (the largest Dutch newspaper) followed by the “ANP”, the national Dutch press agency who distribute news to publications throughout the country.

Following a quick lunch with our publishers more interviews continued. First with “HDC Media/GPD” which supplies stories for regional Dutch newspapers. To follow I had two interviews for local magazines, “KINDJE Op Komst” (a popular magazine for pregnant women) and then “Bambini Kids”. Lastly I spoke with a writer from the largest Dutch book club, which also publishes its own magazine. All in all a very full day!

Today we are flying to Munich, which we’re very much looking forward to…so many countries and too little time to be a tourist!

Au Revoir Paris!

Sadly today we are leaving Paris, I wish that we could stay longer and see more of the city, although we did finish our stay in Paris with a very successful day yesterday. We were lucky to have a late start with the first interview, which was a taping for an episode of Direct 8’s “Femme d’Exception”. In English this translates to “Exceptional Women; what a great compliment and honor! It always makes me so happy to think that I have the opportunity to speak with many people around the world about my work, especially those from different cultures. Everybody that I have met in Paris has been so gracious and welcoming, as well as being very responsive to my book and the message that it carries. If anybody was wondering the French title of “A Labor of Love” is “Commes des Images”.

It may be interesting to those outside of France to know that the important news programmes of the day are aired at 1.00pm and 8.00pm at night, so I was very excited to have a live interview with a very respected news presenter here called Elise Lucet on the 1 o’clock news (13 Heures in French). Afterwards we had the afternoon mostly free so we had the chance to catch up with a friend of ours in Paris at an Italian restaurant of all places! Then to finish up the day I had another live interview on a television show called “Le Grand Journal” on Canal + television. The show had a live audience which is always refreshing as it adds an extra element to the interview in that there is a group of people to re-act with. Of course I had a translator for all the interviews today and this is something that I am slowly getting used to. It’s a strange feeling to have somebody in an earpiece relaying your words in French with a second or so delay. The translators who were with me today were great and especially talented in their field….it makes me wish I spoke more than one language!

We are flying to Amsterdam today, so more from there.

Bonjour Paris!

It’s always wonderful to be here in Paris, one of my favourite cities in the world. Kel, Stephanie and I arrived very early Saturday morning from Toronto (on one of those red-eye flights where it’s almost impossible to sleep). Even though we have visited many times before, for visiting Australians and New Zealanders, the sense of history is overwhelming. Yesterday we had the day off so we spent the afternoon wandering through the Louvre…or rather, call it more a “power walk” of the Louvre – we always visit when we are here, even if there is limited time. My favourite museum, Musée d’Orsay is unfortunately closed on Mondays.

But today it was back to work and what a busy day it was! I started with a rather amusing interview for a French Internet Distribution Company that supplies videos to a number of news and entertainment sites, including MySpace, Facebook and YouTube. The catch was that I had to speak in French! Anyone who knows me understands that languages are not my strong point. It was a good challenge though and it turned out to be a lot of fun. To follow I had two print interviews, the first with “Ouest”, the largest newspaper in France. And the second with “Questions de Femmes”, a popular women’s magazine. It is a completely different experience when doing interviews with people who speak a different language. Using a translator forces you to really think through what you are saying and reflect on new ways of getting your message across.

After lunch at the hotel I taped an interview for “France 24” first on location at a florist near the Champs-Elysées, and then at the café George V. Following this I spoke with a journalist from “Le Midi Libre”, another French newspaper published in the South of France. To conclude our busy day I have just completed a telephone interview with Canadian “Hello” magazine.

Now it’s off for some great French food for dinner!

Our second country!

As you may have noticed we have officially entered the second country for this leg of the tour….Canada! It’s very exciting to be here in Toronto because I haven’t had a chance to visit since my book tour for “Down in the Garden” in the mid 1990’s, which seems like an awfully long time ago now. It is a shame though that we only get to spend one full day here before we leave for Europe tomorrow. It is nice on the other hand to finally get to wear our winter jackets that have been taking up so much room in our suitcases.

I had three live interviews today, starting bright and early with a spot on CTV’s “Canada AM” programme followed by an interview back at our hotel with the Canadian Press. This afternoon I spent a very entertaining hour with Paul and Carol Motts on a live radio interview with CFRB Newstalk 1010. As I have mentioned in this blog before, it is a real treat to be able to discuss my book at length, as television segments are usually very short and punchy. I was pleasantly surprised by all the lovely people who took the time to ring into the show and ask me questions. But the highlight for me (and for Stephanie) was when she was asked to join me on-air for the last segment of the show. We both had a great time, and of course spent the commercial breaks photographing each other in our radio headphones!

This evening I had a book signing at Indigo books, which went very well. I was even able to catch up with Brianne (last photo), a lovely old friend of ours who is now a professional photographer here in Toronto. Thanks to everyone who came out in this very cold weather…well, cold for we Australians anyway!

Sunny Denver.

I have just arrived back at the hotel after a very busy day in Denver Colorado, but what a beautiful day it was. Having never traveled to Denver before I was especially impressed with the unseasonably warm weather today. I came on the book tour very prepared for freezing weather with a rather large jacket and scarf and I have yet to have the opportunity to wear them! My first interview of the day was on KWGN’s “News 2 in the Morning” with Natalie Tysdal. Upon arrival we were surprised to be greeted by a gorgeous golden retriever named Bella who we learned often comes to ‘work’ in the studio with her owner Tom Green. My family and I are all dog lovers, so it was a treat to be able to have some animal interaction. Bella had such a kind temperament, so I couldn’t help but have Stephanie take a photo of us together after the interview was completed.

Later in the morning I had two more live television interviews. One with Denise and Mark on KUSA’s “Colorado and Company” and the other with KMGH’s “7 News at 11”. My husband Kel and I then spent the afternoon doing some work at the hotel, although I managed to sneak out for a brief walk in the sunshine. This evening I attended a signing at Tattered Cover in Highland Ranch. A truly amazing bookstore, it was a real pleasure being able to meet the team there and all the people who came out to visit.

Seattle Part Two!

This morning in Seattle we farewelled our team, and I signed some special Limited Edition copies of my new book (which are only available in my store at Disney and also via my website). I must say that these special copies of the book are very beautiful. Then it was off to a signing at Nordstrom in Bellevue, which attracted a lot of beautiful little babies and one lovely lady who bought 21 books to have signed (see photo above). For me the best part of doing book signings is most definitely the people I am able to meet personally.

Foggy Seattle Part One!

We have just had a whirlwind visit to Seattle, which is always an important city for me to visit because our Geddes Group Offices and US team are located there. Monday morning we were up early for a busy day which started with a live interview on KCPQ’s “Fox This Morning”, followed by a taping for KOMO’s “Northwest Afternoon” (which I believe will air on the 8 November). It was quite beautiful driving through Seattle so early in the morning as the heavy mist made the landscape so picturesque, especially combined with the amazing colours of the fall trees. In Australia our seasons do not change as dramatically as they do in the United States and Europe, so it’s exciting to be here during autumn. I know that this may sound odd to some readers, but one of the highlights of the morning was also our “drive through” Starbucks experience – we’ve never done that before – who would ever have thought of “drive through coffee”! We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Seattle offices visiting our team and doing a couple of interviews, one with CNN (to air early next year) and the other for the “Seattle Post Intelligencer”. We were also able to enjoy a home cooked lunch at our office and catch up with everyone.

Later in the evening we drove out to Costco at Issaquah (across the floating bridge!) for a book signing. Melanie from our office in Seattle even brought along her gorgeous baby daughter Bree, who I must say looked especially cute (and stylish!) in a little fairy outfit from my clothing range. The Costco team were so professional and really lovely to work with (Stephanie took a photo of us all which you can see above). It was the first time I had ever been in a Costco store – amazing (and huge!)

Kansas City Part Two!

Tonight we have just arrived home from a discussion and signing at the Unity Temple which was organised by the brilliant people at Rainy Day Books. We were able to pop out to the store earlier this afternoon as well. The top photograph above was taken in the store and shows my husband Kel and I with Vivien (the store founder) and Roger (the Chief Operations Officer). I was very nervous before the discussion tonight because there were over one hundred people there watching and I'm not very confident at public speaking. But Vivien was on the stage with me, asking me questions which made the experience really easy and actually very enjoyable. It was a fantastic opportunity to speak with people who had purchased the book, and I was able to do a signing afterwards, which I always love to do!

Busy day in Kansas City Part One!

We have done so many different things today in Kansas City and we even got to do a little bit of sight seeing! This is my second time here and it's great to be back, even if it is for such a short time(we are only here for 2 nights). First up this morning I had an interview on "Kansas City Live" with Brett and Meredith, followed by a radio interview with Steve Kratsky on a show called "Up To Date" on KCUR FM. I was lucky enough to be able to speak with Steve for the entire hour of the program which was so good. He asked such insightful questions and because of the time allowed I was able to really take my time with the answers. It was great to feel like I could get across everything that was important. I even had some people call in from the general public to ask questions. To my surprise, all of them were men! Afterwards I had a live television interview on the Fox News "Noon Show" which was three minutes long. That sort of interview also has it's advantages though, as it allows me to reach a wide audience in a short space of time.

I had a very interesting lunch and afternoon today, which we spent at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Some of my friends and publishers here in Kansas and I all had lunch at the museum. After lunch my family and I were able to wander around the new photographic galleries and exhibitions. What an amazing space! Such powerful and important photography was on display. It was great to be able to take some time to relax and think, so the museum was the perfect place to spend a bit of time! Of course we couldn't help ourselves taking silly pictures with the sculptures out the front....I'm sure everyone who visits does the same thing!