On Tuesday, I had the privilege of meeting Ann Weisgarber at Books on Main in Davidson, North Carolina. She primarily talked about her second novel, The Promise, which takes place in Galveston during the 1900 hurricane. Happening long before the advent of weather radar, the people of Galveston had no advance warning that the hurricane was heading their way. At least 6,000 people were killed on the barrier island that day.

Although I had not yet read the book, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about it, about Ms. Weisgarber’s first novel, and some of her writing experiences. I purchased a copy of The Promise that day and Ms. Weisgarber was kind enough to autograph it and write a note. When I told her that I am an aspiring novelist, she asked me some questions about my manuscript for The Spanish Coin and said, “It’s never too late!”

I’ve checked out her first novel, The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, from the public library. Since our kitchen and bathroom remodeling are scheduled to begin tomorrow morning, I haven’t had any time to read lately. I hope I’ll be able to shut out enough of the construction noise in the coming weeks to concentrate on reading.