SUNDAYS WITH SHARON – I Will Miss Nashville
SUNDAYS WITH SHARON: I Will Miss Nashville.
My plane doesn’t take off for a few hours, and already I’m teary-eyed. I’ve been attending the Day With The Authors here in Nashville, organized by Sandy Sullivan, and I have to say it has been one of the best conferences, as a writer, I have attended this year. I nearly sold out of all my books.
Something about being in this part of the country tugs at my heartstrings (I guess that was a play on words). I know it isn’t always green and warm, but Friday morning my storyteller, J.D. Hart, and I drove through the countryside and had an early breakfast at Loveless Cafe. Surrounded by pictures of stars from the 1950’s on, I loved partaking of the biscuits, the bacon, sausage and ham with the baked cheese casserole hash browns, peach preserves and gravy. I don’t eat like this in California, and even if I wanted to, there’d be no place like this. They were stoking up the BBQ in what we would call a summer kitchen outside the main restaurant.
Last night we went to a world class steak house, where I was surrounded by the gentle conversation washing over me like a light warm rain. People smile, they look you in the eyes, and they are gracious. As I said in my talk yesterday, there must be a Southern bone in my body somewhere, even though I’ve been born and raised in Northern California. They are an endearing kind of warm that really grows on me.
Today we visit Arrington Winery. But it’s just a day to hang with my best friend, the man from Tennessee, and yes, I am his number one fan. I’ll probably become incoherent by the end of our day together, so I’m bringing my Kleenex.
This trip has been inspiring. I’ve gotten way more out of it than the energy I’ve put in. Looking out at the sea of people as I gave my little talk, I felt honored and loved, truly loved. I like small, intimate gatherings where we can tell stories and just hang with our reader fans. The community of writers I’ve been privileged to get to know well is a family that will sustain me for the rest of my life.
This great country of ours is made up of different regions, each with its own special gifts. But leaving Nashville will be hard today. Going home will be nice, but I will miss this place, and the good friends I leave behind.
Until the next time!
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I'm sad myself as we get ready to head back to KY
So glad we came
Love you Sharon
JD thank for being so sweet to my Mom
Beautiful post Sharon. The memories I shall treasure forever. I do believe you have a southern bone in your body. You fit in the south like you were born here. What I learned from this wonderful event is how much people love you, how genuine and honest you are and how well you connect with your readers. If you ever sell your beautiful home in California, we would love it if you would move to the south and live here among us. I promise I won't make you eat biscuits and gravy every day. lol
Karen, if you're reading this. You and your mother are a treasure. It was such a delight so spend time with you and get to know you both. I give thanks to me dearest friend Sharon for making that all possible. Have a beautiful Sunday!
I'm so pleased you've had a good time. Hope you took lots of pics. You will have to have holiday home there. It's hard leaving. Felt like that last week. So glad eager reader's bought your wonderful books
It was so great to meet you. This was my best vacation ever. You are such a sweet person. Your speech was so inspiring.
Honored, Karen. We loved your Mom!! What a great thing to share with your mom, this love of romances and reading. Love you Karen, and yes, parting is hard, only until the next time we get to spend time together! Hope the rest of your Sunday is wonderful.
Love that you enhanced my impact here at the convention, as it should be. You should be loved every bit as much as I was. And thanks for being the Gentleman Pirate, the man from Tennessee I am fortunate to call best friend. Your gentle love for my words and for my heart means the world to me.
Thanks, Julie. You would love the people here, the community, and the avid fans, just like you, who cheer me up so and raise my spirits. You'd fit in too.
Loved meeting you as well. I will miss you all, and can't wait to come back. What a remarkable group, all of you, and the love you share with me. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Sharon it was an honor to meet you and spend some time just getting to know you and JD and J.M. over dinner. This was my first event as an author and it was amazing, the energy all weekend was wonderful. It was sad to leave, but I hope to see everyone again in the near future and I will be back next year! Enjoy your trip home.
Miranda!! Loved meeting you too. We will do this again! It was wonderful to meet you. The best of luck on your new journey! We all do this together!!
Miranda it was great meeting you too.
Sharon, You are such an eloquent writer! The south is waiting for you! You could have a home in CA and TN! 🙂 I feel like I know you already! Looking for to your next trip to Nashville!
Always great to see you,Sharon, and thank you for bringing J.D. Hart. It was a wonderful and touching speech.
If Southern is not your bones then it's in your heart and soul. You need to leave those CA mountains for ours in Tennessee, and we both know ALL the reasons why. 🙂
I'll see you in a few weeks at Lori Foster's in Cincinnati. I plan to bring more wine since you didn't get to taste mine. Want to exchange bottles? LOL!
Caroline, I feel the same way. Some people you just know you'll be sisters with, and you're one of them! I will certainly make more of an effort to let you know when I arrive next. Until then, thanks for being so sweet to reach out to me. I really do love the people in your community. I could not have been treated more special. Old fashioned and never out of style! We need a big dose of it here in California!! Love you.
KaLyn, you're on! We'll do tradsies, if I can get the wine there in one piece. May have to ship it for safekeeping. It did bring a little bit of home with me, and I was so glad I could share it with all of you. Some day you'll have to visit and we'll paint the Healdsburg Dry Creek Valley wine red! One of the reasons I do love Sonoma County is for the wine. Sat next to a grounds keeper for another small winery of a family from Spain. Now I have a new place I have to haunt with some unusual wines brought over from their 300 year family tradition in Spain. I'll see if I can bring the Portalupi, made in milk jugs.
Sounds like a great time. I haven't spent prolonged periods in Nashville but I moved to California from East Tennessee and I do love it there.
Now that you're back do you think you'll be able to catch up to the A to Z Challenge final letters?
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Arlee, I plan to!!! Have a week's worth to do, but I should be able to. My birthday today, but tomorrow I begin my catch up. Loving the blog hop this year and met lots of great new people. Even people who have read me, which was new for me this year. Take care. Always love seeing you here, Arlee!