Old Friends

I came upon some old friends the other day. I was surprised and delighted when I spied them sitting in a sunny spot in a quiet nook as I was passing by. Well-read and a bit faded with age, like me. Waiting to be noticed, they whispered to anyone who might be listening, “Do I have a story for you…”

If you haven’t guessed by now from the above image, I’m referring to the copies of my books I stumbled upon at my favorite used bookstore, here in Ojai, California where I’m staying. Bart’s Books has been around forever and is unique because it’s open-air. The bookshelves are sheltered by overhangs, accessed by open-air paths lined with potted plants, with a courtyard at the center. An outdoor bookshop is possible only in a climate with scant rainfall, which makes this one a rarity and all the more delightful because of it. You could browse for hours and get a tan while you’re at it!

So there I was, poking around in the “G” section when I came upon copies of five of my novels. Thorns of Truth, Trail of Secrets, Stranger in Paradise, Taste of Honey, and The Diary. Bonanza! Two of the aforementioned titles, Stranger in Paradise and Taste of Honey, are part of a trilogy set in a fictionalized Ojai called Carson Springs. My author photo on the dust jackets was taken in an orange grove here. When I’m in Ojai, I have fun revisiting the places described in my trilogy, such as the bible garden which is planted with every type of vegetation referenced in the bible, and the arcade downtown lined with shops, which looks out on the main drag, built in the early twentieth century.

Finding my books at Bart’s Books was like bumping into old friends in an out of the way place. “Tell me about all the places you’ve been and the people you’ve met along the way,” I wanted to say to them. If only books could talk, imagine the stories they would tell outside those in their pages.