Adieu to Jennifer

Today we bid adieu to Jennifer Bradbury during her celebratory week. We hope you've enjoyed your time getting to know this fantabulous author. Make sure you read her riveting debut, SHIFT, which award-winning author, Chris Crutcher, says is a " great realistic mystery. Jennifer Bradbury tells a totally believable, totally engrossing story. You will keep the pages turning."

And now Jennifer shares a little about herself and her family with her personal photo album.

Here I am in a jail cell in Louisiana. The way we ended up staying the night there is very much like what happens in the book. I won't spoil it for anyone and tell here, though. Just let me point out that the sink/toilet totally looked like that before we got there.

Here's a shot of me at the capitol building in Austin, TX. Back then George Bush was the governor. We loved Texas, and it was true that everything was bigger there—including the headwinds when we hit them. But the hill country was totally worth the climbing. And really, what's not to love about a place sells blocks of cheese cut to look like the state itself? That's pride.

Scamping in Redhill, NM, one of those towns that exist as dots on the map only. When we got there—hoping for a campground with showers—there were just half a dozen empty buildings and some sketchy looking busted-up cars. We lifted our bikes over the fence and camped out of sight of the road. Oddly enough, we woke the next morning to five inches of snow on our tent (in late April!) It turned out to the one of the two times all the way across we had to hitch a few miles.

I think this shot was in Arizona somewhere. But it really could have been anywhere. Just imagine me asking my husband why he needs another picture of me over his shoulder as I ride along looking goofy next to some glorious scenery in the background and you're pretty much there. We have more shots like this in our album than we should.

We're trying to introduce our daughter to bike touring as well. Maybe one day she'll actually pedal, but for now, all we can do is haul her around. Last summer we did a short bike/camping thing over on the San Juan Islands (which was extra fun because there's a ferry ride involved and you get to zip past all the cars and board first). This summer we plan to ride up and back the Columbia River Gorge with her. By the time she can pedal, we hope she's got the bug enough to enjoy some longer trips with us. The only draw back? It’s a little tough to travel light when you've got a toddler, particularly when her favorite toys are books.

Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your debut week with us. We know SHIFT is going to be a huge success and we look forward to seeing what develops for you in the future.