Packed house at Out West Books in Grand Junction, Colorado.
It was one year ago today that my memoir Grizzlies On My Mind was released. I won’t ever forget that magic day in Denver, Colorado. It began speaking on the steps of the state capitol as the closing speaker for a rally protesting the Keystone Pipeline and then the festivities moved to the legendary indie bookstore Tattered Cover in downtown Denver. It’s always been a dream of mine to present under the banner of the Rocky Mountain Land Series at TC and there was no more meaningful way to kickoff what has been an unforgettable year, one for the memory books.
With all the events, presentations and signings over the course of the last calendar year, my recent Colorado/Utah Honeymoon Book Tour was a highlight of the Grizzlies On My Mind experience. Sharing a week on the road with my
Packed room at Denver REI.
newlywed bride was an experience for the memory book. We were both humbled and blown away by the turnouts night after night. It all began in Boulder, Colorado, at the Boulder Book Store which is a bookstore by which all others are measured. For night two we journeyed to Denver REI (the flagship store) where we were greeted by an energetic crowd of 120+ people in a most stunning room. Next we ventured west to Grand Junction, Colorado, and Out West Books. This was one of our favorite stops of
the entire tour (I write about Out West Books in my recent blog celebrating Independent Bookstore Day). In front of a standing room only crowd I ditched the slides in this intimate bookstore on the main drag in Grand Junction and went acoustic style, just me and my book. Our last stop was the legendary Back of Beyond in Moab, Utah. In the bookstore dedicated to the iconic Edward Abbey, I kept it traditional, telling stories and reading from the book in front of another standing room only audience.
It was a trip we’ll never forget. (Two weeks later I returned to Colorado speaking at Boulder REI where I was greeted by another high energy and packed room where I sold every booked I brought in my luggage followed by a keynote for Wild Earth Guardians at the Curtis Hotel in Downtown Denver where we raised $20,000+ for a critical cause.) The Colorado mojo is strong. The turnouts, books sold and media coverage have overwhelmed my wife and I with gratitude. Colorado has embraced Grizzlies On My Mind and for that I bow my head and say, “mahalo.”
The following is my favorite interview from our ALL TIME trip..
~Michael W. Leach
Back of Beyond. Moab, Utah.