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Andra Watkins

Support My Aching Feet: Enter the To Live Forever Contest.

By the time you read this, I will be walking. Maybe I'll be through one mile or several. I might already be done for the day. My first fifteen miles on the Natchez Trace from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN.

By the time you read this, I will be walking. Maybe I’ll be through one mile or several. I might already be done for the day. My first fifteen miles on the Natchez Trace from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN.

I’ll be posting daily, with posts going live at 8:30am EST. Unless I have a ton to say, I’m going to limit my posts to once a day. Please forgive me if the posts run a little longer than normal. Wherever possible, I’ll include links to the following places: Tumblr (for a collection of daily photos); YouTube (for a reader question of the day); other sites (where I may be featured); Twitter, Facebook and Google+ (for random thoughts). If this is all so scintillating that you want to bookmark those now, each highlighted service contains a link.

Today is also the official launch day of my new novel! You can talk, talk, talk about To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis anywhere you like starting today. If you haven’t already purchased the novel, click here: Support My Aching Feet. Review it on your blogs. Share it on social media. Hint: besides supporting my aching feet and my literary ambitions, there is something in it for you.

Now, for the best part.

The TO LIVE FOREVER JOURNEY TO CHARLESTON CONTEST.

We’re officially launching this contest on Monday, March 3. But, because you’re YOU, Dear Reader, and you’re here on a Saturday helping get my walk started with your support and encouragement, I wanted those of you in the continental US to know about the contest first.

For all the details, follow this link: TO LIVE FOREVER JOURNEY TO CHARLESTON CONTEST.
(Really. You have time to follow the link. You want to follow the link. There’s definitely something in it for you.)

If you have a question about my walk, the Natchez Trace, my Dad or To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis, please submit it here: mystories(at)andrawatkins(dot)com. I will answer your questions via video segment each day.

If you want to text words of encouragement, call to keep me company, or FaceTime on an iPhone, please email me at readme(at)andrawatkins(dot)com. I’ll be happy to give loyal readers like you my mobile number.

If you reviewed To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis during its pre-release, THANK YOU. If you meant to write a review and life happened, you can still review the book at Goodreads here: Goodreads link; and at Amazon here: Amazon link.

If you mention the novel on your blog (see the CONTEST), please do a pingback to THIS POST so that Rowe and I will know.

I leave you with the whimsy of Good Luck In My Backpack.

buckeye, to live forever book andra watkinsThe buckeye Mr Dellinger gave me when we stopped at Dellinger’s Mill, a story I told in One Giant Leap for Mankind.

tandy rice business card, to live forever book andra watkinsA pair of business cards from a certain country music promoter I hope to have lunch with once again in Nashville. When I met him the first time, I wrote about it in We’ll Go Honkey-Tonkin.

lewis clark nickelA Lewis & Clark nickel.

five dollar billThe five dollar bill I wrote about in Luck Be a Lincoln.

reader notesNotes and cards from some of you.

two dollar bill, to live forever andra watkinsAnd, of course, a two dollar bill.

Thank you for your support, your encouragement, and your presence in my life. You have bazillions of options for places to spend time. Thank you for giving me a few minutes of your very valuable time.

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81 Comments

  1. Have a great first day, Andra. I got up early and wrote about you this morning. Sending positive vibes!

    1. Just read it and replied, Lisa. Thank you. I’m really looking forward to meeting you near the end of this craziness. 🙂

  2. I hope you are having a memorable walk. I can’t wait for the stories and pictures.

    1. I hope I can live up to this challenge. Fifteen miles on a hot, sunny day whips me. 🙂

  3. Good golly you’ve got a lot going on here! It’s a miracle that you’ve got the energy left to walk the Natchez Trace. More power to you, I say. Stay safe, have fun.

  4. Onward, Andra. I will be reading and cheering with a ton of ” arch” support every step of your way along the Trace.

  6. Go, go Andra! It will be interesting to see what additional trinkets you add along the way.

    1. I’m taking pictures of trash because of you and Alice. I just couldn’t bring myself to photograph the dead raccoon in the road today.

  7. Great launch, Andra! I’d join your contest, but I already live in Charleston! (I’ll still buy the book, though!) My brother and I RV’d the Natchez Trace a few years back. Best wishes for a great hike.

  8. Great launch, Andra! Congratulations on a wonderful book. And while I certainly would do all those things simply for friendship and love of your work, I’ll be throwing my hat in for Charleston, too!

    1. I’d love to win the package. But I can’t. Ha. 🙂 Good luck, Cam.

  12. It’s started! May your feet be lifted by all the love and support you have on this journey and may Meriwether’s ghost not get you into too much trouble. 🙂

    1. Lisa, my feet held up pretty well today. They felt these good vibes. Thanks.

  14. Hope you are having an awesome day, Andra. Thinking about you. And I hope you get together with Tori when you are in Nashville. Good luck, my friend.

    Hugs from Ecuador,
    Kathy

  15. At some point today, I will post my review of TLF in several places.

  16. May the skies be blue, may your feet be blister-free, may all your nature peeing be a safe distance from poison oak (or ivy). And snakes. (See what I just did right there with the snakes. Passed Merry’s advice to Em into you. :-))

    I’m so excited for you! I will email you from Atlanta tomorrow to give you my Vegas mobile # so we can FaceTime as you walk the Trace and I walk the miles of the convention hall. Guess where I’d rather be… :/)

    xoxo nancy

    1. Looking forward to Face Time, Nancy. MTM and I did it today, and it worked great. Safe travels to Atlanta tomorrow. xo

  17. I haven’t read your book yet, but will. No worries on that. Are you sure you want me to review the book afterward? I’m not one to pull punches and it has ruffled people’s feathers before in the past.

    1. I’ll leave that up to you, Nate. I’m sure someone will give it a bad review.

  19. I am awestruck by how you are promoting your walk and your book … so much so I’m at a loss for words. All I can do spread the word 🙂

    1. I’m something-struck myself at the moment, Marie. I may have to snort Red Bull by the time this is over.

  20. I’ve got a link to your book on my sidebar (near the top right of the page). My physical copy should pop up in a few days (with a review to follow once I sink into it and come up for air)…

    1. You can tell me whether you think it would make a good video game. 🙂 I think it might.

  22. Hope you’ve had a good first day’s walking, Andra. I have your book, and shall be reading it shortly… and writing a review thereafter. Not quite in time for your launch, but close enough. And, if your feet are aching, I’m sending some soothing vibes directly to you through the very ground that we both walk on! Have fun!

  24. Only one 2 dollar bill?! Well then I hope you have a lot of ones because lapdances add up…

  25. I bet you are done with today’s journey. That wasn’t too bad a start now was it?

    1. It wasn’t a bad day. Very hot. Humid. I shuffled up to the car, and Dad greeted me with, “Have a cookie.” I’m surprised he saved any for me.

  27. Reblogged this on Mary J Melange and commented:
    Andra’s novel, “To Live Forever,” is an excellent tale of love and redemption. I give it two thumbs up. Check it out on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You will not be disappointed!

  28. good luck and have fun’ great pictures

    1. I love Nashville, Jill. I’m looking forward to spending a few days there at the conclusion. Thanks for the well wishes.

      1. My sister and her family live there, it’s great. I think it’s a wonderful way to conclude your walk.

  31. I hope your first day was fantastic! I just published my first 2014 Great First Lines post in honor of To Live Forever. 🙂

  32. I am so glad you’ve added all the extra links…I’ll lock them in right away! Jay and I are following along and sending our love. And prayers for those aching feet! 🙂

  35. I’ve purchased the book but I will feel badly reading it inside on this rainy night while you walk the Natchez Trace. I’ll wait to read it until you are home safely!

  37. I am so, so excited for you and for your book. I am linking away to but a real-to-life paperback copy right now! Walk on.

  38. I know I’m a bit late (catching up on all my blog reading) however congratulations on the launch of your book!

  39. How’s your feet now Andra? This blog is such an inspiration to all of us who share your pain. -Miranda

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