Touring in Tandem: Tales from the Road

Early on, Hale dubbed their venture “The Torso Tour,” for the remarkably similar jacket photos on their new novels, both of which feature a woman’s midsection. Shapiro, who accompanied the authors to the West Coast, recalls, “We were all tired and giddy when Shannon came up with the name in a fit of laughter and it stuck.” Shortly afterwards, the authors stumbled upon a photo booth and proceeded to photograph their own midsections. “We discovered that there is a reason our publishers used models on the jacket photos and not us,” Hale says. “No one else will ever see the photos we took of our own torsos.”

A defining feature of the tour, by all reports, was the entirely unscripted nature of the authors’ interactive presentations. Both have backgrounds in theater and Hale has done improv, so it stands to reason that booksellers refer to their school and store appearances as “performances.” The two regularly shot questions at each other, ranging from “Why are you so foxy?” to “When did you know you wanted to become a writer?” Hale says she prefers to be spontaneous while addressing young readers and “once I met Libba I suspected that she’d be game for it, which was terrific. We weren’t afraid of making utter fools of ourselves, so that helped. We mixed it up each time. Our goal was to keep each other laughing and that kept everything fresh.”

Angela Kroner-Grafmiller, youth events coordinator at Kepler’s Books and Magazines in Menlo Park, Calif., staged a gala evening event at the town library—complete with a black-and-white theme and a harpist in Regency dress—that drew a crowd of 140. She describes the authors’ Q&A session as “highly entertaining. They are both great hams and have such a wonderful time together that they brought everyone along on the ride. And they spent a generous amount of time with each girl. They made it seem as though the kids were the stars of the show.” In fact, the post-show signing, which was scheduled to end at 8:30, did not wrap up till almost 10:45. At Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, the duo made a memorable entrance by rolling into the room on a sliding ladder. “Shannon was a vision of grace above my head, like a homecoming queen waving to the adoring crowd,” Bray recalls. “I was just below her, my legs entwined in the slats, holding on for dear life.” 

Part of their act—another ad lib component—includes singing, or as Bray explains, “a loose interpretation of singing” in which words and notes can easily get lost. The songsters’ debut was at a San Francisco school, when they found themselves with a piano and microphones and, Bray says, “We began fooling around and making complete idiots of ourselves. For some unknown reason, we suddenly began singing ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ ” Off-key or not, their rendition was a hit and became their signature signoff at events, sometimes with kids from the audience joining in as backup dancers.

Costumes dressed up several events, including an elaborate evening gathering organized by Stesha Brandon, events and programs coordinator at University Book Store in Seattle. Staffers wore Victorian garb and Hale donned the same flowing frock worn by the model photographed on the cover of her book. At one of five pavilions featuring various activities, kids could be photographed in Victorian and Mongolian costumes, reflecting the settings of the latest Bray and Hale novels. The event, says Brandon, “was pretty amazing. We had 100 people attend and sold a lot of books. These authors love their fans and it comes through so clearly. They gave 110 percent.”

Bray (r.) and Hale sign for fans at University Book Store in Seattle.

Not only did the fans show up in impressive numbers, but many traveled quite a distance. A father and daughter from Fresno drove three hours to attend an event at Books, Inc. in San Francisco; a girl and her mother flew in from Houston for the same event. Cheryl McKeon, children’s event coordinator and book club coordinator at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Wash., reports that a young man from Canada drove several hours to be at an afternoon tea she organized at a local library. And recalling meeting a girl at a Dayton signing who had flown in from Philadelphia, Hale says, “it was really incredibly flattering.”

Sometimes fans arrived bearing gifts. Bray, who had let it be known that she is fond of Swedish fish, estimates she received “about 10 pounds” of the candy and quips, “Next time I’m going to get the word out that I love emeralds.” And three girls who showed up at both Dayton and Cincinnati events, wearing matching t-shirts based on Bray’s Rebel Angels, brought her an antique hat box full of “goodies” as well as letters describing how much the author’s books mean to them, which moved Bray to tears.

Hale, who lives in Salt Lake City, and Brooklyn resident Bray are certain they will maintain their friendship across the miles. When asked if they would co-tour again, their responses are—no surprise—in sync. “I would do it for the rest of my career—at least with Libba,” says Hale, adding, “It is great that we have a similar way of interacting with our fans.” Bray answers, “Now that I’ve toured with Shannon I’m ruined. I only want her. It’s nice to have somebody to bounce things off, to have that partner in crime.”