Cincinnati Book Tour: Our First Stop Recap

Sorry for the delay in sharing this — we took waaay too many photos and then had to decide which ones to use. But here’s the full story from the first stop on our book tour in Cincinnati: a whirlwind 36 hours packed with surprises, new friends, and a lot of chocolate chip ice cream.

We decided to check in periodically during the tour instead of covering every single stop in exhaustive detail. This first event felt especially worth sharing — it was novel and exciting and made us both a little giddy. For the record: that airplane selfie of us with our mouths shut? That was taken on Friday’s flight.

We left Richmond around noon on Friday and routed through Philadelphia before landing in Cincinnati. Clara and Burger stayed home with my parents for the short trip, so it was our first night away from Clara — a small milestone that went better than we expected. Most toddlers have at least one sleepover with grandparents, so we figured it was time for Clara’s turn. Spoiler: she did great.

Our flight arrived about 90 minutes late, which made us nervous because we’d arranged to “House Crash” a beautiful home that afternoon. The homeowners waited patiently at our hotel while we raced over. Even though we lost most of the natural light by the time we got there, we still managed to capture lots of nice photos. We’ll share a full tour in a week or two, but here’s a sneak peek.

Note: To everyone who invited us to House Crash — we truly wish we could have visited all of your homes.

Despite the delays, we made time for Cincinnati staples that evening: Skyline Chili and Graeter’s ice cream. Locals warned that Skyline is an acquired taste, but the “three-way” (chili, spaghetti, and cheese) was delicious, and Sherry loved her chili-topped baked potato. Graeter’s delivered on its reputation for massive chocolate chunks — black raspberry chip for Sherry and cookie dough chip for me. It was cold outside, but that didn’t stop us.

Saturday was the big day: The Books By The Banks Festival. Seeing stacks of our own book on display for the very first time was surreal — we’d only seen a single copy before the event. There may have been some tingling feelings and rather geeky poses. Yes, there was a Home Alone–inspired photo and a Where’s Waldo–style shot. We were clearly thrilled.

We signed books for about 45 minutes before an 11:00 AM presentation. We had actually written the presentation only a few days earlier and practiced it sparingly — we don’t like over-rehearsing because it can sound stiff. Even so, speaking to that many people was intimidating. We also had some technical trouble with the slide remote, which made the start a little rocky, but by all accounts things went fine after that.

Huge thanks to Emily for capturing this shot that somehow makes us look like we know what we’re doing. Truth: knees were bouncing under the table the whole time.

When we returned to the signing table, it was so much fun meeting readers and posing for photos. Don’t be shy — ask for a picture if you see us at a stop. Fans were inventing poses for us, from see-no-evil to “what’s going on?” hands. We enjoyed all of them and loved meeting kids, who always bring out Sherry’s full-time fawning mode. Fair warning: bring your kids if you want to see that in action.

We also finally met Dana Miller from HouseTweaking in person — she’s one of the guest bloggers featured in our book. The photo of us together was especially funny after someone asked where my other hand was (turns out I have a surprisingly wide wingspan).

Following a great idea from readers, we brought a blank dummy copy of the book to use as a tour “yearbook.” People signed it, left lovely notes, and even drew pictures — a few adults got in on the fun too after a little encouragement from Sherry. We collected portraits of Burger, castles, and a technicolor unicorn. It’s now a wonderful keepsake from the day.

One particularly memorable moment was when a reader brought a ceramic animal for Sherry to sign. That delighted her and made the day even more special.

The generosity of the people we met was overwhelming. Many drove long distances and waited patiently in line — even when we ran out of books at the event (our publisher had a limited pre-release supply). We signed bookplates and posed for photos with everyone who couldn’t get a copy that day. Some folks even brought thoughtful gifts — a glass bird, a print for Clara, a Kentucky horseshoe with grass seed — which humbled us and made the day feel truly special.

Cincinnati set a very high bar for warmth and hospitality, and we left feeling grateful and energized. One thoughtful reader even gave me a local ginger ale to save for the end of my water-only month, which I sadly couldn’t enjoy before TSA confiscated it at the airport. Such is life on the road.

The sweetest moment of the festival came from Riley, a little girl who picked out a Charley Harper book at another author’s table and gave it to us for Clara. Sherry teared up right then, and we brought the book home for Clara, who adores it.

We stayed past our scheduled signing time because the next available flight home wasn’t until the evening, and then spent a little time enjoying the tail end of the festival ourselves — including posing with a Berenstain Bears display for Clara.

We also had a brief moment to meet Bob and Cortney Novogratz, who were signing nearby. It was a quick exchange — everyone was rushing to catch flights — but they were friendly and their book is full of helpful budget breakdowns that pair well with their show. Seeing an HGTV personality holding our book was surreal.

We also grabbed signatures from Gillian Flynn and Tad Hills while we were there. The whole day felt like a blur of wonderful moments and friendly faces that didn’t fully sink in until we flipped through the photos later.

After the festival wrapped, we had a little airport downtime where adrenaline from the day turned into playful, hyperactive antics — including a mini photo session in the kids’ play area before boarding. We landed back in Richmond around 10 PM, about 36 hours after leaving. We were tired but still buzzing from the kindness we’d experienced, eager to hug Burger, and excited to wake up Clara with a big hello the next morning.

Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday and made our Cincinnati stop so memorable. You’ve left us excited for the next legs of the tour and delighted that our book is finally in readers’ hands. Knowing the book is being read and shared — not just by us and our publisher — is the most surreal, rewarding part of this whole journey. We’re grateful beyond words.