Several of you have written to me about bookstores in various states where you live or have traveled in, who do not have copies of my books. You ask me "Why?"

I believe that the only way you will find most authors in stores all over this vast country will be if we are New York Times best sellers, which are highly publicized by their publishers. The rest of us get far less coverage. We try to visit the independent bookstores in our own states, and we attend book fairs in states usually close to our home state, in my case, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky.

I have found that some chain bookstores do not welcome authors they have not 'sponsored' so to speak. I knew the lady who arranged book signings in Barnes and Nobel where I live. She invited me and several other local authors for a book signing and was dressed down for doing so. She argued that we were local authors, but this did not soften her superior's displeasure. And so it goes.

When you tell me the name of the bookstore, I contact it, and chat with the owner or manager. Recently, because of such a reference, I spoke to an owner and sent her an advance copy of the new novel, Come Walk With Me, which comes out this December.

So, if you visit an independent bookstore, anywhere, and they do not carry my books, please send me the name and the address, if possible, and I will contact the store. A personal contact can make a big difference. Thanks.

What is it about our feet, our shoes, our balance maybe, that so may of us take a tumble, often on ground we are familiar with and traverse daily?

Old people fall. I never fell. Until I became one of so called 'old people.'

I don't feel old. Do you? I feel fine, often quite spry, in fact. Well, I can't walk as far, bend as much, lift as much, carry as many grocery bags, tote that thirty-five or forty pound grand or great-grand baby the way I could and did years ago. I can live with that.

But the falling thing, well, that's different. Lately, I fell up into my house, tripped over a four-inch high doorsill that I step over every single day, several times a day. That time I scrapped my arm and twisted my back. Another time, I fell up the steps outside and went down headfirst. I banged my forehead -- not too bad a bump, ice and time brought the swelling down. It was a little step, too, and my husband and daughter had just walked up ahead of me.

I have taken up all scatter rugs. Any rug that's not been tacked down by a proper rug installer is OUT.

A friend of mine recently installed a synthetic wood floor-very slippery it was. She and her dog took a bad one on that. Her poor dog went sprawling on all fours and really injured herself. Another friend of mine will not pack up and take all high heel shoes to Goodwill or Salvation Army or a Church who will distribute or sell the shoes to women half our age. She's taken two bad falls, really bad. Once she injured her jaw, knocked it out of kilter and continues to have trouble with it.

Do you look down when you walk? Remember when you thought that only old people walked looking down? I raise my hand. I look down. I can't risk stepping on a pebble that might cause me to twist my ankle, or step into a hole or rough place that catches the edge of my shoe and can land me on the ground.

I find I have to be careful what kind of slippers I wear. A really comfy pair of slippers could be dangerous: too loose, not enough grip underneath, no support. With regret, I kiss them goodbye and dump them.

It happens so fast, too. I'm really afraid of falling and breaking something. Too many of you write me about falls you've taken and some of you have been badly hurt. So, I take my time. If I find myself hurrying, I make myself slow down. I walk looking down. I watch where the little rises are at sidewalks in front of stores and the post office. There are so many places like that, aren't there in and out of our homes?

I wear mainly SAS shoes. There are other good brands. I am used to these. I've worn them for years. They are not glamorous, not the lace up ones I wear, and I wear them with dress clothes and everyday clothes. I wear them to conferences and when I speak at fancy luncheons---just in different colors, black for dress. And I wear shoes that lace for added support.

So, be careful! Take your time! Look down! Wear shoes that support your feet! Set ego aside in favor of your safety and good health.

The November/December issue of Southern Lady magazine is filled with gorgeous Christmas decorations, holiday dining room settings, festive, lovely homes, wonderful recipies, and more. I am honored that A Covington Christmas is recommended for holiday reading on their book page along with Billy and Ruth Graham, Maya Angelou and Dorothea Benton Frank. A Covington Christmas makes a great Christmas gift.

I wish you great blessings and a happy Thanksgiving holiday!

email: jmedlicott@mindspring.com

web: http://www.joanmedlicott.com