C is for Canceled

Writer Sue Grafton won't be in Kalispell after all

A planned book signing Thursday in Kalispell by mystery writer Sue Grafton has been canceled.

Contacted this morning, Borders Books and Music confirmed the cancellation and suggested it may have had to do with weather conditions in the eastern United States.

Although the book signing was canceled at noon Monday, the Inter Lake was not informed by Borders until today ? after a front-page story already had been published in today's print edition.

Grafton, 67, is the author of the internationally best-selling mysteries series that started with "A is for Alibi" in 1982, and has continued through the alphabet up to her 20th book, "T is for Trespass," released Dec. 4.

Borders had planned to hand out wristbands on Wednesday to people wanting to attend the book signing the next day.

There was no word from Borders whether or not the book signing would be rescheduled.

Grafton had planned to stop at Borders as part of a trip on a charter rail car heading west from Chicago. The Kalispell signing was to be the last in a tour that began Dec. 5 and has taken her only to major cities otherwise.

"We heard that if we were making this journey across the northern U.S., that we could be dropped in Whitefish for 24 hours," Grafton said in an interview last week. "We found out there was a Borders in Kalispell, and I thought, ?I've never been to Kalispell and it seemed like a fun project and a nice change of pace.' I get tired of going to the same old places."

A publicist for Grafton said today that due to weather, the train could no longer schedule an overnight stop in Whitefish.