Update from Arizona
Jul. 24th, 2005 07:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauraanne_gilmanIt continues hot, although not unbearably so. Occasional passing cloud cover, but only the tease of further rain. I went outside to sit by the pool for about fifteen minutes, then my braincase reminded me why I tend not to do things like that. Came back inside and popped a few painkillers, and all was forgiven. In the tropics, with the humidity, I can manage it. Desert? Not so much so.
As to the reason I'm here:
The signings went off without noticable hitch -- yesterday was the day for buttonholing unsuspecting readers browsing the mystery shelf and talking my way into their hearts (or at least their stomachs, via the chocolates I brought with me). Did reasonably well -- enough to not feel like the signing had been a waste of everyone's time, not so well that my ego felt in any way boo'd. (as in egoboo, not bad-booing). Signed a bunch of the remaining stock, and headed back to home-base, where I Did Work and had a nice long chat with Kitty, one of the resident felines.
The second signing was this morning, and I was a little worried I'd oversleep. No such problem. The store put me up frint by the door, which was good (easy access to incoming customers) and bad (no real way to hook them other than a big cheery 'hi! want some chocolate?' which isn't always effective at 11 am). But this time several people actually came intentionally to see Me. And one woman walked by and said "oh, I wish I'd known you were coming! I would have brought my copy for you to sign! I loved it!"
Ego, thou art boo'd.
There were several people who were unbearably rude, some who were clueless, and several who were delightful, even if they did walk away without a book. And there was only one "Jesus, not magic" comment, and I was able to defuse it with reasonable grace (enough that he wished me a good day and went on his way without a fuss, anyway). I met a man in his 70's who is only now discovering fantasy as a side road to the study of mysticism he's doing, and another man who is a huge Jim Butcher fan, and his delightful wife, whom I suspect will be stealing his copy of CtD as soon as he puts it down, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
azang and her delightful family, and the irrepressible chicating, and even the guy who sat down, picked up the book, read a bit of it, and then walked off, book still in hand, all without saying a word to me. Some day, pal, you're going to be used in a scene. Somewhere. Somehow. And others I'm forgetting, including a local friend of mine host's, who brought in her previously bought copies of SD and CtD for me to sign.
My only regret was that both stores failed to get copies of STAYING DEAD in as well. WTF?
Total sum: 19 copies signed/sold out of 40 in-store, with 11 copies signed for in-store use. So call it 30/40, and a not-bad way to justify a weekend trip to visit with friends and sightsee as well.
And I committed fangeek: bought my copy of Laurie King's LOCKED ROOMS, which is meant to be a reward for getting more work done tonight/tomorrow. If I'm a good girl, I can read it on the plane. Of course I broke down and read the first two chapters by the pool. Want to devour the entire thing now... and want to savor it. Work. Must. Work. First. Bother.
I have also amused myself by compiling a list of signing & selling aids for normally introspective writers (and a few extroverts as well) on the make. If there's interest, that can be another post. Or I can write it up as an article and try to sell it somewhere.
But first, it's time to scrounge up some sort of dinner, because I just realized that all I've had to eat today is a feta-and-spinach-filled pretzel (oddly delish) and a few chocolates. Not good, no....
As to the reason I'm here:
The signings went off without noticable hitch -- yesterday was the day for buttonholing unsuspecting readers browsing the mystery shelf and talking my way into their hearts (or at least their stomachs, via the chocolates I brought with me). Did reasonably well -- enough to not feel like the signing had been a waste of everyone's time, not so well that my ego felt in any way boo'd. (as in egoboo, not bad-booing). Signed a bunch of the remaining stock, and headed back to home-base, where I Did Work and had a nice long chat with Kitty, one of the resident felines.
The second signing was this morning, and I was a little worried I'd oversleep. No such problem. The store put me up frint by the door, which was good (easy access to incoming customers) and bad (no real way to hook them other than a big cheery 'hi! want some chocolate?' which isn't always effective at 11 am). But this time several people actually came intentionally to see Me. And one woman walked by and said "oh, I wish I'd known you were coming! I would have brought my copy for you to sign! I loved it!"
Ego, thou art boo'd.
There were several people who were unbearably rude, some who were clueless, and several who were delightful, even if they did walk away without a book. And there was only one "Jesus, not magic" comment, and I was able to defuse it with reasonable grace (enough that he wished me a good day and went on his way without a fuss, anyway). I met a man in his 70's who is only now discovering fantasy as a side road to the study of mysticism he's doing, and another man who is a huge Jim Butcher fan, and his delightful wife, whom I suspect will be stealing his copy of CtD as soon as he puts it down, and
azang and her delightful family, and the irrepressible chicating, and even the guy who sat down, picked up the book, read a bit of it, and then walked off, book still in hand, all without saying a word to me. Some day, pal, you're going to be used in a scene. Somewhere. Somehow. And others I'm forgetting, including a local friend of mine host's, who brought in her previously bought copies of SD and CtD for me to sign.My only regret was that both stores failed to get copies of STAYING DEAD in as well. WTF?
Total sum: 19 copies signed/sold out of 40 in-store, with 11 copies signed for in-store use. So call it 30/40, and a not-bad way to justify a weekend trip to visit with friends and sightsee as well.
And I committed fangeek: bought my copy of Laurie King's LOCKED ROOMS, which is meant to be a reward for getting more work done tonight/tomorrow. If I'm a good girl, I can read it on the plane. Of course I broke down and read the first two chapters by the pool. Want to devour the entire thing now... and want to savor it. Work. Must. Work. First. Bother.
I have also amused myself by compiling a list of signing & selling aids for normally introspective writers (and a few extroverts as well) on the make. If there's interest, that can be another post. Or I can write it up as an article and try to sell it somewhere.
But first, it's time to scrounge up some sort of dinner, because I just realized that all I've had to eat today is a feta-and-spinach-filled pretzel (oddly delish) and a few chocolates. Not good, no....
