No big surprise here, but I love words. I love using them, learning about them, misspelling them on occasion, and even making them up. Perhaps that is why I love the clearly-made-up word “authorpalooza.” It makes me think of collective nouns. You know—“a school of fish,” “a sleuth of bears,” “a flock of seagulls” (pause to quietly hum the opening bars of “I Ran” to myself). Perhaps the collective noun is “a palooza of authors.”
There certainly were enough authors to qualify as a palooza on Tuesday night at the Orem Barnes and Noble. A whole crowd of us writer-folk stormed into the bookstore, set up camp, and had a grand ol’time talking to customers and to each other (and of course, talking up our respective books), until the exhausted store employees kicked us all out at closing time. I was lucky enough to be at a table with my good friend J. Scott Savage as well as Nathan Hale and Mette Ivie Harrison. I had never been to an official “authorpalooza” before so I didn’t know quite what to expect. I guess I expected it to be a little quiet—a few shoppers browsing the stacks, maybe some soft music playing in the background, while we all waited attentively for someone to wander by and say hello. But what happened was much more fun.
The store employees all had custom T-shirts on and were collecting signatures as passionately as the customers were. There were free samples from the café (and even some free cookies for the authors. They had me at chocolate-chocolate-chip.) I loved visiting with the other authors and the customers. I loved talking shop and recommending books. It took me right back to the days when I used to work in a bookstore. I always secretly liked to imagine that people were not just buying a book from the store, they were adopting the story, taking it home to love and treasure. A good book deserves to go to a good home, after all. So it did my heart good to see so many people walking around with stack of books cradled in their arms. (A few people even had my book in their hand, which, I’ll be honest, was all kinds of nice.)
I also met a nice young man who goes by Jacoby (even when we all know he looks much more like a “Spencer” J) and the two of us visited about books we’d read and loved. All in all, it was a joyous occasion and I’m excited and honored to be counted among the palooza of local authors who give writing and books such a good name.
Aaaahhhhh, what could be better than a three-day weekend? Maybe a three-day weekend to close out a month that was unspeakable at its best and horrific at its worst. I’ll be honest—I can’t remember the last time I was this glad to see the end of July. Whew!
So, yes, I was thrilled when, on Thursday, I took a look at my work schedule and realized that if I wanted to, I could ditch work on Friday. Say no more. J I did have one bit of business to do Friday morning: I attended a committee meeting for the upcoming writer’s conference, The Book Academy, that will be held at UVU on September 25. But that hardly felt like work; it was more like planning a party.
After the meeting, I indulged myself with a trip to the salon and a shopping spree for some new clothes. I treated myself to lunch at Great Harvest Bread. (Delicious sandwiches!) I also made a stop at the post office to mail a very important envelope—the final payment on my credit card. But again, that hardly felt like work; it was the culmination of a year’s worth of intense budgeting and financial sacrifice. It feels so good to be on the other side of that debt.
I had two book signings scheduled for Saturday. (I’ve been trying to do at least one Hourglass Door event a week, so this was a bonus week for me.) My first stop was at the SLC Costco at 11:00. I’ve been on the Costco tour for the past several weeks and while I enjoy talking about my book to people who otherwise might have walked on by, after a couple of hours of smiling and handing out free bookmarks, I’m about ready to close up shop. I’ve had varying degrees of success at Costco. Some locations are happy to have me come by and my sales are strong and the people are nice. Other locations, it’s a hard-fought fight to hand out 100 free bookmarks and sell a dozen copies. (It’s a free bookmark, people, it’s not going to bite. J)
The SLC Costco was a hard-fought fight and by 1:00 I was happy to head to lunch with Tracy (Café Rio, my favorite) and then on to book signing number two: Barnes and Noble at the Jordan Landing location. This is my neighborhood B&N and Angie is the best customer service person I’ve ever met at a bookstore. She had my signing all set up with a table and chairs and even had a little bottle of water ready for me. She made me feel like I was famous. The signing was scheduled for 2:00 and included some time for me to have a Q&A with the guests as well as read a little from Hourglass Door. (I read the Prologue, which is one of my favorite bits.) There were about 15 people there, including the incomparable James Dashner, and I like to think the event was a success. I certainly felt good about it and loved visiting with everyone who came. (Of course, maybe it was the free Oreo cheesecake that put me in such a good mood. Thanks, Angie!)
One other very important thing happened this weekend: I received my first royalty check. So it’s official. I wrote a book, I got it published, and I have been paid for it. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to say I am a writer by profession. But what’s even better is the fact that I didn’t need a check to validate something I already knew in my heart. I’m a writer, plain and simple. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.