Booksignings and More

I can't believe November is over. There is an old saying about time. It goes something like this.

* To realize the value of One Year, ask a student who has failed his final exam.
* To realize the value of One Month, ask a mother who has given birth to a pre-matured baby.
* To realize the value of One Week, ask an editor of a weekly.
* To realize the value of One Day, ask a daily wage laborer.
* To realize the value of One Hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
* To realize the value of One Minute, ask a person who has missed his plane.
* To realize the value of One Second, ask the athlete who has won a silver medal in Olympics.

I can't believe November is over. You see, I had a November Harlequin release. The Price of Redemption. It's only on the shelves for a month. The months it takes to write the book, edit the book, and then wait for the cover, the copies in the mail, and finally for it to hit the shelves are counted, at least by me. Three months to write the book, about four months for the back and forth edits, about four months before shelve date I start looking for the cover on Amazon.com, sometimes the book arrives before I see the cover. Then, finally the day (this time November 7) and I head to my neighborhood Walmart, and there it is.

For a month.

I truly want a 'career' in writing, so marketing is very important to me. I had two signings this weekend. The first was mine. I signed at a wonderful Barnes and Noble. They were the antithesis of the last major bookstore signing I did. This store ordered the book and didn't say (in an Eeyore voice) the day before "They're not in; you might need to sell your author copies." They greeted me when I arrived. They still had the world's smallest table (I'm thinking major bookstores found quite a sale on veeerrryy small tables) but they let me have two (I'm a veeerrryy large woman). They offered to take my coat. They gave me a coffee. I like this bookstore.

Did you hear that it rained in Phoenix. Rain being a polite word. Did you hear it poured in Phoenix. Poured being an inadequate word. Did you hear about the deluge in Phoenix. Yup, on the night of my booksigning. I mailed 120 fliers, passed out 60fliers, and let me tell you, if I hadn't of been signing, I'd have stayed home. Wow. This wonderful bookstore is letting me sign again on Saturday. I hope it doesn't rain.

I also signed on Saturday at the Tempe Festival of Arts (think outdoors and a table). This time we didn't have a deluge. It was more like a two year old who has just figured out how a sink works. Water on. Water off. It rained, and then the sun came out. Bored? Here's a little wind. Oh, look, look at the books blowing down the street. There were six of us. Finally, the bookstore took pity and moved us inside. The great thing about rain and an indoor booksigning is... every time the two year old turned on the faucet, the bookstore filled. I did much better :)

I can't believe November is over! If you see my book, lonely on its shelf, and still hanging on to its spot, please buy it. It doesn't want its lovely, little cover ripped off. It doesn't want its named changed to RETURNED. It has a very short life. Make its day: buy it.

End of Booksignings and More.

Oh, by the way, I just read a fabulous book called After Anne. No, I don't know the author personally, it was just so wonderful to get lost in a book. Great characterization. And, for those of you who don't know, Michelle Sutton just sold her first young adult novel. Yabba Dabba Doo!