First booksigning, in retrospect

My first booksigning was a rousing success. This was largely due to the fact that many of my friends from different circles showed up, including squirrelhaven, outsidetheparty, porcupinemoon, the_star_fish (wardrobe consultant), some arts potluck folks, some Wordplay folks, some folks from work, and even *gasp* people I didn't know.

The reading went well, and the Q&A session was amusing, even if the questions mostly didn't end up being about my books. I had a moment of panic when I found that someone had used my box of extra books as a trashcan for their refreshments and fruit juice had dripped down my entire stack of Shards. But the wonderful people there were happy to buy books that were slightly wet on the top edge (some actually asking for the most damaged copies I had), so I discounted them a dollar and sold them at cost, and disaster was averted because my friends are so kind, and everything went swimmingly.

Basically, I've been feeling great since the event, and am hopeful that my signings in RI will also go well. Sure, they won't be loaded with friends, but the people will all have inherent interest in the subject matter, so it should balance out somewhat. Regardless, after all the horror stories I've heard about booksignings, this was pretty much the best launch I could have hoped for.

Oh, and the neat part: After the signing, I get an email from a young woman who was there, an MCLA student from Rhode Island. She says, "Just wanted to let you know, I'm enjoying the book, and also, I'm friends with the people on page 55."

And that's what Rhode Island is all about.