Traverse City Wrap Up

Just got back from Traverse City where I had a book signing at Horizon Books today. The family and I made a weekend out of it, and the kids had a great time swimming in the pool, shopping the downtown, and checking out the refurbished state hospital.

The best part of the book signing for me was having lunch with Jerry Dennis (author of the brilliant The Living Great Lakes . . . can't recommend this book enough). Jerry is a great guy and was kind enough to write a backcover blurb for my soon-to-be released Threatened Species and Other Stories (Whistling Shade Press).

The book signing itself reminded me of why I hate book signings. Book signings make sense if one is a famous author. If one is a no-name author like me . . . well, one ends up sitting at a table stacked with one's books getting annoyed or sympathizing looks from passers-by. I swear, I felt like I was sitting there with my spleen on the table the way people quickly averted their eyes once they spotted me.

The best part of the signing was this little six-year old girl who kept cruising by the table looking at my books. When her mother told her it was time to leave, the little girl came back to my table one more time, looked me square in the eyes and said, "Your books look cool."

That made my day. And, I did end up selling seven books, so it wasn't a total wash.