Close Encounters With Author-Type People

Well, just one author, really. At three or four separate author events. How I get myself into these things is beyond me.

The first time was a real need to attend in support of what is a great, great book. She's already selling out copies all over the place of the first printing run, and, if you can't get another copy at Loyola before the holidays, looks like you're gonna be SOL, as they say. I dragged my son along with me to the reading at the Garden District Book Shop, and because I had to keep him quiet and because I spoil him a little when we head to a bookstore, I picked up something for him while waiting for Ms D to get her read on. I didn't realize the irony of what I got him until recently. Just look at the picture and I'll tell you more 'bout it later on:ANYway, I made it through the reading despite the little guy's constant "When are we goiiiiiiiinnnnng????" queries. It wasn't until I got home that I'd forgotten to get the book signed. Oops.

So I high-tail it off to the New Orleans Book Fair and run into the same author there, who is holding a reading about the same time as I'm hanging 'round and soaking in the smells of old beer and puke in the gutters and new, printed paper in the Frenchmen Street bars. If I'd'a known she was gonna be there, I would have brought the book to get it signed!!!! Alas, it was not to be, though I sat through another reading of her incomparable book, I won a raffle of a bag full of bookfair authors' books and a nifty t-shirt, as well as a Saints and Sinners Festival admission (hot damn! Dorothy Allison in attendance!). Can't say I haven't been lucky in general - just not lucky enough to get Ms D's John Hancock in her book.

I got an email advising me that Ms D would be talking about Sandrine's Letter To Tomorrow on WTUL one Friday morning, so I hustled the little guy out the door and into the car for school (which ain't an easy feat - the child has two speeds: slow and stop), flipped on the radio, and was just in time for the interview to be cut short because of a fire alarm (!) going off in the building in which the studios were located. The radio show's host and Ms D had to sign off, and dead air took over 91.5 for a while. Ugh. "Mommy, where's the music??" my son asked. Sighing, I flipped over to WWOZ, a tad sad that I had to do that.

Once I got out of the car and got my son off to his classroom, however, I was happy to turn back to WTUL and hear their voices again. There was a good deal of talk about what girl power in the 1970's was all about and how much potential there was for girls to be strong and to reclaim stronger roles for themselves in society as a whole. The interviewer commented on Sandrine being a book that readers want to pass on to other readers, especially the women. I instantly thought it would be a perfect holiday gift for two friends of mine in the New York area and I ran to get two copies for said friends. I looked in the books at the checkout counter and saw that they were signed. Mine still wasn't. Grrrrr...

And then I heard about the Loyola author event. That did it.
I now have a signed book from Ms D. I even got to meet another blogger whose book I now have (it too is signed. I'm learning my lesson here...), as well as Ms D's husband, Mr D. It wasn't until I told her about the first signing that I fully realized what I'd bought my son that day and how funny it was in light of this past week's events. The gas station in the book gets knocked down for a children's playground. In the demolition of the station, materials are separated for recycling (some of those recyclables are even used in the playground! Niiiice...) and life is beautiful all the time haha heehee hoho.

Oh, if only that were so.