Thursday Thirteen #28 -- Girls Night Out report!

Since I focused on my then-upcoming booksigning last week, I thought I'd take today to report back on how it went. Here's the skinny:

1. Thanks to traffic, I was twenty minutes late getting there. Then I spent ten minutes driving around the parking lot trying to find a parking space. Not the best start to the evening!

2. Once in the mall, I went over to the signing tables to find my seat. There was no nametag for me. Again, not auspicious.

3. Once we figured out that Kate Austin was signing at a different bookstore and the tag really should have read Kate Davies, I breathed a little easier. The signage was fixed right away. :)

4. Even as late as I was, I still managed to be the third author who arrived. Evidently, I wasn't the only one with travel issues. (The ferries were a nightmare, from what I understand...)

5. At the start of the evening, I got to sit next to Ann DeFee, a Harlequin American Romance author with a great sense of humor. We spent a good portion of the first hour standing at our table, answering questions about RWA and becoming a published author.

6. Most repeated comment of the evening:

"You wrote that?"

"Yes!" (Big smile)

"Gee, you look too conservative to write something like that!"

Huh?

7. At around 6:30, my seatmate arrived -- Susan Lyons. A fabulous Brava author, Susan and I had fun shocking passersby with our book covers. (We were the "hot" section of the signing.)

8. Jaw-dropping moment: A woman walks by, picking up bookmarks, pens, candy, etc., from each of the authors. Then, as she walks away, she announces loudly, "I'd never read a romance unless there was nothing else available."

9. My best publicist? My mom! She talked up the signing to everyone. Including the woman at the Clinique counter, who rushed over to introduce herself. Way to go, Mom!

10. The hot tamales were a big hit! (If you can't read the label, it says, "...because a little spice is nice!", with my name and web address on it.) I was glad, because staying up until 2 a.m. filling little cellophane bags with candy is a bit of a pain. Ah, the glamorous life of an author...

11. Funniest moment: a woman walks up with a big smile on her face. "I understand you (meaning writers) sometimes come into the schools and give talks." I held up my copy of my book and said, "I don't think I'd bring this into the schools." She said, "Oh, sorry!", blushed, and literally ran away.

12. Our table, left to right: Gerri Russell, Ann DeFee, Susan Lyons, and me. The table on the other side of the signing (sorry, no pic!): Cherry Adair, Pat White, and Elizabeth Boyle. Couldn't make it: Dawn Calvert, my chaptermate and a fabulous author who got sick. :(

13. Best of all -- I sold out! I even signed copies for people I didn't know! :)

It was a great evening and I'm so glad I was able to participate. Thanks to Peninsula RWA and Barnes and Noble for sponsoring a wonderful event!