It was quite a night. We got off to a slow start as many of the invited guests were caught up in the traffic heading to the Rosebowl for the UCLA game. Who ordered that? Anyway, we arrived early to Vroman'sin Pasadena to set up the event. (Oh yes. New, midlist authors like me set up their own events. Conversely, the next day Martha Stewart was going to be in my spot and I'm betting she wasn't unloading her car to set it up. But no matter!)
We brought a coffin-sized ice chest filled with champagne and other beverages and got the help of Matt, one of the staff of Vroman's, to wheel it up the freight elevator. I laid out gold tablecloths for the two tables they had for us and began to decorate. I brought my helm and a couple of medieval weapons and made an interesting display behind a large wooden board on which I arranged large wedges of cheese, grapes, and meats. Goodies bags, my guest book, and the basket of medievally things to be raffled were placed on table number two. By then, my harpist arrived (cousin Cyndee Crane) and she set herself up to create a little background interest. Also at this time, a beautiful flower arrangement arrived from my Vicious Circle, my irreplaceable critique group consisting of Laura James, Ana Brazil, and Bobbie Gosnell, fellow Sisters in Crime I have only virtually met. That made me cry, and me with eye make-up that I never wear!
And then! My knights showed up! Two men in armor from the Imperial Knights of Norco, CA., arrived to add verisimilitude to the event. I armed them with bookmarks and they wandered through the bookstore urging more people to the upstairs launch. And then we waited until the others could arrive. All told, 70 people came, both friends, family, and others who heard about it and were coaxed by a couple of knights to give it a go. And then we all went downstairs to the sidewalk to watch my gallant men-at-arms clobber each other with swords. It was fantastic! I especially enjoyed the reactions of the people on the street who encountered medieval knights with sparking swords having at it. (I did alert the media but unfortunately none showed up. They missed a good bet!) We adjourned upstairs to begin the evening. I gave a reading and answered questions, telling a little bit about how "we got here" and then I signed. Laura Jane, my guide for the evening,
said they sold over fifty books so that was really great. We spent a long time there (if you are ever in Pasadena, do drop in on Vroman's. Publisher's Weekly called it the best independent of 2008. And really, it's a terrific store with all sorts of chachkes and a very well-rounded collection of books to make a Barnes & Noble blush!) She also said she had never seen a book launch quite like this. It was a lot of fun. A big group of us went across the street to dinner at El Portal. It was a lovely warm night and our tables were set up on the patio (an area very reminiscent of New Orleans Square at Disneyland. I expected a "yo ho" at any minute) where we took over the whole area. Serenaded by a guitarist (and then the staff handed us maracas and a tambourine) we closed the place down. Terrific food, terrific margaritas, and a great bunch of people. It was all that and more. A big Thanks to Vroman's for their superb hospitality, especailly Jennifer Ramos and Laura Jane, and to El Portal. We ate in shifts, some forty of us, but they handled it perfectly. And another big thank you to my pal, the unsung DiAnne Cooper, who was stuck behind the tables all night serving champagne. I'll sing for you!
We stayed at the Marriott in Pasadena and the next day got ready to head out to my second book signing in Orange. (Did I mention I woke up with a cold the other day? Such good timing. I must have a heart to heart with my antibodies.) We headed out to Book Carnival where I met the owner, Ed. Book Carnival is one of those great little mystery book stores that launch many a new writer, like Robert Crais and others. I rubbed the table for good luck! His store is like a general store. His customers were more like friends and though it didn't have a pickle barrel in front, it did have a rocking chair and some friends who just hung out. Ed usually didn't open on Sunday but he does open for some authors so I felt special. He presold about 13 copies of Veil and a few of the folks came in to have me sign it for them (the others I signed per their requests) and we even had a few walk-ins. Another virtual friend from a re-enactor's group showed up, Sir Jamie the Red, King of Esperance (otherwise known as Steve Eldredge) who wore his armor and offered a bit of atmosphere. I enjoyed talking with him and getting an up close and personal with his mail (which he made himself! Very impressive).
It was an exhausting weekend, especially with a cold, but well worth it. My busy schedule continues on Wednesday and through the weekend with many other bookstore stops. Check out the schedule on my website and do drop by if you can! Below are bountiful pictures from both events.
O Jeri! Great looking knights! I love the ferocity, and then one fellow standing quietly at the book shelves. :) Sounds like a Grand Affair. Huzzah!
Posted by: Holly Y | November 17, 2008 at 06:04 AM