Hobkin’s asleep in my lap making little skunkie snoring sounds. It’s terribly cute. Last night I fell asleep on the couch and he crawled up on the cushion I was using as a pillow and slowly edged his way into my arms. He and I slept with him playing teddy skunk for hours, until he suddenly rolled over and fell off the couch. Poor little guy. He landed on his feet and was totally unhurt, but I looked down to see him standing there with a dazed, perplexed look about him. I reached down to pick him back up, but he squiggled away and ran off to sulk under his hutch. I think he blamed me for his plummet. Silly beastie. But apparently he’s forgiven me this morning.
Yesterday we went out after dinner to pick up some more Ostara decorations (doesn’t everyone celebrate Ostara?). Our timing couldn’t be worse. Apparently a tanker truck overturned on I-85 across all lanes in one direction, and the overflow bottlenecked the roads for miles around. A twenty-five-minute drive turned into two hours. Gah.
I just noticed on the Phobos site that there’s links set up for a “signing tour” for the anthology (that go to a “coming soon” sort of message when clicked). That implies that they’re planning such a thing for this release. They had one for the first anthology, so I shouldn’t be surprised. But I’ve never been on a signing tour. What if I sit down to sign and no one shows up?
But I’ve never been on a signing tour. What if I sit down to sign and no one shows up?
I think we all have that fear! I’ve seen it happen – and know it’ll happen to me eventually. You could take a notebook and write something kiling off the fans that don’t show up. Or just develop a really good pout – so maybe people will feel sorry for you and buy the book. 😎
Understand the fear.
My hope is that Orson Scott Card will once again be taking point on the publicity tour. With OSC there, I know people would show. And if by some strange cosmic convergance they didn’t, I’d get to talk to OSC!
OH, Right! The positive thinking thing… there is that!
A bottle of bubbles doesn’t hurt either. It’s a scientific fact that no one can be in a bad mood while blowing bubbles. And bubbles will draw a crowd! Unlike water guns….
Sorry, my inner child has taken over…
Bubbles. Check.
Hmm. Maybe Silly String too? Err, probably too messy.
Yeah, the good thing about bubbles is that they dry clean and clear. There’s no messy clean up – oh, and they’re cheaper than silly string…
just bring a friend to talk to.
it’s okay–for example, yesterday i spent 2 hours at a library
and only sold one book, but i had a blast. my dad and little brother were there, and some of my little brother’s friends stopped by…you just have to be comfortable.
😉
Bring companions. Check.
Actually, I imagine there would be plenty of people to talk to, as the other, undoubtedly equally insecure, authors of the anthology would also be at this. But I just have this nightmare image of me sitting by myself behind a huge stack of books with a soulful expression on my face, accosting passersby: “Buy a book, mister? I’ll sign it for you. Pleeease?”
You could always sign in one of your schoolgirl or vinyl outfits..
then again, you’d prob need some hired goons to shoo away the throngs of onlookers…
I’m available if you need any goons…though I’m prob overqualified…
Well the vinyl might be appropriate, considering that my story is a cyberpunk one. As the Matrix has shown us, nothing says “cyberpunk” like black vinyl.
“I’m available if you need any goons…“
Your name tops my list of goon squad volunteers
.
I WANNA SKUNK!!!!
Hobkin says “thank you.”
What if I sit down to sign and no one shows up?
For this kind of anthology, I’d bet they’d be going for specialty sf bookstores and/or cons and the like, so you’d be much more likely to have people show up–especially if there’s an associated reading.
But then, my experience of signing has always been in association with a reading.
Reading? Reading??
Ack!
Did I mention that public speaking terrifies me?
Are they going to ask you to read? They might not.
I’ve found reading isn’t like talking extemporaneously. I go through my manuscript and mark in breath marks with little commas, and underline words I need to stress to make it flow. Then I pretend it’s like a choral concert–for me, it’s a similar state of mind. It’s performance, and me-the-performer is a mask over the real me. If that makes any sense.