Last Saturday was my very first book signing her in Solera. We arrived at Sky Harbor Airport on Friday. Excitement tingled inside me in anticipation of being back in the desert, where the weather is pristine this time of year. We spent our first day unpacking and stocking up on groceries for our two-week stay. Too exhausted to cook, though, we settled in for Chinese takeout. It struck me as surprising when we walked after dark to the sounds of near silence.
Bright and early the next morning, we were setting up for the big event. On pins and needles, I awaited the ambush of people tromping into the ballroom. What if nobody saw the three writers set up for business in the library? What if no one stopped by? And, God forbid, what if no one bought my book?
Folks dribbled in as if they were on the lookout for that perfect treasure. Now I know what it’s like to be on the selling side of the table. I smiled my greeting to those I hoped—no, prayed—would be so kind as to pick up my book. Just turn a page or two, look interested. But many of those initial shoppers nodded politely and turned away, leaving me alone to bite my nails. The fate of not one book sold seemed a certainty.
My fellow booksellers received some fans back for another book in their series. Since this was my first release and not a soul had bought my previous books, I grew more alone by the minute. Needless to say, this wasn’t what I’d imagined. I’d pictured a drumroll and a marching band. It didn’t appear in the cards.
Then, out the blue, as if my dearest friends had decided to join the party, I was surrounded by a crowd. The first time I cracked open the book to write, my heart thumped with worry. I didn’t want to make a mistake. Spell a name wrong or leave out a letter—mess up big time. After all, I’ve always had my flaws, and signing a book had to shine with perfection. My hand shook with the first few attempts, but as I began to forget my faults and to concentrate on my potential fans—yes, these were my future readers—I relaxed and had a ball.
The shock of shocks, I turned my head to find I’d run out of copies. What was I thinking? I hadn’t brought enough books with me to Arizona. What a dummy! But it could have been worse. As the clock chimed the noon hour, I could have had all my books still there on the table. Instead, I’d sold out and even gotten my picture taken doing so.
