In lieu of a Judging post this week, I wanted to talk a little about the book signing I went to on Wednesday for Christopher Moore’s new book, Secondhand Souls. I saw him two years ago and sadly missed him last year, so I was excited to be able to go back to Boston this year and see him again. He’s one of my favorite authors and it’s always nice to meet someone you admire!
A friend and I headed to the Brookline Booksmith (a wonderful indie store that has author events all the time) and waited in line at a theater across the street (in 90 degree heat) where we would be listening to Moore talk. It just so happened that as we got to the end of the long line, Moore was walking about, chatting with fans. I creepily took photos while he was talking to someone else. Then he came near us and introduced himself to my friend. I am a complete weirdo and get very nervous and silent, so all I did was whine a little as Moore prepared to walk away. Luckily, my friend is awesome and said “and this is Camille!” so I was able to shake Christopher’s hand too. It’s the little things!
Being at the back of the line, we ended up at the back of the theater, so any pictures I tried to take while Moore was talking were horrible and grainy. But he was funny and fantastic as always. He talked and answered questions for an hour or so, then we all headed back to the bookstore to line up for the signing.
The theater had a cool 20’s style, art deco feel, and I had to take a quick picture of the sign for the women’s room. Now that I’m thinking about it, I should have looked to see what the men’s sign looked like.
Back at the bookstore, we were at the end of the line once more. A group of maybe 20 of us actually had to wait outside (staring longingly at the people who got to wait inside in the AC) for about 45 minutes so we weren’t totally in the way of non-event patrons. Once we were let inside, the line still snaked through quite a few aisles, and overall we waited about 2 hours to get our books signed. We’d also done a little shopping before the event, so we were weighted down with heavy bags too – but it’s all worth it.
I did much better conversing with Christopher this year than I did the previous time I met him. He thanked me for waiting so long and I thanked him back. We talked about my name and the “fucking French” a bit, as well as the plastic covers I wrap my hardbacks in. He also complimented my funky hair (you can kind of see some green in the photo).
I held it together pretty well because my natural instinct was to act like Spongebob, meeting his idol Kevin…the…sea cucumber who is like, the best ever at jelly fishing.
Conversation a success, I went back to creepily snapping photos while my friend had his book signed.
It was a long night and I arrived back home a lot later than I expected, but that’s ok. I had both the new release and the first book in the series signed, along with another book for Sweetbeeps (my fiance). We now have 5 books signed by Moore adorning our shelves and I hope he returns to Boston again next year!
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Have you been to any book signings? Are you as awkward as Spongebob and I are? Do you typically ask questions about an author’s writing when you’re able to chat with them, or just talk about random things?
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