Book Signings

It’s winter in Wisconsin.  It snows in the winter in Wisconsin.  For my first book signing this past Saturday at the Beans n Cream Coffeehouse, it snowed.  The snow began several hours before my 10 a.m. start time.  It was the type of snow that melts when it hits the road pavement and turns into a mush.  The mush makes driving tenuous.  My hopes for hoards of book purchasers with books in hand to sign melted like the new snow striking pavement.

The table at the coffee shop had a sign reading “Reserved for Rex Owens book signing”.  A stack of books sat on the table.  I added my book cover poster to attract potential book readers and took a seat.  My wife was armed with the camera to record the historic moments.  The first person through the door was my best friend, he picked up a book from my table, purchased it and his four shot cappuccino then joined me at the table.  Everyone that stopped by the table followed his lead that morning.  I was in author’s heaven.  On a Saturday morning I was hanging out at the coffee shop, drinking coffee, selling books, signing books and talking with my friends for two and a half hours.  What could be better?  I sold about 10 books and it was very satisfying.

It’s still winter in Wisconsin.  My “big” event was the book reading and signing at the Sun Prairie Public Library this past Monday evening.  The snow began about 3:00 p.m.   It snowed hard.  It was the kind of snow that when you turn on your ‘brights’ when driving you get a wall of white and realize it’s worse so you turn them off.  About 5:30 p.m. my phone began ringing, friends calling to tell me the snow was too much of a hazard and they wouldn’t be attending the reading.  I didn’t answer those calls; I let them go to voicemail.  I appreciated the calls but didn’t want to hear them.

By 6:20 p.m. only one person arrived for the reading.  I was determined not to cancel.  Then two more arrived.  At 6:30 the library staff insisted that I begin even with only three people in the room.  I started.  During my opening remarks people straggled into the room, one by one, until we had ten in all.  I wanted to have an informal conversation with readers, not just lecture and read.  We struck up a conversation, people contributed their experiences traveling in Ireland and after the reading we continued to talk.  My wife Lynette sold books at a table in the back of the room and we sold another 10 books.  I was elated.

For an author talking directly with readers is a very special experience.  We all write to be read.  Talking with readers completes the writing experience and provides another way for writers to enrich their writing.  I thoroughly enjoy the reading and signing events.  The events connect me with my community and make me whole as a writer.  I’m looking forward to a year of author events in 2014.

Next week is family week with son, daughter-in-law and one year old granddaughter visiting from Omaha.  The whole clan will be together for the first time in several years.  I’m going take a break for posting a blog and enjoy the warmth of my family.  For 2014 I offer a traditional Irish blessing:

May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you’re going and the insight to know when you’re going too far.