The day after the Teen Book Festival, I hopped in the car and drove an hour and half (ish) to Oswego, NY. (I got a tiny bit lost along the way, but no harm, no foul. Turns out my AAA directions were…lacking.)
The story of how I ended up in Oswego is sort of atypical. See, Banna Rubinow at the river’s end bookstore had read an advance copy of the novel. She liked it a lot and said so on the store’s web site. I saw the mention and asked if I could quote her on the Fanboy site. From there, we started corresponding semi-regularly. When Banna found out I was going to be in Fairport for the book festival, she asked (I was going to say “demanded,” but she was very polite!) if I could find time to come to Oswego, too.
Let me think about this… I’m in the area anyway… Do I have time to go to a store that is enthusiastic about my work? I gave the matter all five seconds it needed, then said yes!
In advance of the trip, some of the local and regional papers covered my event, which was very cool! (Authors: If the river’s end invites you to attend, go! They get advance publicity for you like you wouldn’t believe!) The Syracuse Post-Standard interviewed me and then posted the stuff that wouldn’t fit in print online. Beyond cool!
Fitting for April Fools’ Day, the gods decided to prank me — not only did I get lost, but it also rained all day. The good guys still won, though — the store had a nice crowd gathered to hear me speak. I did my “stump presentation” on the history and importance of geeks, then read a little bit from Fanboy before taking questions and signing books.
I have to say — the coolest thing about events like this is the chance to meet great people. The gang at the river’s end was just terrific. I felt like I’d walked into a five-star hotel, not a bookstore! I had a cup of hot tea in my hands almost before I finished saying hello, just the trick on a cold and rainy day.
If you’re ever in Oswego or nearby, check out this store! It’s an absolutely beautiful shop and its location is unbeatable — right on the corner of a busy intersection in downtown Oswego. Owners Bill and Mindy Reilly and their staff do a terrific job making visitors feel at home.
The staff weren’t the only cool people in attendance, though! The audience had some great questions and seemed to enjoy the talk and the reading. If my signing hand is any indication, they stuck around to buy copies of the book, too, so I hope they all enjoyed it!
If you guys in Oswego are reading this… Thanks for such a great time! I really thought that after the book festival I would be too tired to have fun in Oswego, but as soon as I walked into the store, I felt this amazing burst of energy and it was like I’d just come back from a relaxing vacation!
Pictures from the event in Oswego are in the Gallery on the Fanboy site. Click on the shot of the ladies of the river’s enddecked out in Goth regalia to get there!
