I had a great book signing at Barnes & Noble last Saturday. Five other members of Sleuths' Ink Mystery Writers and I had a big, beautiful book signing Saturday morning. The Barnes and Noble staff treated us like royalty.
The thing that made my heart swell was the number of people who walked through the bookstore doors that morning. They just kept coming. Individuals, couples, families, friends, siblings, and book nerds of all kinds visited the store while we were there. At one point, the checkout line was so long that it was nearly to the entrance.
There are a few people who have told that books are dead, and no one misses them. It's vindicating to see that I was correct in my righteous assertion to the contrary. The Springfield, Missouri Barnes & Noble was most definitely the place to be, and I was thrilled to see it. I hope all bookstores are enjoying this kind of resurgence in business.
There was a young boy of perhaps 8 or so and his dad who spent quite a bit of time carefully looking at everything the store had to offer. I noticed they had three boxes of Legos as they made their way up to the cash register. The boy, who had been surreptitiously glancing at us, finally approached one of our tables and asked what we were doing. Joyce Valdois Smith, the author at the table next to me, explained that we were writers having a book signing.
He looked around in awe. He asked if wrote all the books on display. We told him who had written which books. He looked at a couple of the children's books, probably to be polite. Then he smiled and launched into his own explanation for being at the store.
He explained that he wasn't there for books. He and his dad were creating a Lego city on the kitchen table at his dad's house. They had come to Barnes & Noble specifically for Lego sets. He showed us the three sets his dad was buying and gushed about how much fun they had building their city together.
His dad smiled and nodded. He patiently waited while his son told us in elaborate detail about their Lego city and how long they had been building it together. This dad has it figured out. There's a small window of time in which kids actually want to spend time with their parents. I'm so happy that dad is making the most of his time with his son. I wish I had done the same when my step-kids were little.
Each author at the signing sold books, and we had a great time together. I sold four books and am pleased to say that the Springfield, Missouri Barnes & Noble carries my book, Moonbeams and Ashes. It's also available at barnes&noble.com, ABC Books in Springfield, Missouri, Always Buying Books in Joplin, Missouri, and amazon.com. Stay tuned for exciting information regarding my next book.
Do you have a favorite bookstore?
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