I'm late I'm late for a very importat date...

Omigosh so much has happened since my stop at WORDS bookstore late October. Went down to Toms River for the American Legion Holiday fair and had a very fun and successful event. Sold more books than I ever have at a single appearance, and the people who came and other vendors who worked the fair were wonderful! Thanks to Laurinda Miller and all involved, and it was a very impressive Americn Legion hall. Huge. Nice bar but I quit drinking years ago though I still like to size those saloons up:) I enjoyed the drive down from Union, too, listening to Frank and Bing and Nat and getting in the holiday mood. On 12/4 I appeared at a wonderful, cozy little bookstore in Milburn called The Bookhouse. It was bitterly cold that night and I didn't get many folks attending, but my neighbor Joe showed up and I enjoyed his company. Tory, the bookstore manager couldn't have been nicer and she makes a killer cup of coffee too. Next day, 12/5 I appeared at my first Barnes & Noble. It went very well, the staff was great (shoutout to Cait who recommended me to the manager months ago to let me dazzle 'em at B&N even though I'm new and Shorte List is still wet-behind-the-dog-ears). I sold 5 books which they tell me is pretty good for a relatively unknown author in an hour and fortyfive minutes, and B&N asked me for books to stock and they are on their shelves. It's the B&N in Menlo Mall, and I'm grateful to everyone there who made my appearance a success. On Monday night, 12/8 I did a reading at the Kenilworth Library in Kenilworth NJ, a lot of friends showed up for that event and it was fun and good to see some familiar faces while I read. If you read Shorte List - a big part of the plot is a AI Dickens and I bring along a pretty good replica of AI CD to my appearances, which makes it fun for me because Dickens in all forms is a hoot!! This Saturday I'll be appearing at the Town Book Store in Westfield, and I am very much looking forward to that. Lisa Schwartz, the owner and a very dedicated supporter of local authors and rarin'-to-go readers has been instrumental in spreading the word about Shorte List! I'm quoting her here: "The characters jump off the page and the story speaks to the magic of the season, from the tiniest act of kindness to the biggest spectacle...." I'll contiue the blog in a couple days, as I have appearances all the way through the 20th. In the meantime, as Mr. Dickens would say: 'Keep Christmas in front of you.'