3 . . . “There it is!”

I was scouting where I need to be tomorrow for my book signing, as my panel is a few blocks away, and I stumbled on the SXSW bookstore. I’m scanning for WOOL, and right as I spot it on the store shelf, I hear someone in the crowd say: “There it is. There’s the book.”

It could have been any book. Every single book on the shelf was written by someone here at SXSW. They all have buzz around them. But my heart leapt up into my throat as I wondered, maybe, could they be talking about WOOL?

Two customers slide through the jam of people standing in front of the shelf. A hand reaches out. I’ve got goosebumps. They grab WOOL.

“This is it,” she says excitedly. They are studying the cover.

“Uh . . .” I quietly say. “I sorta . . . wrote that.”

The two ladies laugh. And then they realize I’m not joking. It turns out one of them, Lauren, has just read the book and loved it. We chat for a bit and take pictures. Again, my day is made (while some reader thinks it’s theirs that is made).