Great couple of days at Book Expo America! It’s at New York’s Javits Center…the whole Javits Center – it’s huge!
Along with doing some good book business, I met Sarah, Duchess of York and Kathie Lee Gifford, who were both signing their newest children’s books. Both women were gracious and personable, something that’s not so easy to do when signing book after book for an hour or more. I know from my own book signings that, while being grateful for the people in line, it’s a challenge to keep the energy going. But they did, and were great author-models (and just so you know, not every author is so nice at those signings…). Thanks to Publisher Sheila Ruth who got to the Javits center at 6:30am to get the tickets
I also met some wonderful book people – other authors, book club readers, reviewers, librarians, and just cool women who were waiting in autographing lines with me. One of them was a twenty-something young woman who was just ahead of me in the Kathie Lee line. She was so excited and I asked her why. She told me when she was a kid, and later during summer vacation and school days off, she and her mother would watch Kathie Lee and Regis on their television show each morning. Over the years, in addition to the warm and fuzzy “mom connection”, she saw Kathie Lee as a model of values and ethics. I agree with her. Do you?
