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| Photo by Eugene Smith |
In my years of experience as a writer (which is a pretty big number because I
am not so young), I've found book signings to be hit or miss. I've participated
in some that, by all rights, should have been better-than-resounding successes
but flopped, and others that seemed doomed to disappoint, yet doubled and
tripled my most optimistic expectations. I felt pretty good about today's
grand opening event at Eden’s Ember Bookshop in nearby Eden, NC; because, although Eden is a small town in a fairly rural
county, from the beginning, owners Stephanie Lynn and her husband, Shawn, as well as several dedicated helpers, went all out to
organize and promote both the event and the store itself. Plus, this region is
home to an impressive number of successful writers. So, going in, it felt like
all the building blocks for a decent day were in place. Authors
Delphine McClelland, Val Neiman, and Al Sirois and I were
set to sign books on the first shift (12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.), with another
four — Maddy Butler, Ellen Ceely, Olivia Piervincenti, and Britta Threshie — at 3:00 p.m.
And...oh, yeah. From the moment the doors opened, a steady flow of patrons
came in, and many — or maybe even most — took advantage of the opportunity to
check out us local folks, conveniently set up in the vestibule in front of the main
entrance. I sold out of my copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond and Blue Devil Island, and I diminished my stock of all the other books I had on hand. So, yes,
I'd say this one more than met my expectations, and I hope this bodes well for
the store in general.
The bookshop is located in the basement of Kings Mill Coffee Shop, and before the signing started, I paid them a visit to have breakfast. I killed a wonderfully spicy western omelette, and I can safely say this was one of
the best omelettes I've ever had — bacon, sausage, onion, jalapenos, and
habanero ghost jack cheese. And their coffee is great.
Eden's Ember Bookshop and Kings Mill Coffee Shop are located at 729 South Van Buren, Eden, NC. If you're in the area, I highly recommend paying them a visit.
Eden's Ember Bookshop and Kings Mill Coffee Shop are located at 729 South Van Buren, Eden, NC. If you're in the area, I highly recommend paying them a visit.
