• Hug or handshake?

    3 Comments

    Went to my cousin’s wedding reception this weekend. (Just the reception, she actually got married in Hawaii the week before.) Very nice reception. Great food. Good atmosphere. Awesome wedding cake (almond and other flavored layers with raspberry glaze).

    And lots of relatives there. Lots and lots of cousins. Seriously, like 30 of them.

    I never know whether to hug people or not at these things, even if I am related to them. Some folks I’m really close to (like the cousin who got married and her family). They automatically get hugs. No problem, no awkwardness there.

    But other cousins, I haven’t seen in years and years. What to do? Brief hug? Brief handshake? Is there some sort of rule that says you have to hug your relatives?

    The same thing goes for book signings. I never know whether to shake people’s hands or not. Usually, I’m sitting down when people come up, which means I always have to look up at them. Most of the time I stand up so I’m eye-to-eye with folks. But still, it makes me feel awkward.

    Maybe I should invest in my own stool that I can perch on and be on the level with folks all the time. Or just buy one of those Emily Post manners books to help me know what to do in all these tricky situations.

    What about you? Do you ever experience social awkwardness? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • ·

    There oughta be a law …

    10 Comments

    I knew it was coming, but Veronica Mars, one of my TV favorite shows, got canceled this week.

    Sigh.

    It hung on for three years, and I’m grateful it was on that long. (And honestly, this season wasn’t nearly as good as the first two). But the finale is next week, and from what I’ve read, it was meant to be a season ender, not a series ender. In other words, nothing is going to get resolved.

    Sigh.

    I hate it when TV shows get the axe before they can wrap up their story lines. It’s not like I can do that in my books, now is it? So, why do TV execs get a free pass?

    There oughta be a law – any show, and I mean any show, that stays on the air at least one season and then gets cancelled should come back for one more episode in the summer or fall (or even a two-hour made-for-TV movie) so they can wrap everything up and satisfy the fans. I’d still be bummed about my show getting the axe, but at least I’d know how things were more or less supposed to turn out.

    Are you listening CW network? Are you?

    What about you? Did any of your shows get cancelled? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • Book signings — Round 2 …

    4 Comments

    So, I did my second round of book signings on Saturday. Sold 16 books total. Not too shabby for only two signings.

    And I learned something important — it’s all about location, location, location. I sold 10 books at the store where I was stationed by the entrance, compared to only six at the store where I was in the back corner of the coffee shop.

    Next time, I think I’ll ask them to move the table to a better spot.

    Six signings down, two to go (as of right now). I’m taking a break this weekend, but I’ll be haunting bookstores again on May 26-27. 😎

    What about you? Do you think location matters when you sign books? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • ·

    Numbers game …

    8 Comments

    Karma Girl has been out almost two weeks now, and I’ve been trying to figure out how well it’s doing. Mostly by checking my online Amazon and Barnes & Noble rankings every day. Yes, I am that obsessive. 😎

    I also got some good news from my editor. Karma Girl was #22 on the B&N trade romance list last week and #36 on the BookScan list.

    At least, I think this is good news. I have no idea what those numbers actually mean. Copies sold? Shipped? Returned? Put in a big pile and burned to ash?

    Actually, I have no idea what any of the best-seller numbers mean. Why is Publishers Weekly different from the New York Times list? Why are both of those different from USA Today? And those lists don’t count actual copies sold, right? They look at books shipped … or something.

    If anyone knows of an article that explains the numbers game, please pass it on. Inquiring minds want to know how well the book is doing …