Barnes & Noble 2008
March 8, 2008 – Orem, Utah
March 15, 2008 – Murray, Utah
March 22, 2008 – Sandy, Utah
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March 8, 2008 –
Orem, Utah
The weeks are starting to fly by and I sincerely appreciate
everyone who takes the time to come into the signings and visit.
At Orem I met some great people including the son of an area
filmmaker who helped form the Sundance Film Festival with Robert Redford. The
young man had purchased a Barnes & Noble gift card for his friend as a
birthday present. They had come out of a nearby restaurant and saw my big sign
in front of the store. It was a serendipitous meeting that turned into a long
conversation.
There were many others of course, like the father and son
team who each purchased a book, and I want to especially thank Courtney on the
Barnes & Noble staff for pulling the rabbit out of the hat at the last
minute to get me set up. She did a great job.
--Ranse
March 15, 2008 –
Murray, Utah
The Murray Barnes & Noble signing produced some interesting
experiences. One lady said that she had missed me at the Orem signing, so she
came to the one in Murray because she had read the book and was very curious
about the way I had used certain themes in the story that paralleled her own
experiences and thoughts. We talked for quite some time.
Another woman had stopped and talked for a few minutes
before purchasing a book. A while later a younger woman stopped by and we spoke
for a time before she also had me sign a copy for her. They were mother and
daughter living in the same house and had no idea the other had decided to
purchase the book until meeting up at the register. On the way out they told me
what happened and politely related that they were still glad that each had
their own copy.
The best moment was when a 3-year-old boy came over and
gently put his big, shrink-wrapped tin containing a 36-piece puzzle up on the
table beside me. “Is this for you?” I asked. He gave me a big smile and shook
his head. His mom then introduced herself as a co-worker at my wife’s company.
She had come in earlier in the week to purchase the book, but the store was
sold out. The mom later related to my wife that after I had signed the book for
her, her son wanted to know why ‘that man had written in her book…with a pen!’
Traffic thinned in the late afternoon a couple hours after
my signing was technically over, so I packed up to get ready to leave. A lady
then stopped at the table and a conversation started. She said she had come in the
store planning only to get a birthday card for a friend, but decided to see
what ‘the author’s’ book was about. She ended up getting one for herself, then
later came back and bought another as a gift to go with the card. She commented
how strange it was that she decided to got to this store on a whim and ended up
purchasing the book.
--Ranse
March 22, 2008 –
Sandy, Utah
It was a little slow at the Sandy Barnes & Noble. The
first really nice sunny day of the year and an Easter weekend kept a lot of
people outside. Even so, by the end of the day all but two of the books had
been sold.
The highlight of the experience was talking with the
wonderful staff at the store. I probably ended up conversing with them more
than any of the customers, and they were absolutely great. As a matter of fact they
told me that I was one of the best authors they’ve had at the store and I was
welcome back anytime. I’m not sure exactly what I did or said to deserve such
appreciation, but I’ll certainly take them up on their offer.
--Ranse
