How to Have Fun at a Booksigning (even when you're not signing!)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
I just got back from an author talk/booksigning for two chaptermates: Michele Lang has a new book, Netherwood, coming out from Dorchester. And Candace Gold has A Heated Romance available from Highland Press. I always look forward to these events, probably moreso when I'm not signing, because there's no pressure on me. I don't have to sound clever or urbane at the drop of a hat, I'm not scanning the crowd to see which of my friends showed up (and worse, which ones didn't!) and I don't sweat how many books the store ordered, how many are sold, and how many are left after the event.

Regardless of whether I sign or not, there's a palpable energy at a booksigning. Authors are thrilled to have a fan base. Readers are excited to attend. So...what's not to like? I love sharing the joy of the moment with both sides. And when I'm signing, I can't necessarily read both sides. Believe it or not, the audience side is sometimes a lot more exciting than the author side of the table.

I always try to remember Nora Roberts's advice regarding booksignings. Too many authors forget that a booksigning is not all about them. It's about the fan. Think about it. Sure, we the authors, sweat the moment or plan the moment from start to finish. But for whom? Ourselves? Not really.

To the readers, a booksigning is their brush with celebrity. They want to be able to tell their friends they met a famous author. They can't wait to get their hands on your latest release. They want to discuss your characters as if those characters are truly alive. Maybe a fan will get the inside scoop on your next book. For them, it's all about the moment. They spoke to you! "OMG, she's just as nice in person as she looks in her photos!"

And really, without the reader, an author has no audience, no voice, no job. Something to think about...

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posted by Gina Ardito aka Katherine Brandon at 2:59 PM | 3 comments
"But you're a writer..."
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I think every company nowadays has that bean-counter known as "the efficiency expert." The movies, Office Space and American Beauty both use the "EE" as a comic vehicle to drive home their satire. And last week at Le Day Job, I received the obligatory email that I would be expected to write my boss a detailed report of what I do on a day-to-day basis to earn my paycheck. Deadline for completing this little autobiography? Friday. Well, last week suffering from the flu, I opted to put off until tomorrow what I could've done then. And so, when the reminder email ("I need this information within the next two days, People!") came around this morning, I decided to bite the bullet and draft mine. Within minutes of hitting "Send" on what I thought was a really good description of why they should keep me and not train Bubbles the Chimp to take over my slot, I received a follow-up email from my boss.

Since the boss knows how much I love to write, would I mind going into more detail so that they could use my description to create a Policy and Procedure memo based on what I do? Ummm...yeah. I did mind. Because what the boss lady forgot is that I love to write FICTION. I write ROMANCE. I write about people who overcome insurmountable odds to not only achieve an improbable dream, but find love while doing it. Hardly the type of stuff one expects to read in a P & P manual!

What about you? Does your boss know what you do when you're not chained to a desk in his/her employ? And has (s)he ever made a bizarre writing request of you because of it? I'd love to know I'm not alone.

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posted by Gina Ardito aka Katherine Brandon at 7:40 PM | 6 comments
Who Are You?
Sunday, March 9, 2008
I've been thinking a lot the past few days about written identity vs. our real selves. Many of my critique partners will tell you I go bat-crazy when someone messes with my voice. Why? Because my voice on the page reflects the real me struggling over the page. There's very little difference between my written identity and my real self.

To be honest, I probably would make a poor spy and an even worse superhero. Because I can't just change who I am at the drop of a hat. Unlike Clark Kent, if I slick back my hair and put on nerdy glasses, I'm still Gina...with my hair slicked back and nerdy glasses. A cape and thigh high red boots do not change my snarky sense of humor, my often too-large heart, and my love for kids and animals. (It might, however, improve my love life.) There is no brand name that will change who I am and how I see myself. This is probably why I'm not impressed with fancy homes, shoes that cost more than my first car, or purses with someone else's initials emblazoned all over the fabric. Issues that resonate with me when I'm sitting in my three-bedroom ranch house would mean just as much to me if I was a guest at a five-star resort in Tahiti. With me, what you see is what you get. For good or bad, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.

If I call you "friend"--even if I only know you online, I value you as a friend. You can trust that I'm honest with you. I don't create an online persona that isn't clearly who I am in real life. I will not pepper my speech or posts with "facts" that are not true. I will not try to manipulate you into feeling something for me with lies or innuendo. I am me. And that's enough.

Which brings me back to my writing self. All of my characters--no matter how minor, no matter their gender--have something strongly indicative of me (a manner of speaking, a quirk, a favorite memory, etc.) built into their personalities. Okay, so I admit, I'm not 5'10" with long black hair and a killer body like one or two of my heroines, but I'm not talking about looks. I'm referring, of course, to soul. Soul: the wondrous bit of one's self that should be incorruptible, constant, and unique to each individual.

How much of your soul appears in your written work? Your online life? Or are you...perhaps...a spy? Inquiring minds want to know.

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posted by Gina Ardito aka Katherine Brandon at 7:18 PM | 7 comments