Reading the Rocket

I had my first public reading Tuesday night. The local Friends of the Library asked me to speak at their October meeting. I read "A Rocket for the Republic" to about two dozen ladies.
I explained a little of my personal background, and the background of the story as well as the genre before reading "Rocket". Many of the ladies in this group are also active in Texas historical and/or genealogical groups, so they ate it up.
I explained that as a non-native Texan, I probably made a better-than-average attempt to include Texas historical tidbits - because I've had to learn these things in the past 20 years I've lived here.
Mom and Patricia came along, too. Overall, everyone had a good time.
Afterwards some of the ladies asked me some questions. One lady also said she had looked up my stories on the web, and had enjoyed a couple of them.
She didn't recall the titles, but after a brief description I knew they were "Silence is Golden" and "Big Girl".
She was especially impressed with "Silence", especially she 'fell" for the trick ending. I told her that "Silence" was my first story to get an honorable mention in the "Year's Best Science Fiction".
I only wish I had taken a few of the blow-in cards I have laying around at home and handed them out. I might have picked up a few subs for the magazine. But this is the first time I'd ever done this.