Well, getting back to the the positive

As I previously mentioned, the signing in Waxahachie Feb. 13 went very well. The weekly county newspaper, The Ellis County Press, published a nice photo in color on the back page of this week's paper. Sheila Hatfield, on the left, owns the paper with husband Charlie Hatfield - who took the photo. We all worked together in the 1990s. All of us, including Patricia - that pretty girl on the right - went to dinner after the signing at a nearby pizza parlor.

Analyzing the flop of the signing in Paris, I will say that I'm not sure 2-4 in the afternoon is the best time. In a city like that - as in Waxahachie - I think Saturday night would have been a much better time. Also, the store seemed more disorganized that most - I don't think I ever spoke to the same person twice, and the manager on duty when I arrived had no idea a signing was planned.

In Waxahachie, by comparison, there was a neat table with a green tablecloth and my books set up for me when I arrived. That was cute to see, and the first time I had seen it. In Paris, they didn't have a book stand.

Of course, it might have helped if I had made some follow-up calls last week, or sent them a poster to put on the bulletin board. But with bronchitis and having lost my voice, that wouldn't have been pretty hard to do. Things weren't easy in general.

Longview next Saturday should go better. I will make some calls tomorrow, and the book manager there seems to be more on the ball. I've actually talked to her twice, and she asked for a poster. Also, Longview will be the largest city I've visited so far, with a population of 77,000.