My book (signing) report

Things I learned at my book signing:

Kirstin Cronn-Mills, my never camera-shy daughter, me, West Jr. High principal
  • Nerds are much more popular than Smarties. (Note level of candy in red bowl vs. blue bowl.)
  • Giving away free candy is hard. (Don’t take candy from strangers still runs deep, apparently.)
  • Even if you sit at a table with a large stack of the same book, a sign that says you’re signing the book, most people will not realize you’re the author.
  • Some of these people will ask for directions to the restroom (straight back, take a left at information, then a right at the blue frog).
  • Having someone shake their head and wrinkle their nose after you describe your book to them is more funny than awful.
  • Spending fifteen minutes recommending every book you can think of for someone’s reluctant reader son is a lot of fun.
  • Talking to a fellow debut author (Kirstin Cronn-Mills) is both fun and therapeutic.
  • Signing all the stock is also lots of fun.
  • Sitting by the door, during a Minnesota winter, is not.

Most important, I learned that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to talk to people and that I’d do this again in a heartbeat.

Today’s the (upbeat) day!


You Are Upbeat


You are dreamy, peaceful, and young at heart.

Optimistic and caring, you tend to see the best in people.

You tend to be always smiling – and making others smile.You are shy and intelligent… and a very hard worker.

You’re also funny, but many people don’t see your funny side.

Your subtle dry humor leaves your close friends in stitches.

Today’s the day. The Hopkins West and North Jr. High Book Fair. Are we excited? Yes, we are. Are we ready? We think so:

  • Smarties and Nerds (they’re holiday Nerds!)? Check.
  • New outfits (me and Kyra)? Check.
  • A sunny, if cold, day? Check.
  • Camera? Check.
  • Debs bookmarks and such? Check.

I think the only thing I can do now is smile a lot. Wish me luck! If I get any good pictures, I’ll post them here in the next few days.

Modern Major General Grievous

I am officially revising. This means I officially have writers brain. So I bring you this to entertain you this Monday morning.

Star Wars geeks and Gilbert and Sullivan nerds unite! I’m serious. It’s like chocolate and peanut butter. They just go together. Todd (from Geek Girl’s Guide) gives it a big thumbs up.

Twenty years ago today

wallTwenty years ago this week, the Berlin Wall fell. And back in the day (this would be way back in the day), I worked in V Corps Intelligence in Frankfurt, Germany. It was my first job in the Army and in addition to being the assistant officer in charge of my section (a weighty responsibility), I worked as an intelligence analyst.

I was the main analyst for the First Guards Tank Army (those pesky Soviets) and Soviet Command, Control, and Communication.

Now, C3 covers what you might think it covers. It was also the catchall for what can only be described as “miscellaneous stuff” – the sort of thing no one knew how to categorize.

And … you guessed it. This is where all the intelligence traffic about what was happening in East Germany ended up: in my inbox.

So, before the world knew, I knew. Well, me and many other intelligence organizations, including the three-letter ones.

November was always so dark in Germany. I went to work before the sun came up and I left work after it went down. I worked in a secured facility, no windows, so if I wanted to see the sun, I had to check out, go through a series of doors, and so on.

I grew so pale, my friends accused me of being a vampire (and, dude, this was way before Twilight).

wall2But I remember that November. I remember how I couldn’t wait to get into work so I could see what had come in over the wire over night. I’d grab a German coffee from the snack bar, the stack from my inbox, and read. And I remember thinking:

Wow. Something is happening in East Germany.

A few months later, I had the opportunity to venture into East Germany. But that’s a post for another day.

For today, it’s good to be reminded that people can come together, and the seemingly impossible can happen. And I’m reminded that, in the long run, it’s more rewarding to be an idealist than a cynic.

Know hope. And listen:

How many more shopping days?

0007yp2b

The Debs are everywhere this holiday season!

As you can see, Darcy is working overtime on December 5th in Chicago. I guess I will be too, since I’ll be signing–and volunteering–at the fundraising book fair for Andrew’s Jr. High. You know what that means, don’t you (other than the fact I have ample opportunity to embarrass my offspring)?

Not only will I sign your copy of The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading, but I will wrap it for you. (Because I’m also scheduled to work the gift wrapping table, if you haven’t already guessed.)

Hope to see you there!

And for more information on Debs signings this holiday season, check out the link below.

Darcy:

December 5th, Holidaze with the Debs:

1-3 p.m.
Borders
161 N. Weber Road
Bolingbrook, IL
Including: Cynthea Liu, Saundra Mitchell, Aprilynne Pike, Kristina Springer, Darcy Vance, Lara Zielin

7-9 p.m.
The Book Cellar, Inc.
4736-38 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Including: Cynthea Liu, Saundra Mitchell, Aprilynne Pike, Kristina Springer, Darcy Vance, Lara Zielin

Charity:

December 5th, First annual Hopkins West Jr. High Book Fair:

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4 – 6 p.m.
Barnes and Noble Ridgehaven Mall
13131 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305

A dress a day makes the geek girl stay

I’ve never been someone with a knack for sewing/knitting/crocheting. How I got a decent grade in Home Ec. (as we called it back in the day) is one of those mysteries best left unexplored. Although my sister reported that when she took the class four years later, the teacher still remembered me. Fondly.

Uh. Whatev.

That being said, I love dresses. I’m not really a girly girl either (she says, clad in camouflage Chuck Taylors) but I could spend hours searching for the perfect prom/home coming dress online. Because, you know, that’s practical.

And I love it when bloggers post their sewing/craft projects. One of my favorite dress sites is:

A Dress a Day

And, if I’m remembering correctly, Darcy has a special fondness for Tetris. (Am I remembering correctly? You do ❤ Tetris, right?) So, this is for her, courtesy of A Dress a Day:

tetris_dress
When geekdom and fashion collide: a thing of beauty