A few months ago, in a moment of very atypical INFP
behavior, I reached out to Capital Books, a lovely independent bookstore in
downtown Sacramento to set up a book signing event. Said event took place
yesterday, and I'm happy to report it was a success. It was also a lot of fun. The
store holds their events in the Flamingo Lounge, an inviting space on the
second floor with a picture window that overlooks K Street. It's the perfect
space to sip tea and talk about books.
I organized literally hundreds of events at Tower, many with
local authors, and a good number with big names, including favorites like
Robert Crais and Sue Grafton. Just the idea of being on the other side of the
table was a bit surreal. Even after the date was confirmed and I began
promoting the event, it still sort of felt like I was talking about someone
else's book signing.
Right before the owner (with whom I'd crossed paths many years ago at Tower) introduced me, I had a moment of, "Am I really doing this?? Who thought this was a good idea?" Then I took a breath, looked around the room, and saw the friendly (masked) faces of those who had come to support me, ranging from a childhood friend, to my Tower tribe, to my new work family. What an amazing feeling. I read an excerpt, then answered questions, and instead of freaking out over the fact that I was speaking in public, I realized I was just talking about a book with a room full of friends—right in the middle of my comfort zone.
It's been quite a while since my Tower days, and the road to
finally finishing a book and getting it published was long and winding. But I
did get there. And there has been no shortage of people rooting for me along
the way. Getting a book published and having an event was certainly a dream
come true, but staying connected with my tribe? Priceless.
