Ladies who launch.

A big thank you to all who showed up at the book launch/first reading of The Prayer Room last night! I read a little, or perhaps a lot, but hopefully not too much. I signed some books, realizing that I should have thought about what to write beforehand. I ended up writing 'Enjoy!' which, frankly, is something you write on the can of almonds you give to your dentist at Christmas. I wrote a few other things that were slightly less eloquent. The signature was good, though. At least the signature was good.

In retrospect, the evening managed to break itself into scattered memories. It's the sort of thing that happens to parties: a seemingly cohesive evening ends up in a pile of moments, broken into puzzle pieces that never quite click together, try as we might to comb back through them the next morning at breakfast. 'Remember how...' 'At some point, you were...' 'Was that you?'
Here are a few highlights:
Top 5 scattered memories:
1. Arrival: Walking past the window of Book Passage, only to catch a glimpse of my book in the window...It wagged its tail and panted. I didn't know how I'd feel seeing my book in print at last. I think I still don't know. Generally, happy. And specifically, happy. I didn't cry like I thought I might. I was a little scared of it, actually. I don't know why.

2. The free cookie I got from the Book Passage cafe. I'd brought an asiago bagel with me, but decided I didn't want the cheese breath. I suppose I had peanut butter and chocolate breath, but that's better, isn't it?

3. Seeing Pat Walsh barrel through the door with a case of wine in his arms.

4. Discovering, before the reading began, the gap in the stage that I would surely have caught my heel in and tripped over.

5. Hiding behind the huge flower arrangement while Dana the events man introduced me.

6. The bright red corduroys.

So big deal that was six. And of course there was more, the friends, the clapping, the general warm feeling, but I don't want to get into the mushy stuff, at least not in blog form. Instead I will do an interpretation in shadow puppetry.