Book Signing A Success

Yesterday I was blessed. The weather was a beautiful and perfect 72 degrees. The book signing at Guilford Medical Supply went off without a hitch. I was the first to arrive and set up.  Then Vonna Condax arrived with her two dogs - a Border Collie and a Deerhound. I had never seen a Scottish Deerhound before and it is a beautiful dog. And big. Very, very big. Vonna's weighed 84 lbs but looked bigger because it's such a rangy dog. It unfolded itself from his crate in the back of Vonna's car and it seemed to just keep growing and growing as it stood up.  But oh-so-gentle.  It's a very sweet tempered breed.

So Vonna got her books set up, then Happy Hills Animal Foundation arrived.  They arrived with four volunteers, 2 dogs and 2 cats. The volunteers were wonderful. Very devoted animal lovers working to make life better for abandoned pets. They obviously had great love and affection for all the animals in the shelter and they sat at my book signing for 5 hours without being paid, simply on the hopes that someone would see one of their animals and want to adopt.

We think we may have found a home for Maggie, a  Chihuahua mix. A man showed great interest in her and said he would bring his wife to Happy Hills tomorrow to look at her. Everyone cross their fingers and say their prayers that Maggie finds a home.

Two cat brothers were there, Chad and Tiaro. Believe it or not, they're actually cuter than their kitten pictures on the Happy Hills site. They've grown a bit and are beautiful all black cats. Tiaro especially is full of mischief and has a full, bushy tail I spent the afternoon playing with.

Several people dropped by from my Triad Networking group just to say hello and buy a book, which I found very thoughtful and touching. And my good friends Pam & Michael Cable stopped by. Pam's new book, Southern Fried Women is out and I'll be blogging more about that soon. It's exceptional.

All in all, I got to spend a day with animals, making new friends, and enjoying beautiful weather. Life is very, very good.

Book Signing Today at Guilford Medical Suppy

Looking for something to do today? Come by Guilford Medial Supply at 404 E. Cornwallis Drive in Greensboro between 11 am - 3PM and check out the fun. I'll be there signing cat books plus I've invited a dog author to join me. Vanna Condax will be autographing copies of her book, Through Deerhound Eyes, a humorous compilation of emails written from one Deerhound to another. Vanna will have both her Deerhound and her Border Collie with her at the book signing.

Happy Hills Animal Foundation will be on site with cats and dogs. And 20% of all book sale proceeds will be donated back to Happy Hills! Door prizes will be given throughout the day. So drop by, say hello, pet a cat and dog and pick up some gifts for the pet lovers in your life. 

Tell your friends and I hope to see a lot of you there!

Cheers,

 Dena

Lessons In Sharing

I called my sister last night and when she answered I asked if she was okay, as she sounded tired.  "I'm all right," she said. "Jake (my 2 1/2 year old nephew) is just going through an attitude stage. Everything is 'No, Mommy' and 'Mine.'"

Then she told me how Jake has a little play tent set up in the family room and he and Nicole were inside it. He started pushing her out saying, "No Mommy. My tent."  Nicole was having none of that and made Jake look at her while she explained that toys were for everyone and they shared their toys. Jake nodded and seemed to understand.

A few minutes later my sister's husband walked in the room and tried to join them in the tent.

"No Daddy," said Jake, pushing him out. "This Mommy and my tent."

Isn't that cute?? Nicole's like, "So I don't think he's quite grasped this whole 'sharing' concept yet."

She'll work on it.

Speed Dating

I am an excellent speed dater. The knowledge that I  discovered this fact while happily married does not deter me in the least. It's  good to know I have the skills in my back pocket, should I ever need them.

My friend Daniel Richardson invited me to set up a table and do a book signing last night for Lessons In Stalking at the speed dating event he runs through Cupid.com. I chatted with the men and women at the bar before the formal event started and when it happened that there were more women than men or more men than women, I would either offer my book for them to skim through for the five minutes they had to sit there alone, or I would sit down and chat with them to pass the time. This is how I uncovered my superior speed dating skills.

Of course, it's so much easier to speed date when the pressure is off. Since I had no interest in dating, I could be myself and I'm sure I was easier to talk to because I was married and not actually part of the event.  One guy made me laugh. "Can I ask a personal favor of you?" he said. "Do you know any single women in my age range that you think might like me?"

The problem is, I really don't know any single women in the area. "I have a friend in Cincinnati who's single," I said. "So you'd have to move."

He thought for a moment. "What does she look like?"

Aaaugh.  Although it was fun being at the event, I'm so happy to be with someone I love. The night made me appreciate what I have all the more because so many people out there are seeking that companionship.

 I sold 5 books. I made a poster that read, "If You Think Dating Is Torture, Try Owning A Cat!" which got some laughs, especially from people who had cats.  And I'm pleased with the sales. I went there with low expectations, not really knowing if I would even sell a book.

My favorite sale of the night came from a guy who said he used to date a girl with cats and he was thinking about calling her again. He decided to buy a book for her and while I signed it he said, "I'm at a speed-dating event buying a gift for an ex-girlfriend. How pathetic am I?"

Overall, it was a fun night. And beneficial. I called my single friend in Cincinnati, got her voicemail and left a message informing her that if she needed any dating advice, I was now a speed dating expert and would be happy to coach her.

I don't understand why she hasn't called back.